Republished with Permission
Author: Bryce Edwards
GOVERNMENT, PARLIAMENT, PUBLIC SERVICE
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Christopher Luxon not ruling out directly appointing public service chief executives, Labour calls this Trumpian
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche considers axing government entities (paywalled)
Chris Trotter (Interest): Ideology problems
Azaria Howell (Herald): Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment cuts spending on ‘Big Four’ consulting firms by more than 60% in a year (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): SOEs struggle in tough economic times (paywalled)
Simon Wilson (Herald): Christopher Luxon’s long, slow walk to oblivion (paywalled)
Alex Casey (Spinoff): Exclusive: We found Act MP Simon Court’s full menstrual cup sales pitch
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): ‘A republic, if you can keep it’
Natalia Albert: Chlöe Isn’t a Saint, David Isn’t a Villain
HEALTH
Ruth Hill (RNZ): Going private: Is it the answer to public health woes?
Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Front Page: NZ health crisis deepens with trio of top-level resignations
Sharon Brettkelly (RNZ): The Detail: Is NZ's health leadership in crisis?
Russell Palmer (RNZ): 'Massive body count' in health due to targets falling short - Labour says
Mary Argue (RNZ): Struggling Christchurch ED asks patients go elsewhere unless it's 'life-threatening'
Rachel Thomas (Post): Hospital rejecting Porirua patients based on BMI, GPs say (paywalled)
Anusha Bradley (RNZ): Data reveals drop in access to mental health and addiction services
Ian Powell: When overlaying fact in health systems with fiction morphs into embellishment
Janet Hoek, Anna DeMello and Lani Teddy (The Conversation): We asked young people if they wanted tighter vaping regulation to phase out nicotine – here’s what they said
Herald: Labour’s Kieran McAnulty wants guarantee Masterton ratepayers aren’t helping plug Health NZ’s deficit
Chris White (Post): The case for public-private partnerships in healthcare (paywalled)
Susan Botting (Local Democracy Reporting): 'Disgrace': Winston Peters slams Whangārei fluoridation mandate
Peter Davis (Newsroom): Don’t be afraid of what sociology can tell us about ourselves
BUSINESS, BANKS
Rob Stock (Post): Why anti-monopolist Tex Edwards put his mum's cookie recipe in his competition review submission (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Post): Monopolies watchdog warns Government: 'Capitalism needs to be saved, not tinkered with’ (paywalled)
Sue Chetwin (Post): The one action needed to force competition into the grocery sector (paywalled)
ODT Editorial: Arch enemy in Wānaka (paywalled)
John Anthony (BusinessDesk): Blame poor regulation not banks for lack of competition, experts say (paywalled)
Kent Duston (Post): The most expensive government agency in the country is the Commerce Commission (paywalled)
Hamish McNicol (NBR): Criticism FMA ’too aloof’ was correct, Commerce Minister says (paywalled)
Rob Collins (Herald): Labour’s banking claims challenged by credit union leader (paywalled)
Arena Williams (Herald): Making banking fairer, more accessible for everyone should be the Government’s focus
Lee Marshall (Post): Banks’ good intentions risk paving the road to oblivion for service stations (paywalled)
ENVIRONMENT, CONSERVATION, FISHING
Fox Meyer (Newsroom): Environment was fast-track priority before minister’s intervention
Michael Morrah (Herald): Superyacht with dirty hull allowed in Hauraki Gulf regatta in ‘highly unusual’ move
Luka Forman (RNZ): Conservationists oppose MPI upped crayfish catch proposal
1News: Northland fishing company fined for incorrect gear, false reporting
Greg Hurrell (BusinessDesk): The hydro alternative to Government's $80m+ mining cleanup bill (paywalled)
Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira (RNZ): Sewerage pipeline work near tapū lake to continue despite protests
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Heat goes on KiwiSaver investments in fossil fuels
HOUSING
Garth Bray (BusinessDesk): Developers nervous as infrastructure fund changes management (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): No sprinklers in Wellington City Council fire flats (paywalled)
Kate Green (RNZ): Social housing residents plead for stability in quake-prone complex
Nick James (RNZ): Six Wellington social housing buildings earthquake prone
Tom Hunt (Post): Hundreds of council tenants finding out they live in quake prone homes (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): Six Wellington City Council housing complexes declared quake-prone (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Auckland councillor among those helped into homeownership
Greg Ninness (Interest): Trade Me Property starts the year with surge in listings and a drop in asking prices
ENERGY
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Watts waves unspecified regulatory stick at electricity sector (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Energy task force reforms could save consumers billions
