In brief Safe Surfer founder Rory Birkbeck supports stronger regulation of online platforms but warns age checks could increase data collection and push New Zealand towards digital ID.
In brief Wayne Brown fairly challenges the government’s changed position on Houkura, whose committee voting rights face removal.
Almost two-thirds of respondents support a wealth tax targeting individual net assets above $10 million while exempting family homes, according to new Ipsos polling.
An Education Ministry manager allegedly told staff to stop recording teachers’ criticism during curriculum consultation because it could be released under the Official Information Act.
Commentator Rita Panahi has accused Jacinda Ardern of hypocrisy after the former prime minister reportedly bought a A$5.3 million Sydney home, contrasting the purchase with Ardern’s past description of capitalism as a “blatant failure”.
Ian Wishart is questioning whether Nicky Hager applied the same publication standards in his new book, Dirty Work , that he advocated when giving evidence against Wishart in a 2013 defamation trial.
First-home buyers can pay less for a house and still face higher mortgage repayments, as rising interest rates outweigh falling prices at the affordable end of the market.
Petrol and diesel have jumped about 50c a litre in less than a month, adding roughly $25 to a 50-litre fill as overseas refining and shipping costs put more pressure on household budgets.
The government expects the New Zealand Media Council to become the primary regulator for journalism once the Broadcasting Standards Authority is abolished, shifting towards greater industry self-regulation.
NZ First is promising to cut company tax from 28% to 20% for companies with annual turnover below $30 million, claiming the resulting economic growth would more than cover the initial $1 billion annual cost.
New Zealand’s largest childcare operator receives about three-quarters of its revenue from government funding, while its tax-free proceeds have largely gone towards repaying the wealthy owners who sold the business to their own charity, the NZ Herald reports.
Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says Fire and Emergency New Zealand kept a serious levy issue from her for a year, despite external advice that she should be told.
David Seymour says ACT has prevented its coalition partners from breaking up Foodstuffs during this parliamentary term and could oppose the policy again in negotiations over the next government.
Elliot Ikilei has published an interview he says RNZ did not use, showing a Pacific Waves interviewer repeatedly challenging his opposition to ethnicity-based medical admissions while largely treating the scheme’s benefits as established.
Christopher Luxon pointed to a cap on public-service staffing when asked why advertised salaries in the public sector were reportedly rising faster than in other sectors, despite the Government’s cost-cutting programme.
Parties are promising cheaper groceries, lower power bills and healthier communities, but their policies differ sharply over how much control government should exercise over businesses and private property.
