Daily News Roundup – 19 March 2021

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 bold, brave action to end this housing crisis
Greg Ninness (Interest): ANZ’s economists expect annual house price inflation to hit 27% by June but warn that nothing lasts forever
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Revealed: The multimillion-dollar cost of the Government’s emergency motel policy
Felix Desmarais (RNZ): Homelessness impacting Rotorua’s tourism ‘brand’ – development agency

Covid: TransTasman travel bubble
Melanie Carroll (Stuff): Who benefits more from a trans-Tasman travel bubble – NZ or Australia?
Jamie Morton (Herald): Could NZ-Oz bubble be the path to eradication?
Zane Small (Newshub): Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins ‘can’t guarantee’ trans-Tasman travel bubble will increase MIQ availability
RNZ: Ardern refuses to put firm date on trans-Tasman travel bubble
Derek Cheng (Herald): Stranded in a burst transtasman bubble? Don’t expect a Govt handout, says Hipkins
Derek Cheng (Herald): Cabinet to consider transtasman bubble next week – April possible start date
RNZ: ‘Political scratchiness’ maybe behind trans-Tasman delay – forum
Brook Sabin (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern warns Kiwi travellers could get stuck when the trans-Tasman bubble opens
Brook Sabin (Stuff): Trans-Tasman travel bubble: Why it’s the right time to start
Jason Walls (Herald): Queenstown protest of Tourism Minister cancelled after good Aussie travel bubble news
Louisa Steyl (Stuff): Tourism Minister Stuart Nash hints at possible support for Queenstown
Molly Houseman and Tracey Roxburgh (ODT): Excitement bubbling about travel
Business Desk: Wake Up Call: Trans-Tasman bubble by April? (paywalled)
Liu Chen (RNZ): Business community wants quick decision on trans-Tasman bubble

Covid
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Managed isolation could be expanded by about 3000 rooms but Government has chosen not to RNZ: National seeking Covid-19 vaccination percentage target Herald: Editorial: Impacts of Covid could be around for the long haul (paywalled) Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Queen tribute act border approval ‘kick in the guts’ for separated families – National
Bonnie Flaws (Stuff): Border exemptions for The Lion King show Government is not listening, farmers say
Brittney Deguara (Stuff): Saliva tests may have a place at the border, but not in the community
Corazon Miller (1News): New figures show dramatic plunge in international flights arriving in Auckland, destinations served
NBR: Hotel sector feels unfairly treated by government Covid policies (paywalled)

Economy
Brent Edwards (NBR): Treasury argues case that fiscal prudence is good for wellbeing (paywalled)
Luke Malpass and Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Government points to low global growth as local GDP takes a hit
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Covid recession 2.0? Surprise 1% drop in GDP
Liam Dann (Herald): GDP slump means NZ probably back in recession (paywalled) David Hargreaves (Interest): ‘Double dip’ recession looming after GDP drop in December quarter?
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): New Zealand GDP figures compare favourably to other countries
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): New Zealand GDP plunges 1 percent in latest figures, bigger drop than expected
Brian Fallow (Herald): Pandemic savages tourism income (paywalled)
Anna Whyte (TVNZ): NZ’s GDP ends chaotic 2020 with 1% dip in final quarter, and largest year-to-year fall on record
Liam Dann (Herald): GDP slump means NZ probably back in recession (paywalled)
Jenny Ruth (BusinessDesk): GDP: NZ economy firing only three of four engines (paywalled)

Foreign affairs
Matthew Hooton (Herald): Nanaia Mahuta – a minister to help clean up a foreign policy mess (paywalled) Peter Dunne: New Zealand is right to take the moral high ground on Australian deportations
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): NZ visa office in Beijing staffed mostly by Chinese police-owned company
Marion Crawshaw (Incline): Where is New Zealand in PNG’s Covid disaster?

