Today’s content

TRANSPORT
Luke Malpass (Post): Maybe Labour should just rebrand LGWM ‘three transports’ (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): Let’s Get Wellington Moving spending rolls on with axe over its neck (paywalled)
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Let’s Get Wellington Moving isn’t, says Transport Minister
Georgina Campbell (Herald): The Let’s Get Wellington Moving project we shouldn’t mess with (paywalled)
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Let’s Get Wellington Moving: Consulting crippled the capital’s chance (paywalled)
William Hewett (Newshub): ACT’s Brooke van Velden calls for Let’s Get Wellington Moving to be scrapped, wants toll road to fund second Mt Vic tunnel
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1News: National would ‘absolutely’ take money from China to pay for roads
Lloyd Burr (Newshub): National leaves door open to China funding new New Zealand roads
Timothy Welch (The Conversation): 70 years of road-based policies created today’s problems – does National’s transport plan add up?
Olivia Wannan (Stuff): National’s new roads will encourage more cars, traffic experts warn
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): National’s roads equal to eight weeks a year of Huntly coal-burning
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Road race! Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins’ $10b road funding question
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Chris Hipkins shrugs off National’s transport plan as ‘la la land dreaming’
Herald Editorial: Road projects and that sinking feeling (paywalled)
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Major parties offer explanations after transport policy diversions
RNZ: Hipkins backs light rail for Auckland in wake of National’s plan to axe it
Krystal Gibbens (RNZ): Aucklanders and Wellingtonians divided on Labour and National’s transport promises

ELECTION
Nicole Satherley, Andrew Sporle, Lara Greaves (The Conversation): How to read the political polls: 10 things you need to know ahead of the NZ election
Roy Morgan: National/Act NZ on 47.5% are set for a majority of seats at this year’s New Zealand election
Gordon Campbell: On National’s 20th century transport policy, and Labours’ woes
Bridie Witton (Stuff): The battle of the budget holes begins
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): National’s Nicola Willis rejects Labour criticism of policy costings: ‘It will add up’
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Labour-aligned Council of Trade Unions claims National policy proposals would require cuts to public services to balance out the impact of its promised tax cuts
Brent Edwards (NBR): National rejects accusations its fiscal plan has a hole (paywalled)
Danyl McLauchlan (Listner/Herald): