Today’s content

AUKUS, foreign affairs, trade
Audrey Young (Herald): Preparing for war between US and China – what it means for NZ and Australia (paywalled)
Keith Locke (Daily Blog): Many anti-nuclear reasons to oppose AUKUS
Geoffrey Miller (Democracy Project): New Zealand could be the big winner of Aukus fallout
Pete McKenzie (Guardian): Aukus pact could push New Zealand to deepen relations with Europe and Pacific
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Why doesn’t New Zealand have submarines? AUKUS highlights pressing military question for Government
Alexander Gillespie (The Conversation): ANZUS without NZ? Why the new security pact between Australia, the UK and US might not be all it seems
Johnny Blades (RNZ): Aukus pact strikes at heart of Pacific regionalism
Scott Palmer (Newshub): New Zealand labelled ‘a joke’ after nuclear-free stance blocks Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Why Aukus should make us reconsider parts of our nuclear-free stance
Nicholas Khoo (Stuff): Australia has learnt about China the hard way. When will NZ wise up?
Herald Editorial: Aukus security pact has rocky start; could make China, Asia tensions worse (paywalled)
Don Brash (Bassett, Brash, Hide): Readying for a war of the elephants
Ben Uffindell (The Civilian): Experts warn exclusion from AUSUK pact could see New Zealand miss out on future catastrophic wars
Richard Harman (Politik): Ardern lays it on the line (paywalled)
Richard Harman (Politik): Ardern sees the world differently (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Grant Robertson denies New Zealand ‘soft touch to China’, believes CPTPP request not connected to AUKUS deal
ODT Editorial: Scotty’s submarines steaming ahead
Newstalk ZB: Foreign Affairs Minister: Preference not to have nuclear-powered vessels in NZ respected
Marena Mane (Māori TV): Is Aotearoa being left out of the AUKUS pact?
Wilson Longhurst (1 News): ‘No concern’ around NZ Navy ships in South China Sea – Henare
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Chance of war between China and West ‘low’ but still a risks of ‘incidents’ – former New Zealand Defence Minister
Newstalk ZB: Former Defence Minister: We need to show bigger commitment to maritime security
Newstalk ZB: Foreign policy expert: NZ’s exclusion from AUUKUS could be a benefit
Bernard Hickey (The Kākā): Dawn Chorus: China tries forcing us to choose
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): NZ oddly mute on China’s trade overture (paywalled)
Curwen Ares Rolinson (Daily Blog): Why I’m OK With NZ Not Being In New Anglo Alliance
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): The true price of a NZ Independent Foreign Policy in the shadow of AUKUS
The Economist (Stuff): What does the Australian nuclear submarine deal mean for non-proliferation?
RNZ: Human rights should be separate from trade deal – Meat Industry Association

Parliament
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Cool, calm and connected: Meet New Zealand’s top lobbyists (paywalled)
Brian Easton (Pundit): Big Challenges For The Government
Peter Wilson (RNZ): The Week in Politics: Vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate
Phil Smith (RNZ): The safe bet and the cash cache: imprest supply
Andrew Gunn (Stuff): Opposition’s leaders accused of reprising classic movie roles
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Chathams conundrum keeps legislators busy
1 News: Labour’s McAnulty swapping famous red ute for hybrid wagon

National Party
Dan Satherley (Newshub): ‘National shouldn’t overreact’ – Simon Bridges talks down leadership spill rumours
Claire Trevett (Herald): A Simon Bridges, Judith Collins, National Party coup – whose terms would it be on? (paywalled)
1 News: Luxon defends Collins’ leadership despite poor polling
Janet Wilson (Stuff): We’re talking about nothing short of a National Party revolution
Herald: National’s pollster David Farrar on what the party needs to do better
Michael Neilson (Herald): National MP Christopher Luxon defends embattled leader Judith Collins
Heather Du Plessis-Allan (Herald): Judith Collins is gone – the question is when (paywalled)
Jon Johansson (Stuff): Political purgatory mirrors Auckland’s lockdown woes
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Why replacing Judith still can’t save National

