Republished with Permission
Author: Bryce Edwards
ECONOMY, COST OF LIVING
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): More tax, fewer services - Treasury’s forecasts a grim warning to MPs and New Zealanders (paywalled)
Luke Malpass (Post): A bigger recession for each Kiwi than the GFC (paywalled)
Jo Moir (RNZ): HYEFU revealed: Nicola Willis deploys convenient new measure amid bleak books
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Spinoff): The very long road to fiscal recovery
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Barely alive in 2025: Treasury’s grim diagnosis (paywalled)
RNZ: Fiscal update shows Kiwis paying price for government's austerity, critics say
RNZ: Opposition accuses Nicola Willis of 'creative accounting'
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Budget 2025’s priority: don’t kill the recovery (paywalled)
Craig Rennie (Post): The only thing you can count on is more cuts (paywalled)
Robert MacCulloch: Behind all the Hot Air from the PM & Finance Minister, National is Running a Bigger Borrow-and-Spend Government
Richard Harman (Politik): It could have been worse (paywalled)
Bryce Wilkinson (Post): Government's budget plan is lacklustre and possibly illegal (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Forecast surplus delayed two years, Willis vows earlier end to deficit
Gyles Beckford (RNZ): HYEFU: Government books to stay deep in deficit until 2029
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Government to make further public sector cuts, no surplus until 2029
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): Government books deteriorate by more than expected: No surplus in sight, debt issuance up
Katie Bradford (1News): Government books paint tough economic picture
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Willis says no surplus in sight, unless ACC is excluded
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Treasury's forecasts may get trumped by tariffs (paywalled)
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Govt books to remain in red for longer (paywalled)
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): Treasury optimism blamed for Crown financial position getting worse (paywalled)
Anna Whyte (Post): Public service expected to find more savings, job cuts could be on the table (paywalled)
Anna Whyte (Post): Nicola Willis: ‘Difficult trade offs’ lie ahead (paywalled)
BusinessDesk: Government to cut NZ Super Fund money $2.1b over five years (paywalled)
David Hargreaves (Interest): Economists push up household spending forecasts but still see zero GDP growth
Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Front Page: Inflation, OCR, and closures: a look at New Zealand’s economy in 2024
GOVERNMENT, PARLIAMENT, YEAR IN REVIEW
Claire Trevett (Herald): Inside the Coalition: Who’s causing friction, the real power brokers and relationships of PM Christopher Luxon, Act leader David Seymour and NZ First’s Winston Peters (paywalled)
Toby Manhire and Ben McKay (Spinoff): The 2024 Golden Jandals for conspicuous contributions to NZ politics
Ryan Ward (Newsroom): The long neoliberal con
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Manurewa Marae inquiry: Te Pati Māori co-leaders say they’re in dark about latest developments
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Te Pāti Māori's Rawiri Waititi says Luxon may be 'drop-nuts' if he doesn't attend Waitangi Day
Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira (RNZ): Waitangi trust chair urges Christopher Luxon to show up Treaty grounds
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Christopher Luxon should ‘front up’ at Waitangi, says Treaty Grounds chief
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): Business of Government: Brickbats and bouquets edition (paywalled)
Audrey Young (Herald): Gerry Brownlee – the wit and grumpiness of Parliament’s Speaker (paywalled)
Andrea Vance (Post): Judge, celebrity doctor apologise for ‘verbally attacking’ Winston Peters at Christmas party (paywalled)
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Judge, celebrity doctor apologise for ‘verbally attacking’ Winston Peters at Christmas party
Gordon Campbell (Scoop): On The Coalition’s Empty Gestures, And Abortion Refusal As The New Slavery
Greg Presland (The Standard): When publicity stunts go bad
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Eight speeding tickets for ministerial cars since Government formed
