Republished with Permission
Author: Bryce Edwards
SOCIAL COHESION AND DISCONTENT
Bryce Edwards (The Integrity Institute): NZ’s trust crisis – A Revolt against oligarchy
1News: Q+A: Report sheds light on social cohesion in New Zealand
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Do you know what people on benefits actually get?
Jamie Morton (Herald): Australians happier, less divided than New Zealanders - Helen Clark Foundation report (paywalled)
Acumen: The Acumen Edelman Trust Barometer shows a sense of grievance, as business remains most trusted institution in Aotearoa New Zealand
Sanjana Hattotuwa: Trust in freefall: What 2025 Acumen Edelman Barometer reveals about New Zealand’s future
Roger Partridge (Herald): Beyond grievance politics: New Zealand’s search for common ground (paywalled)
1News: Over half a million Kiwis accessing food banks per month - survey
Cameron Slater: The Trust Abyss: Media, Institutions and Government in Freefall (paywalled)
SUPERMARKETS
Anna Whyte (Stuff): What’s the deal with the supermarket announcement and why it’s a big deal
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): National's Request for Information over supermarket duopoly fails to impress Labour
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): Supermarket duopoly: What Nicola Willis’ adviser thinks about breaking up Foodstuffs and Woolworths (paywalled)
Luke Malpass (Post): Why Willis is dead serious on supermarkets reform (paywalled)
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinesDesk): Supermarket competition lessons from the last time NZ broke up a monopoly (paywalled)
Anna Rawhiti-Connell (Spinoff): Willis gets serious about supermarket competition
1News: Willis floats break-up of supermarket duopoly to drive competition
RNZ: Nicola Willis considers 'structural separation' of retail grocery market
Cameron Smith (Herald): Supermarket duopoly on notice as Government targets high food prices, considers ‘structural separation’ of Foodstuffs, Woolworths
Cameron Smith (Herald): Nicola Willis to consider break-up of supermarket duopoly, wants another big competitor in NZ
Luke Malpass (Post): Nicola Willis unveils radical supermarkets plan: get a third player or break up current ones (paywalled)
Anna Whyte and Luke Malpass (Post): Nicola Willis takes aim at supermarket duopoly (paywalled)
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Supermarkets ‘on notice’, face break-up threat: Willis (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): Government’s bid for new entrant to shake up supermarket sector (paywalled)
Cameron Smith (Herald): Nicola Willis set to announce ‘VIP treatment’ for third supermarket, but don’t expect her to pull rabbit out of hat (paywalled)
GOVERNMENT, PARLIAMENT
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Treaty Principles Bill: Thousands of submissions to be excluded from Parliamentary record, Labour says
Liam Hehir (The Blue Review): Mad at the wrong people
No Right Turn: This is not democracy
Good Ideas: Act’s Regulatory Standards Bill: protecting liberties – or tying the government’s hands? (paywalled)
Louis Collins (RNZ): Parliament Bill submissions open up conversation on constitutional arrangements
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Voter enrolment powers stymied by postal requirements
Stuart Smith, Arena Williams (Stuff): A four-year Government term could begin with the 2029 election
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Chris Hipkins' straight shooting targets enemies and allies
Vernon Small (Sunday Star Times): Brace for a very long NZ First election campaign (paywalled)
Virginia Fallon (Sunday Star Times): The four-letter word that politicians can’t get enough of (paywalled)
Claire Trevett (Herald): Why on earth are politicians talking so much about Winston’s war on woke and Tamatha Paul’s abolition of police? (paywalled)
Duncan Garner (Listener): Chris Hipkins’ inconvenient truth – the Greens are loopy and Te Pāti Māori too radical (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): RMA reform, boundary changes, crime, ferries, and supermarkets
