National Party
Richard Harman (Politik): Safe seat, not much experience required
Audrey Young (Herald): Judith Collins makes only one mistake in the Andrew Falloon fiasco (paywalled)
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Judith Collins and Jacinda Ardern failed New Zealanders by acting too slowly over Andrew Falloon
ODT Editorial: No strength in secrecy
Alison Mau (Stuff): National MP Andrew Falloon scandal: Let’s not forget the women affected by this
1News: National’s latest scandal ‘hugely damaging’ in election lead-up, says Jessica Mutch McKay
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Why Judith Collins waited 48 hours to push Andrew Falloon to retire
Justin Giovannetti (Spinoff): On Andrew Falloon, mental health, and political reporting
Newstalk ZB: Political commentator on how Collins should handle Falloon scandal
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Judith Collins claims to have received ‘tip-off’ about Labour minister, passed to Prime Minister
Zane Small (Newshub): Judith Collins confident Jacinda Ardern’s office acted appropriately with Andrew Falloon information
1News: PM says she wasn’t interested in ‘dirty politics’ after learning of Andrew Falloon scandal before National
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Andrew Falloon lewd text scandal: Four women bring allegations, former leadership was unaware
Jo Moir (RNZ): National MPs say Falloon’s behaviour not reflective of party
Herald: Sex-text scandal: Police seeking more information about Andrew Falloon
Thomas Manch and Henry Cooke (Stuff): National MP Andrew Falloon facing mounting allegations of sending explicit images to young women
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Police seek further information after new allegations against Andrew Falloon sending ‘unsolicited images’
Jason Walls and Amelia Wade (Herald): Andrew Falloon caught in an ‘enormous lie’ as police reopen case
Jo Moir (RNZ): Judith Collins believes ex-MP Andrew Falloon ‘lied’ over indecent image message
Jason Walls (Herald): Disgraced MP Andrew Falloon may have ‘lied to police’ over sex texts – Collins
1News: Andrew Falloon lied,’ Judith Collins says as more women come forward with complaints
1News: ‘Other instances’ – Judith Collins suggests the Andrew Falloon text scandal might not be over
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): NZ election 2020: Police likely to reopen Andrew Falloon investigation – Judith Collins
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Andrew Falloon using mental health during resignation ‘not acceptable’ – Mental Health Foundation
Duncan Garner (Newshub): Falloon shouldn’t hide the truth behind a wall of mental health excuses
Herald: Disgraced MP Andrew Falloon dumped by White Ribbon
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): White Ribbon charity ‘terminates’ Andrew Falloon’s ambassador role
Michael Neilson (Herald): Disgraced National MP Andrew Falloon’s resignation saves taxpayer $60,000
1News: Embattled MP Andrew Falloon resigns, effective immediately
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): NZ election 2020: Andrew Falloon to resign from Parliament immediately after pressure from Collins
RNZ: National MP Andrew Falloon quits politics amid indecent image allegations
Mike Houlahan (ODT): National at work on search to replace southern MP
Parliament
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Men and women behaving badly: Why won’t MPs sign a code of conduct
Derek Cheng (Herald): Curse of the south? MPs from the mainland plagued by sex-text, privacy and entitlement scandals (paywalled)
Stuff Editorial: Revulsion-and-expulsion reactions won’t be enough to detoxify political life
Phil Quinn (Stuff): Where the drinks are on the House
Guyon Espiner (RNZ): Winston Peters’ friends went to Antarctica on taxpayer
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): Jacinda Ardern vs Judith Collins – Round 1 to the PM
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Judith Collins and Jacinda Ardern face off in first Question Time debate
Alan Kenyon (1News): Ardern takes jab at Collins over her long wait for National leadership as they square off in Parliament
Zane Small (Newshub): Parliament erupts in laughter over Jacinda Ardern’s dig at Judith Collins’ leadership ambitions
1News: Dr Bloomfield ‘privileged’ to be in pack alongside former All Blacks for Parliamentary rugby match
Election
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): What’s Judith Collins’ pitch to the electorate?
