Today’s content

Omicron outbreak
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Up to half of NZ population could become infected with Omicron – modeller
Ellen O’Dwyer (Stuff): Potentially dozens of undetected Omicron cases, modeller says
Keith Lynch (Stuff): Omicron is here. This is what happens next
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Omicron arrives – we’re all over it already (paywalled)
Siouxsie Wiles (Spinoff): Reducing risk with omicron in the community
Herald: Omicron outbreak: Experts react to new variant in community, red light setting
Science Media Centre: NZ moves to Red as Omicron cases spread – Expert Reaction
Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): Call for clarity around rapid antigen testing strategy
Sharnae Hope (Stuff): Do-it-yourself Covid tests seized at the border, personal-use imports ‘prohibited’
Eric Crampton (Stuff): NZ’s failure to prepare for Omicron means there’s a shambles to come
Jo Moir (Newsroom): A big culture shock is coming New Zealand’s way
Matthew Hooton (Patreon): Covid strategy now “stuck in the middle” (paywalled)
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Omicron is here – minimising health and supply shocks top of agenda
Jon Johansson (Stuff): As we enter year three of the pandemic, we need to move past our Covid-myopia
ODT Editorial: Batten down the hatches, Omicron is coming
Alison Mau (Stuff): Ready for Omicron? The little details show we’re probably not
RNZ: Mask advice under review as Omicron community transmission confirmed

Govt Omicron strategy, NZ moves to red traffic light setting
Adam Pearse (Newshub): Hunt for Omicron continues as New Zealand turns red
Adam Pearse (Herald): New protocols could see households isolating for up to 24 days
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Government plans three stages for Omicron outbreak, won’t commit to free masks
1 News: Ardern outlines ‘phased approach’ to Omicron strategy
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Spread of virus spurs Red call
RNZ: Watch – Jacinda Ardern and Ashley Bloomfield hold Covid-19 briefing on Omicron
Anna Whyte (1 News): NZ to move to Red at 11.59pm tonight, Nelson-Tasman cases confirmed as Omicron
1 News: Red traffic light setting to protect vulnerable Kiwis – PM
1 News: What you can do under the Red traffic light setting
Lorna Thornber (Stuff): Travel under the red light setting
1 News: Covid rules could see household contacts of positive case isolate for 24 days

Govt Omicron strategy – pre-announcement
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Long read: How to prepare for Omicron
Andrea Vance (Stuff): How is it that we are not prepared? Again.
Tracy Watkins (Stuff): We need a full toolbox for Omicron
Jean Bell (RNZ): Government ‘dropped the ball’ on rapid antigen test access, GP says
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Siouxsie Wiles ‘really worried’ about government’s Omicron plan
Steven Cowan (Against the Current): Letting Omicron rip
RNZ: MIQ’s purpose would change with Omicron spread – Baker
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Omicron outbreak likely within 10 days: Baker (paywalled)
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Govt needs to do as outbreak looms (paywalled)
Glen McConnell (Stuff): Speaker Trevor Mallard urges people to ‘stock up’ ahead of Omicron outbreak
Zane Small (Newshub): Māori Party’s Rawiri Waititi swipes at Speaker Trevor Mallard for ‘encouraging people to panic buy’ in Twitter rift
Jody O’Callaghan (Stuff): While some ‘panic buy’ ahead of Omicron, what happens to families on the poverty line?
Jo Moir (Newsroom): PM’s communication degree needed now more than ever
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Māori leaders say Government is not prepared for Omicron
RNZ: Rangitīkei Māori leader urges rural people to prepare now for Omicron
RNZ: Auckland City Mission Omicron plans in place

Parties respond to Govt strategy
John Weekes (Herald): Booster urgency, free face mask calls as political rivals digest red light move
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Government’s three-phase Omicron plan ‘highly confusing for New Zealanders’ – Opposition
Glen McConnell (Stuff): ‘We’re not prepared’: National’s Christopher Luxon says more boosters, rapid tests needed for Omicron surge
John Weekes (Herald): National’s Chris Luxon says Government dozed in summer as Omicron set its sights on NZ
RNZ: Government not prepared for Omicron – Luxon
Scott Palmer (Newshub): Opposition accuses Government of being unprepared for Omicron as New Zealand heads into red traffic light setting
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): National vs Labour: When Omicron comes around
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Zane Small (Newshub): Christopher Luxon unsure if shifting to ‘red’ is right move due to ‘very confusing’ traffic light criteria
Christopher Luxon (Stuff): We need an urgent Omicron plan