Mike Houlahan (ODT): All the fun of this year’s Taxation (Annual Rates) extravaganza (paywalled)
Ben Thomas (Post): Bipartisan politics should be easy - just look at Korea (paywalled)
Steve Braunias (Newsroom): The Secret Diary of .. the Snow White flop
Press Editorial (Post): A farewell to some notable electorates (paywalled)
Jacques Steenkamp (BusinessDesk): My Net Worth: Brooke van Velden, Cabinet minister (paywalled)
Anna Whyte (Post): 10 minutes with ... Swiftie Lan Pham (paywalled)
Poppy Clark (Stuff): Wellington MP Tamatha Paul DJs at CubaDupa
PUBLIC SERVICE
Kate MacNamara (Herald): Former Kāinga Ora head Andrew McKenzie received $1.066m payout, including special payment (paywalled)
Eloise Gibson (RNZ): Energy-saving agency head had doubts about new appointment
Ryan Bridge (Herald): State servant numbers: Why the Government wants to overhaul the public service (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Voters want to keep living wage rule for govt cleaners, security guards and catering staff
RNZ: New E tū union poll shows most Kiwis oppose removing living wage from government contracts
Chelsea Daniels (Herald: Front Page: Inside the Human Rights Review Tribunal and the long wait for justice
Gyles Beckford (RNZ): FMA set to axe more than 20 jobs
Victoria Young (BusinessDesk): Financial Markets Authority swings axe as costs blow out (paywalled)
Anna Whyte (Post): Sexual harassment case costs Ministry more than $100k (paywalled)
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): The Plain Language Act is dead! Long live plain language? (paywalled)
HEALTH
Azaria Howell (Newstalk ZB): Health NZ to cut $204 million of contractor and consultant spend; agency using contractors to fill roles
Jessica Roden (1News): 'I think we're failing our community'- senior Nelson ED doctor
Jessica Roden (1News): Senior doctors speak out over concerns about staffing, patient safety at Nelson Hospital
Danyl McLauchlan (Listener): Is new health minister Simeon Brown up for the fight? (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Former PM Bill English on fixing the health system, Auckland iwi Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei leading way
Louisa Wall and Rawiri Jansen (Newsroom): Bowel cancer doesn’t care about politics
Federico Magrin (Stuff): Protesters form human chain to support hospital workers
Tom Peters (World Socialists): As healthcare crisis worsens, New Zealand government pushes for privatisation
Mahvash Ikram (RNZ): 15-minute consults causing more delays for patients, say GPs
Helen Buckland-Wright (ODT): New role falls short of what’s needed: psychologists
Anna Rawhiti-Connell (Spinoff): The abysmal state of palliative care for children in New Zealand
Cecilia Robinson (Herald): How shared records could revolutionise NZ healthcare
Chris Higgins (Herald): Rare Disorders Month: We need action to support the 300,000 Kiwis seeking better healthcare
RMA
Justin Hu (1News): RMA reform: Bishop on how much bipartisanship he wants
Matthew Hooton (Herald): Resource Management Act finally being fixed after 30 wasted years (paywalled)
Tracy Watkins (Sunday Star Times): RMA overhaul: When conflicting property rights intersect (paywalled)
Luke Malpass (Post): The Castle meets planning law reform (paywalled)
Thomas Manch and Stewart Sowman-Lund (Sunday Star Times): Amid RMA reform, Minister Chris Bishop pledges homeowners: ‘Your land is your land, until you affect other people’ (paywalled)
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): The roundabout politics of Resource Management Act reform (paywalled)
ENVIRONMENT, CONSERVATION
Robin Martin (RNZ): Government signals Wildlife Act update following High Court Mt Messenger bypass ruling
Thomas Manch (Post): Government resolves to amend Wildlife Act after court decision (paywalled)
Andrea Vance (Post): The tiny charity saving the planet one court case at a time
Finnbar Lee (Newsroom): Saving our native species trickier than we thought
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Two of the three coalition parties want to ditch climate commitments. Is the Paris Agreement over?