Jo Moir (RNZ): ‘Gloves are off’ for NZ First and Greens leaders in unofficial election campaign
Jason Walls (Herald): NZ First leader Winston Peters says a Labour-Greens Govt would be a ‘nightmare’ for NZ
Anna Whyte (1News): Winston Peters turns attack on ‘plain inexperience’ of Labour-Greens
Julie Iles (NBR): Peters tells business leaders to ‘take out some darn insurance’ this election (paywalled)
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern shoots down NZ First immigration ‘bottom line’
RNZ: PM Jacinda Ardern on Winston Peters’ immigration portfolio coalition requirement
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern not worried about ‘woke pixie dust’ attack from Winston Peters
Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): Winston Peters labels David Seymour ‘political cuckold’ as electioneering gets ugly
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Winston Peters lambasts National Party ‘circus’ in ‘chaos’
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Distractions and fear of freaking people out has led to a dearth of policy being put on the table two months out from the election
Melanie Carroll (Stuff): How much does it cost every time National has to change its billboards?
Matthew Tso (Stuff): ‘Let’s not jump the gun’: Voters mistake information packs for referendum ballot papers
Raymond Huo to retire
Jason Walls (Herald): Outgoing Labour MP Raymond Huo takes a swipe at senior National MP Nick Smith
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Labour MP Raymond Huo retiring from politics at election
RNZ: Labour list MP Raymond Huo to retire from politics at election
1News: Labour’s Raymond Huo to leave Parliament at election
Brent Edwards (NBR): Another MP quits politics, this time from Labour (paywalled)
Covid-19
Ben Strang (RNZ): Contractors paid millions to help with government’s Covid-19 response
Lance Wiggs (NBR): $16.3m spend on Covid-19 contractors was money well-spent, fund manager says (paywalled)
David Hargreaves (Stuff): Why keeping the Covid fund for Covid is a good idea
Brent Edwards (NBR): Government signals end to Covid-19 spending for the time being (paywalled)
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Auckland’s Covid contact tracing capacity only half what it should be
Eva Corlett (RNZ): GPs want clear messaging from government
1News: NZ airports were a ‘breeding ground for Covid’ and most travellers still not wearing masks, flight attendant says
Rob Stock (Stuff): Air New Zealand pilots and cabin crews hit with Covid-19 backlash
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Defence lawyers call for urgent review of Covid-19 prosecutions
Arvind Kumar (Stuff): Increase in racism against Asians since Covid-19 leads to ‘Racism Is No Joke’ campaign
Jake Kenny (Stuff): Private jet lands at Christchurch Airport for mystery pickup
Ian Powell (Democracy Project): Cuba’s fight against Covid-19 is impressive, even compared to NZ’s
Charging for quarantine
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Government wanted to get border management right before considering charging returning New Zealanders – Jacinda Ardern
Katarina Williams (Stuff): Human Rights Commission seeks clarification, expats fire up legal challenge over plan to charge returning Kiwis
Alexander Gillespie (The Conversation): There is no legal right to free quarantine — but there is a fair way to set the price
Ella Tait (Stuff): Charging returning Kiwis for quarantine only adds fuel to the fire
Victoria Brownlee (Stuff): NZ needs to accept quarantine costs are the price of its coronavirus success
Health
RNZ: Pharmac, Covid-19 health response get slice of $302m fund
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Government announces $302 million boost to medical funding for COVID-19 response
Janine Rankin (Manawatu Standard): Health services nurse Covid hangover as lockdown leaves sickly legacy
Tom Kitchin (RNZ): Hawke’s Bay DHB ignored staff before wrongly cancelling home help, review finds
Janine Rankin (Manawatu Standard): Nurses oppose bed cuts for older mental health patients
Ian Powell (Second Opinion): Health bosses continue to neglect medical specialist shortages in New Zealand
Kate Nicol-Williams (1News): Anti-smoking campaigners calling on Government to stop plans to ban oral nicotine products
Jo McKenzie-McLean (Stuff): Four locations pitched for Central Otago primary birthing facility
Kerrie Waterworth (ODT): Maternity unit’s end looks nigh
Kate Green (Stuff): Wellington Children’s Hospital mid-construction, set to be ‘perfect’ space for kids, carers, and staff
Foreign affairs, trade
Matt Burrows (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern’s calling out of China over Uighur Muslims shows New Zealand ‘won’t engage in master-servant relationship’ – international relations expert
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Can we still rely on China when everyone else is shunning them?