Health system braces
Emma Russell (Herald): Doctors’ union urges Govt to declare health workforce emergency
Ellen O’Dwyer (Stuff): ‘Stay at home and look after yourselves’: GPs urge preparation ahead of Omicron wave
Justin Latif (Local Democracy Reporting): Auckland district health boards brace for 1800 Omicron cases a day
RNZ: Health workers prepare to support Omicron cases remotely
Ben Leahy (Herald): New variant threatens to leave more Kiwis exposed to long Covid
Rachel Thomas (Stuff): New Zealand’s Covid drugs explained

Vulnerable populations
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (1 News): Fear Māori will suffer most from Omicron outbreak
Māori TV: ‘Learn from previous mistakes, prioritise Māori and Pacific’ – Dr Elizabeth Kerekere
Māori TV: ‘Omicron has entered our whare’
Maxine Jacobs (Stuff): The mahi of the many: Two years of protecting whakapapa from Covid-19

Cases, locations of interest
RNZ: Stood down Air NZ workers showing Covid-19 symptoms – CEO Greg Foran
Bernadette Basagre and James Halpin (Stuff): What we know about the Omicron cases and their movements in Auckland
Adam Pearse (Herald): ‘It’s no one’s fault’ – Omicron-linked wedding venue manager calls for support
James Halpin and Sapeer Mayron (Stuff): Wedding venue linked to Omicron outbreak ‘shocked’ to hear of exposure
RNZ: ‘We have prepared’ for Omicron in the community – Nelson mayor Rachel Reese
Herald: What we know about Motueka cases
RNZ: Locations of interest linked to Omicron cases released
1 News: Auckland’s Sky Tower, Motueka supermarkets visited by Omicron cases
Anna Whyte (1 News): Nelson-Tasman Omicron cases attended Auckland wedding before positive tests
Cherie Sivignon and Frances Chin (Stuff): Nelson-Tasman cases confirmed as Omicron variant
1 News: Auckland rest home worker with Covid is Omicron contact
RNZ: Several ways Omicron case may have caught virus – health expert

Border, MIQ
Keith Lynch (Stuff): Chris Hipkins says ‘significant’ border changes are possible in first half of this year
Hannah Martin (Stuff): One third of border cases over one week were unvaccinated
Chris Keall (Herald): Did MIQ voucher-less family have right to enter NZ? Expert’s verdict (paywalled)
Cherie Sivignon (Herald): Delta Omicron variant: Twenty-two months of MIQ border hardship (paywalled)
John Anthony (Stuff): Overseas travel costs expected to soar as Covid-19 pandemic changes the game
Janet Wilson (Stuff): Othering those Kiwis outside our border only sows division

