Today’s content

Russia invasion of Ukraine
Jordan Bond (RNZ): Government facing pressure to freeze assets of Russian oligarchs
Katie Bradford (1News): Ukrainians in NZ urge Govt to seize Russian financial interests
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Cabinet considers prohibiting Russian investment in New Zealand
Rob Stock (Stuff): NZ investment funds had more than $100 million invested in Russia
Rob Stock (Stuff): Why NZ Super Fund must dump Sberbank of Russia over Ukraine invasion
Anna Whyte and Katie Bradford (1News): Hundreds of KiwiSaver, investment funds in Russian companies
Richard Harman (Politik): Government to review overseas investment approval criteria in wake of Ukraine (paywalled)
Richard Harman (Politik): The Putin ally with the $50 million New Zealand beachside lodge (paywalled)
Hamish Price (Patreon): Empire’s end (and our role in the downfall of Tsar Vlad)
Liam Dann (Herald): Limited trade fall-out from Russian conflict but inflation risk is real (paywalled)
Tim Watkin (Pundit): Global Unity Against Moscow Sends A Clear Message To Beijing
Olga Dodd (Stuff): Ukraine invasion set to hit Kiwis in the pocket
Andrea Fox (Herald): Fonterra suspends export shipments to Russia
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Ukrainians in New Zealand urging stronger action from Government in response to Russia
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): National’s Gerry Brownlee calls on Government to expel Russian diplomat
1News: NZ to send $2m in humanitarian aid for Ukraine
RNZ: New Zealand pledges $2m for Ukraine aid
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Russia-Ukraine war: New Zealand won’t be providing Ukrainians with military equipment, Jacinda Ardern says
John Minto (Daily Blog): Surely the Prime Minister was misquoted…
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): MFAT refuses to name 80 Russians subject to NZ travel ban (paywalls)
RNZ: New Zealanders with links to Ukraine say they feel horrified and helpless
1News: ‘NZ’s voice must be heard’ in condemning Russia – Kasparov
Kate Green (Stuff): Police respond to threats, white powder in an envelope at Russian Embassy
RNZ: Fonterra suspends shipments to Russia

Foreign affairs, trade
Anna Whyte (1 News): NZ and UK sign off on free trade agreement
Thomas Manch (Stuff): New Zealand signs free trade agreement with United Kingdom
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): New Zealand and UK sign free trade deal
RNZ: New Zealand signs free trade deal with UK to eliminate all tariffs for NZ exports
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): New Zealand, United Kingdom sign Free Trade Agreement eliminating tariffs on Kiwi exports, boost of up to $1b to GDP
Phillip Inman (Guardian): UK and New Zealand sign free trade deal
1 News: NZ ‘pushing hard’ to secure free trade agreement with EU
Bernard Hickey (The Kākā): China will decide if globalisation ends
RNZ: Calls for NZ govt to condemn charges against West Papuan activist

Vaccine mandates, Wellington anti-mandate protest
1News: Ardern calls protest ‘Covid camp’ after 17 cases linked to it
Stuff: 17 people linked to ‘super-spreader’ Parliament occupation test positive
Romany Tasker-Poland (ISO): This is an Anti-Worker Occupation
1News: Iwi leader ‘disrespected’ by Parliament protesters’ behaviour
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Iwi take unprecedented stand against ‘abusive’ protesters who invaded marae
Māni Dunlop (RNZ): Te Kahu o te Raukura laid as a cloak of peace over Parliament grounds and ancestral whenua
Whatitiri Te Wake (Māori TV): Te Kahu o Te Raukura – a call of protection and peace for Wellington
Te Rina Kowhai (Newshub): Iwi leaders from across the motu condemn violence of anti-mandate protesters at Parliament
Melanie Reid (Newsroom): A visit to freedom village (video)
Dylan Reeve (Spinoff): The tinfoil has been unrolled in Wellington
George Block and Kate Green (Stuff): Short-lived shower block gone after late-night police mission
Stuff: Four arrests at Parliament occupation, numbers continue to shrink
RNZ: Four more people arrested at anti-mandate protest
Adam Pearse (Stuff): Child at protest recalls riot police incident
Claire Breen (The Conversation): What are the rights of children at the parliament protest – and who protects them?
Newshub: Parliament anti-mandate protest: Showers removed, tyres slashed in late night protest standoff
1News: Judge orders prominent anti-vaccine activist away from Parliament
George Block (Stuff): Tension escalates over demand for vehicle access to occupation site
Vita Molyneux (Herald): One arrested at Parliament occupation, protest spreads to Auckland
Erin Gourley (Stuff): Convoy vehicles aren’t being ticketed, but shoppers are
Daniel Smith (Stuff): Businesses supporting the occupation of Parliament risk reputational damage – marketing experts
Stuff: Maskless protesters watch their court appearances via video link
Ellen O’Dwyer (Stuff): Wellington Girls’ College to reopen on Tuesday following occupation closure
Ella Duggan and Raya Hotter (Herald): Wellington students kept away from school
Dave Armstrong (Stuff): Mr Foster goes to Parliament