Georgina Stylianou (Post): Growth dreams need more than marketing and hope (paywalled)
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Some home truths about deindustralisation and the energy sector (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Contact boss suggests Shane Jones’ attack on power firms is ‘retail politics’ (paywalled)
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Contact profit down, earnings up as it looks to a calmer future (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Sunday Star Times): Rod Carr argues gas may be dirtier than coal – could he be right? (paywalled)
Jamie Gray (Herald): Genesis Energy beefs up coal supply to avoid 2024 winter power price spike (paywalled)
RNZ: Power companies launch online resource for struggling customers
NBR: Greymouth hits fresh gas in Taranaki (paywalled)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Joel MacManus (Spinoff): Windbag: Begonia House and the hypocrisy of ‘nice-to-haves’
Dave Armstrong (Post): Pedestrian ban key to finding our pathway forward (paywalled)
Harriet Laughton (Post): Business rates in store for Wellington’s Airbnb-style homes (paywalled)
Julie Moore (Post): Flouting Moore Wilson car park rules emblematic of council attitude (paywalled)
Justin Wong (Post): Proposed Porirua Mormon temple gets resource consent go-ahead (paywalled)
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown to announce plans for second term on Wednesday
Justin Hu (1News): Auckland mayoral hopeful pledges 'different style' of leadership
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Council cuts funding to long-standing coastal erosion group
Chris Lynch: Christchurch City Council won’t fund Canterbury’s 175th anniversary, citing colonisation concerns
Joanne Naish (Press/Post): Stadium wars: Christchurch’s covered stadium gives it advantage over Wellington (paywalled)
RNZ: Otago Regional Council's strengths and weaknesses exposed in new report
Local Democracy Reporting: Recycling rule breakers in Southland could lose their bins
ECONOMY
Brent Burmester (Newsroom): Golden visa? More like lead balloon
Edward Miller (Newsroom): Foreign investors’ use of tax havens as murky as the Panama Canal
David Hargreaves (Interest): NZIER panel of experts see RBNZ needing to be cautious
Andrew Patterson (Newsroom): OCR cut a given, but what next from fiscal chocolate box?
Katie Bradford (1News): OCR preview: You betcha — it's likely another rate cut
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Rate cut expected, NZ dollar's direction hinges on RBNZ forecasts (paywalled)
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Animal spirits are back in fashion in NZ (paywalled)
David Hargreaves (Interest): Services sector breaks 10-month run of contraction
RNZ: Services sector shows signs of promising recovery
Jenny Ruth: Green shoots may be emerging – but they’ve been elusive before now
TOURISM
Eva Corlett (Guardian): New Zealand’s ‘Everyone must go!’ tourism campaign ridiculed as emigration hits record high
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): From '100% Pure' to 40% off: NZ's new sales pitch (paywalled)
RNZ: Government announces $30m spend on tourism infrastructure and biodiversity projects
Thomas Manch (Post): Govt to spend $30m on conservation to aid tourism industry (paywalled)
Ralph Hanna (Crux): Economist: Low wage tourism at heart of local productivity and infrastructure problems
DAMAN KUMAR CASE, MIGRATION
Steve Kilgallon (Stuff): Kiwi kid who has never left NZ may be spared deportation
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Preventing deportation of NZ-born teen 'sensible thing to do' - Labour
1News: Associate Minister considering case of NZ-born teen facing deportation
Mary Argue (RNZ): New Zealand-born teen's deportation to India paused at last minute
Herald Editorial: Deporting Daman Kumar would be grossly unfair – it’s not what NZ is about (paywalled)
1News: Net loss of NZ citizens hits calendar year high in 2024
Greg Ninness (Interest): The outflow of NZ citizens appears to have peaked while inflows of foreign migrants have declined
Liam Dann (Herald): Migration data: New stats reveal age of Kiwis leaving the country (paywalled)
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TRADE, DEFENCE
Phil Pennington (RNZ): NZ government should resurrect Trump taskforce - security expert
Laura Walters (Newsroom): NZ set to formalise its say over Pacific nations’ security
Barbara Dreaver (1News): Cook Islanders to protest for greater transparency
Eva Corlett (Guardian): Cook Islands PM defends signing of wide-ranging deal with China
Christoph Schumacher (NBR): Tariffs reality is rarely straightforward (paywalled)
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Tighter laws for technology exports on the way
RNZ: NZDF takes Selwyn District Council to court seeking complaints ban near rifle range
TREATY PRINCIPLES BILL, WAITANGI, TE AO MĀORI