Economy, Business, Employment
Jamie Morton (Herald): Why Siouxsie Wiles won’t be going to bars or restaurants
Qiuyi Tan (Herald): Hospitality NZ rejects high-risk claims, says venues are safe
Rob Stock (Stuff): City centres will be ‘ghost towns’ again under red setting, hospo boss says
RNZ: Supply-chain disruption ‘inevitable’, but work is underway to reduce impact – Finance Minister
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Be prepared – supply chain disruption inevitable: govt (paywalled)
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Grant Robertson announces financial support for businesses affected by COVID cases, isolation requirements
1 News: ‘Absolutely no need’ for panic buying – Grant Robertson
Chris Keall (Herald): Omicron shift to Red: Business leaders frustrated as Robertson offers no new support (paywalled)
BusinessDesk: Seeing red: the govt’s omicron advice to business
Laura Hooper (Stuff): Businesses warned to prepare for staff shortages as nation goes to red
Kevin Norquay (Stuff): New Zealand economy winning Covid battle, only for a new threat to emerge
John Anthony (Stuff): Omicron outbreak won’t trigger more Government support for businesses, but that could change, finance minister say
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Rod Oram (Newsroom): Wise business leaders invest in society, not short-term financial returns
Trish Oakley (ODT): Climate dividend needs to be delivered alongside economic
Jamie Gray (Herald): The inflation dragon awakens? NZ CPI heads to its highest level in 30 years (paywalled)
Steven Joyce (Herald): After the sunshine comes the economic storm (paywalled)
Toby Allen (Interest): Bankruptcy rates low despite pandemic, with kiwi’s dodging them in a way they weren’t able to during the GFC
RNZ: Manfacturing sector expands after Covid-related contraction – data
RNZ: Watties struggling to find enough workers for upcoming harvest
Philip Chandler (Mountain Scene): Hospitality hit by chronic staff shortages
Tess Brunton (RNZ): How summer shaped up for South Island tourism hot spots
Rob Stock (Stuff): Contract clauses like Tova O’Brien’s hurting low-wage workers, says MP calling for ban

Cancellations
Tess McClure (Guardian): Jacinda Ardern cancels wedding as New Zealand prepares for Omicron surge
Piers Fuller (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern puts her wedding on hold as NZ moves into red traffic light setting
Herald: PM Jacinda Ardern calls off wedding as country moves to red
1 News: ‘Such is life’ – PM’s wedding ‘not going ahead’ as NZ moves to Red
RNZ: Festivals, PM’s wedding postponed as New Zealand moves to red light setting
1 News: Splore festival among events canned due to Red light setting
John Lewis (ODT): Events called off due to new setting
Māori TV: Red light stops One Love Festival

Vaccination
Jamie Morton (Newshub): PM urges NZ’s 213,000 unvaxxed to ‘please reconsider’
Polly Gillespie (Stuff): There’s a big Covid divide between Auckland and Wellington
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Jarrod Gilbert (Herald): Tamaki’s arrest another example of sound policing (paywalled)
Damien Grant (Stuff): Why the arrest and detention of Brian Tamaki dismays me
Herald: Act’s David Seymour wants Destiny Church’s Brian Tamaki booted from Mt Eden prison
Will Trafford (Māori TV): ‘Protest in a field!’ – Seymour slams Tamaki supporters
Diane McCarthy (RNZ): Murupara GP to be suspended pending further investigation
Jessica Roden (1 News): Golden Bay cafe becomes ‘private club’ to avoid vax passes
Herald: Covid 19 anti-vaccine protest disrupts central Wellington; Auckland Aotea Square protest too

Parliament, parties
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Why 2022 will be the year Covid really crimps Labour’s visions of change
Claire Trevett (Herald): Will 2022 be Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Year of Reckoning? (paywalled)
Morgan Godfery (Guardian): The deal with Jacinda Ardern’s Labour party is proving toxic for New Zealand’s Greens
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Labour regaining momentum in latest poll, as National’s Luxon surge stalls
Zane Small (Newshub): National leader Christopher Luxon responds to man at public meeting who got round of applause for denouncing use of te reo Māori
Audrey Young (Herald): Weekend at Nikki’s – life after politics and meeting famous singers and former rivals on Barrier
Michael Neilson (Herald): First term National MP Joseph Mooney on poverty, tragedy, Treaty negotiations and everything outdoors (paywalled)
Paul Little (BusinessDesk): Corridors of power – inside the world of NZ’s political lobbyists (paywalled)

Education
Herald: Masks, tests, vaccinations – your back to school questions answered
Lee Kenny (Stuff): Students and staff at most of NZ’s universities must be vaccinated for new term
Katy Jones (Stuff): Nelson school owing $3 million urges government to approve debt plan

Housing
Felix Walton (Spinoff): Our new lending rules have everyone confused. What went wrong?
Miriam Bell (Stuff): ANZ expects house prices to fall by 7 per cent this year
Brendon Harre (Interest): Connecting the lessons from Henry George to the outrageous housing price problems of today
RNZ: Kāinga Ora alters 8500 houses to try and avoid driveway accidents

