Today’s content

Covid, MIQ, border
RNZ: Government postpones next MIQ lottery due to spike of Omicron cases at border
Herald: Upcoming MIQ room release postponed due to Omicron cases at border
Kate Green (Stuff): Next MIQ lobby postponed as Omicron arrivals surge 
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): A cowardly way to close the border
Jamie Morton (Herald): Has NZ dodged another Omicron bullet?
Keith Lynch (Stuff): Inside an Omicron wave – understanding the rise and fall
Matthew Hooton (Patreon): Yes, they really have all been asleep (paywalled)
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Cabinet ministers to assess Covid-19 traffic light settings, border reopening and testing
Herald: More restrictions likely as New Zealand gets ready to respond to Omicron outbreak
Caroline Williams (Stuff): Dr Ashley Bloomfield says Omicron could prompt changes to traffic light system
Katie Todd (RNZ): More Omicron in Auckland possible after MIQ worker’s contact tests positive
Herald: Omicron MIQ worker’s household contact tests positive
RNZ: Covid-19 update on 18 January: 14 new community cases today, 30 at the border
Charlotte Muru-Lanning (Spinoff): As the threat of omicron looms, we need to upgrade our mask game
Northern Advocate: Possible changes to Northland’s red alert status to be announced on Thursday
Sophie Trigger (Herald): Man in MIQ not isolated from Covid-positive partner, faces 30-day stay

Parliament, parties
Claire Trevett (Herald): Covid 19, Omicron and the five things PM Jacinda Ardern has to deal with in 2022 (paywalled)
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Voting fix in sight for Covid-hit Kiwi expats
Newstalk ZB: James Shaw: Agreement with Labour gives Greens a strong voice
Michael Neilson (Herald): Act Party MP Mark Cameron on family, farming, depression and why he admires Climate Change Minister James Shaw (paywalled)
James Pocock (Hawkes Bay Today/Herald): ‘Watch this space’: Christopher Luxon’s National devising a plan to turn Hawke’s Bay blue (paywalled)

Vaccine rollout, mandate, testing
Richard Prebble (Herald):  What Clarke Gayford got right over Covid test call (paywalled)
Zane Small (Newshub): New Zealand police expand COVID-19 vaccine mandate to volunteers, suppliers and visitors
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): Iwi-led Covid-19 saliva testing clinic fronts new Whanganui community approach

Anti-vaccination, protests, rule breaches
Herald: Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki appeals remand decision after alleged bail breach
Catrin Owen (Stuff): Brian Tamaki appeals prison stay for alleged bail breach
Miriam Burrell (Herald): Brian Tamaki in custody: What he can expect as an inmate during the Delta outbreak
Caitlan Johnston (Herald): ‘He sees himself as a martyr’, religious historian’s take on Brian Tamaki following arrest
Steve Braunias (Herald):  The Secret Diary of … Brian Tamaki’s first night in jail (paywalled)
Editorial (Herald):  The trials of ‘Apostle’ Brian Tamaki (paywalled)
1 News: Rumours of kids collapsing at vaccine clinic ‘incorrect’
William Hewett (Newshub): Ministry of Health denies viral claim children collapsed at North Shore vaccination centre
Herald: Auckland children did not collapse after vaccine – health officials quash social media lies
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): ‘Terrifying’ Voices for Freedom protesters descend on vaccine centre – but healthcare workers inside ease children’s fears
Adam Pearse (Herald): Labour Party Auckland MP Shanan Halbert harassed getting vaccination
Damien Venuto (Herald): The sad spiral of Liz Gunn down the conspiracy rabbit hole (paywalled)
Julie Spray (Spinoff): How Covid vaccines upend our assumptions about protecting kids
Jake Kenny (Stuff): Christchurch restaurant Lotus-Heart still not following Covid guidelines after $20,000 fine
Miriam Burrell (Herald): Unvaccinated MIQ escapee no show in court due to cold and flu symptoms

