NZ Politics Daily – 8th March 2022

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Today’s content

Russia invasion of Ukraine
Alexander Gillespie (The Conversation): How will NZ’s sanctions law against Russia work – and what are the risks?
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Putin’s villainy moves political will on autonomous sanctions
Michael Neilson (Herald): Jacinda Ardern beefs up Russia sanctions; 100 banned from NZ travel; moves to block superyachts
Richard Harman (Politik): Abramov not on sanctions list: (paywalled)
James Perry (Māori TV): Russian oligarch with marae connection may be on NZ’s new sanctions list
Amelia Wade (Newshub): The number of Russians who have invested their way into New Zealand revealed
Stuff Editorial: More sanctions welcome but aid remains an imperative
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Russia sanctions bill: It’s vital NZ send ‘very clear message’ over Ukraine – expert
Stuff: Russia includes New Zealand in list of unfriendly countries
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Government to pass law urgently to freeze Russian assets, close New Zealand airspace and waters to Russian aircraft and vessel
Zane Small (Newshub): New Zealand to freeze assets of Russia’s elite, ban super yachts, ships and aircraft in support of Ukraine
Anna Whyte (1News): NZ to introduce targeted sanction regime against Russia
RNZ: PM Jacinda Ardern speaks after Cabinet meeting, confirms new Russia Sanctions Bill
Eva Corlett (Guardian): New Zealand to ramp up Russia sanctions with ‘first of its kind’ law
Caitlan Johnston (Herald): ‘We do want to do more’: Jacinda Ardern says bespoke Russian sanctions bill would target oligarchs, Cabinet meets today to discuss
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Government to introduce sanctions targetting supporters, decision-makers of invasion
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Foreign fighters: NZers want to take up arms in Ukraine
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Ukraine artwork unveiled at Beehive in solidarity against Russia invasion

National Party
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): The most interesting thing about Chris Luxon’s tax cut speech (paywalled)
Gordon Campbell: On Luxon’s tired tax plan
Bernard Hickey (The Kākā): There’s a $2b hole in Luxon’s tax cut plan (paywalled)
Liam Hehir (The Platform): Luxon hit the big issues
Liam Hehir: Inflation-proofing is a fight worth having (paywalled)
Michael Reddell: Not being entirely straightforward
Eric Crampton: Luxon’s tax proposals
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): Luxon thinks the answer to the cost-of-living crisis is less taxes
No Right Turn: The selfishness of tax cuts
Curwen Ares Robinson (Daily Blog): On Luxon’s Muscovite Specter Speech Purportedly Haunting The Nation
Liam Hehir: On the dumbest critique of the Luxon speech (paywalled)
David Farrar: National pledges to reverse tax bracket creep
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): PM Jacinda Ardern says National’s proposed tax cuts would increase debt or force cuts to essential services
1News: Tax cuts would benefit those who earn the most – Ardern
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Stefan Dimitrof (Māori TV): He Puapua: National still troubled by ‘separatist’ document
Whatitiri Te Wake (Māori TV): Nats in conversations with ‘high calibre’ Māori to contest Māori seats

Supermarket competition
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Live: Moves to improve competition but no supermarket split
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Live: Commerce Commission releases final report into supermarkets
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Day of truth arrives for supermarket competition
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Supermarket study – has the Commerce Commission stuck to its guns?
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Consumer NZ outlines its wishlist for supermarket change

