NZ Politics Daily: 16 May 2023

13
305

Today’s content

WELLINGTON HOSTEL FIRE TRAGEDY
Stuff: Live: Dozens of people feared dead in Wellington hostel fire
Herald: Wellington fire at Newtown’s Loafers Lodge: Multiple people dead after large fire breaks out
1News: Mayor emotional at ‘shock’ of Wellington hostel fire tragedy
1News: Wellington hostel fire: What do we know about the building?
1News: At least 6 dead after overnight fire at Wellington hostel
Newshub: Fire breaks out in Wellington hostel, some unaccounted for

BUDGET, ECONOMY, INFRASTRUCTURE
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Five things to look for in the budget (paywalled)
Michael Neilson (Herald): Budget 2023 games begin: PM Chris Hipkins, National’s Luxon trade barbs over economic priorities
Luke Malpass (Post): Robertson’s sixth Budget and the goldilocks problem (paywalled)
Rob Campbell (Herald):  Budget 2023 is not going to shift the dial one bit for Māori – but it will make out it does
Herald Editorial: Can Grant Robertson break the political stalemate? (paywalled)
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Budget 2023: What the Government has promised so far
Bridie Witton (Post): Labour and National neck-and-neck in polls to start crucial Budget week (paywalled)
Duncan Garner (NBR): Billions extra to spend and ahead in polls: so where’s Luxon?
Adam Pearse (Herald): Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announces 300 new classrooms, four new schools to be built ahead of Budget 2023 reveal
Anna Whyte and Gianina Schwanecke (RNZ): 300 more classrooms funded in pre-Budget announcement
RNZ: PM Chris Hipkins, Education Minister Jan Tinetti confirm 300 new classrooms, ‘up to’ four new schools in Budget funding
Kate Macnamara (Herald): No such thing as a free lunch? Cost of free school lunches a hungry hole in Budget 2023 (paywalled)
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Inflation remains ‘uncomfortably high’ as New Zealand’s economic growth predicted to slow in year ahead – Westpac
RNZ: Recession perhaps avoided so far, but interest rates likely to keep rising – reports
Liam Dann (Herald): OCR headed for 6 per cent as migration boosts economy – Westpac (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (Post): Population boom could help avoid recession – economists (paywalled)
Jamie Gray (Herald): NZ Government borrowing set to dwarf pre-Covid levels (paywalled)
Nona Pelletier (RNZ): Not enough money, labour to complete long list of infrastructure projects
Brent Edwards: Managing the Government’s rising investment in infrastructure (paywalled)
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Do you believe Grant Robertson?
Bruce Cotterill (Herald): Time to abandon the costly experiments (paywalled)

OPPOSITION ALTERNATIVE BUDGETS
Richard Harman (Politik): Seymour and Luxon’s war on Wellington (paywalled)
Jo Moir (Newsroom): Luxon’s pre-Budget promise plays to his comfort zone
Dita De Boni (NBR): Luxon the ‘non -politician’ once more bashes bureaucrats (paywalled)
———-
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): How ChatGPT reacted to Nicola Willis’ idea that AI could write Kiwis’ tax receipts
Thomas Manch (Stuff): National Party leader Christopher Luxon promises to give a ‘receipt’ to every taxpayer if elected
Felix Desmarais (1News): ‘Waste of money’: Hipkins slams National’s taxpayer receipt policy
Thomas Manch (Stuff): National Party leader Christopher Luxon promises to give a ‘receipt’ to every taxpayer if elected
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Christopher Luxon promises ‘taxpayers’ receipt’
Felix Desmarais (1News): Where do tax dollars go? National would introduce ‘taxpayer receipts’
RNZ: National’s Christopher Luxon unveils trio of fiscal transparency policies
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Councils should be allowed longer-dated lending: Luxon (paywalled)
———-
Felix Desmarais (1News): ACT: NZ sliding from first-world to ‘a kind of big Fiji’
Anna Whyte (Stuff): ACT pledges gradual raising of superannuation to 67, only two income tax brackets
Anneke Smith (RNZ): ACT alternative budget highlights tax, prison bed policies

