Table of Contents
Republished with Permission
Author: Bryce Edwards
BUDGET, ECONOMY
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government trimming spending in big way - here’s what it might cut and why (paywalled)
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Five key insights into Budget 2025
Dennis Wesselbaum (The Conversation): Willis warns of a ‘tight’ budget to come, but NZ should be going for productivity, not austerity
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): What being bottom of this table tells us about our government debt (paywalled)
Richard Harman (Politik): The ghost that haunts Willis (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): $1b Budget cut could slow economic recovery, experts warn
Luke Malpass (Post): Willis dials down the new money in pre-Budget warning (paywalled)
Robert MacCulloch: Finance Minister Willis wants her NZ Budgets to be "lolly scrambles", just not in 2025
Neil Sands (Law News): ‘Comprehensive objections’ force government to rethink charities tax
Matthew Hooton (Patreon): Charities tax loophole to remain another year (paywalled)
Michael Reddell: A pre-Budget speech
RNZ: A $1.1b cut to the government's new spending comes after Trump's trade trafiffs
Jo Moir (RNZ): $1b cut to operating allowance coming in Budget, Nicola Willis says
Thomas Coughlan and Adam Pearse (Herald): Nicola Willis’ plan to save ‘billions’ thanks to Budget cuts
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Willis steers toward austerity with $1.1 billion budget cut
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Finance Minister reveals Budget 2025 tighter than expected (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): The Finance Minister’s big budget cuts (paywalled)
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Govt slashes Budget 2025 operating allowance
Jeffrey Halley (RNZ): ASB forecasts Reserve Bank may need to make deeper OCR cuts
Hillmarè Schulze (NBR): There is no such thing as a ’national’ economy (paywalled)
PARLIAMENT, PUBLIC SECTOR
Alexia Russell (RNZ): The Detail: Keeping politicians honest
RNZ: Outgoing public spending watchdog laments state of reporting
Brent Edwards (NBR): Government performance reporting must focus on what matters most (paywalled)
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Government to reinstate full prisoner voting ban
RNZ: Prisoner voting ban to be brought back - Paul Goldsmith
1News: Government to reinstate total prisoner voting ban
Stuff: Prisoner voting ban to be reinstated by Government
Audrey Young (Herald): Cabinet Report Card: rating the ministers in half-term review (paywalled)
Chris Trotter: Raw Calculations
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Business of Government: In the public service we trust, and more (paywalled)
Michael Reddell: Bad advice on public sector discount rates
WELLINGTON
Michael Daly (Stuff): Explained: With Tory Whanau out of the 2025 mayoral race, will Wellington have a lame-duck council for five months
Nick James (RNZ): Tory Whanau not ruling out running for mayor in future elections
Ethan Manera (Herald): Andrew Little says Wellington mayoralty ‘still a contest’ after Tory Whanau’s exit
Tom Hunt (Post): Andrew Little shores up political support in Wellington mayoral bid (paywalled)
Andrea Vance (Post): Andrew Little gets Labour party backing for mayoral race (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): Wellington mayoral race: Chung throws shade at ‘Little’ experience (paywalled)
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): Tory Whanau makes no apologies for ‘ruffling some feathers’, despite personal cost
Julie Jacobson (Post): Tory Whanau: The highs and lows of Wellington’s latest one-term mayor (paywalled)
Nick James (NRZ): 'An outstanding contribution to the city' - Wellington city councillors react to Whanau decision
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): The Golden Mile gets going, with or without the nimbys
Amy Ridout (Stuff): Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau rejects Andrew Little’s call to ‘hold off’ on progressing Golden Mile
Tom Hunt (Post): Wellington mayor Tory Whanau pledges no punches pulled in swan song (paywalled)
Paddy Gower (Stuff): Whanau haters actually realise what they have done?