Tonga volcanic eruption, tsunami
Mark Longley and Kethaki Masilamani (Newshub): Elon Musk replies to Dr Shane Reti’s plea to help Tonga
Mark Longley (Newshub): Dr Shane Reti makes urgent plea to Elon Musk to help with Tonga’s telecommunication issue
RNZ: Tonga eruption: NZ government brings aid funding up to $3m
RNZ: Tonga collection drive organisers call for more drums to hold donations
Lydia Lewis (RNZ): Global aid effort underway for Tonga’s recovery
RNZ: Tongan eruption: 85% of the population impacted – government
RNZ: HMNZS Canterbury sets sail for Tonga with aid onboard
Finau Fonua and Lydia Lewis (RNZ): Overwhelming sense of relief – Tonga newsman

Local government
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Is Auckland Mayor Phil Goff about to bow out of politics and support a rising star to replace him?
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland Council could face $25k bill after mowing 8000 native plants
RNZ: Police have no plans to move Franz Josef station, despite mayor’s plea
ODT Editorial: One-ways the only feasible option
RNZ: Christchurch City Council considers removing library fines for overdue books
Luisa Girao (ODT): Targeted rate proposed to sustain pools

Three waters
Blair Jackson (Stuff): Three Waters could turn people off local body politics or inspire protest candidates, expert says
Guy Trafford (Interest): The local water war is just getting started
Susan Botting (Local Democracy Reporting): Three Waters: Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai urges Government to take counter proposal seriously
Lincoln Tan (Herald): Auckland gets consent to draw more water from Waikato River – 300 million litres a day in total

Environment, conservation
Anne Salmond (Newsroom): NZ’s climate planting asking for trouble
Bruce Munro (ODT): Death unleashed
Andrea Vance (Stuff): NZ Govt’s proposal to overturn ban on trawl gear will ‘kill more albatrosses’, critics say
Ryan Boswell (1 News): NZ’s first jet ski dolphin tour proposed in Christchurch

Transport
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Commerce Commission ready to rein in record pump prices
Riley Kennedy (ODT): Union fears for NZ’s fuel security
Stuff: Transmission Gully is long overdue, it’s time for answers

Health
Mairatea Mohi (Stuff): $6.2m funding injection to help fix cancer inequities for Māori and Pasifika
Matthew Rosenberg (Local Democracy Reporting): Dental deliverance: Volunteers descend on small town to address needs of failing system
Anusha Bradley (RNZ): Child wins five-year battle with ACC for birth-related injury cover
RNZ: Educating fathers key to improving children’s immunisation rates – research

Child welfare
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Push to ‘save’ Children’s Commissioner from govt reforms
Andrew McRae (RNZ): Child Matters warns of little action on dealing with high rates of child abuse

Foreign affairs
Matt Nippert (Herald): Brady burglary investigators briefed on diplomatic immunity (paywalled)
Sascha-Dominik (Dov) Bachmann (The Conversation): Ukraine might be far away, but a security crisis in Europe can still threaten Aotearoa New Zealand
Stuff Editorial: China’s menacing message to Winter Olympians
Karen Scott (The Conversation): Laws governing undersea cables have hardly changed since 1884 – Tonga is a reminder they need modernising

Population, migration
Brian Gaynor (BusinessDesk): Is New Zealand’s population too low? (paywalled)
Greg Ninness (Interest): Migration flows back in positive territory but the numbers are tiny
Liu Chen (RNZ): Lecturer behind series on Asian migrant women hopes it will inspire movement

Other
Herald: On the Tiles: Max Rashbrooke on class and inequality in New Zealand, and what politicians can do
David Fisher (Herald): Waitangi Day snub – Prime Minister in but National’s Luxon out of ‘superficial’ pōwhiri pre-recorded for TV special
Steve Maharey (Stuff): The big challenges of 2022 and a way forward
RNZ: Corrections criticised on sex assaults in prison
Hamish MacLean (ODT): Misdiagnosis leads to a years-long battle
Emma Tennent (Newsroom): ‘Victim’ or ‘survivor’ — what’s in a name?
RNZ: Animal rescues call for foster home volunteers