Today’s content

TAX, ECONOMY, COST OF LIVING, MONEY
Chris Trotter (Interest): Tension within the Labour Party over dismantling the neoliberal status quo
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Guesswork and slogans: the wealth tax debate (paywalled)
Rob Campbell (Newsroom): Social equity needn’t be a taxing issue
Damien Venuto (Herald): Tax conundrum: Whether you like it or not, NZ will have to choose a poison sooner or later (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (Post): ‘Astounding’ if tax thresholds not addressed in Budget, tax experts say (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Chris Hipkins says Cabinet considered ‘range of issues around tax‘ after National claims capital gains tax discussed
RNZ: The Detail: Tax: Weighing up what’s fair and what’s next
Herald Editorial: Parties get down to brass tax (paywalled)
ODT Editorial: Taxation and timidity (paywalled)
Matt Nolan (TVHE): What is income for tax?
Mark Lister (Bay of Plenty Times): Tax changes – why I am worried the Government will get it wrong (paywalled)
Mike Yardley (Press): Working voters deserve real choices at this year’s general election (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Post): Cash in public hands falls as Covid ‘mattress money’ gets spent (paywalled)
Brian Easton (Pundit): Fans For Forecasts
Julia Gabel and Alka Prasad (Herald): Cost of living: Inflation rates underestimate New Zealanders’ true pain, data shows (paywalled)
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Cost of living for the average household up 7.7% in 12 months
RNZ: New cost of living figures show who it’s hitting hardest
1News: Cost of living rises 7.7% in 12 months, figures show
Brianna Mcilraith (Post): Higher-earning households hit hard by cost-of-living increases (paywalled)
Jo Moir (Newsroom): PM dodges questions over elderly living in poverty
Felix Desmarais (1News): Hipkins rules out means-testing Winter Energy Payment
Tina Morrison (Post): Will Budget spending stoke inflation and risk further interest rate increases? (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (Post): OCR increases not only way to tackle inflation, economists say (paywalled)
Gordon Campbell: On the politics of “greedflation”
Liam Dann (Herald): Unemployment preview: Has the job market turned? New data will hold clues to inflation fight (paywalled)
David Hargreaves (Interest): The jobs slowdown is coming…but economists don’t reckon it is here yet
Tim Hurdle (Press): Time to take notice of those flashing red lights on the economy’s dashboard (paywalled)
RNZ: Call for ‘bolder efforts’ to ‘shift the productivity dial’ in NZ
Brent Edwards (NBR): How can business lift productivity rates? (paywalled)
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): Radical change is needed – Productivity Commission (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Stuff): Consumer debt crisis: Buy now, pay later loan arrears hit record level
Eric Frykberg (Interest): Buy now pay later arrears on the rise
Rob Stock (Stuff): Losses have stunned KiwiSavers into doing nothing
Rob Stock (Stuff): Mr KiwiSaver: The man behind the largest New Zealand-owned KiwiSaver business
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Sole parents: Benefit rules make it ‘terrifying’ to get into a relationship
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): All lost at the supermarket (paywalled)

PARLIAMENT
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Is It “Game Over” For The Greens?
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Left wing Greens endorse Elizabeth Kerekere, despite investigation
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): The true madness of the Green woke clique exposed
Damien Venuto (Herald): The Front Page: Why has the Government spent so much money on consultants?
Hamish McNicol and Kate McVicar (NBR): Bookkeepers 2023: Soaking the public purse? (paywalled)
Duncan Garner (NBR): John Key, Helen Clark-style politics the order of the day (paywalled)
AAP: Everyman Hipkins giving Labour an election shot
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): From rich list to big knit: The year’s chunky party donations, at a glance
Georgina Stylianou (Post): How the intolerance for difference threatens our political stability (paywalled)
Charlie Mitchel (Post): Three ways the so-called ‘freedom community’ can impact the election (paywalled)
Thomas Cranmer: Act’s Libertarianism Comes Under Scrutiny with Van Velden’s Bid for Auckland’s Tāmaki Seat
Eddie Clark (Post): Keeping check on the power of government (paywalled)
Doug Laing (Hawke’s Bay Today): Labour ponders new candidate for Napier after Stuart Nash
K Gurunathan (Post): Karpal Singh and me, and my visit to death row (paywalled)
Shaneel Lal (Herald): Politicians need to lighten up