Māori Party
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): The Māori Party need to take a leaf from ACT’s book
Conor Whitten (Newshub): Backstory: Rawiri Waititi and the West Auckland street that produced 4 Māori MPs
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): A Curia poll the media have overlooked

Government management of outbreak, expert advice
Dan Satherley (Newshub): MPs unwilling to say how many deaths they’d accept in exchange for opening up
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Will Auckland drop COVID-19 alert levels? Experts weigh in ahead of Government decision
RNZ: Epidemiologist Michael Baker on Waikato Covid-19 cases: ‘It does change things’
1 News: Michael Baker: Waikato Covid cases ‘complicates’ alert level decision
RNZ: Waikato should join Auckland in level 4 – Māori health expert group
1 News: Covid modeller says Level 3 ‘quite risky’ for Auckland
Herald: Expert on what Waikato cases could mean for Cabinet’s big lockdown decision
1 News: Caution and optimism ahead of alert level announcement
Ben Leahy (Herald): Government faces tough alert level decision
Adam Pearse (Herald): Experts predict Auckland’s lockdown exit – worth the risk?
Jamie Morton (Herald): What models can – and can’t – tell us about how this outbreak ends
Luke Malpass (Stuff): What do we know about today’s alert level decision?
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Cabinet could make ‘cautious’ alert level decision to extend Auckland lockdown, adding Waikato, expert says
1 News: Winston Peters has ‘serious worry’ about Govt’s handling of Covid pandemic
Dan Satherley (Newshub): David Seymour says Govt ‘cannot prevent all deaths’, says money spent on COVID can’t be spent preventing deaths from other causes
Marena Mane (Māori TV): A ‘risky decision’ going to level 3, says Covid analyst Professor Rawiri Taonui
Rachel Moore (Stuff): More lockdowns ‘unlikely’ if vaccination surpasses 90 per cent, Govt says
William Hewett (Newshub): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern assures Aucklanders shift in alert levels still on the cards
Natalie Brown (news.com.au): How Australia is reporting New Zealand’s success against Delta
William Hewett (Newshub): Australia raves about New Zealand’s battle against Delta variant
Phil Goff (Stuff): We’re beating Delta, now let’s finish the job
Duncan Garner (NBR): Ardern must take us out of level 4 and never return (paywalled)
Kate Newton (Stuff): How Auckland’s pandemic experience has drastically departed from the rest of the country
Jack Tame (Newstalk ZB): The most important week in our Covid response
Kerri Jones (Stuff): I believed in the ‘Jacinda effect,’ now Covid-19 has made me critical 
Steve Bayliss (Herald):  How key players have rated heading into the Delta outbreak’s third quarter (paywalled)
ODT Editorial: More mask encouragement needed
RNZ: Government announces $36m investment in Covid-19 research fund

Vaccine rollout
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Andrew Little says he’d ‘be surprised if we ever see a level 4 lockdown again’ if vaccination coverage reaches 90 percent
Sophie Cornish (Stuff): Accessibility, hesitancy and encouraging youth will be biggest hurdles to 90 per cent vaccination target, experts say 
Michael Neilson (Herald): The 90% Project – Who of our MPs have been fully vaccinated? (paywalled)
Geraden Cann (Stuff): About 60,000 Aucklanders still need first Covid jab to hit 80% goal by end of week
John Bonning (Stuff): Doctors band together to stand up for vaccination
1 News: Getting rangatahi Māori vaccinated ‘a challenge’ – Willie Jackson
Samson Samasoni (Spinoff): If we want to reach 90% vaccination, we need to change up our strategy
RNZ: Shot Bro buses reaching communities and raising smiles in South Auckland
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): How vaccine passports could impact festivals, cafes, work and our freedom
Peter Davis (Herald): Vaccine passport and smoke-free law (paywalled)
Anne Gibson (Herald): SkyCity Entertainment Group runs in-house vaccination hub
Siouxsie Wiles (Spinoff): Should I get vaccinated if I’m pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or breastfeeding?
Kerre McIvor (Herald):  The 90% Campaign – do your bit and get jabbed (paywalled)
RNZ: Pasifika vaccination rates prove value of grassroots leadership – doctor
Herald Editorial: Boosters debate carries a large dose of politics (paywalled)
Herald: The 90% Project – NZ Herald campaign to vaccinate Kiwis, save lives and enjoy freedom
John Roughan (Herald): Follow the lead of the over-65s and vaccinate against Covid (paywalled)
Jess Berentson-Shaw (Stuff): Facts and logic alone won’t persuade people to get vaccinated. We need connection and trust
Debbie Ngawera-Packer (Herald):  Why I got vaccinated against Covid
Māori TV: Te Whānau o Waipareira health vaccinators hit the streets
Māori TV: Major milestones for Māori Covid-19 vaccine rollout
Madison Reidy (Newshub): Health officials hoping entrepreneur’s new website Time in the Line will speed up vaccinations
Katie Doyle (RNZ): Men offering $100 vaccines in Christchurch ‘not legitimate’

Border, MIQ, immigration
1 News: Trans-Tasman travel bubble pause extended for further eight weeks – Robertson
Eva Corlett (Guardian): New Zealand extends Australia travel bubble pause as Covid cases drop to 11
Hannah Sampson (Stuff): Almost 10,000 people tested negative before flying. Just one was positive after landing, a study shows
Delilah Whaitiri (Herald): Fourth MIQ for Rotorua would be ‘too much of an impact’ for tourism industry
Sophie Cornish and Benn Bathgate (Stuff): New MIQ ‘lobby’ system a step into the unknown for Kiwis stranded overseas
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): Govt needs to end “queue of human misery” (paywalled)
Melanie Carroll (Stuff): ‘No way home’ for workers travelling overseas on business without MIQ spots
Jody O’Callaghan and Jake Kenny (Stuff): Essential workers leaving Aotearoa for other ‘open doors’ to residency

Contact tracing, testing
1 News: Privacy Commissioner warns against paper-based Covid tracing registers
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Govt considers rules against paper contact-tracing data misuse, a year after concerns raised
Jane Phare (Herald): A bit of spit keeps businesses running and staff safe (paywalled)

Cases, demographics
1 News: Child in Waikato with Covid-19 was symptomatic at school
1 News: Three people test positive for Covid-19 in Waikato
Jamie Morton (Herald): Three new Waikato cases as Cabinet decides Auckland’s fate
John Weekes (Herald): Prisoner went to court, later tested positive at Mt Eden jail
Herald: Three prisoners at Auckland Region Women’s Corrections Facility isolating
Sophie Trigger (Herald): Delta eliminated in Wellington – all 17 cases recovered
Rawiri Taonui (Māori TV): Māori Covid cases rise – race on to vaccinate

Alert level rules, compliance, enforcement
Steve Braunias (Herald): The secret diary of the Wānaka incident (paywalled)
Victor Billot (Newsroom): An ode for .. the Wānaka wanakers
1 News: Aucklander allegedly broke lockdown rules with Queenstown trip
Sam Sherwood (Stuff): Pair arrested in Wellington after allegedly travelling from Auckland
ODT: Another breach claimed
Lincoln Tan (Herald): Police dealing with multiple breaches of Aucklanders fleeing lockdown city
Herald: Aucklanders try forging letters, driving through paddocks to flee locked-down city
Polly Gillespie (Stuff): ‘Put them in the stocks!’ An old-fashioned punishment for lockdown flouters?
Dubby Henry (Herald): Dame Jenny Gibbs stands by level 4 driveway drinks
Bill Ralston (Herald/:Listener): In praise of our police – courageous and ruthlessly efficient (paywalled)
1 News: Elderly man punched in Auckland Countdown mask altercation
Sandra Conchie (Herald): Mask wearing compliance high but ‘undercurrent of frustration’ (paywalled)
Alex Braae (1 News): ‘Your actions alter my fate’ – Why Covid rule breakers rile community
1 News: New Zealanders prefer ‘own’ style of misinformation – expert
Richard Davison (ODT): Possible crib breaches frustrate Catlins residents