Parliament
Thomas Manch (Stuff): National MP Nicola Willis confronts Green MP Marama Davidson over ‘racist’ accusation
Anna Whyte (1News): Argument erupts in Parliament over accusation of ‘racist and classist undertones’
Zane Small (Newshub): National MP Erica Stanford responds to be being ‘cat-called’ by Labour’s Peeni Henare in Parliament
Daniela Maoate-Cox (RNZ): Mad about Election 2020? Tell Parliament your thoughts
RNZ: Bill to simplify child support scheme passes third reading in Parliament Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern ranked among people Brits want as leader, pops up in video with Prince William, Kate

America’s Cup
Jason Walls (Herald): Parliament erupts in applause in congratulating Team New Zealand – but Greens not so keen
Danielle Clent (Stuff): America’s Cup event featuring Rod Stewart singalong costs taxpayers nearly $1m 1News: ‘Money well spent’ — Tourism Minister says Govt’s $136m America’s Cup splurge paid off despite pandemic
Todd Niall (Stuff): America’s Cup: The lost chance to make the regatta reflective of all Aotearoa
Carolyne Meng-Yee (Herald): America’s Cup 2021: Government’s $5 million pledge a ‘drop in the bucket’

Water fluoridation
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Water fluoridation powers to be taken off councils, giving control to Dr Ashley Bloomfield
Herald: Water fluoridation: Govt proposes law change giving fluoridation decisions to director-general of Health
Helen Harvey (Stuff): Top dentist applauds Government’s bill to give fluoride decision to Ashley Bloomfield instead of councils
Cate Broughton and Tina Law (Stuff): Dentists praise fluoridation call; Christchurch councillors want to see the money
Henry Cooke (Stuff): National ‘concerned’ with Government move to centralise drinking water fluoridation power
David Farrar: Govt to make fluoridation compulsory

Health
Te Aorewa Rolleston (RNZ): Kaupapa Maori solutions key to better Maori cancer outcomes, hui told
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): What needs to be done to stop New Zealand’s grim melanoma death rate

Environment
Richard Harman: Parker cops green backlash
Mandy Te (Stuff): Kiwis urged to swap the car for a cycle, walk or scoot on short trips
Maty Nikkhou-O’Brien (Herald): What the ‘lost year’ of Covid should have taught us (paywalled)
Brent Melville (Stuff): Time to curb the Kiwi ‘addiction to cars’ (paywalled)

Justice; policing
Joel Maxwell (Stuff): Reality bites on prison stats as population plunges but violence spikes
Zane Small (Newshub): Ex-NZ First MP Darroch Ball, advocating for victims, blasts ‘out of touch’ Greens for opposing child sex offender list
RNZ: Urgent law change to put sex offenders back on register passes in Parliament
Gianina Schwanecke (Herald): Gang members trying to ‘clean it up’ call for political help to stop violence in Napier (paywalled)
Ryan Boswell (TVNZ): Sir Kim Workman hopeful of solving police bias – ‘I don’t want to die and not have this stuff worked out’

Democracy and social media conference
Geoffrey Miller (Democracy Project): Twitter uses Dunedin conference to explain approach to political expression

Christchurch anniversary, hate
Peter Griffin (BusinessDesk): Why internet filtering laws are a terrible idea
Kevin Veale (Stuff): Listen to those targeted by the hate groups
ODT: Editorial – More work still to be done

Media
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Covid-19 saves RNZ from 16 per cent funding cut
Damien Venuto (Herald): Is Kris Faafoi being cowardly or clever on Google, Facebook? (paywalled)

Local government
Tom Hunt (Stuff): Shelly Bay occupiers refusing to back down after court decision

Other
RNZ: KiwiSaver: 88 providers investing in making of nuclear weapons – Mindful Money
Lola Toppin-Casserly (Newsroom): Why we’re in denial about our public service
Christine Braid (The Conversation): Has a gap in old-school handwriting and spelling tuition contributed to NZ’s declining literacy scores?
Nick Agar (Stuff): Kiwi universities need their own academic ‘youthquake’ Virginia Fallon (Stuff): You’ll never walk alone: The danger of being a woman at night
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Former Labour candidate in dispute against party Lynley Jenness (Stuff): Time for a ‘student loan’ repayment approach to pensions Marta Steeman (Stuff): Capital gains are a ‘significant chunk’ of retirement village profits, analysts say