Herald Editorial: Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau made the right call to not seek re-election (paywalled)
Natalia Albert: Why I Believe Andrew Little Is Right for Wellington
David Farrar: So many options
Bill Hickman (RNZ): Wellington City Council defends process that led to decision to demolish City to Sea Bridge
Post: Staff not trying to ‘steer’ council on City to Sea bridge demolition (paywalled)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Grant Miller (ODT): Council secret inquiry costs, follow-up, top $300,000
Greg Presland (The Standard): Culture wars and the Waitākere Ranges
Torika Tokalau (Local Democracy Reporting): Fresh push for new bottle store in 'worst' location
Alisha Evans (Local Democracy Reporting): Tauranga Māori ward byelection: Hemi Rolleston leads in progress results
Madeleine Powers (Waikato Times): Waikato Mayor Jacqui Church to run again for top job (paywalled)
Emily Ireland (Local Democracy Reporting): Hawkins to seek South Wairarapa mayoralty
Tina Law (Press): Candidates announce intention to stand for two key city wards (paywalled)
Tina Law (Press): Community leader vows to save Christchurch garden after shock closure announcement (paywalled)
Post: Lower Hutt mayor Campbell Barry and mother-in-law in property stoush (paywalled)
Emily Ireland (Local Democracy Reporting): Fly-tipping triggers $200k clean-up in South Wairarapa
HEALTH
Tess Brunton (RNZ): Cuts to ICU beds at new Dunedin Hospital taking chances - former health chief Dr John Chambers
Matthew Littlewood (ODT):ICU beds: Minister ‘disingenuous’
Adam Pearse (Herald): Pharmac culture review finds ‘reset’ needed but staff doubt it’s possible
RNZ: Pharmac's approach not fit for purpose, major review finds
Pokere Paewai (RNZ): Pharmac's move to drop Māori Directorate slammed by union as 'another breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi'
Rachel Kelly (Press): Metzler’s advocacy pays off as physician associates gain regulation (paywalled)
Anna Whyte (Post): Mental Health Minister urged to show leadership over Segar House (paywalled)
Mariné Lourens (Press): ‘Never been so sick’: Epidemic persists despite falling cases (paywalled)
ENVIRONMENT, CONSERVATION
Simon Wilson (Herald): Denniston mine protest: Blowback from the ‘blow-ins’ (paywalled)
Fox Meyer (Newsroom): Younger activists turn to direct action after ‘losing faith’ in legal process
Simon Shepherd (NBR): Podcast: Managed retreat: saving the town of Kumeu (paywalled)
EDUCATION, WORKPLACE TRAINING
Catherine McGregor (Spinoff): Seymour’s truancy call to mayors met with confusion and exasperation
Tina Law and Anna Whyte (Press): ‘Nek minnit I’ll be cooking school lunches’: Christchurch mayor rejects Seymour’s truancy call (paywalled)
John Gerritsen (RNZ): 'The pay assessment is a joke' , early childhood teachers say
Pokere Paewai (RNZ): Te Wānanga o Aotearoa celebrates 40 years since the opening of its spiritual home
Graham Adams (The Platform): Auckland Uni students react to Treaty ‘indoctrination’
André Chumko (Post): Creative, digital sectors ‘sidelined’ in vocational education reform
TRANSPORT, INFRASTRUCTURE
Max Frethey (Local Democracy Reporting): Nelson to Blenheim state highway speed limit increase ‘disrespectful’ to locals
Robin Martin (RNZ): 'Oh hell no' - crash survivor angry at increased speed limits on SH3 near Waitara
Alisha Evans (Local Democracy Reporting): Congestion charging just another cost for struggling ratepayers - Tauranga councillor
RNZ: New Manawatū Tararua Highway to open in June, Transport Minister Chris Bishop confirms
Stuff: June opening for Manawatū Tararua Highway confirmed
Erin Johnson (Stuff): AT concerned over potential for ‘catastrophic incident’ on Auckland rail network
RNZ: New double-decker buses for West Auckland driven by demand
Sam Smith (Stuff): Air NZ draws more criticism over wide price discrepancies with Jetstar
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Airports v airlines and the regional monopoly conundrum (paywalled)
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Why us? Airports up in arms over fresh regulatory review blindside (paywalled)
Will Mace (NBR): Auckland Airport faces heightened regulatory risk - Fobar (paywalled)
