Labour Party Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Labour’s tax plan framing around Covid-19 both clever and cynical Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Labour’s ultra-cautious tax policy will be a relief to the wealthy Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Labour’s tax policy will cost those earning $200,000 less than the cost of a
Election Audrey Young (Herald): Labour leaps out of blocks in reset campaign (paywalled) Charlie Dreaver (RNZ): Political parties back into campaign mode but Covid still casts a shadow Herald: Front Bench podcast: A new public holiday from Labour, while Winston Peters goes for theatre Nicholas Jones (Herald): Election 2020 battlegrounds:
Election Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Even the politicians look tired as the campaign kicks off – again Audrey Young (Herald): How parties are relighting the campaign spark (paywalled) Luke Malpass (Stuff): Taxing decisions on debt for the big parties NZIER: Why are Labour and National policies basically the same? Mark Quinlivan (Newshub)
Economic inequality Susan Edmunds (Stuff): New Zealand’s trillion-dollar wealth gap: Who are we leaving behind Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): The Government likes to say it follows expert advice – that’s not quite true Susan Edmunds (Stuff): 185,000 workers expect to lose their jobs within next year, Stats NZ say
Green private school funding row, education Stuff Editorial: Shaw’s Green School shambles risks his party’s future Claire Trevett (Herald): Will James Shaw’s endless sorry save the Greens? (paywalled) Tova O’Brien (Newshub): NZ First and Greens fighting for survival, trying to kill each other off amid Green
Green private school grant row Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Green co-leader James Shaw refused to sign-off on $3bn of infrastructure projects unless Green School was included Jane Patterson (RNZ): Treasury opposed Green School grant over lack of approvals Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): James Shaw has a bigger problem than the
Free Press The ACT Party As recently as last Monday, Auckland needed to stay at Level 3 for another week to defeat the virus. Yesterday it turned out that Level 2.5 was sufficient. New Zealanders want to trust the Government, but changes without rhyme or reason make it difficult.
Education Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): Couple who called COVID-19 ‘manufactured natural disaster’ held ‘DNA activation’ event at Green School Katie Scotcher (RNZ): James Shaw looking for solution in Green School controversy Deena Coster (Stuff): Marfell School community tells minister ‘we’re shovel ready’ as Green School funding row continues Amanda Clinton-Gohdes
Judith Collins National Party Leader national.org.nz A National Government will facilitate negotiations between Rio Tinto, power companies and Transpower to achieve a more cost-competitive environment to keep the Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter open. New Zealand is losing thousands of jobs every week due to the largest economic crisis
Greens fund private school Luke Malpass (Stuff): Hypocrisy, thy colour is Green Chris Trotter (Interest): From safe bet to Shaw loser Bryce Edwards (Herald): Political Roundup: The Greens’ private school funding scandal Stephanie Ockhuysen (Stuff): James Shaw invited to see mouldy, leaky state schools after million-dollar grant to private school
Brenton Tarrant sentenced to life without parole Tim Brown (RNZ): Terrorist sentenced to life in jail without parole Kurt Bayer and Anna Leask (Herald): Brenton Tarrant will never be released from jail Newshub: Terrorist Brenton Tarrant to spend the rest of his life in prison, without possibility of parole Thomas
Election, voting age Henry Cooke and Luke Malpass (Stuff): Public still backing Government and Jacinda Ardern despite second outbreak, new poll shows Liu Chen (RNZ): Poll shows large majority of Chinese New Zealanders still favour National over Labour Claire Trevett (Herald): Judith Collins, Jacinda Ardern and the virus blame game
Danielle van Dalen maxim.org.nz A side effect of New Zealand’s election delay is that every political party now has an extra four weeks to campaign. This means an extra four weeks to capture the public’s attention, but also means every political party has to scramble to
Economic response to Covid Kate MacNamara (Herald): Government mulls use of $400m fund to buy stakes in firms hurt by Covid 19 (paywalled) Debrin Foxcroft (Stuff): Companies refusing to apply for Government sick leave subsidy to cover workers David Fisher Herald): The Road Ahead: The missing piece in our Covid-19
PM’s levels announcement, govt management of coronavirus Henry Cooke (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern faces little opposition to alert level extension Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): A nervous week ahead for a suddenly vulnerable government (paywalled) Richard Harman (Politik): Covid “here for some time” say Ardern and Collins Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Experts
Border failures, criticism Hayden Donnell (RNZ): Mediawatch: A backlash over tough questions for Dr Ashley Bloomfield Bryce Edwards (Herald): Political Roundup – How serious are the Govt’s border botch-ups? Andrea Vance (Stuff): Big little lies: Getting to the facts in New Zealand’s border failures Michael Morrah (Newshub): Conflicting messages