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Joel MacManus (Spinoff): Treaty principles bill hearings, day six: ‘A travesty, a tragedy, a call to action’
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Joel MacManus (Spinoff): Treaty principles bill hearings, day five: ‘Nice to be here – not really’
Joel Maxwell (Stuff): Treaty Principles Bill: Auckland Council calls bill ‘unworkable’, Ngāi Tahu leader says it could breach $170m settlement
Mike McRoberts (NBR): Ngāi Tahu 28-year treaty settlement at risk (paywalled)
Julia Gabel (Herald): Treaty Principles Bill: Far North mayor says law would place near ‘impossible’ costs on council
Julia Gabel (Herald): Treaty Principles Bill: 15-year-old slams bill, says it’s damaging Govt’s ‘positive’ relationship with young people
Megan Ellison (ODT): Kāi Tahu holds strong to right to invite PM
Anaru Eketone (ODT): Lasting progress the legacy of a distasteful violent incident (paywalled)
DESTINY CHURCH, DRAG STORY TIME
Lloyd Burr (Stuff): Brian Tamaki's end game, explained
Anna Rawhiti-Connell (Spinoff): When protest isn’t peaceful, you don’t have to be a church mouse about condemning it
David Farrar: Fascism is wrong
RNZ: Destiny Church library protest 'intimidating and unacceptable' - police
Raphael Franks & Nazahryth Bernard (Herald): Destiny Church protests: Niu FM radio personality Bailey Palala, young primary school worker among demonstrators
RNZ: Auckland Council slams Destiny Church for library protest
Herald: Prime Minister hits back at Destiny Church after violent Auckland Rainbow event protest
Andrew Gunn: Storytime: Brian And The Fabulous Rainbow Folk (paywalled)
Tumamao Harawira (Te Ao Māori News): Haka as a form of protest: Destiny Church targets LGBTQIA+ with haka
TRANSPORT
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Winston Peters announces Cook Strait ferry company directors - Chris Mackenzie, Heather Simpson, Greg Lowe
RNZ: Rail Minister Winston Peters announces new chairperson of Ferry Holdings Limited
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Government appoints ferry procuring company directors (paywalled)
Michael Daly (Stuff): Court hearing starts into Cuba St rainbow crossing
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Furious motorcyclists slam $1 per hour Wellington City Council parking proposal
Tom Hunt (Post): Changes coming for tricky Cuba St intersection (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): For sale: 26 surplus Wellington City Council electric car chargers (paywalled)
Emily Ireland (Local Democracy Reporting): Martinborough speed review in limbo as community mourns fatality
Roeland van den Bergh (Post): Flying is about to get even more expensive (paywalled)
JUSTICE, LAW AND ORDER
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Luxon unsure how many boot camp participants back in custody
Alexander Gillespie (The Conversation): The threat of 3D-printed ‘ghost guns’ is growing, but NZ is yet to act on these three big legal gaps
Gaurav Sharma (RNZ): Government considering 'big' measures to tackle retail crime
Katie Ham (Post): From entrepreneur, to advocate, to government adviser for victims (paywalled)
Annemarie Quill (Stuff): ‘More golfers than gangsters - we’re not the hood’, Ōpōtiki says
INFRASTRUCTURE, PPPS
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Bipartisan cooperation key to NZ’s infrastructure future (paywalled)
No Right Turn: PPPs are still a rort
Rachel Helyer Donaldson (RNZ): 'Devastating': Hundreds of engineers leaving NZ due to infrastructure delays, CEO claims
EDUCATION
Julia Gabel & Rachel Maher (Herald): David Seymour disputes ‘overstep’ during teacher-only day crackdown, says ‘overlap’ is better term
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Fears uni funding lifeline to be cut
Jack Tame (Newstalk ZB): Savings are worth nothing if the kids don't eat
SUPERANNUATION
Alka Prasad (Post): Young people on back foot in retirement path - and retirement saving (paywalled)
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Call for richest 1% to donate state pension
Duncan Garner (Listener): Our economy is broken, so why give millionaires taxpayer-funded pensions? (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Pensioners ask: Why can't I get US Social Security as well as NZ Super
WATER
David Williams (Newsroom): Ngāi Tahu mourn another loss – one of their own
David Williams (Newsroom): Ngāi Tahu witness allays fears over water consents
Murray Neilson (ODT): Freshwater claim offers hope to Otago
Linda Hall (Local Democracy Reporting): Legal fight looms over Wairoa’s freshwater
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, NATURAL DISASTERS
Phil Pennington (RNZ): New Zealand still lacking cohesive storm response, Emergency Management Minister says
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Emergency Management Minister overstates cost to replace Beehive bunker by 10 times
Brent Edwards (NBR): Southern Response needs another indemnity to keep it solvent (paywalled)
Alexa Cook (RNZ): Cyclone Gabrielle victims still struggling with land issues at its second anniversary
Cartoons
