Today’s content

ELECTION, PARLIAMENT
Andrea Vance (Stuff): National using AI for attack ads: The AI political campaign has arrived
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): National uses realistic-looking AI-generated health workers, scared woman to front attack ads
Herald: National Party uses AI in attack ads: Christopher Luxon ‘not aware’
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): National leader Christopher Luxon defends party using artificial intelligence to create fake photos for attack ads
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): The Business of Government – cyber-spooks, TVNZ board speculation and more… (paywalled)
Jane Nixon (1News): Ardern in WHO Geneva health promotion event

TAX
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Budget 2023: Fiscal hole? Calls for National to front up with costings for tax cuts, estimated to be $8.2b
RNZ: National’s tax plan has $1.5 billion fiscal hole – Council of Trade Unions
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Chris Hipkins looks ahead to future tax cuts, but says now isn’t the time
Nicholas Agar (Newsroom): A thought experiment, 1939: will a Nazi Europe buy our lamb?

ECONOMY, COST OF LIVING, BUSINESS
Luke Malpass (Stuff): The most politically consequential rates decision of Adrian Orr’s tenure
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Reserve Bank reviews OCR: How high will it go?
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Grant Robertson and economists at odds as Reserve Bank expected to hike official cash rate to 5.5 percent
1News: Experts predict another Official Cash Rate rise today
Gyles Beckford (RNZ): Budget spendup, migration may force Reserve Bank’s hand, economists say
Eric Crampton and Dennis Wesselbaum (Newsroom): Fringe economics, like homeopathy, needs a dose of reality
Sharon Brettkelly (RNZ): The Detail: Greedflation: Is it inflation, or are businesses just greedy?
Brent Edwards (NBR): Take care when regulating AI: Judith Collins (paywalled)
William Hewett (Newshub): Cost of living: Kiwis turning to buy now pay later services to afford essentials
RNZ: Credit cards, vehicle loan arrears point to greater financial pain
RNZ: Signs of economic slowdown show in ‘Truckometer’ data
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Reserve Bank fights to keep secret whether it paid ransom to hackers (paywalled)

BUDGET
Brigitte Morten (NBR): Spendthrift Government changes community expectations (paywalled)
Northern Advocate: Government’s Māori MPs in Northland highlight Māori gains from Budget 2023
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Budget 2023: Small number of prescriptions will still attract $15 fee, despite policy to abolish $5 charges
Kris Faafoi (Stuff): Axing of prescription charge just what doctor ordered
Maryana Garcia (Rotorua Daily Post): Budget 2023: Bay pharmacies welcome removal of $5 fee for prescriptions
Will Mace (NBR): Game developer rebate welcomed by industry, but will it work? (paywalled)

LOAFERS LODGE FIRE TRAGEDY
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Loafers Lodge fire: Only a third of boarding houses have sprinklers (paywalled)
Georgina Campbell (Herald): A Capital Letter: Loafers Lodge fire exposes shameful reality (paywalled)
Laura Frykberg (1News): Loafers Lodge tenants denied human rights by housing crisis – HRC
1News: Wellington hostel fire: Police confirm identities of 3 victims
RNZ: Wellington hostel fire: Three victims of Loafers Lodge blaze named
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Wellington fire: Police identify three victims of Loafers Lodge blaze
Mike White (Post): Loafers Lodge blaze: Johnson isn’t your typical NZ priest (paywalled)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Auckland Council: Hundreds more job cuts announced to address Mayor Wayne Brown’s cost-cutting budget
Finn Blackwell (RNZ): Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown not confident his preferred budget plan will pass muster
1News: Hundreds more jobs set to go at Auckland Council
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): Auckland’s anti-flooding plan now ‘on steroids’
David Burton (Post): Age should not be used as argument in debate over Gore District Council’s woes (paywalled)
Tina Law (Press): The potentially futile quest for chlorine-free water in Christchurch (paywalled)

FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Call for Pacific security forum as US signs new deal
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Winning friends and influencing people in the Indo-Pacific (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Ukraine War: Russian Embassy shares propaganda video targeting New Zealand Defence Force
Joanne Wallis and Anna Powles (The Interpreter): Remembering Australia’s “other” alliance

HOUSING
Geraden Cann (Stuff): Properties selling at a loss have hit a seven-year high, CoreLogic says
RNZ: Loss-making property resales at seven-year high – Corelogic
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): This is the biggest house sale loss – but worse is to come as interest rates rise

GAMBLING, GREYHOUND RACING
Tom Pullar-Strecker and Troels Sommerville (Stuff): Britain’s Entain gets green light to take over TAB’s betting operations
Stuff: Greyhound racing ‘no longer viable’, decision delayed on its future
RNZ: TAB deal gets government approval, greyhound racing still on notice
1News: Govt approves $900m TAB outsourcing deal
Michael Guerin (Herald): TAB NZ’s new $1 billion deal with Entain explained: What will it mean for Kiwi punters? (paywalled)

TRANSPORT
Damien Venuto (Herald): The Front Page: Why the City Rail Link has been delayed so many times – and how it’s impacted Auckland
Molly Swift (Newshub): City Rail Link: Aucklanders won’t be able to ride the underground trains until months after completion
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): Auckland’s new tool to fight the bus driver shortage
Samantha Gee (RNZ): MV Shiling highlights lack of ocean-capable tug in Cook Strait

CRIME, CORRECTIONS
Aaron Dahmen (Herald): Exclusive: Assaults on police nearly double, average of three a day
Akula Sharma (Herald): Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said Titirangi Post Shop closure is ‘absolutely heartbreaking’
Brooke van Velden (Herald): Too much youth crime, not enough punishment in New Zealand
Kate Hawkesby (Newstalk ZB): You can’t gaslight your way out of a problem by telling people it’s not happening
William Hewett (Newshub): Crime: Youth worker says restorative justice, not punishment needed to tackle juvenile offending

HEALTH
Emma Hatton (Newsroom): Disabled Ministry plans for up to 2500 new carer employees
RNZ: Health Minister Ayesha Verrall defends disrupted measles vaccine campaign
RNZ: Employment Court rejects bid by Te Whatu Ora to stop Gisborne Hospital strike
1News: Gisborne nurses strike to go ahead after Employment Court win

MEDIA
Thomas Cranmer: The State of Stuff: Media Ownership and Transparency Under Scrutiny
Shayne Currie (Herald): Media Insider: Jane Wrightson ‘not been approached’ for TVNZ chair (paywalled)
Daniel Dunkley (BusinessDesk): Facebook NZ grows profit, pays $196m to Irish associate (paywalled)

ENERGY
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Transpower warns of potential tight power supply as New Zealand heads into winter
Jamie Gray (Herald): Transpower warns of potentially tight winter power supply (paywalled)
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Warnings of possible rolling electricity blackouts this winter (paywalled)

OTHER
Steve Kilgallon (Stuff): The controversial dawn raid that came with claims of cover-ups, assault and racism
Richard Prebble (Herald): Mass immigration – Labour’s biggest U-turn will swamp our infrastructure (paywalled)
Georgina Tuari Stewart (Stuff): Why there are so few Māori in science
Sophie Handford (Stuff): School Strike for Climate roars back this week after shock breakup – here’s why
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Revealed: the conversion therapy prosecutions since legal ban kicked in