Economy, Business, Employment
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Business confidence falls sharply, inflation worries rise
Jamie Gray (Herald): NZIER survey points to increasing NZ inflation pressure
Greg Smith (Stuff): A familiar tune: The NZ economy is in great shape, but how long will it last?
Tony Alexander (OneRoof):  Inflation and CCCFA’s two-pronged attack on Kiwi budgets
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Labour shortages strangle business confidence: NZIER (paywalled)
Kirsty Frame (RNZ): Supermarkets stockpile and industries crisis plan ahead of Omicron community outbreak
Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): NZ firms with lean workforces will struggle if Omicron hits
Susan Hornsby-Geluk (Stuff): Who pays for Covid-19 work absences?
RNZ: Fears Northland businesses will close without targeted financial support
John Anthony (Stuff): Former Westpac chief economist Dominick Stephens moves to permanent Treasury role
BusinessDesk: Westpac economist confirmed deputy secretary of Treasury (paywalled)
Herald: Westpac’s Dominick Stephens appointed Treasury’s chief economic advisor
RNZ: Westpac issues warning over sophisticated scam
Nathan Morton (Stuff): Young people flocking to trade jobs post-lockdown, amidst huge industry push
Andrea Fox (Herald): Regulators will show more muscle this year, directors warned (paywalled)
Esther Taunton (Stuff):Auckland eateries Mink Cafe, Misters and Elijah Blue go into liquidation
Tina Morrison (Stuff): Global dairy prices hit 8-year high as supply tightens; farmer milk payments may push higher
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Big businesses blast Electricity Authority over market ‘dysfunction’
Alan McDonald (Stuff): Why Fair Pay Agreements are anything but fair

Housing
Riley Kennedy (ODT): Mum ‘shocked’ by 90-day maternity leave mortgage condition
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Consumer lending probe should ask regulators whether they ignored warnings from banks (paywalled)
Charlie Dreaver (RNZ): Would-be homeowners face banks pulling pre-approvals
Geraden Cann (Stuff): Non-bank mortgage lender says it won’t ‘nitpick’ over how many coffees you have
Riley Kennedy (ODT): Mortgage approvals in South contract
Zane Small (Newshub): The three reasons New Zealand’s housing market is ‘starting to shift’
Anan Zaki (RNZ): Housing market appears to be hitting pause after rapid growth
Greg Ninness (Interest): The housing market was considerably slower in December compared to a year earlier
Logan Savory (Stuff): The big shift: Search for an affordable housing market
Anne Gibson (Herald): REINZ data: House prices and volumes fall, chief concerned about law change
Liu Chen (RNZ): Record housing consents but some houses ‘just won’t get built’
Lee Kenny (Stuff): ‘It’s not a shed’, say landlords after one-bedroom property provokes ire online
Andrea Fox (Herald): Housing needy to benefit from sale of Taupō motorsport park (paywalled)

Advertising targeting children
John Lewis (ODT): Children see 554 brands in single day
Alexa Cook (Newshub): New Zealand study finds children exposed to a brand every minute
Hanna McCallum (Stuff): ‘Harmful advertising’ heavily outweighs children’s exposure to branding, study finds

Tonga volcanic eruption, tsunami
Gordon Campbell (Werewolf): On sending an Orion P-3 to Tonga
Zane Small (Newshub): Navy’s three-day journey to aid ash-blanketed Tonga: Inside New Zealand’s emergency response to tsunami
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Two Navy ships heading to Tonga as communication issues hamper response effort 
ODT Editorial: Looking after the neighbours
Sela Jane Hopgood (Spinoff): Here’s how we can help Tonga
Henry Cooke (Stuff): The island can rebuild but needs NZ’s help, MPs say
Simon Shepherd (Newshub): Tonga volcano eruption: New Zealanders organise essential relief supplies for tsunami-hit Tongans
RNZ: Call for donations as relief committee prepares to send care packages to families in Tonga
Liu Chen (RNZ): Tonga eruption and tsunami: New Zealand families still waiting to hear from loved ones
Christine Rovoi (RNZ): Stranded Tongans better off in NZ, says RSE scheme official
Chloe Blommerde (Stuff): Volcanic changes at Whakaari/White Island ‘not linked’ to Tongan eruption