Eloise Gibson (RNZ): New climate target 'below expectations' of partners, government warned
Jamie Morton (Herald): Hot water: How climate change is pushing NZ’s vital estuaries to worrying extremes
Ian Taylor (Stuff): The Deputy Prime Minister’s ‘war on woke’, and what to champion
No Right Turn: Climate Change: More subsidies for Tiwai
Rob Stock (Post): A country divided on the wisdom of genetic engineering
Shanti Mathias (Spinoff): The proposed changes to DOC land – and the reaction to them – explained
RNZ: Homes for Kaimanawa wild horses set for muster urgently needed, DOC says
PRIMARY AND EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): High Court slaps down ministers’ ‘capricious’ changes to fishing quota
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): Social licence ‘critical’ for aquaculture as Aust govt rushes protection
Hamish MacLean (ODT): Expansion risk to environment ‘very high’ (paywalled)
Tim Scott (ODT): Mining company seeks $2.4m to fund gold hunt (paywalled)
Madison Malone (Herald): Why Canadian gold mining company OceanaGold wants to invest $1b in Waihī
JUSTICE, CRIME, POLICE
David Fisher (Herald): Golriz Ghahraman’s supermarket incident: Foodstuffs’ security guard’s texts revealed
Mike White (Post): Court ruling set to change ‘mean -spirited’, ‘hostile’ legal aid system (paywalled)
Audrey Young (Herald): Legal legends Palmer and Keith release books on law and democracy (paywalled)
Andrea Vance (Sunday Star Times): Chlöe Swarbrick’s anarkiddies and their TikTok manifesto (paywalled)
Harriet Laughton (Post): Beat teams ‘incredibly valuable’, City Mission says (paywalled)
Victor Billot (Newsroom): An Ode to .. Tamatha Paul
HOUSING, PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT
Justin Hu (1News): Bishop denies emergency housing policy leading to homelessness
Felix Walton (RNZ): Community groups gather for emergency meeting on youth homelessness in Auckland
Jimmy Ellingham (RNZ): Disabled man faces fourth summer in 'sweat box' motel while allocated state house sits empty
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Bishop blocked by NIMBY colleagues
Anan Zaki (RNZ): Building company says lower supply costs possible by saying 'no'
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): ‘Out of control’ council planners face reform
Catherine Hutton (Open Justice Reporting): Winton Capital Ltd ordered to pay Chris Meehan’s former assistant $100k in ERA personal grievance case
Marty Sharp (Stuff): CEO falling out with executive assistant over ‘bad’ business class seat costs company $100,000
Harriet Laughton (Post): Hope for law change as quake-prone heritage building faces potential eviction (paywalled)
TRANSPORT
Russell Palmer (RNZ): What to expect from today's Interislander announcement
Thomas Manch (Post): Winston Peters’ Cook Strait ferry decision comes into port (paywalled)
Sam Stubbs (Sunday Star Times): With Air NZ, who’s the pilot? (paywalled)
Jack Riddell (Hawkes Bay Today): Napier couple worried neighbouring expressway extension lacks sufficient safety features
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WATER
RNZ: Wastewater to be discharged into the Shotover River from today
RNZ: Councillor Niki Gladding may be stripped of responsibilities after information leak
Crux: Fish and Game: Shotover River is protected by Conservation Order
Grant Miller (ODT): Letting some Three Waters assets fail part of strategy (paywalled)
David Farrar: Another Council leaves LGNZ
K Gurunathan (Post): Stirring the cauldron of local body election politics (paywalled)
Max Frethey (Local Democracy Reporting): 'Insult to ratepayers' - cost-saving measures ridiculed by Tasman residents
Robin Martin (RNZ): Despite resistance New Plymouth District Council pushes on with dedicated cycle lanes
RNZ: Focus should be on 'big issues' not council coffee costs, Tauranga Mayor says
Alisha Evans (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘We will make better decisions': Tauranga mayor on iwi council appointments
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): Ruapehu District Council cautioned against Māori ward bias
Laura Smith (Local Democracy Reporting): Local Water Done Well: Rotorua looks to consult on two delivery options
Matthew Rosenberg (Local Democracy Reporting): Remote village fights for survival
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): 'We owe Raetihi an apology': Pushback on plan to can recycle station
Mike Tweed (Whanaganui Chronicle): Whanganui District Council proposes 2.2% average rates rise for 2025/26
AUCKLAND
Shayne Currie (Herald): Security boosted at Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s apartment following threatening personal messages on social media (paywalled)
Jessica Hopkins (RNZ): City Vision announces 2025 candidates for Auckland Council
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): Eden Park lives another day, to repay Aucklanders $48m
RNZ: Christopher Luxon says Govt has not received proposal on Eden Park stadium upgrade
Jonathan Killick (Sunday Star Times): Distil it down: A frank chat with Watercare chief on spending $3.8m a day (paywalled)
Hayden Donnell (Spinoff): Can Auckland Council finally do the impossible and get rid of one (1) golf course?