ELECTION, PARLIAMENT
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): National leader Christopher Luxon part of poll problem, but no appetite to roll him (paywalled)
Newshub: Newshub-Reid Research poll: New results reveal if Kiwis think Chris Hipkins, Christopher Luxon are performing well or poorly
Mike Yardley (The Press): Risk aversion continues to characterise Luxon’s approach (paywalled)
Chris Trotter (Interest): Secretive constitutional reform is political kryptonite
RNZ: Te Pāti Māori and National have ‘nothing in common’ – Ngawera-Packer
Joseph Los’e (Herald): Te Pāti Māori co leader Waititi to Luxon: Don’t wait by the phone Chris
Felix Desmarais (1News): Hipkins: Labour has some ‘shared views’ with Te Pāti Māori (paywalled)
Jonathan Hill (Post): Why James Shaw would be better off without the Greens (paywalled)
Heather Roy (Post): It’s time to drop the 5% MMP threshold and let more smaller parties into Parliament (paywalled)
RNZ: Police quiet on preparations for general election
Bridie Witton (Post): Public service watch: Budget day looms (paywalled)
Shaneel Lal (Herald): We need politicians who lead with reason and compassion
Charlotte Muru-Lanning (Spinoff): The politics of pastries

FORESTRY SLASH
Herald: Ngāti Porou want urgent action on optimistic report – and failure to act not an option
RNZ: Forestry put ‘bread and butter’ on table, but Tai Rāwhiti locals looking towards future, minister says
Shanti Mathias (Spinoff): Forestry slash devastated Tairāwhiti and Wairoa after Cyclone Gabrielle. The recommended changes are drastic
Kerre Woodham (Newstalk ZB): Is there still a place for forestry in New Zealand?

- Sponsor Promotion -

EXTREME WEATHER
RNZ: Cyclone and flood recovery support must be fiscally sustainable – Robertson
Lauren Crimp (RNZ): Hundreds with flood-damaged properties await answers on temporary accommodation
Finn Blackwell (RNZ): Cyclone Gabrielle: Karekare residents call for clarity on recovery works
Jessica Roden (1News): Nelson Council wants Govt help to pay for storm damage

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Auckland Council: Mayor Wayne Brown’s cost-cutting budget leads to 400 job losses
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): The mystery of the imaginary 22.5 percent rates hike
Simon Wilson (Herald): A 10-point plan for a better Auckland Council budget (paywalled)
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): So what exactly is Gore mayor Ben Bell accused of?
RNZ: Council staff ‘extremely unprofessional’ towards Gore Mayor Ben Bell at times, board chair says
Tina Law (The Press): Councillors accuse colleagues of making ‘inaccurate statements’ about staff (paywalled)
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): We all know who’s really in charge of local councils
Tom Hunt and Erin Gourley (Post): Wellington mayor not backing councillor’s pro-Palestine move (paywalled)
Erin Gourley (Post): Hutt City Council won’t play ball with independent sports review (paywalled)
Brendon McMahon (Local Democracy Reporting): West Coast Regional Council chairman Peter Haddock labels incident ‘a storm in a teacup’
Justin Wong (Post): Kāpiti Coast council consulting mana whenua on Māori wards (paywalled)

ACT’S GUN POLICY
James Halpin (Stuff): ACT gun policy is an ‘attack’ on Kiwis’ safety, police union says
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Election 2023: ACT Party, Police Association go at it over policy David Seymour says is ‘bottom line’
Adam Pearse (Herald): National, Act disagree on firearms guns register

HOUSING
Herald: Chris Bishop admits to renting from in-laws, despite saying he was not renting from family
Spinoff: Chris Bishop says his in-laws aren’t ‘family’ after rental question
Stephen Minto (Daily Blog): Distopian urban vision – Part One. National, Labour and Greens (NLG) are trashing affordability
Geraden Cann (Stuff): Rental asking price remain stagnant for third month in a row: Trade Me
Rachael Comer (Timaru Herald): A place to call home: Transitional housing not the answer for Timaru’s homeless problem, lead researcher says
Rachael Comer (Timaru Herald): Social justice advocate encourages empathy for homeless

HEALTH
Ruth Hill (RNZ): Cash-strapped hospices look at cutting services
Nicholas Boyack (Post): Lack of funding forces Mary Potter Hospice to cut services (paywalled)
Shannon Redstall (The Press): Life in ‘limbo’: Six-month wait for surgery at Christchurch Hospital(paywalled)
RNZ: Increasing distress and declining mental health outcomes among rangatahi Māori – report
Ian Powell: Showdown time over hospital laboratory privatisations; private tail wagging public dog?
Frances Chin (Post): Young mum’s choice: $4000 of dental surgery – or dentures
RNZ: Covid-19 case numbers: 11,739 new cases, 58 further deaths