Anti-mandate protests, misinformation, rule breaches
André Chumko (Stuff): Worries for Wellington’s homeless population after Parliament protest
Paul Hunt (Stuff): Why I listened to the Parliament protesters – and what we should do now
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Conservatives and Revolutionaries: Together At Last!
Steven Cowan: Angry voices that remain unheard
David Farrier: Looking back at the Wellington Riots
Duncan Greive (Spinoff): The protest lost at parliament – but it unequivocally won the social media war
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Parliament protester comes forward after anti-mandate crowd accuse him of being police plant, Antifa infiltrator or Clarke Gayford
Gianina Schwanecke (Stuff): Police yet to reveal what officers were sprayed with during clash with Wellington protesters nearly two weeks on
RNZ: 28 Parliament protesters believed to have tested positive
Lane Nichols (Herald): Anti-mandate protester regrets calling Auckland iwi ‘violent’ and denies being racist
Lane Nichols (Herald): Anti-vaccine mandate protesters disparage iwi, laugh at haka after standoff at Auckland beach
William Hewett (Newshub): Woman filmed in heated confrontation with anti-mandate protesters
Steven Walton (Stuff): Anti-mandate protesters to vacate Christchurch public park by Thursday morning
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Dear Destiny Church – it is your democratic duty NOT to pay the $24,000 invoice from the Christchurch City Council
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Stuff: Zero tolerance for unvaccinated doctors and teachers necessary to prevent transmission, Crown tells judge
Sam Olley (RNZ): Pair who caused Northland lockdown won’t be charged

Omicron outbreak, Cases
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Doctors, technicians filling in as Middlemore Hospital hit with staff shortages
1News: Hospitals entering ‘critical point’ in Omicron outbreak – Ardern
Tom Kitchin (RNZ): Hawke’s Bay Hospital services reduced as Covid-19 outbreak grows
Piers Fuller (Stuff): Record number of 111 calls leads to delays
RNZ: Record 111 calls made to ambulance services over weekend
Alex Kazemi (Spinoff): Avoiding the icebergs: Healthcare after Covid
Northern Advocate: Dr Shane Reti’s column and graphics removed for more analysis
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Shane Reti article on mental health deleted after data in it attacked as misleading
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Nearly 4 percent of NZ is an active case
Māori TV: Māori second-highest daily cases; 300,000+ Māori unvaccinated
Dave Armstrong (Stuff): Plague times in the capital
RNZ: Chatham Islands ramps up Covid-19 response as first cases detected
Eva Corlett (Guardian): Chatham Islands, one of world’s most remote places, records first Covid cases
Jake Kenny and Amber Allott (Stuff): Student parties attended by ‘hundreds’ leave neighbours fearing super-spreader event
John Lewis (ODT): ‘No joke’: Bid to sell positive Covid tests ‘distressing’
Will Trafford (Māori TV): Self-isolation policies hit home as food parcel demand soars
Jody O’Callaghan (Stuff): ‘We need help’: Rising costs of living, Omicron leaves preschool struggling to support needy families

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Public health measures, Testing, Vaccine, Isolation, lockdown
Joel MacManus (Stuff): Self-reported Covid case numbers now ‘unreliable metric’ – epidemiologist
RNZ: Aim is for 90% of people to access RAT within 20 minute drive – MOH
Denise Piper (Stuff): Kaipara ‘left out again and again’, facing hours-long trip for tests
Penny Mackay (RNZ): Getting a rapid antigen test on the Kapiti Coast – an exercise in the absurd
Mike Houlahan and Tracey Roxburgh (ODT): Inquiry into vax failure
Jared McCulloch (1News): Around 1600 affected after Covid vaccines stored incorrectly
RNZ: More than 1500 people affected by incorrect storage
Louisa Steyl (Stuff): Southern DHB alerted to vaccine storage breach
Mike Houlahan and Tracey Roxburgh (ODT): Doubts over booster protection from Queenstown provider
Kate Nicol-Williams (1News): Booster shots for 16 and 17 year old’s recommended – Bloomfield

International Women’s Day, women in business, employment
Susan St John (Newsroom): NZ still a long way from gender equality
Luana Scowcroft (Herald): Wellington City Council- Time to ditch the men?
Herald Editorial: International Women’s Day should be every day (paywalled)
Lyn Farry (ODT): A day to celebrate women but there is still work to be done
Andy Fyers (BusinessDesk): Few top companies reporting pay gaps (paywalled)
Dita De Boni (NBR): Pay gap peer pressure initiative ready for lift-off (paywalled)
Theresa Gattung (Herald): Angel investors key to unlocking female potential in 2022 (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Women bearing work-from-home load, research shows
Zoë George (Stuff): The state of pay for women in sport on International Women’s Day
Indira Stewart (1News): International Women’s Day: Inspirational wāhine making a difference
Herald: International Women’s Day: Five Kiwi women who left their mark last year
Stephanie Ockhuysen (Stuff): International Women’s Day: The bubble tea business boss