Wage subsidy, business, economy
Liam Dann (Herald): How can the data look so good when we feel so bad? (paywalled)
Esther Taunton (Stuff): More questions over supermarkets’ lockdown pricing as tasty cheese hits $20 a kilogram
Anna Harcourt (Renews): Sex workers can claim the wage subsidy but stigma means many are afraid to do so
Robyn Walker (BusinessDesk): Wage subsidy criteria is getting harder to meet  (paywalled)
Piers Fuller (Stuff): What’s essential? While authorities struggle to define what people need, retailers are dying
Sasha Borissenko (Herald):  Are employers really looking after staff or just going through the motions? (paywalled)
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Union and Qantas at loggerheads over support for NZ-based Jetconnect staff (paywalled)
Khylee Quince (Stuff): A ‘culture pass’ could help our kids – and the economy
Skara Bohny (Stuff): Struggling accommodation providers call for targeted government help, MP calls for landlord’s support
Steven Joyce  (Herald): Small firms bearing brunt of economic pain (paywalled)
Tina Morrison (Stuff): National wants extension of tax scheme for business, Labour not keen
Grant Bradley (Herald): Air New Zealand tapping further into Govt loan
Frances Chin (Stuff): What property do Kiwis look up during lockdown? Turns out it’s ‘beach’
Mare Haimona-Riki (Māori TV): Indigenous businesses discuss social media use to combat Covid lockdown
Cass Marrett (ODT): Skifields hit by lockdown; $3m in subsidy claims

Housing
Ehan Te Ora and Rosa Woods (Stuff): The Whaanga sisters
Iain White (Guardian): New Zealand’s pandemic housing policy has baked in Māori inequality for generations
Judene Edgar (Stuff): The housing crisis is on everyone’s doorstep
Diana Clement (One Roof): Is it game over for house-flippers in NZ?
Miriam Bell (Stuff):Here’s how to make sense of housing market data
Rupert Gough (One Roof):Why haven’t investors completely disappeared from the housing market?
Miriam Bell (Stuff): What does the $850k median house price buy around the country?
Catherine Smith (One Roof): Has Auckland’s lockdown housing market reached tipping point?
Amanda Cropp (Stuff): Buses turned into budget tiny homes are helping families beat rising house prices and soaring rental costs 
Lisa Scott (ODT): Throwing stones

Health
Stuff: ‘I am screwed if it comes back’: Experts concerned by Covid’s hidden impact on blood cancer treatments
Nicholas Jones (Herald): Hospitals brace for ‘endemic Covid’
Cecilia Robinson (Herald): The three things the Government must do right now (paywalled)
Ian Powell (Second Opinion): Government’s new health indicators fail to indicate
Jamie Tahana (RNZ): Māori significantly more likely to die after surgery than non-Māori – report
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Worse outcomes for Māori after surgery described as possible breach of the Treaty of Waitangi
RNZ: Dropping childhood immunisation rates leave children vulnerable, new research says
Tom Hunt (Stuff): Missing lockdown cancers yet to be measured, but history paints ominous picture
Louisa Steyl (Stuff): Southern DHB limits joint surgeries at Southland Hospital
Brittany Keogh (Stuff): Mum in labour says she was turned away from Hutt Hospital maternity unit when it was full
Jane Matthews (Stuff): Mental health refuge calling on first-time Government funding as those in need ‘slip through the cracks’
Hawkes Bay Today: None of those on ‘successful’ pilot programme were tested for meth beforehand (paywalled)
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Man the Mongrel Mob have it sweet