ENVIRONMENT
Eloise Gibson (Stuff): Health checks on the carbon in New Zealand’s native forests were halved despite warnings over the risks
Eloise Gibson (Post): Why you should care about an obscure survey deep in the bowels of native bush (paywalled)
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Government agency to face court over “failure” to protect endangered species
Tim Hunter (NBR): A well-meaning but redundant $700m (paywalled)
Robin Martin (RNZ): EPA criticised for withholding information about discharge at Kupe
Niva Chittock (RNZ): Controversial Waimate energy plant proceeds to consenting process
RNZ: Final phase of Tui Oil Field decommissioning set to begin

BUSINESS
RNZ: Large amount of ammonium nitrate stored on rural property near major gas pipeline
RNZ: KiwiSaver investments in companies supporting deforestation on the rise
Aimee Shaw (Post): New Zealanders spent over $6 billion online last year (paywalled)

ELECTRICITY
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Guidelines to protect power users may become mandatory
Krystal Gibbsons (RNZ): Less than half of electricity retailers complying with consumer care guidelines – report
Tom Pullar Strecker (Post): Power firms should ‘take back responsibility’ for lines between home and street (paywalled)

MEDIA
Gavin Ellis: TVNZ board needs expertise, not ideology
Sam Stubbs (Post): The biggest waste of taxpayers’ money (paywalled)
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Stuff): Ex-Today FM host Lloyd Burr will return to Newshub as a political reporter

EDUCATION
John Gerritsen (RNZ): International student numbers growing, but not everywhere
Lee Kenny (Post): Crucial Te Pūkenga report weeks overdue (paywalled)
Gianina Schwanecke (Post): Victoria University job cuts loom, with revenue $12.8m lower than forecast (paywalled)
Richard Downey (Stuff): Is the vocational education model working for NZ?

TRANSPORT
Paul Durdin (Stuff): The quickest way to save lives on the road is to reduce the speed limit
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Air pollution limits proposed for car imports

EMPLOYMENT
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Firefighters’ air tank filling equipment contaminated with asbestos
Eva Davies (Stuff): Inequities for women in the workforce still felt in 2023
Esther Taunton (Stuff): Mums still bearing financial brunt of parenthood

IMMIGRATION, ASYLUM SEEKERS
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): UN refugee agency criticises mass arrivals crackdown
Herald: New migrant numbers up greatly, all-time monthly high recorded
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Optimism with our immigration numbers
Glenn McConnell (Post): Inside Immigration NZ’s decision to let Posie Parker in (paywalled)

POLITICAL EXTREMISM
Charlie Mitchell (Stuff): The barefoot, small-town ‘sheriff’ who allegedly attacked a council boss
Jarrod Gilbert (Herald): The grey area of white supremacy – non-white followers (paywalled)
Nevil Gibson (NBR): Intrepid internet hunter for the truth (paywalled)

PIKE RIVER
Kurt Bayer (Herald): Pike River mine disaster dad Bernie Monk blasts official response as ‘huge cover-up’
RNZ: Pike River Mine latest discovery: More human remains possibly found

OTHER
Oliver Hartwich (NZ Initiative): From Godzone to the devil’s playground
Emma Hatton (Newsroom): Internal Affairs expands pokie probe with dozens now asked for a ‘please explain’
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Concerns raised over TAB’s proposed outsourcing deal
John Braddock (World Socialists): New Zealand Labour government boosts military spending
RNZ: Regional towns the big winners in government’s 5G deal
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Will ‘NZ Inc’ profit from co-hosting the Fifa Women’s World Cup?
Christine Rovoi (Stuff): New Zealand loses top spot as most ‘Islamic country in the world’
Kelvin McDonald (Whakaata Māori): Kaupapa Māori approaches to safety and wellbeing important in progress to eliminate violence – Davidson
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): How Jim Bolger and dull NZ TV inspired the man on the brink of becoming Thai PM
Catherine Delahunty (E-Tangata): Almost like immunity
Pokere Paewai (RNZ): Wairoa post-settlement trust and Stats NZ aim to make data more accessible for whānau Māori
André Chumko (Post): Arts, culture sectors grow after $600m from Govt during Covid (paywalled)

13 COMMENTS

  1. Possibly the egress, and paucity of fire escapes, boarded-up or not, may have made this ugly, formerly commercial bank premises just occupied during business hours, into a living or dying nightmare for the night dwellers to whom it became a place to call home, IMO. RIP, the dead.

  2. who signed off on that building? did it meet residential regs? sack ’em and withdraw pension….until council functionaries have real actual consiquences this bullshit will continue and people WILL die

    oh and if anyone mentions ‘thoughts and prayers’ I shall throw up.

    • I’ve been throwing up all day listening and watching the platitudes from politicians and ‘officials’ alike.

