Items of interest and importance today
CYCLONE GABRIELLE, JANUARY FLOODS, CLIMATE CHANGE
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Cyclone Gabrielle, politics and the cost-of-the-status-quo crisis
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Chris Hipkins makes a down payment on some very hard cyclone decisions to come
Richard Harman (Politik): Government looking to give itself tough new powers (paywalled)
Chris Trotter: Adapting To Climate Change
Duncan Garner (NBR): Floods change everything – I mean everything (paywalled)
Anna Rawhiti-Connell (Spinoff): Climate change adaptation and mitigation – why we need both
Dave Armstrong (Stuff): How to pay for ‘Gabrielle’ damage will be the major question this election
Brent Edwards (NBR): Big price tag for Cyclone Gabrielle recovery and rebuild (paywalled)
Cameron Bragrie (BusinessDesk): The scene is set for some big post-cyclone spending (paywalled)
Benedict Collins (1News): Tens of millions paid out in initial support to cyclone victims
Tess McClure (Guardian): After Cyclone Gabrielle, New Zealand wonders how – and if – to rebuild
Simon Wilson (Herald): Wild weather and wobbly ideas (paywalled)
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Climate change minister’s legislative balancing act after Gabrielle
Bernard Hickey: What building back better could look like
Herald Editorial: Cyclone Gabrielle editorial: Politics swamped by immediate needs (paywalled)
Stephen Minto (Daily Blog): The Gabrielle flood and Grant Robertson’s budget, and all the future floods
Adam Pearse (Herald): Opinion: Government risks losing rural New Zealand, who were left to fight Cyclone Gabrielle’s effects on their own
Jo Moir (Newsroom): Hipkins taking his lead from Queensland flooding disaster
Iftekhar Ahmed (The Conversation): What Australia learned from recent devastating floods – and how New Zealand can apply those lessons now
Brent Edwards (NBR): EQC calls for risk management to have higher priority in planning (paywalled)
Sapeer Mayron (Stuff): Cyclone Gabrielle situation report: What happened today, February 20
RNZ: Police see increase in family harm reports in wake of Cyclone Gabrielle
Christine Rovoi (Stuff): Cyclone Gabrielle: Displaced seasonal workers helping rebuild community
Mahvash Ikram (RNZ): Call for amnesty so overstayers can help with cyclone clean-up
Stefan Dimitrof (Whakaata Māori): Calls for marae to have Civil Defence funding for disasters
Brendon McMahon (Local Democracy Reporting): West Coast flood protection not threatened by funding rethink after Gabrielle – MP Damien O’Connor
Anna Whyte (Stuff): Cyclone Gabrielle recovery task ahead ‘monumental’, says Kiri Allan
1News: ‘Roading emergency’ as alternative routes into Northland restricted
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Cyclone Gabrielle: Recovery could be longer than Christchurch with massive fix-up job required for damaged roads
Andrew Macfarlane (1News): Cyclone Gabrielle: More Australian support available for NZ
Thomas Manch (Stuff): US will ‘do our best’ to help after Cyclone Gabrielle, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland says
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Greater resilience means spending more – and higher bills (paywalled)
David Symons (BusinessDesk): Construction, carbon and the climate crisis
Kate Hawkesby (Newstalk ZB): Trust and confidence is starting to wane, it’s ripe time for good bold decisive leadership
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Why isn’t the Government sending in the Defence Force?
CYCLONE RELIEF PACKAGE
Claire Trevett (Herald): Cyclone Gabrielle: Government promises $250 million for roads, $50 million for business, extends national state of emergency a week, PM rejects ‘lawlessness’ claims
Anna Whyte (Stuff): Cyclone Gabrielle: $50m for businesses, workers, $250m for roads
1News: State of emergency extended, $300m for cyclone recovery
Bernard Hickey (Interest): Govt starts Gabrielle response with $300m of funds
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Cyclone Gabrielle: Chris Hipkins denies outbreak of lawlessness in Hawke’s Bay
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Cyclone Gabrielle: PM Chris Hipkins says ‘no state of lawlessness’ in cyclone-hit regions, no need for military support
1News: No ‘significant’ spike in thefts in flood-hit Eastern district – Coster
RNZ: Prime Minister Chris Hipkins calls for calm after rumours on crime in flooded areas
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Cyclone Gabrielle: $300m for recovery, PM says police have looting under control
Brent Edwards (NBR): Government announces cyclone package and new taskforce (paywalled)
Esther Taunton (Stuff): Cyclone-hit businesses to start receiving Govt relief ‘within a week’
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Cyclone Gabrielle: The support measures Government’s tossing up, National’s calling for in aftermath
HOUSING
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Cyclone Gabrielle: Government expecting thousands of Kiwis will need to find new homes
RNZ: Thousands in East Coast likely to need temporary accommodation after cyclone – MBIE
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Cyclone Gabrielle: Phil Twyford calls for ministers to buyout flooded homeowners