Parliament, MPs, Parties
Duncan Garner (NBR): Why is telling the truth so hard? (Paywalled)
Anna Whyte (1News): Number of MPs test positive for Covid-19
RNZ: National Party leader Christopher Luxon and MP Simon Bridges test positive for Covid-19
Henry Cooke (RNZ): Christopher Luxon tests positive for Covid-19, feels ‘fine’
Zane Small (Newshub): National leader Christopher Luxon, MP Mark Mitchell test positive for COVID-19
Herald: National leader Christopher Luxon tests positive
Naomii Seah (Spinoff): Why you should care about youth parliament

Economy, business
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Kiwis hit back after PM Jacinda Ardern declines to call cost of living spike a crisis
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): PM Jacinda Ardern denies Government spending wasteful, pushes back on claim NZ in cost of living crisis
Aimee Shaw (Herald): Cost of living fuelling concerns: Consumer NZ
Mike Yardley (Stuff): Cost of living could be a tougher mountain to climb than peak Omicron
David Hargreaves (Interest): ASB economists now see NZ inflation driving up over 7% in the first half of this year, mainly on the back of surging oil prices
Liam Dann (Herald): Deepening war in Ukraine means more price pain for Kiwis, more pressure on Government (paywalled)
Jean Bell (Newsroom): Workforces wiped out, executives feeling the heat in Omicron outbreak
Matthew Tso, Bill Hickman and Kate Green (Stuff): Staff shortages in supermarket supply chain leading to empty shelves in Wellington stores
Matt Nippert (Herald): Where’s Eric Watson? US regulators seek to serve embattled Kiwi in insider trading case (paywalled)
RNZ: Mainzeal directors made rational decisions for company, Supreme Court hears
Rob Stock (Stuff): Former prime minister Jenny Shipley and fellow Mainzeal directors seek to overturn $36 million damages at Supreme Court
Nicholas Pointon (RNZ): Mainzeal case before the Supreme Court today
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): Promised law changes to rein in NZ building society exports in the slow lane
Riley Kennedy (ODT): Scarcity of materials hits builders
Helen Harvey (Taranaki Daily News): NPDC looking at $100,000 package to help businesses struggling as people stay home
Martin Devlin (NBR): For business sakes open the gates (paywalled)

Housing
Geraden Cann (Stuff): Home affordability tumbles 25 per cent in three months, university report finds
Rob Stock (Stuff): Housing boom pushes bank profits to a record $6 billion profit last year – KPMG
Anne Gibson (Herald): Developers, Act, National leaders on Kāinga Ora trouble developing 21 apartments: ‘embarrassing’ (paywalled)
Nigel Mayson (NBR): Rethinking our approach to housing (paywalled)
Anusha Bradley (RNZ): Housing crisis: Homeless mother of six says she was forced to pitch a tent during storm
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Another part of NZ joins $1 million asking price club
John Minto (Daily Blog): Demanding the government adopt an industrial-scale state house building programme
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): Brightline has its dark sides – tax specialist (paywalled)

Local government, Three Waters
Simon Wilson (Herald): Party politics and the Auckland mayoral race (paywalled)
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland mayoralty: Viv Beck wants fuel tax gone, but projects to continue
Redline: Defend free speech against the Auckland Council’s dirty tricks
Mona Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘It’s a dog’s breakfast’: Ruapehu joins Three Waters revolt
1News: Rates revolt planned if Tauranga’s commissioners stay on
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Omicron outbreak: Wellington stops glass recycling, public transport to be stretched to the limit
Will Trafford (Māori TV): Exotic tree fallout: Maunga Authority could fight court ruling
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): Rates rises keenly felt in poorer suburbs
Maia Hart (Local Democracy Reporting): What does everyone want for Marlborough in the future?
Janine Rankin (Stuff): Palmerston North’s deputy mayor feels the isolation pain

