Today’s content

MEKA WHAITIRI
Tim Watkin (Pundit): R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Find Out What It Means To Me…Ka
Joseph Los’e (Herald): Meka Whaitiri: Te Pāti Māori hit list and who else is considering the call to their whakapapa?
Audrey Young (Herald): Meka Whaitiri’s defection from Labour to the Maori Party may be big adjustment (paywalled)
Jack Tame (1News): Whaitiri makes splash, but can Te Pāti Māori make change?
RNZ: Why has the waka-jumping legislation not been invoked for Meka Whaitiri?
Glenn McConnell (Post): Hang On … What? How is Meka Whaitiri still an MP after ‘waka jumping law’ (paywalled)
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Te Pāti Māori not revealing Meka Whaitiri correspondence with Speaker
Yvonne Tahana (1News): How will Meka Whaitiri’s move play with staunchly Labour Māori?
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Up to Meka Whaitiri to release email, Speaker Adrian Rurawhe says
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Not in Labour, but not a waka jumper: Meka Whaitiri to stay in Parliament
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Meka Whaitiri remains an MP – Speaker Adrian Rurawhe clarifies she had not triggered ‘waka-jumping’ law
No Right Turn: Parliament needs to be subject to the OIA
Jamie Tahana (RNZ): Contest for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti thrown open by shock Whaitiri resignation
RNZ: Meka Whaitiri’s defection ‘small-fry’ compared to losing Jacinda Ardern – Kelvin Davis
Mana Wikaire-Lewis (Whakaata Māori): ‘Sadness and disappointment’ – Davis comments on Whaitiri’s shock move
Joseph Los’e (Herald): Willie Jackson fires a broadside at runaway MP Meka Whaitiri over Facebook and says mā te wā
No Right Turn: Parliament needs to be subject to the OIA
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Meka’s defection a new political test for Labour and the Māori Party

PARLIAMENT
Matthew Hooton (Herald): Calling time on the failings of MMP (paywalled)
RNZ: Auditor-general dismisses claims of conflicts of interest by government
Brent Edwards (NBR): Speaker’s embarrassment, dawn raids, looming recession
Felix Desmarais (1News): Inside Parliament: The Whaitiri firestorm and EV trickle-down
Craig Greaves (The Australian): Harvard roles a step on Jacinda Ardern’s road to global leadership (paywalled)

GREENS
Spinoff: Green leaders speak on Kerekere inquiry, ‘trust and unity’
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Elizabeth Kerekere to break silence to Green members on Friday might Zoom call
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Green MP Elizabeth Kerekere to break silence amid bullying probe
RNZ: Green MP Elizabeth Kerekere to break silence following bullying allegations

TRANSPORT
André Brett (Spinoff): Just how hopeless is KiwiRail?
Phil Pennington (RNZ): KiwiRail intent on finding out why multiple errors made before Wellington train disruption
Anna Whyte (Stuff): KiwRail bosses face politicians: ‘We let the people of Wellington down’
Brent Edwards (NBR): We let Wellington down this week: KiwiRail (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Stuff): KiwiRail management not warned about looming Wellington train issues
Tom Hunt (Post): KiwiRail grilling to continue with release of report into Cook Strait ferry’s power loss (paywalled)
Molly Swift and Nats Levi (Newshub): ‘Infrastructure problem’ cancels trains across Auckland
Melanie Earley (Stuff): Major cancellations on Auckland’s train network due to ‘KiwiRail track infrastructure problem’
Kristy Johnson (Post): Rail protesters are facing jail for blocking motorways. Are they wrong? (paywalled)
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Inside a Restore Passenger Rail civil resistance recruitment session
Newshub: Restore Passenger Rail protesters delay Wellington traffic again
Georgina Campbell (Herald): On the Tiles – Local Edition: Restore Passenger Rail protests to continue for ‘as long as possible’
Finlay Dunseath (Stuff): Climate protesters accused of blocking dad on way to daughter’s chemotherapy
Herald Editorial: Oil companies need to clean up their act over dirty aviation fuel (paywalled)
RNZ: Airlines seek answers over third batch of bad fuel since November
Sally Murphy (RNZ): Coastal shipping route between Napier and Gisborne ‘a success’

FOREIGN AFFAIRS, KING CHARLES CORONATION
Thomas Manch (Stuff): NZ-UK free trade agreement to come into force at end of May
Katie Scotcher (RNZ): New Zealand-UK free trade agreement comes into force at end of May
1News: ‘Gold standard’ NZ-UK Fair Trade Agreement to be pushed forward
Alexa Cook (Newshub): New Zealand-United Kingdom free trade agreement entering into force by end of May, earlier than expected
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Mahuta avoids Aukus: ‘Independence should not be confused with isolation’
Kina Kunz (9Dashline): NZ-China relations under Prime Minister Hipkins: Changes on the Horizon?
Sakura Gregory (Newsroom): Why NZ should join Aukus Pillar II
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Prime Minister Chris Hipkins invited to visit Kyiv by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (paywalled)
Will Trafford (Whakaata Māori): Māori king shunned at coronation opener in London
Eda Tang (Stuff): The Kīngitanga arrives in London for coronation events
1News: King Charles III’s coronation: Timings for Kiwi royal watchers

ECONOMY, TAX, COST OF LIVING
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Monetary squeeze playing out ‘as hoped’, says Adrian Orr
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Don’t expect rate cuts any time soon (paywalled)
Brianna Mcilraith (Post): Spending dropping across the board as Kiwis battle high inflation (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (Post): Taxing NZ’s wealthy: Why is it hard to know what’s really going on? (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): We’re waiting for Labour’s tax policy (paywalled)
Graham Adams (Common Room): Demonising the rich is a risky gamble
Ian Taylor (Herald): Why NZ needs a capital gains tax, not a divisive ‘wealth’ tax (paywalled)
Arena Williams and Stuart Smith (Stuff): We must not use taxation as an instrument to punish the successful
Brent Edwards (NBR): Assessing just how ready New Zealand is for a recession (paywalled)
Brigitte Morten (NBR): ‘No frills’ budget might need thrills to avoid spills (paywalled)

BANKS, BUSINESS
Rob Stock (Stuff): ‘How bad does it have to get?’ BNZ record profit prompts call for inquiry
Rob Stock (Post): Government notes BNZ’s 13.5% profit rise but no decision yet on bank competition probe (paywalled)
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): BNZ half-year profit tops $800 million as net interest margin jumps, with CEO saying bank well placed to support customers finding things tough
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Reserve Bank says the high level of NZ bank profitability means they’re well positioned to support customers in tougher times
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): Kiwi banks at odds with Aussie bosses over gambling on credit
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Commerce Commission cracks down on chunky surcharges for contactless payments
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Spark expresses regret over tech breakdown, but tightlipped on compensation
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Imminent tax reform to make NZ investment more attractive (paywalled)
Stuff: IRD ordered to pay $75,000 for breaching real estate agent’s rights
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): IRD applies to liquidate large aged care provider
RNZ: NZ Super Fund chief executive Matt Whineray to leave by end of 2023
Paul Jarvie (Post): Are you doing enough to look after staff working from home? (paywalled)

HOUSING
Hayden Donnell (Spinoff): We can’t find the charity that told Chris Bishop to bring back no-cause evictions
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Up to 4% of homeowners may fall into negative equity, Reserve Bank forecasts (paywalled)
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): Reserve Bank: House prices remain overvalued and risk falling a lot more
David Hargreaves (Interest): Reserve Bank concedes that about 25% of outstanding mortgages were stress-tested by banks at lower interest rates than prevail now
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Reserve Bank says NZ house prices still overvalued (paywalled)
Peter de Graaf (Northern Advocate): Concern over Kāinga Ora’s social housing plans sparks record public meeting in Kerikeri
Tumamao Harawira (Whakaata Māori): Kāinga Ora meeting in Kerikeri gets heated
Miriam Bell (Post): Explainer: Why is interest deductibility a hot election issue? (paywalled)
Miriam Bell (Stuff): Downward trend in new home consents firmly in place
RNZ: Annual number of housing consents down 7.9% Stats NZ figures show
Greg Ninness (Interest): Big decline in the number of building consents being issued suggests trouble ahead for the building industry

IMMIGRATION
David Hargreaves (Interest): We need to talk about migration – yes, already
David Hargreaves (Interest): ‘Massive surge in net migration’ is helping to alleviate NZ’s staff shortages
Dita De Boni (NBR): NZ’s brain drain neither unique nor necessarily terminal (paywalled)
Kat Eghdamian (Newsroom): Inclusivity over prejudice: Immigration bill lacks human rights
RNZ: All recent dawn raid arrests involved people from Asia, Pacific Islands
Aziz Al Saafin (1News): Former Polynesian Panther condemns Immigration NZ’s ‘dawn raid’
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): From Eritrea to Christchurch: Where new refugees are coming from and resettling