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Spinoff): Our outlandish political predictions for 2024, revisited
FAST TRACK
Farah Hancock (RNZ): How the Fast-track Bill Approvals became law
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Watch: National MPs grapple with fast track protest banners
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Fast-track Approvals Bill passes final reading in Parliament
RNZ: Fast-track bill passes into law, amid protest
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Fast-track passes and the pendulum swings (paywalled)
Te Aniwaniwa Paterson (Te Ao Māori News): Activists disrupt third reading of fast-track bill in parliament
Daniel Perese (Te Ao Māori News): Te Pāti Māori issues warning to future Fast-Track applicants
Thomas Manch (Post): Protest as Government passes controversial fast-track regime into law (paywalled)
OIL AND GAS
Nathan Cooper (The Conversation): NZ’s government may ask the public to underwrite the risk of fossil fuel exploration – this could be unlawful
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Govt fails KPI after rushed lawmaking
Dita De Boni (Post): Report questions millions in industrial carbon credits to gas user Methanex (paywalled)
EMPLOYMENT, RETIREMENT
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Winston Peters says an increase to the minimum wage could be on the table next year, as Cabinet approves second effective cut
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Smallest minimum wage increase 'since the 1990s'
Herald Editorial: When a wage increase is not really a wage increase (paywalled)
Karanama Ruru (Stuff): Minimum wage to increase by 1.5% to $23.50 an hour from April
RNZ: Minimum wage set to get modest bump to $23.50 in April
Susan Hornsby-Gelu (Post): Workplace minister doubling down on stripping away worker protections (paywalled)
Felix Walton (RNZ): Retirees cut back on shopping and medical appointments to cut costs - survey
RNZ: Government makes it easier for businesses to hire migrants
RNZ: Accredited Employer Work Visa changes welcomed by employers
Brianna McIlraith (Stuff): What retirement has really looked like this year
Ella Somers (Interest): Retirees relying on NZ Super are past 'tightening the belt'
Kevin Norquay (Post): Retirees go without as financial woes bite (paywalled)
Mariné Lourens (Press): LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts still falling short in NZ workplaces, study shows (paywalled)
HEALTH
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Getting answers about the new Dunedin hospital
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Dunedin Hospital project costs $121m in consulting fees, so far
Mary Williams (ODT): Ward staff tell of ‘low-income nation’ conditions
Malcolm Mulholland (Post): Another step in the journey to reform Pharmac (paywalled)
Harriette Boucher (Post): Email botch reveals which Health NZ staff were affected in restructure (paywalled)
Public Health Communication Centre: Will the Government’s new Smokefree Plan achieve Aotearoa’s smokefree goal?
Jess McAllen (Webworm): The Making of a Mental Health Rockstar
Bob McCoskrie: Abortions have increased 23% since Jacinda’s ‘kind’ law was passed
RNZ: Covid-19 cases: 1402 new cases, 8 deaths
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
RNZ: 'Taken the local out of local government': Councils react to crackdown
Matthew Martin (Waikato Times): New local government rules could rain on parades (paywalled)
Grant Miller (ODT): Mayors challenge claim not sticking to basics (paywalled)
Grant Miller (ODT): ‘Things we love and cherish ... at risk’ (paywalled)
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Councils forced the Govt to bring out the big stick
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): It's time we had less local councils
Kate Green (RNZ): Wellington City Council confirms long-term plan, mayor tells government to butt out
Kate Green (RNZ): Wellington Council moves ahead with submission against Treaty Principles Bill
Julie Jacobson (Post): City to Sea bridge campaign unleashes star power (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): Wellington City Council leaves 2024 with big calls made but others for the new year (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): Wellington City Council calls time on a wild 2024 (paywalled)
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Tory Whanau’s business advisory group: Mark McGuinness and Justin McKenzie resign (paywalled)