Felix Walton (RNZ): 'Should be done once and done right' - Battle over bed tax for visitors
RNZ: Watercare's giant tunnel boring machine completes 4-year journey
WELLINGTON
Nick James (RNZ): Council leaders back government's move to bring in Commerce Commission to watch Wellington Water
RNZ: Govt brings in Commerce Commission to keep an eye on Wellington Water
1News: Commerce Commission called on to keep an eye on Wellington Water
Thomas Manch (Post): Commerce Commission called in to monitor Wellington Water (paywalled)
Kate Green (RNZ): Wellington councils clash over cycle and bus lanes
Nick James (RNZ): Wellington's controversial Golden Mile project: work planned to start next year
Andrea Vance (Post): Nick Mills for Wellington mayor? (paywalled)
Harriet Laughton (Post): Wellington City councillor Tim Brown officially out this election (paywalled)
EDUCATION, SCHOOL LUNCHES, SCIENCE
Herald Editorial: Parmar’s bill challenges race-based university aid but highlights increasing educational wealth gap (paywalled)
RNZ: ACT MP launches member's bill to stop universities offering services 'based on race'
Mike Grimshaw (Plain Sight): All stick and no carrot?
1News: NZ school lunches 'half the energy' kids need – new research
Public Health Communication Centre: Aotearoa’s government-funded school lunches failing nutrition standards
lip Grater (Press/Post): As a food producer, school lunches debacle is hard to swallow (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Struggling parents put back-to-school costs on Afterpay
Jessie Moss (E-Tangata): Ideology is pushing Māori knowledge out of the curriculum
Riria Dalton-Reedy (Te Ao Māori News): ‘Absolutely appalling’ - Green MP says ECE regulatory review puts profit over tamariki
Paul Gorman (ODT): Defunding the future (paywalled)
David Farrar: Income by education
Cameron Bagrie (BusinessDesk): School attendance continues to improve, good news on economic and social fronts (paywalled)
EMPLOYMENT, BUSINESS, CONSUMER AFFAIRS
Sam Olley (1News): Concern some RSE workers being taken advantage of, despite damning review
1News: Research sheds light on the cost of working while unwell
Alka Prasad (Sunday Star Times): Guiding young Māori towards a career path and job satisfaction (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Sneaky surcharges adding to credit card bills, adviser warns
RNZ: Consumer confidence continues to fall
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): Consumers tip toe around economic uncertainty (paywalled)
Liu Chen (RNZ): Reform eyed to tighten rules around debt avoidance
Frances Chin (Post): The thorny issue of contactless payments (paywalled)
Neil Sands (Law News): New Commerce Minister pledges law reform in current parliamentary term
ECONOMY
Liam Dann (Herald): What Trump’s tariff turmoil means for New Zealand’s economic recovery (paywalled)
Liam Dann (Herald): Why NZ’s economic recovery feels more Prius than Ferrari - ASB economist (paywalled)
Alka Prasad (Post): Downbeat data masking NZ economic improvement: ANZ
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Cash-rate review could serve as test for Reserve Bank acting governor (paywalled)
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Two OCR cuts expected, Trump trade war could push cash rate lower (paywalled)
Mark Lister (Rotorua Daily Post/Herald): Economic indicators clash: GDP growth vs cautious business sentiment (paywalled)
Grant Scobie (Asymmetric Information): Productivity isn’t everything, but …
MEDIA
Charlie Mitchell (Press/Post): Decoding the rightward lean of the ‘Centrist’ (paywalled)
Bryan Bruce: Journalism and Democracy
Colin Peacock (RNZ): Mediawatch: Mixed media messages on green shoots and dire data
Eva Gallot (Stuff): Top NZME executive resigns ahead of potential company shake up
BusinessDesk: NZME executive to join Contact
David Harvey: More Regulation?
David Farrar: BSA flays Stuff for hatchet job on ASH
RNZ: Media Council upholds complaint about in-game loot box ban article