HEALTH
Ian Powell (BusinessDesk): Chaos and confusion in the health system
Fiona Ellis (ODT): Consultancy for Dunedin Hospital cuts expected to cost $27m (paywalled)
Michael Neilson (Herald): Health Minister Ayesha Verrall launches winter health plan to reduce system, ED pressures; boosts for pharmacies, community radiology, telehealth
Bridie Witton (Stuff): New winter health plan gives more power to pharmacists, GPs and paramedics
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Health NZ Te Whatu Ora unveils winter preparedness plan
RNZ: Calls for New Zealand to follow Australia on vaping laws to combat youth ‘epidemic’
1News: National would ‘look at’ vaping ban if elected – Luxon
Bridie Witton (Post): ‘Matter of absolute urgency’: Fears measles outbreak could stretch health system (paywalled)
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Measles: What you need to know as case closes Auckland high school
Ryan Anderson (Stuff): One in five students at Auckland school closed in measles scare not vaccinated

CLIMATE CHANGE
Josie Pagani (Stuff): Who pays for our climate policies?
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Plans to cap climate pollution from new buildings
David Williams (Newsroom): Politicians concerned by Conservation Department’s $300m maintenance backlog

CYCLONE GABRIELLE
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Identity of assessors criticised for cyclone relief fund calls under wraps
Gerhard Uys (Stuff): Budget too late for decisions about financial help, Hawke’s Bay grower says

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Felix Desmarais (1News): Akl Council budget proposal ‘rips the heart’ out of city – Swarbrick
Tim Hunter (NBR): Don’t think smart, think big (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): Bullying alleged as city council moves to stop petitioners on public land (paywalled)
Michael Fallow (Stuff): ‘Hell will freeze over’ before Invercargill city councillors will work together

EDUCATION
Gabrielle McCulloch (Stuff): One in three schools cancel classes as teaching recruitment hits all-time low
John Gerritsen (RNZ): ‘More stress than Covid’ – Principals struggle to fill teaching jobs
Gianina Schwanecke (Post): Amid nationwide strike action, negotiations between educators and ministry continue (paywalled)
Rob Campbell (Post): Education that’s for all of us (paywalled)
Gianina Schwanecke (Stuff): Spotlight on new wānanga framework as ministers appear before select committee
James Perry (Whakaata Māori): ‘The tides have turned and the sun is shining’ – kōhanga reo welcome new pay framework
Kelvin McDonald (Whakaata Māori): ‘This is a big moment’: New kōhanga reo pay scale promises significant pay rises
Gianina Schwanecke (Stuff): ‘Normalising periods’: 1 million period products provided free to schools

MEDIA
Duncan Greive (Spinoff): Buzzfeed and Vice are in deep trouble. How will NZ’s digital news sites avoid their fate?
Shayne Currie (Herald): Former Today FM host Duncan Garner to host podcast in MediaWorks lifeline
Gavin Ellis: Media dimensions in sentencing the Christchurch mosque attacker

POLICE, JUSTICE
Guyon Espiner (RNZ): Hamilton’s Crown Solicitor under investigation over workplace culture allegations
Deborah Morris (Post): A new centre for justice innovation at Victoria law school (paywalled)
1News: Number of women police officers up 60% over 6 years
James Perry (Whakaata Māori): Number of policewomen, Māori officers continues to grow
Eric Crampton: Low-hanging fruit and criminal justice

PRIMARY INDUSTRIES
Nikki Mandow (Newsroom): Environmentalists criticise ‘all carrot, no stick’ fishing transformation plan
Gerhard Uys (Stuff): Farmers question New Zealand Merino Company request for pain relief when docking lamb tails
ODT: Former Young Farmer of the Year left 29 cows to die of starvation

OTHER
David Hill (Local Democracy Reporting): Co-governance is not ‘anti-democratic’, says Ngāi Tahu leader
Thomas Manch (Post): New law prevents mosque attacker’s terrorist ‘designation’ from expiring (paywalled)
Hanna McCallum (Stuff): ‘Most violent targeting of any community’: The aftermath of Posie Parker’s visit
Shanti Mathias (Spinoff): Tracking the surge in online anti-trans hate sparked by Posie Parker’s visit
(paywalled)
Justin Wong (Stuff): Sir Mark Dunajtschik to leave his estate to the Nikau Foundation