Government Inaction Will Cost Jobs and Livelihoods New Zealand’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell 2.9% over the year to Dec 2020. The largest annual fall ever in New Zealand. GDP per capita over the same period declined by 4.9%. In the last quarter of 2020 alone GDP
The Maori wards legislation may have passed in Parliament, but that doesn’t mean councils have to abandon local democracy. Yesterday RNZ reported that five Whangarei District Councillors are challenging their council’s decision to introduce Maori wards. This needs to happen at councils across the country. The nine councils
Housing 1News: Kiwis think Govt not doing enough to address housing crisis as politicians quizzed on how many homes they own Dan Satherley and Emma Turton (Newshub): Housing crisis: Share of homes being sold to people who already own property at record high Julie Anne Genter (Business Desk): Time for
Housing Jenee Tibshraeny (Interest): Next week’s housing policy package to include ‘incentives’ to invest beyond property Jason Walls (Herald): The Green Party urges ‘bold action’ on housing ahead of Government’s first housing package RNZ: Greens urge capital gains tax in plan to address housing crisis Zane Small (Newshub)
Judith Collins Leader National Party Yesterday, National launched a petition calling on the Government to get a move on with the trans-Tasman travel bubble. It’s now been signed by over 30,000 people who back our call. Australia has welcomed people quarantine-free from New Zealand since October last year,
Housing Keith Lynch (Stuff): What happened after Jacinda Ardern said house prices can’t keep skyrocketing Henry Cooke (Stuff): Housing crisis: Greens push to end equity-only mortgage deposits in bid to lower prices Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Megan Woods reminds foreign investors their money is still welcome in parts of housing
Hon Judith Collins judithcollins.national.org.nz Housing In the December 2020 Housing figures just released, the number of people waiting for social housing in Papakura has jumped to 661 people with a “severe and persistent” housing need. Sadly this is up by almost 500 people since National left the
Free Press ACT Party Whether the Government will be successful in distributing the vaccine is an open question. We want them to succeed but there are reasons to be sceptical; remember the measles fiasco? A more urgent problem is telling New Zealanders what a vaccine will mean. This week Free
1News-Colmar Brunton Poll 1News: Labour keeps strong lead as Collins plunges further in first 1 News-Colmar Brunton poll of 2021 Claire Trevett (Herald): PM’s drop in popularity will not worry her as National stays off its foils (paywalled) Jessica Mutch Mckay (TVNZ): Opinion: Saying goodbye to landlines in 2021’
FEE Daily Newsletter fee.org Analyst Philippe Lemoine originally advocated for lockdowns to stop the spread of COVID-19. Now, he says he was wrong—and that lockdowns would fail any honest cost-benefit analysis. “A year ago I publicly advocated lockdowns because they seemed prudent given how little was known at
Economy, wage subsidy, inequality Branko Marcetic (Democracy Project): When the US Government becomes more economically progressive than NZ Bernard Hickey (Stuff): Where did the wage subsidy money really go? Gareth Vaughan (Interest): Why we should reframe the discussion on government spending Kate MacNamara (Herald): Treasury shows New Zealand’s 1
The trans-Tasman Safe Travel bubble was meant to open by the end of this month but after 12 rounds of talks over 9 months, the Government still won’t give it the green light. Australia has let Kiwis in since October last year, but New Zealand won’t return the
Policing and crime Robin Martin (RNZ): Facial recognition used on photos of unidentified suspects only – Coster Geraden Cann (Stuff): Police drones, body cameras likely to be scrutinised by new independent panel Jane Clifton (Herald): What about a long-term Level 4 for gang members? (paywalled) Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (RNZ): Police dodged
National Party Richard Harman: National’s review is political dynamite (paywalled) Claire Trevett (Herald): National Party’s review a double-edged sword (paywalled) Herald: Editorial: What the National Party review needs to see (paywalled) Jason Walls (Herald): National’s review report is a ‘challenging and difficult read’ – leader Judith Collins Parliament
David Seymour ACT Leader, MP for Epsom ACT has produced what the Government hasn’t been able to, and what New Zealanders have been asking for: a plan for the immediate, and longer-term, steps of New Zealand’s response to COVID-19. Not only did ACT release the most comprehensive COVID-19
Covid: Vaccine RNZ: Covid-19: 51% of New Zealanders willing to take vaccine – survey The Hui: New poll shows 23 percent of Maori unlikely to get coronavirus jab Zane Small (Newshub): Greens say lack of full COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan is ‘unacceptable’ Liu Chen (RNZ): NZC lobbied Ashley Bloomfield for player