Justice, corrections
Anusha Bradley (RNZ): 90 percent of High Court, Court of Appeal judges Pākehā
Māori TV: Low rates of Māori granted name suppression a systemic issue – Māori lawyer Khylee Quince
Jarrod Gilbert (Herald):  Navigate unit at Christchurch Men’s prison offers hope (paywalled)
Ryan Boswell (1 News): Discharge without conviction for Gloriavale man who abused three teen boys
Rob Kidd (ODT): Rapist’s polygraph extends distress
Nikki Macdonald (Stuff): Coroner’s Court failing bereaved families and the public – chief coroner

Environment, Climate change
RNZ: NZ criticised over abstention in vote on deepsea mining
RNZ: The Detail: Thirty years of climate change inaction
Rod Oram (Newsroom): Govt lacks integrity, skill and will on climate
Peter Griffin (Stuff): Australian bush fires created an algae bloom east of New Zealand
Taroi Black (Māori TV): Treaty partnership that never ‘existed’ could solve climate change
John Lewis (ODT): Plan aimed at reducing light diesel
Chloe Ranford (Local Democracy Reporting): Waste ‘footprint’ concern sees salmon farm request rejected
Mitchell Alexander (Newshub): Revealed: The multi-million price tag required to keep NZ’s endangered native species alive

Te Reo Māori
Moata Tamaira (E-Tangata): My complicated relationship with te reo Māori
Heta Gardiner (Māori TV): David Seymour says the economy and Covid his focus not Māori language week
Sapeer Mayron (Stuff): Human Rights Commission will stop taking complaints about use of te reo Māori
Anton Blank (E-Tangata): Solar power and forgiveness
Rangimarie Sophie Jolley (Spinoff): ‘It has nothing to do with Lorde’
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer (Stuff):We’ve come a long way as a nation, using te reo Māori more and everywhere
Te Rawhitiroa Bosch (E-Tangata): We must be brave and use the reo
Māori TV: Te Reo Māori turns full circle in Parliament
Oriini Kaipara (Newshub): Police say incorporating te reo Māori helps fight crime, seek total immersion recruits
John Tamihere (Herald):  What’s in a name for today’s proud citizen’s of Aotearoa
Ellen O’Dwye (Stuff): Porirua high school students create website to improve pronunciation of Māori and Pasifika names

Afghanistan
Tess McClure (Guardian): ‘Living in terror’: Afghans left behind by New Zealand struggling to survive
Lawrence Gullery (Stuff): Afghan interpreters say family members ‘on the run’ from Taliban
Caley Callahan (Newshub): Plea for New Zealand Government to provide urgent visas to Afghan women at risk from Taliban

Media
Colin Peacock (RNZ): Mediawatch: Rule-breaking fires up debate on fairness and privilege
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Sean Plunket: putting the unfashionable back on air
Alex Latu (Spinoff): Why NZ is unlikely to follow Australia’s lead on social media defamation law
Eva Corlett (Guardian): How Māori women have reshaped New Zealand’s media through their native language
Sarah McMullan (Stuff): TVNZ’s bite-size Panthers spin-off is the long overdue education we all need
Jane Bowron (Stuff): Covid reality TV is the new frontier 

Oranga Tamariki 
Damien Grant (Stuff): What happened to ‘Moana’ was abuse at the hands of Oranga Tamariki
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Why Damien Grant is a wimp in today’s MUST READ Oranga Tamariki Stuff Column

LynMall attack
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): National, charities critical of gaps in terrorist inquiry
Bernard Sama (Newsroom): Time to review asylum-seeker support

Education
RNZ: Land taken by government officials won’t be returned to Taihape school – minister
Digby Werthmuller (1 News): Educators concerned over curriculum change
Cecile Meier (Stuff): Student anxiety around sexual harassment in media prompts external review at broadcasting school
Daisy Hudson (ODT): Student cheating concerns as assessments move online
ODT: No issues at Selwyn College ball despite concerns