Auckland and other NZ anti-mandate protests, rule breaches
David Fisher (Herald): Inside intelligence: Security service reports detail ‘realistic possibility’ of violent terror attack threat from ‘peaceful’ anti-vax movement
1 News: Ardern still feels safe despite heckling from protesters
Miriam Burrell (Herald): Auckland protest: Council ‘ready to act’ with trespass notices, waiting for police green light – Goff
Bernadette Basagre (Stuff): Council set to take action against anti-mandate protesters at Auckland Domain
RNZ: Auckland Domain protest: Mayor says council ready to act on campers
Simon Wilson (Herald): John Key, the Black Eyed Peas and the protest on the harbour bridge (paywalled)
RNZ: Police, hapū and iwi monitoring anti-mandate protest in New Plymouth
Alexa Cook (Newshub): Picton locals demand police move protesters on as illegal camp infuriates neighbours
Gabrielle McCulloch (Stuff): Covid-positive swimmer rescued, placing Auckland lifeguards at ‘significant risk’
1News: Swimmer who knew they had Covid rescued from Auckland surf
RNZ: Checkpoint: Surf lifesavers frustrated at Covid-positive swimmer’s rescue
RNZ: Dunedin students claiming to have Covid coughed on officers – police

High Court Ruling on police and defence force mandates
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Reason to cheer the High Court quashing a vaccine mandate
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Govt faces legal ultimatum: End mandates and vaccine passes, now
Sam Sherwood (Stuff): Unvaccinated cops told to stay away from work for now
RNZ: Officers stood down over mandates seen protesting at Parliament – Police association
RNZ: Police and defence mandates court case has opposition urging rethink
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Mandate cases should wake the Govt up

Govt response to Omicron outbreak, Cases
Michael Baker, Amanda Kvalsvig, Matire Harwood, Nick Wilson (The Conversation): Two years on from the first COVID case, New Zealand’s successful pandemic response still faces major challenges
RNZ: New Zealand’s Covid-19 response still one of the best worldwide – Michael Baker
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): Māori health analyst criticises rollout mistakes as virus continues to target young people
Eva Corlett (Guardian): Previously virus-free New Zealand now has one of world’s highest Covid transmission rates
Nita Blake-Persen (RNZ): Checkpoint: NZers most in need bearing brunt of Omicron outbreak
Stuff: The 1pm news conferences are making a return for Omicron
Maxine Jacobs (Stuff): Māori health provider still chasing up contracts for its pandemic work
Leighton Keith (Herald): Trials on hold after court staff get sick following party
Andrew Dickens (Newstalk ZB): It’s not freedom we’ve lost, it’s our common sense
RNZ: Covid-19 update: 14,633 new community cases, 344 in hospital, five in ICU
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Hospitalisations spike to 344 with five in ICU
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Unvaccinated people four times over-represented in hospital data
Tom Hunt, Ellen O’Dwyer and Bronte Metekingi (Stuff): 648 Covid cases in Victoria University, Wellington halls
Julia de Bres (Stuff): Reactions to government’s use of ‘bro’ says plenty about us too

Border
Alan Granville (Stuff): The end of MIQ: The good, the bad and the ugly of managed isolation
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Government ditching border isolation rules a bright spot in Omicron tumult
Stuff Editorial: New Zealand’s time for global reconnection has arrived
Herald Editorial: Returnees arrive to Omicron in ascendency (paywalled)
Oscar Francis (ODT): Border rule changes: relief, hope for more
Jo Moir (Newsroom): Border opening lifts spirits before Omicron lets rip
Michael Neilson (Herald): PM Jacinda Ardern announces no more self-isolation for vaxxed Kiwi travellers
1New: Border reopening, new isolation rules: What you need to know
Henry Cooke (Stuff): How New Zealand’s five-step border reopening will work
Anna Whyte (1News): Isolation to be scrapped for fully vaccinated, border opens to all Kiwis Friday
Herald: Government removes self-isolation for vaxxed travellers – experts react
RNZ: Jacinda Ardern provides post-Cabinet briefing on easing of border restrictions
Derek Cheng (Herald): Why borders could fully reopen before winter (paywalled)
Debbie Jamieson and Nadine Porter (Stuff): Tourism businesses ‘thrilled’ at end of isolation but want borders open to visitors sooner
John Anthony and Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Tourism sector welcomes isolation move, calls for news on international arrivals
Andrea Fox (Herald): Airlines, tourism industry celebrate border relaxations
1News: Emotional scenes as MIQ-free travel from Australia reopens
Lincoln Tan (Herald): Tears, hugs as first flight from Australia lands in Auckland
Liz McDonald (Stuff): Jetstar halts trans-Tasman, Rarotonga flights for three months 