TRANSPORT
Jonathan Killick (Stuff): The detail on Auckland’s new toll road – and how some residents can avoid paying
1News: Find out how much drivers will pay to use new $830m Auckland road
Anna Whyte (Stuff): Government shakes up Clean Car Discount scheme
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Fees go up, rebates go down as Government rejigs feebate EV scheme
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Government tightens Clean Car Discount rules as fund runs out of money
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Government gives clean-car discount an extra $100m (paywalled)
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Clean Car Discount changes revealed: ‘High-emitting’ vehicles like utes hit with increased fees
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): The ‘big question marks’ around the Clean Car Discount
William Hewett (Newshub): Transport Minister Michael Wood reveals KiwiRail staffing, rostering issues to blame for disruptions to Wellingtonians
Nick James and Georgina Campbell (Herald): Wellington region mayors blast KiwiRail’s ‘third world’ train disruptions
Finlay Dunseath and Conor Knell (Stuff): Staff give out free lollies at Wellington train station as disruption to last two more days
1News: ‘Rapid review’ announced into KiwiRail amid disruptions in capital
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Government launches review into ‘embarrassing’ KiwiRail train disruption in Wellington
Anna Whyte (post): Rapid review into KiwiRail launched after Wellington travel chaos (paywalled)
Leighton Heikell (Newshub): Infuriated Wellington commuters blast travel troubles as Transport Minister Michael Wood lashes KiwiRail ‘failure’
Luke Malpass and Anna Whyte (Post): New lower North Island trains look locked in with National’s support (paywalled)
Stuff: Judge’s warning to rail protesters: Someone is going to get hurt
1News: Watch: Furious Wellingtonians unleash on rail protester
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): More than $300m in Auckland Fuel tax unspent
Bernard Orsman (Herald): New $346,000 pedestrian crossing in Auckland dug up for repairs months after being built
Emma Hatton (Newsroom): Mobility fears as taxi industry signals worker shortage

FOREIGN AFFAIRS, CORONATION
Thomas Manch (Post): Ukraine gives up asking New Zealand for armoured vehicles (paywalled)
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Prime Minister Chris Hipkins speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
1News: Hipkins has ‘warm, insightful’ phone call with Ukraine’s Zelensky
Michael Neilson and Adam Pearse (Herald): Chris Hipkins outlines travel plans – UK for King Charles’ coronation and possible meeting Joe Biden in Papua New Guinea
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Republican PM Chris Hipkins to meet King Charles, pledge allegiance
Tess McClure (Guardian): New Zealand will ‘ideally’ become a republic one day, says Chris Hipkins
Felix Desmarais (1News): New Zealand should be independent of monarchy – Hipkins
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Why PM Chris Hipkins is taking Christopher Luxon to the King’s coronation
1News: Hipkins appears to ‘let the cat out of the bag’ over UK trip
Peter Hamilton (NBR): Time for a Head of State that reflects who we are as a nation (paywalled)
No Right Turn: Hipkins’ Augustinian republicanism
Ripu Bhatia (Stuff): Pledge of allegiance to King Charles in NZ citizenship ceremony questioned
Robert G Patman (Newsroom): Sudan war threatens Red Sea shipping lanes that supply oil for NZ
Andrew Macfarlane (1News): We want you! – Calls for Kiwis to join Aussie defence force
Reuben Steff (Interpreter): Aukus + NZ = win-win
Christine Rovoi (Stuff): Papua New Guinea to host US President Joe Biden in ‘historic’ Pacific visit
Jimmy Ellingham (RNZ): ‘New Zealand should say sorry’ – sailors posted to watch nuclear tests
George Heagney (Manawatū Standard): Next generation steps up to keep knowledge alive of nuclear testing veterans

BUSINESS
Janine Stark (Post): Why we need to say sorry to the retirement village residents of New Zealand (paywalled)
Hamish McNicol and Kate McVicar (NBR): Bookkeepers 2023: NZ’s $2b accountants thriving on change (paywalled)
RNZ: Median wage ‘too high’ to ease worker shortage with migrant labour – DairyNZ
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Thinktank’s ideas could kill video game industry (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Post): Reserve Bank confident risk-taking that killed Silicon Valley Bank not happening in NZ (paywalled)
Susan Hornsby-Geluk (Post): When is positive discrimination lawful? (paywalled)
Amy Wiggins (Herald): Rising daycare costs keeping New Zealand mums out of work (paywalled)
Aimee Shaw (Stuff): Simon Bridges named new chairperson of Crewcut parent group

