Daily News Roundup – 15 April 2021

Live animal export ban
Stuff: Editorial – The tide goes out on animal exports
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Government announces an end to livestock sea export industry
RNZ: Government announces ban for live cattle exports by sea
Esther Taunton (Stuff): Opponents label live export ban ‘immoral, ill-informed’
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): NZ to ban live animal exports from 2023 (paywalled)
Jason Walls (Herald): Live animal exports: NZ Government confirms ban from 2023
Al Williams (Stuff): Livestock export ban met with disappointment in South Canterbury
1News: Citing animal welfare concerns, Goverment confirms it will end live exports
Brent Edwards (NBR): Live animal exporters upset by ban on exports (paywalled)
Newstalk ZB: Jacinda Ardern defends ban on live animal exports by sea

Covid: Vaccinations programme and border
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Officials still investigating why security guard wasn’t tested as Jacinda Ardern jumps the gun
Derek Cheng (Herald): Up to 60 MIQ workers still not being tested regularly
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern alleges infected MIQ security guard ‘lied’ about getting Covid-19 tests
Michael Morrah (Newshub): Number of MIQ workers who failed to get tested revealed
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Infected MIQ worker hadn’t been tested since November
Cecile Meier (Stuff): Former white supremacist plans leaflet drop of Covid-19 vaccine disinformation
Herald: Ministry of Health releases vaccine target data
Zane Small (Newshub): Labour MP Liz Craig pushes back on ‘patsy’ question criticism as Judith Collins fires up at ‘farcical nonsense’
Eric Crampton: The cost of a rolling omnishambles

Housing crisis
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Government has sold or demolished nearly 2000 state houses since July 2018
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Housing: Government looking to fast-track moves to force councils to allow more housing
Esther Taunton (Stuff): NZ’s houses make $200b in capital gains over 12 months
David Farrar: Finally a policy that will increase housing supply
Ethan Te Ora (Stuff): ‘Removed from reality’: Mixed reception throughout Wellington to National’s proposed $50k housing policy
Dita De Boni (NBR): National’s council cash incentives for new housing meets mixed reaction (paywalled)
Aaron Hendry (Stuff): Young people don’t choose to be homeless, so stop blaming them
Newstalk ZB: Ashley Church criticises National Party’s ‘virtue signalling’ housing policy

National Party leadership
Ben Thomas (Stuff): Nats must seize opportunities as cracks show in Labour’s competence
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Judith Collins says she doesn’t want National to ‘peak’ too early, has not set herself a party vote target
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Judith Collins is right to tell Simon Bridges to pull his head in
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Judith Collins asks media to stop bugging Simon Bridges and Christopher Luxon about leadership ambitions
1News: Judith Collins reiterates National ‘united’ behind her leadership

Local Government
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Local government review in the Cabinet pipeline
Damian George and Mandy Te (Stuff): Independent review into Wellington City Council recommends scrapping councillor portfolios
Florence Kerr (Stuff): Hamilton City Council puts Maori wards back on table for 2022
Lois Williams (Stuff): Kaikoura council to workshop Maori ward option with runanga
Stuart Smith; Arena Williams (Stuff): Maori representation matters and local councils want to hear Maori voices – that’s democracy

Parliament
Audrey Young (Herald): Power struggle between Parliament and courts bubbling away (paywalled)
Claire Trevett (Herald): The Speaker’s dangerous but necessary empire-building (paywalled)
Newstalk ZB: Former Green MP: Why the world doesn’t need more white male leaders

Maori Party referred to Police over donations
RNZ: Maori Party co-leaders direct donation questions to party executive
Jason Walls (Herald): Maori Party co-leaders are confident that its donations are above board amid police probe
Waatea News: Tamihere says donation inquiry overreaction

Climate change
Jamie Morton (Herald): Does population size matter?
Richard Harman: We have missed every emissions target so far (paywalled)

Mental health crisis
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Mental Health: Public service watchdog asks Ministry of Health for more information on edited report
Emma Richardson (Stuff): The Government won’t fix the mental health crisis, communities will have to step up instead

Health
Lauren Hendricksen and Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Smokefree 2025: Government plans to slash nicotine in cigarettes by 95 percent
Belinda Feek (Herald): Hospital overload: Patients forced to wait in the back of ambulance at EDs

Anti-terrorism laws and campaigns
Mark Quinlivan and Isabella Durant (Newshub): Online extremism expert slams Christchurch Call as a failure as Jacinda Ardern, Emmanuel Macron hail ‘significant global progress’
David Bromell (VUW): Regulating harmful communication: Current legal frameworks
David Bromell (VUW): Arguments for and against restricting freedom of expression

Education
Kendall Hutt (Stuff): Auckland schools at odds over who benefits from donation scheme
Jack Crossland and Sophie Trigger (Herald): Mould discovery at Hutt Valley HS ‘not surprising’, says Principals’ Federation, as school plans return to remote learning
Matthew Tso (Stuff): Mould-ridden classrooms not a priority for ministry until too late – Hutt High board chairman

Transport
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Roading rage: Frustration as many key projects ‘will not get over the line’
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): More proof that Te Huia is a joke
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Waka Kotahi-NZTA chair ‘extremely disappointed’ in board member’s Te Huia train comments

Other
Daniel Dunkley (Stuff): US President’s tough stance on tax could really boost our Government coffers
Hamish Cardwell and Jordan Bond (RNZ): Northland police unlawfully used checkpoints to gather information for years
Peter Williams (Magic Talk): Plans for a co-governed New Zealand you should be concerned about
Uma Ahmed (Stuff): Polynesian Panthers say work still needs to be done to combat racism
Tony Wall (Stuff): Defence Force ‘deeply regrets’ spate of deaths and injuries – WorkSafe suggests ‘systemic issues’
Maree Brannigan (Herald): Anzac Day remembrance is evolving for future generations (paywalled)