Public health measures, Testing, Masks
RNZ: Covid-19 testing advice update needed to better understand rate of infections, says modeller
Alice Wilkins (Newshub): Some supermarkets to stock rapid antigen tests as early as next week
Matthew Martin (Stuff): RATs ‘burned through’ as South Waikato testing centres hit peak demand
Rachel Thomas, Tom Hunt and André Chumko (Stuff): GPs await RAT deliveries as Wellington’s testing nightmare continues
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Rapid antigen tests fly off pharmacy and supermarket shelves
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): Regardless of your job, the government should pay for your RAT test
Lachie McLeod (1News): Plane delivering tonnes of RATs touches down in Christchurch
1News: Long lines for RATs in Wellington leaves people frustrated
Kendall Hutt (1News): Why the ‘hidden heroes’ of our Covid-19 response are striking
Siobhan Downes (Stuff): Why are face masks necessary on flights?

Health
Elspeth Frascatore (Spinoff): ‘We feel unseen’: An Auckland ED doctor responds to calls to ditch Covid restrictions
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): More than 13 percent of Counties Manukau DHB staff off work due to Covid-19
1 News: Q and A: Middlemore Hospital boss says March will be ‘pretty tight month’
Stephen Forbes (Local Democracy Reporting): Counties Manukau DHB postpones surgeries, scans amid Omicron surge
RNZ: Lawyer ‘extremely concerned’ for healthcare of disabled after hospital visit
Grant Miller (ODT): Ministry of Health’s vaccination blunder
Will Trafford (Māori TV): Damning ICU report reveals systemic inequities for Māori health
Louisa Steyl (Stuff): MP criticises Southern District Health Board’s orthopaedic outpatient programme
Sally Mackay, Kelly Garton, Sarah Gerritsen (Public Health Expert): Aotearoa New Zealand’s unhealthy food environment needs more policy action
Lauren Hendricksen (Newshub): Kiwis call on Government to increase Pharmac funding to help fund Spinraza treatment
1News: Teen smoking rates fall to all time low, vaping increases
William Hewett (Newshub): New survey finds teen smoking falls to record low in New Zealand

Employment
Katherine Ravenswood (Stuff): Pay equity settlement has not delivered all it promised 
Ryan Boswell (1News): Little weight given to Gloriavale documents waiving workers’ rights
Joanne Naish (Stuff): ‘A privilege to work hard’: Gloriavale administrator testifies about wages going back to the community
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): ACC levy change will see employers with history of fatalities pay more (paywalled)
David Farrar: Even the PSA supports indexing tax brackets
RNZ: RSE scheme cap increased to 16,000
Gary Hamilton-Irvine (Hawkes Bay Today/Herald): Hundreds more RSE workers for Hawke’s Bay – but is it enough (paywalled)
Ben Kepes (Stuff): Why so many employees are jumping ship amid pandemic
Jane Phare (Herald): Ready, set, go! Employers brace for the Kiwi worker exodus as borders reopen (paywalled)

Parliament, MPs
Stuff: Things we didn’t learn this week, to February 25
Anna Whyte (1News): Government Minister David Parker tests positive for Covid-19
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Attorney-General David Parker the first Cabinet minister to contract Covid-19
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Cabinet Minister David Parker tests positive for Covid 19

Housing
Greg Ninness (Interest): The idea that first home buyers have been disproportionately affected by the CCCFA changes appears to be unfounded
Rob Stock (Stuff): Asking prices for homes fell in 11 of 19 regions in February as market cools
Kirsty Wynn (Herald): OneRoof Report: Brakes are on the housing market as rules and interest rates bite
Julia Czerwonatis (Northern Advocate/Herald): OneRoof: Northland average housing prices crack $900k after strongest quarterly growth across NZ (paywalled)
Amber Allott (Stuff): Tenant returns from work to find himself homeless after house declared unfit to live in

Local government
Adam Jacobson (Stuff): Auckland mayoralty: Labour Party backs councillor Efeso Collins as its candidate
RNZ: Labour endorses Efeso Collins for Auckland mayoralty
Herald: Labour Party endorses Efeso Collins for Auckland mayoralty
Adam Jacobson (Stuff): Auckland Council debt climbs to $10.5b, finances struggling under Covid-19 impact
Keiller MacDuff (Stuff): ECan signals 24.1 per cent rates rise as Annual Plan reaches consultation stage
Mike Yardley (Stuff): Can Christchurch’s next mayor slow council’s runaway spending? 
Janine Rankin (Stuff): Palmerston North homeowners could face double-digit rates increases
Jimmy Ellingham (Local Democracy Reporting): Regional council allows public input on proposed waste-to-energy plant
Sam Kelway (1News): Govt to decide future of Tauranga City Council
RNZ: Queenstown-Lakes residents suffering from poor mental health, survey shows
Jessica Roden (1News): Boiling frustration at Reefton’s water woes