RNZ: Auckland Airport second runway pushed out to 2038
Roeland van den Bergh (Post): Auckland Airport delays second runway at least a decade (paywalled)
BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT
Will Mace (NBR): Ministry for Regulation dips toes into murky telco waters (paywalled)
Brianna McIlraith (Stuff): How wages have changed in 10 years and why a pay rise may not be around the corner
David Burton (Post): Is strike action a burning of bridges, or a last-resort cry for help? (paywalled)
RNZ: ‘It was everything to them' - Auckland recycling plant fire leaves employees' future up in the air
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Insurers moving car repairs in-house, panel beating industry fears for customers' right to choose
Nona Pelletier (RNZ): 'We don't have a digital ambition' - Tech leaders on lack of national plan
Chris Keall (Herald): ‘A sense of invisibility’ - Lack of Government leadership, cyber-security big concerns in Tuanz survey of business leaders (paywalled)
Chris Keall (Herald): Tech Insider: Blackbird partner says the Government made a mistake giving up on the $300m Elevate fund (paywalled)
Dita De Boni (Post): Fragile economic recovery reflected in uptick in job data (paywalled)
BANKS, FINANCIAL SERVICES
James Eyers (Australian Financial Review): New Zealand proposes law change to deliver CBA, ANZ major legal win (paywalled)
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): How a Depositor Compensation Scheme product hierarchy policy will work
Rob Stock (Post): Former ACT MP joins Banking Ombudsman board (paywalled)
Ella Somers (Interest): Six fintechs selected for FMA’s ‘regulatory sandbox’ pilot
Rob Stock (Post): Six companies allowed to play in the FMA’s fintech ‘sandbox’ (paywalled)
ENERGY
Peter de Graaf (RNZ): Government exploring Northland to Auckland 'energy bridge' with $2 million study
Blayne Slabbert (Press/Post): Genesis opens NZ’s largest solar farm amid rising coal imports
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TRADE, DEFENCE
Phil O’Reilly (Herald): Government defence spending a chance for NZ tech growth (paywalled)
RNZ: NZ sends plane to keep close eye on North Korea
Richard Larsen (RNZ): 30 with Guyon Espiner: 'Parallel universe stuff' -Former Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull on Winston Peters downplaying Trump’s trade war
MEDIA
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Comrades – it is with deep sadness that I announce The Working Group has been cancelled by the Political Right
Kamahl Santamaria: Fairness, balance, and accuracy in news: apparently, they're optional...
David Harvey: Copyright and the News
POLICE, MĀORI WARDENS
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Police trial data extraction tech aimed at wearable devices
John Boynton (The Hui): Māori Wardens - Kaitiaki on the Beat
Hayden Donnell (Spinoff): We did the police college fitness tests to see whether they’re actually easy
OTHER
Azaria Howell (Newstalk ZB/Herald): Oranga Tamariki: No social workers assigned to more than 1000 at-risk children as reports of concern rise (paywalled)
Kate Green (RNZ): Abuse in Care Inquiry contributions honoured by King, mixed emotions for survivors
Rayssa Almeida (RNZ): Frustration grows amid two-hour waits to talk to Work and Income
Ella Somers (Interest): Financial Services Council says more than half of Kiwis worry about money every week
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Immigration adviser fined for rubber stamping applications of scammed migrants
Bridget Tunnicliffe (RNZ): Thousands of community clubs yet to comply with new incorporated societies legislation
Aaron Smale (Listener): Blind to our history (paywalled)
Joel Maxwell (Stuff): Male, mature, from Canterbury? New research shows gaps in Matariki support
Listener: How FOMO played a part in motivating Treaty Principles Bill submissions (paywalled)
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): Paramount chief ceases agreement to ski fields on Mt Ruapehu
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Lines companies to get more powers to remove trees (paywalled)
Maioha Panapa (Te Ao Māori News): New Zealand First Bill defining ‘Woman’ and ‘Man’ in law a step backwards, says intersex advocate