Environment, conservation
Gordon Campbell (Werewolf): On the global war against plastics
Kevin Trenberth (Herald):  Accumulated heat in upper ocean at record levels again (paywalled)
Chlöe Swarbrick (Herald):  Auckland’s next mayor must target climate action and housing for all
Vita Molyneux (Herald): Wellington wins $1million in global competition to tackle climate change with technology
Todd Niall (Stuff): Most Aucklanders not planning to drive less, despite climate fears – survey
Rob Stock (Stuff): Damage from extreme weather cost insurers $321.6 million last year
Samantha Gee (RNZ): Pāua fishing in Kaikōura: Public urged to gather ‘for a feed, not the freezer’
Catherine Groenestein (Stuff): Taranaki hapū places rāhui to protect pāua on 12km stretch of coast
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Waiheke marina: Protectors hīkoi to High Court for injunction hearing
Lucy Warhurst (Newshub): Survey of kauri trees in Waitākere Ranges will reveal for the first time the prevalence of dieback disease
Amber Allott (Stuff): Jet ski dolphin tours plan for Canterbury harbour prompts environmental concerns

Health
1 News: Pasifika make up half of Auckland’s 2021 sudden infant deaths
Mike Houlahan (ODT): SDHB apologises after cancer diagnosis missed
William Hewett (Newshub): Southern DHB missed cancer diagnosis despite patient turning up to emergency department seven times in six weeks
William Hewett (Newshub): Gastroenteritis outbreak at Dunedin Hospital closes two wards, 21 people infected
RNZ: Gastro outbreak shuts two wards in Dunedin Hospital
Isaac Davison (Herald): Euthanasia is now legal in New Zealand – how many patients are choosing an assisted death?

Local government
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Bar owner, lawyer and airport chairman eyeing Wellington City Council
Tom Hunt (Stuff): Fleur Fitzsimons bows out of local politics, mulls run for Parliament
Georgina Campbell (Herald): A Capital Letter: A trip to Auckland exposes Wellington’s tired streets (paywalled)
Steven Walton (Stuff): Councils decline rates discount for unvaccinated residents who can’t use facilities
Grant Miller (ODT): Plan to divest rolling stock
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Iconic venue Sammy’s remains closed five years after being bought by council 

Transport
William Hewett (Newshub): Auckland bus users urge Auckland Transport to return to normal schedule after complaints of full buses
Lawrence Watt (Listener/Herald): Hydrogen hype: A green-energy solution of just hot air? (paywalled)
Damien Venuto (Herald): Petrol prices could hit $3 per litre in 2022 – AA (paywalled)
Melanie Carroll (Stuff): How do NZ’s current high petrol prices compare with historical highs?
Kate MacNamara (Herald): The $85m spend to revive KiwiRail workshops that officials recommended against (paywalled)

Education
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): Border clamps a double-edged sword for schools
Dubby Henry (Herald): NCEA results out tomorrow but how will different regions compare?

Other
Herald: Tova O’Brien taking Newshub to court in employment stoush over new MediaWorks role
Edward Gay (Stuff): Mediaworks’ radio show launch hinges on outcome of Tova O’Brien’s employment case
Kelly Makiha (Herald): Farmers incident: Teen’s whānau heading to Human Rights Commission mediation
Juha Saarinen (Herald):  At last, reasons for the ransomware bandits to be fearful (paywalled)
Nadine Porter (Stuff): Cockroaches and sparking power points: One woman’s decade-long fight with EQC
RNZ: Last year’s December drowning rate worst since 1996 – report
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): Whanganui River tribes draw global focus to indigenous knowledge
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Concern raised over new Oranga Tamariki legislation: ‘I don’t trust the government to deliver’