Chris Nicoll and Martin Brook (Newsroom): Time to challenge the lay of our unstable land
Benn Bathgate (Stuff): ‘Feasible solutions’ for 350-house development on flood-prone site, Ministry of Housing says
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Shock and Orr: Rate hikes kill off housing affordability and development
Justin Wong (Stuff): Wellington City Council sets up housing trust to take over social housing
David Hargreaves (Interest): House prices are falling – and so are the debt to income ratios
PARLIAMENT
Ripu Bhatia (Stuff): ACT importing debate that has ‘riled up US right’ – academic
Anna Whyte (Stuff): MP pulls plug on controversial religious event at Parliament
MIke Houlahan (ODT): Top has clear strategy for southern seats (paywalled)
Herald: Grant Robertson’s lunch date with left-wing British musician Billy Bragg
Nicholas Boyack (Stuff): Chatterton takes on Chippy in his home patch
Lee Kenny (Stuff): Former ECan councillor Lan Pham to contest Banks Peninsula at general election
HEALTH, DISABILITY, MORTALITY
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Health Minister on the health system: ‘Some things will take 10 years to fix’
Ian Powell: Cumulative pandemic deaths: a graph more effective than 1,000 words
Felix Desmarais (1News): ‘Meaningless, toothless’ – Accessibility bill skewered
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Accessibility legislation a tokenistic toothless failure, disabled people say
Julia Gabel and Chris Knox (Herald): New Zealand records biggest increase in registered deaths in 100 years
Emma Clark-Dow (Stuff): Deaths in New Zealand up by 10% in 2022, impacted by Covid-19
RNZ: Covid-19 update: 8220 new cases, 24 deaths and 162 in hospital
Steve Hepburn (ODT): Gore mayor pulls out of campaign against hospital cuts
Donna Chisholm (BusinessDesk): Why health insurance is costing so much
MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA
Gavin Ellis: Lessons for media in Gabrielle’s wild embrace
Daniel Dunkley (BusinessDesk): Newsgroups rally behind Cyclone Gabrielle aid effort
Duncan Grieve (Spinoff): The two wildly different reactions to Matthew Hooton’s speech at Auckland Grammar
PRIMARY AND EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES
Sharon Brettkelly (RNZ): The Detail: Forestry’s uncertain future on the East Coast
Benn Bathgate (Stuff): Some in forestry sector ‘won’t recover’ from Cyclone Gabrielle
Kiah Radcliffe (Stuff): Manawatū Estuary Trust concerned about slash and debris in river mouth
RNZ: Cyclone ‘hasn’t destroyed all our food producing capacity’ – Agriculture Minister
Rachael Kelly (Stuff): ‘Anecdotal evidence’ Southland farmers have changed their grazing practices to avoid wintering regulations
Brent Edwards (NBR): Miner OceanaGold worries about new mining legislation (paywalled)
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Christine Rovoi (Stuff): Deputy PM Carmel Sepuloni to attend Pacific leaders’ meeting
Nadine Roberts (Stuff): Friend’s plea for release of ‘gentle’ Kiwi who’s worked ‘honestly’ to help Papua
EMPLOYMENT
Nicole Mathewson (Stuff): Indian restaurant owners found guilty of ‘serious’ migrant exploitation
1News: Migrant workers brought to NZ illegally, paid below minimum wage
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Woman who refused to get Covid-19 vaccine awarded $43,000
Warren Couillault (BusinessDesk): ChatGPT will give white-collar workers the blues (paywalled)
EDUCATION
Whakaata Māori: ERO points the finger at parents for the truancy crisis
William Hewett (Newshub): Education Minister Jan Tinetti doesn’t know how many attendance officers currently exist in schools as 82 more added
Michael Neilson (Herald): Budget 2023: School attendance focus of $74m education package with 82 truancy officers
Anna Whyte (Stuff): Government announces $74m to truancy services, 84 new attendance officers
RNZ: Minister announces $74m for new school attendance officers
1News: 80 attendance officer roles created in Govt truancy crackdown
TRANSPORT
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): Govt car scheme – catalyst to stock shortages, higher prices (paywalled)
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Another new director for Auckland Light Rail (paywalled)
Eda Tang (Stuff): Air New Zealand flies first journey dedicated to te reo Māori
Pokere Paewai (RNZ): Māori issues reporterAir New Zealand conducts first flight in te reo Māori
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland’s need to fix today without it being at the expense of tomorrow
Zizi sparks (Herald): Rotorua Lakes Council to decide fate of Māori wards bill
ODT ICC opens council workshops to public (paywalled)
ODT: Rates rise plan ‘gut punch’ for farmers (paywalled)
OTHER
Liam Dann (Herald): Tough call for Reserve Bank but rate hike expected despite economic blow from Cyclone Gabrielle
ODT Editorial: Back to basics in the Census
Laura Frykberg (1News): Gang whānau gather for joint hui on abuse in state care
Fa’afete Taito (Stuff): ‘Like me, kids in state care who join gangs are searching for a place to belong’
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): All but one online take-down notice ignored
Brent Melville (NBR): Long wait to confirm future of Tiwai Point (paywalled)