Environment, Climate Change
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): NZ’s fair contribution to the climate fight
RNZ: Ashburton councillors questioning climate change ’embarrassing’, colleague says
Kristy Frame (RNZ): Porirua council plans to move houses for future flood planning
No Right Turn: The massive cost of climate change
Sara Walton (Newsroom): Business needs to urgently embrace climate resilience
Eda Tang (Stuff): No backing down for freshwater campaigner Marnie Prickett — the voice of rivers

Media
Graham Adams (The Platform): From pigeon to statue: Siouxsie Wiles’ reputation takes a fresh hit
Stuff: Media Council upholds professors’ complaint
David Farrar: Media Council finds Wiles column breach of press standards
Gavin Ellis: Bearing witness against protesters and Putin
Herald: We invited our readers to grill NZH editors. They didn’t hold back

Health
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Disbelief at NZ registration refusal
RNZ: Medical Council taken to court by neurosurgeon after fail bid for specialist registration
Bodo Lang (Newsroom): Not sweet as: Government must deliver on sugary drinks promise
Kim Moodie (RNZ): Smokers more likely to get severely ill or die from Covid-19, research shows
Peter Bale (BusinessDesk): Riana Manuel – on the frontline of Maori health in NZ

Abuse in Care Royal Commission 
Jamie Tahana (RNZ): Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry begins hearing Māori experiences
Maxine Jacobs (Stuff): ‘I was a child at the mercy of a monster’: Survivor of abuse in state care launches royal commission’s Māori hearing
Te Rina Kowhai (Newshub): Māori hearing of inquiry into historical abuse in state care begins with two youth survivors’ evidence
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (1News): Māori victims share horrific details of abuse in state care
Will Trafford (Māori TV): Abused Māori begin contributions to royal commission
Tumamao Harawira (Māori TV): State abuse of Māori heard at Ōrākei marae

Justice, corrections
Paula Penfold and Louisa Cleave (Stuff): FASD prison releasee died of overdose, waiting for help
Katie Doyle (RNZ): How two offenders escaped a youth justice residence – and a response from Oranga Tamariki
Te Aorewa Rolleston (Stuff): Prison Covid restrictions could trigger Waikeria riots repeat, warns partner

Transport
Wilson Longhurst (1News): Road to rail: Can NZ get back on track with trains?
Georgina Campbell (Herald): If Wellington can’t agree on one pedestrian crossing, what hope do we have?
Joel MacManus (Stuff): Minister ‘optimistic’ about Transmission Gully opening date soon
Adam Jacobsen (Stuff): 10% of Auckland public transport cancelled because of staff shortages
Chris Schulz (Spinoff): Think $3 a litre is rough? Petrol prices will only get higher, warns the AA
Hamish MacLean (ODT): Petrol hits $3 a litre
RNZ: Auckland trains running on reduced services due to Covid-related shortages

Education
Kirsty Frame (RNZ): Student claims hall removed them due to mental health problem
Karl du Fresne: Otago University pioneers bold new approach to the study of conflict

Other
Gianina Schwanecke (Stuff): Livestock ship linked to deaths of 2400 sheep to arrive in Napier this weekend
Todd Niall (Stuff): Taxpayers’ Union society wrongly listed as ‘dissolved’ after alleged hack
Matt Burrows (Newshub): Internal Affairs rejects firefighters’ claims FENZ culture of sexual misconduct and bullying is worse than ever
Patrick Whittle (Spiked): New Zealand: the wokest country in the world
Joanne Naish (Stuff): Gloriavale leader captured on secret recording telling senior member to say he is ‘nothing’ and ‘nobody’
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): A treaty to tame our ‘Wild West’ oceans
Wilson Longhurst (1News): Samoa records 8 Covid cases after repatriation flight from NZ

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