Local government
Stephen Forbes (Local Democracy Reporting): Council budget cuts will have big impact on South Auckland – Efeso Collins
Grant Stevenson (Stuff): Absolutely Positively Wellington was terrific, but in 2021 we need a bigger idea
Nicholas Boyack (Stuff): Hutt City chief executive wins personal grievance against own council
Tina Law (Stuff): Councillors call for cancellation of LGNZ membership over water reform stance
Mike Mather (Stuff):Battlelines drawn in water stoush, but deputy mayor’s campaign may precede run for top job
Wayne Maxwell (Kapiti News): Three Waters Reform details need to be as accurate as possible
Damian George (Stuff): Wellington City Council recommends demolishing Frank Kitts car park
Guy Williams (ODT): Company not suing over mistaken release
Guy Williams (ODT): Concern for town’s say on council
Debbie Griffiths (Stuff): Tauranga is working to become New Zealand’s most inclusive city

Transport
John Anthony (Stuff): ‘Challenging few weeks’ ahead for NZ supply chain with two out of three Interislander ferries out of service
Nile Bijoux (Stuff): MIA attack on Clean Car Standard ‘surprising’: Transport Minister
1 News: Police, AT join forces amid rise in abuse of bus drivers
Kirsty Frame (RNZ): Wellington may get two new cycleways to hospital and botanic gardens
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Heritage NZ backs down over colour of Wellington train station ticket machines

Cricket
Adrian Seconi (ODT): Accentuating the positive has backfired for NZ Cricket
1 News: Fury in Pakistan over cancellation of NZ cricket tour
Herald: Pakistan Cricket Board, government, players hit back at security concerns after Black Caps abandon first tour in 18 years
Stuff: ‘Shock and disbelief’: Call from Imran Khan to Jacinda Ardern can’t save Pakistan tour
1 News: Black Caps pull out of Pakistan tour following ‘NZ Government security alert’

Electricity regulation
Zane Small (Newshub): 3 in 5 households to get lower power bills as Government axes ‘poorly targeted’ electricity regulation
Herald: Electricity review: Govt to phase out ‘low use’ power plans
John Anthony (Stuff): Shake-up to electricity charges could disadvantage ‘vulnerable households’, Consumer NZ says
RNZ: Power plan regulations change aims to ensure fairness

Other
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Facial recognition systems tests fail to record accuracy for Māori
Meng Foon (Spinoff): In times of crisis we need to look deeply in the mirror 
Tom McKinlay (ODT): He Puapua: “Change can often be difficult, but it is a wonderful difficulty”
Matt Burrows (Newshub): Groundswell NZ distances itself from supporter’s ‘racial and abusive’ viral email about He Puapua report, Māori favouritism
Liam Napier (Herald): Dramatic developments as big changes made to New Zealand Rugby’s Silver Lake deal (paywalled)
Eleisha Foon (RNZ): Calls for tougher gambling laws to protect Pasifika in NZ
Alison Mau (Stuff): Suffrage Day: Bold leaders wanted, no pay-gap shirkers may apply
Katie Pickles (The Conversation): On the money: Kate Sheppard and the making of a New Zealand feminist icon
Eric Crampton (Stuff): The ease of dodgy business
Todd Niall (Stuff): America’s Cup: Publicly-promoted home defence bid adrift amid secrecy 
Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): The GovTech Accelerator, what is it accelerating to?
Philip Matthews (Stuff): The wisdom of Solomon: Tā Mark’s post-Ngāi Tahu journey
Sinead Gill (Stuff): Threshold for ‘serious harm’ too high in conversion therapy bill, say submitters
Jane Clifton (Herald/Listener): The ‘vague and vacuous’ Resource Management Act (paywalled)
Laura Smith (ODT): Winter grazing: council stresses proper planning
RNZ: Siouxsie Wiles on Covid-19, conspiracies and a life in science, at the 2021 NZ International Science Festival
Dale Husband (E-Tangata): Tommy Wilson: The taiaha of knowledge
Maria Armoudian (Newsroom): When will NZ stop honouring this genocidal dictator?