HOUSING
Miriam Bell (Post): How our politicians plan to tackle the big housing issues (paywalled)
RNZ: More homeowners falling behind on mortgage payments
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): RBNZ likely to remain sanguine about arrears (paywalled)
RNZ: House prices continue to fall, April property listings well down
Greg Ninness (Interest): Housing market headed for a hard winter with stock levels up, sales down and new listings at a record low
Miriam Bell (Stuff): New listings tumble as housing market moves at snail’s pace
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Cost of living: Amount Kiwis are borrowing to buy a house drops amid tumbling prices
Miriam Bell (Post): How remote working has affected Auckland rents
Eric Trump (North & South): Come Together (preview)

EXTREME WEATHER, NATURAL DISASTERS
Adam Pearse (Herald): Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson reveals confirmed categories for future of cyclone-impacted homes
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Government announces categories to apply to cyclone-affected properties
RNZ: Flood and cyclone damaged properties will be placed within category system – Robertson
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Ombudsman makes late Budget bid following cyclone devastation
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Orchard wiped-out in cyclone denied financial support, then offered just $15K
Tom Hunt (Post): Dire warning of ‘insurance retreat’ as disaster risk increases (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): Capital power base ready to shift to north when disaster strikes (paywalled)

HEALTH
Barbara Dreaver (1News): Alarm bells ringing over rise in rheumatic fever cases
Stephen Forbes (Local Democracy Reporting): Rheumatic heart disease rates in south Auckland ‘as high as Africa’
RNZ: Nurses sceptical National’s bonding scheme will fix shortage
1News: Nurses say National’s health policy ‘doesn’t go far enough’
Amelia Wade (Newshub): National’s Christopher Luxon won’t back down over nursing claim the Health Minister is calling out
1News: ‘Desperate tactic’ – Govt hits back over National’s health policy
Esther Woodbury (Spinoff): The essential numbers showing how disabled people experienced the pandemic

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Simon Wilson (Herald): The deepest cuts in the Auckland Council budget aren’t even being talked about (paywalled)
Todd Niall (Stuff): The Auckland Council Budget is (slightly) dead, long live the Budget
Michael Fallow (Stuff): ‘You’d be keen to do that naked’ – complaint against Invercargill councillor revealed
John Lewis (ODT): Teen’s ‘jelly wrestling’ allegations
Steven Walton (Press): ChristchurchNZ warns its buying power has weakened as Government funding dries up
Frances Chin (Post): Light the size of an armchair falls near popular walkway (paywalled)
Dave Armstrong (Post): Turf wars breaking out over sports facility fees (paywalled)

EDUCATION
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Bananas and ‘woke nonsense’ – ex-students show their concern about University of Otago rebrand
Gianina Schwanecke (Stuff): Teacher union launches Fair Pay Agreement on behalf of early childhood
Gianina Schwanecke (Stuff): Covid-19 disruptions likely cause behind drop in NCEA results last year
Lee Kenny (Press): Student families move house after ballot closes to secure place at top Christchurch school
Michael Johnston (Common Room): How can education help our democracy?

ENVIRONMENT
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Labour and Greens may take agricultural emissions deal to election (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): Certainty on climate change policy crucial for businesses: Shaw (paywalled)
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): The agriculture emissions pricing system is out of time (paywalled)
David Williams (Newsroom): ECan moves over ‘explicit and continuous breaches’
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Green Party wants Government to crack on with Jacinda Ardern-era promise to ban new mines on conservation land

CENSUS
1News: Warriors tickets offered in attempts to get late Census replies
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): 2023 Census heading for failure, forecasts National

MEDIA
Gavin Ellis: Stuff’s new paywalls send the right message to users
Shane Te Pou (Herald): Access to reliable local news in New Zealand under serious threat (paywalled)

OTHER
Graham Adams (The Platform): Is Kiri Allan fit to be Justice Minister?
Alison Mau (Post): The justice system, creaky and inefficient, is now crawling on its knees
Alex Penk: Who’s a fascist?
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): National commits to continuing Super Fund contributions
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Brooking’s fishing gig far from easy
Tom Peters (World Socialist Website): Lessons of the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand for the Australian working class
Michael Belgrave (The Conversation): Australians should be wary of scare stories comparing the Voice with New Zealand’s Waitangi Tribunal
RNZ: Researchers found sole parents treated with stigma by agencies
Hanna McCallum (Post): Stigma and discrimination faced by single parents in Aotearoa (paywalled)
Toby Morris (Spinoff): The Side Eye: The trans tipping point
André Chumko (Post): First queer history landmark in Aotearoa given heritage protection by officials (paywalled)