John Battersby (Stuff): Covid-19 should not make us oblivious to other security threats
RNZ: The Detail: The tightrope of trade with China
Education
John Gerritsen (RNZ): ‘Difficult situation’ – Foreign students may have to stay over summer holidays
Transport
Joel MacManus (Stuff): $100 million rescue package for public transport
RNZ: Almost 40,000 Air New Zealand customers use online tool, $1.4 million in credit redeemed
Local government
Rob Mitchell (Dominion Post): Let’s get Wellington moving? Let’s start by getting its council talking
Mandy Te (Stuff): Wellington City Council officially approves 5.1 per cent rates increase
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Wellington city councillors rule out privatising central library
Damian George (Stuff): Legal advice backs councillors expressing opinions about plans for quake-prone central library
Harry Lock (RNZ): Future of Wellington library up for debate
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Councillor blasts Wellington City Council over library legal wrangle
Christina Persico (Stuff): New Plymouth councillors vote to establish Maori ward
Robin Martin (RNZ): Survey shows majority want New Plymouth Raceway lease terminated
Employment, migrant workers
Susan Hornsby-Geluk (Stuff): Employers who ordered Covid-19 pay cuts ‘have reason to be concerned’
Lisa Meto Fox (E-Tangata): Turning workers on and off like a tap
Anuja Nadkarni (Stuff): Industry asks Govt: We’ve got the workers, where’s the work?
Tiwai Point
Logan Savory (Southland Times): Winston Peters to hold ‘Save Tiwai’ public meeting in Invercargill
Gavin Evans (BusinessDesk): ‘Vision’ can save smelter, refinery, steel mill – Peters (paywalled)
Michael Cullen (Herald): No crocodile tears for Tiwai Point aluminium smelter (paywalled)
Justice
Zane Small (Newshub): The reason New Zealand First pulled handbrake on sexual violence legislation
Collette Devlin (Stuff): NZ First stalls sexual violence legislation before election
Stuff: Severe, unjust sentence for ill man expected to go to highest court
Primary industries
Sean Hogan (1News): ‘It’s pretty tough’ – Tolaga Bay locals frustrated as more timber debris washes up
RNZ: Forest owners to fund clean-up of debris, logs at Tolaga Bay
1News: Mycoplasma bovis almost eradicated in New Zealand, three years on from initial discovery
Sam Hurley (Herald): Revealed: West Auckland farmer’s three million free-range egg fraud ends with home detention
RNZ: New Zealand exports in strong demand during pandemic – report
RNZ: Agritech support plan to establish horticultural robotics academy
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): Taskforce to speed up agritech (paywalled)
Housing
Eva Corlett (RNZ): Queenstown Lakes District Council tells homeless man he’s breaking ‘freedom camping’ rules
1News: Is it still the case that house prices will double every 10 years?
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): Banks more positive, but house prices could still fall 10%
Media
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Less than half of first round of media assistance paid out to companies
Glen McConnell (Stuff): Cutting Wendy Petrie is a sad example of TVNZ’s fall and its diversity issues
Siobhan Downes (Stuff): Award-winning RNZ investigative show Insight set to be scrapped
Environment
Jean Bell (RNZ): Green Party candidate Steve Abel arrested during tree felling protest in Avondale
1News: Police scramble to escape falling tree after Greens candidate climbs Auckland native in protest
Jared Morgan (ODT): Manuherikia catchment condition ‘sobering’
John McKenzie (1News): Plummeting yellow-eyed penguin numbers spark call for Otago beach closures
Matariki
1News: Green Party joins calls for Matariki to be made a public holiday
Lana Andelane (Newshub): Green Party calls for Matariki to become public holiday
Other
Oliver Hartwich (Herald): A return to normal? Forget about it (paywalled)
Melanie Carroll (Stuff): Some charities may not survive Covid-19 as their finances take a hit
Jessica Tyson (Maori TV): Principles in RMA must remain to avoid land disputes like Ihum?tao – Marama Davidson
RNZ: Northland roading and flooding protection projects get funding boost
RNZ: Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan: Expect more large destructive weather patterns
RNZ: Checkpoint: Life at M?ngere Refugee Resettlement Centre during Covid-19
Andrew MacFarlane (1News): Second researcher gains access to thousands of Kiwis’ data following property management site privacy breach
Collette Devlin (Stuff): NZ First will support National Party Bill to take guns off gangs
Siena Yates (Herald): Should you turn on to Tom Sainsbury’s political comedy Sextortion? (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Travel agent forced to remortgage house to keep doors open, help clients
Latest
Study Confirms the Truth About Masking and Children
This isn’t new information, and it’s obvious common sense. So why did public health authorities ignore it? When you consider those consequences, a disturbing likelihood of malicious intent becomes a lot more realistic.
Australians Voted for Unity and the Left Can’t Forgive Them
The left refuse to admit that they were just wrong
[The Good Oil] Stuff Up of the Day
Check out the latest media stuff ups both locally and around the world.