Education
1News: Big Covid outbreak at Victoria University’s halls of residence
Julie Bennett, Tim Chambers and Caroline Shorter (Public Health Expert): Ventilation in NZ schools during the Omicron wave – results from a preliminary study
Cecilia Robinson (Herald): When back to school isn’t normal – or acceptable (paywalled)
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Alternative power for some Dunedin students impacted by planned outages
Dubby Henry (Herald): Underserved learners miss out on billions in lost wages, NZIER analysis finds (paywalled)
Karanama Ruru (Stuff): Student allowance to increase by $25pw, but students still ‘just scraping by’

Economy, Business
Danyl McLauchlan (Listener/Herald): The ‘world’s scariest economist’ is on a mission to fix capitalism – and New Zealand’s listening (paywalled)
David Hargreaves (Interest): ANZ Business Outlook Survey records massive hit to business confidence, while inflation and pricing expectations hit fresh survey highs
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Business confidence survey suggests inflation could hit 8%, says ANZ 
RNZ: Business confidence slumps amid Omicron, rising costs
BusinessDesk: Recession ahead? Business confidence tanks (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Power company profits jump 60% as customers warned to prepare for ‘hard year’
Aimee Shaw (Herald): Grocery business: Comings and goings in NZ’s supermarket scene (paywalled)
RNZ: NZ: Commercial Bay landlord wants staff back in city offices
Tessa Guest (RNZ): Kaikōura businesses desperate for tourists as bookings dry up
Tess Brunton (RNZ): Chatham Islands businesses hope border reopening won’t stunt tourism boost
RNZ: Restaurant Brands’ net profit expands by about $21m

Environment, Climate Change
Olivia Wannan (Stuff): Why the Climate Change Commission is being taken to court
Olivia Wannan (Stuff): Climate Change Commission fell “well short” in carbon-cutting advice, lawyers argue
Eloise Gibson (Stuff): Prepare now for climate turbulence or pay extra when it hits, says mammoth global report
Jamie Morton (Herald): NZ slow on climate adaptation as UN issues ‘dire warning’
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): ‘All life on Earth is vulnerable to a changing climate’
Niva Chittock (RNZ): Environment Ministry considers national database to register old landfill sites
Kamiya Varshney (Newsroom): Our cities need to capture carbon, not just offset it

Transport
Todd Niall (Stuff): What is a fair public transport fare – especially for the climate?
Rob Stock (Stuff): Ports of Auckland services slow because staff off with Omicron
RNZ: High warrant failure rate must be addressed to help cut road toll – MTA
Adam Jacobson (Stuff): Government road safety campaign doesn’t address woeful state of cars, MTA says
Ben Strang (Stuff): Transmission Gully road builders send second letter saying it’s fit for public use
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Transmission Gully neighbour raises run-off issue (paywalled)
Kathleen Bunting (Newsroom): Maximising benefits of Auckland light rail

Immigration
Amanda Gillies (Newshub): Disabled man being deported to India despite living in New Zealand for 22 years
Ruth Hill (RNZ): Refugee sponsorship scheme sees Kiwis volunteer to help settle migrants

Media, Internet
Gavin Ellis: Fog thick on ground in Ukraine/ Swallows and summer
Glen Kyne (Stuff): What’s at stake in RNZ-TVNZ merger: a competitor’s view
1News: Experts want more digital regulation as misinformation grows

Other
Nicky Hager (Declassified Australia): Eyes over the Pacific
No Right Tun: Utterly reprehensible
Veronica Schmidt (RNZ): Child abuse victim only latest to be failed by Fire and Emergency – advocate
Veronica Schmidt (RNZ): The town that backed a child sex abuser
Jimmy Ellingham (RNZ): Mayor apologises to Lake Alice patients: ‘There must have been a sense that all wasn’t well’
Barrie Saunders: Richard Randerson – yes there is a better way
RNZ: Mosque terrorist attacks: Survivor to walk 350km to reclaim peace
Susan Botting (Local Democracy Reporting): New tsunami alert in works for New Zealand after Tonga eruption
Robin Martin (RNZ): Act casts shadow over Maari oil field deal
Will Hansen and Kerryn Pollock (Spinoff): 50 years of gay liberation in Aotearoa
ODT: MPI among those investigating horse rider’s actions
Rebecca Ryan (ODT): SPCA launches investigation after rider kicks horse