Sinead Gill (Press): Government ‘forces’ surprise $2m-a-year bill onto Chch (paywalled)
Matthew Rosenberg (Local Democracy Reporting): Invercargill City Council ignores mana whenua views over wastewater
Emily Ireland (Local Democracy Reporting): Carterton council slams auditor’s performance
Max Frethey (Local Democracy Reporting): Councillors receive abusive emails after Israel vote
David Long (Stuff): Watch: Mayor Wayne Brown ‘reckons it’s cool’, takes plunge at Auckland’s newest attraction
Mary Williams (ODT): Library, hub size cut by half
Waikato Times: Waihī considers new industrial, residential areas (paywalled)
TRANSPORT
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Interislander ferry replacements: How Winston Peters regained control (paywalled)
Richard Pebble (Herald): Why the Cook Strait ferry strategy is sailing off course (paywalled)
Olivia Wannan (Stuff): National’s quiet U-turn on $247m EV charger pledge
RNZ: NZTA settles High Court battle with Transmission Gully builder
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Transmission Gully works will take two years – NZTA (paywalled)
CRIME, JUSTICE
Catrin Owen (Stuff): ‘Cruel, inhuman and degrading’ conditions at prison unit for most dangerous criminals, Ombudsman says
RNZ: Treatment of inmates at Auckland Prison's extreme risk unit cruel, inhuman - Chief Ombudsman
No Right Turn: Corrections is torturing prisoners again
Rayssa Almeida (RNZ): Advocates plea for scrapping of boot camps in open letter to the prime minister
RNZ: Serious youth offenders numbers drop by 7%
LawFuel: Ron Mansfield KC – LawFuel’s Lawyer of the Year 2024
EDUCATION
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Early childhood education regulations 'excessive and confusing' - Ministry
Bridie Witton (Stuff): David Seymour promises early childhood education ‘shake up’ after review
Hanna McCallum and Brittany Keogh (Post): Almost three-quarters of early childhood regulations set to be changed or axed (paywalled)
Liam Rātana (Spinoff): Empty classrooms, silent language: Kōhanga reo faces a crisis
Alice Peacock (Newsroom): Student allowance recipient numbers drop 40% in a decade
TREATY PRINCIPLES BILL
Herald: Treaty Principles Bill: What the academics say is wrong with David Seymour’s legislation
Public Health Communication Centre: Treaty Principles Bill threatens public health and equity: It needs your submission
Gary Judd: Submission on Treaty Principles Bill
ENVIRONMENT
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Climate protesters denied discharge without conviction over train blockade
Laine Priestley and Rob Kidd (ODT): Protesters’ arrests act of ‘martyrdom’: spokesman
Greg Hurrell (BusinessDesk): NZ companies hold back on nature-based reporting (paywalled)
HOUSING, BUILDING
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘Is this how we treat human beings?’: Anger over eviction of homeless from makeshift camp
Stephen Ward (Waikato Times): Hamilton’s emergency housing numbers keep dropping (paywalled)
Luke Malpass (Post): More councils approving consents on time (paywalled)
MEDIA
Shayne Currie (Herald): Media Insider: This small town’s newspaper was closing. And then the editor stepped up (paywalled)
Simon O’Connor: Fundamental(ist) mistakes
OTHER
Sasha Lockley (The Post): As the financially distressed lose hope, more turn to gambling (paywalled)
Olivia Wannan (Stuff): Prime Minister: Vietnamese ambassador should answer questions on indecent assault case
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Commerce Commission clampdown won’t stop ‘insane’ card surcharges
RNZ: Ngāti Toa purchases 80 hectares of school land in Hutt Valley
Andy Brew (Stuff): Southland engineer wins first Prime Minister's Space Prize award
Benn Bathgate (Stuff): ‘Sovereign Citizen’ facing mosque terror video charges bailed again despite past no-shows
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Compulsory microchipping and national register of cats proposed in bill
Ryan Bridge (Herald): When did Christmas greetings become offensive and should we really worry? (paywalled)
Jennifer Te Atamira Ward-Lealand and Graeme Austin (Herald): Artificial intelligence and digital replicas: NZ performers need protection against new technology
RNZ: Orana Wildlife Park to pause taking new animals after report on whisteblower allegations
Imogen Wells (Stuff): ‘As bad as it gets’: What’s going on with Wellington’s hospo scene?
Cartoons