      Just now on 1News (your news with our Max Headroom) who asked the mayor how many other buildings there were like this. That question went unanswered.
      And just prior to that, Max did a ‘cross’ to a Jane-on-the-spot who was probably not more than 100 metres away.
      Something must be done (in the fullness of time, in this space, going forward). And then, the Chipster wouldn’t actually commit to any change until the outcome of an inquiry (Terms of Ref yet to be known) when it’s bleeding bloody obvious changes need to be made.

    • That’EXACTLY what it is @ gargarin. I could show you social services apartments in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere in that 3rd World that are in better nik and safer than Loafers Lodge, and with occupants that actually look after one another.
      And those places are where corruption runs rife. But at least its overt where people know where they stand.

      First commandment of the fundy religion that is neo-liberalism – cult, if you like:
      Thou shalt not criticise thy officials, nor shalt thou critique them, for they know what they do.

    • But wasn’t it enough for you, Gagarin, that the Wellington mayor mentioned the diversity of Newtown, in her sad in situ interview, not that she lives in Newtown herself? Diversity, that’s the crux, gagarin.

      Is the painting of rainbow pedestrian crossings, and the promulgating of Wellington as a te Reo city, not more important than elderly persons in their 80’s and 90’s living in a bleak commercial death trap, euphemistically named a hostel? Is it ok to board up fire escapes used for illegal entry by persons living grim-street lives themselves?

      Once upon a time, the rich, now late, Loafer’s owner, had a car sales yard on the Basin Reserve, featuring humorous billboards. One billboard read,” Paraplegics Stand Up For Your Lives.” I told him I thought it offensive but he said that other people thought it was funny. Ever had wheelchair bound friends or whanau, who find accessing a public building an Aorangi Mt Cook?

      No night porter or concierge in a 92 bedroomed dwelling place with no sprinklers and extremely diverse occupants, does not transgress Aotearoa New Zealand’s crappy building code, and would eat into the substantial profits, laddie. That’s the way it is under neoliberalism, but the water trickles down, if nothing much else does. Ever read your countryman, Charles Dickens? He’d be cancelled in today’s New Zealand; that’s the way it is.

      • “No night porter or concierge in a 92 bedroomed dwelling ………..”
        Yep, that’s what I find unbelievable. Offices and commercial property has things like fire wardens and evacuation procedures. Sometimes in places like Pik a Parrot (Coromandel Street) ?, residents take it upon themselves.
        This stingy owner – direct from the Pat Rippin School of Property Ownership and Management couldn’t see his way clear to ensure a building of 92 rooms had a proper full time building manager.
        Even the shithole a couple of hundred metres from me has one. Probably needs two, because it’s also a tinder box with a variety of people with various addictions and mental health issues.
        And while the Council seem to be able to get around yellow and red stickering buildings, they don’t seem to know how many buildings are not even fit for a pig to writhe around in

        • Come on, OnceWasTim, this is the shabby little country which has abolished its Commissioner for Children, and done so unashamedly. If they care so little about little kids then you’re being unrealistic expecting them to be concerned about other vulnerable persons.

  3. ‘Transient’ people living in hostel accommodation in a post-roger now seymour soaked neoliberal logical fallacy get roasted while nine multi-billionaires and four foreign operated banks taking nearly $200.00 dollars a second in net profits annually out of agrarian AO/NZ and ACT still gets a cult-like following. I see. Oh look ! A star spangled flying Unicorn’s shitting out diamonds, cocaine and lettuce leaves! Organic though!

  4. Well done James Shaw, focusing on this country’s disgraceful building code, which enables horrific tragedies such as this to occur. We have no control over earthquake or rainfall events, but this fire is a catastrophe which was preventable, and it should not have happened in the first place.

    Internal Affairs Minster Barbara Edmonds talked away about talking wth the PM and colleagues throughout the day, mainly, it seems, about the state of the fire service and the commendable bravery of the firefighters, and predictability, about the diversity of Newtown. PM Hipkins and the
    Wellington mayor did exactly the same thing and heaven knows why the diversity of Newtown is part of the equation, except that ‘diversity’ is yet another PC buzzword for dim politicians trying to look inclusive to the plebs. That’s us. The voters.

    The state of the fire service and the diversity of Newtown did not cause the terrible fire.

    This particular focus seems to be the party line to divert attention from the reality of what’s just gone down on Adelaide Rd. It is not good enough for me, and should not be good enough for anybody else. Shaw is right to be angry, and to be saying that it should never have happened, rather than waffling on like all the other effete politicians. Lives were lost, every shocked survivor may have lost everything they owned, and pollies switch into self-protective public relations mode per usual.

Comments are closed.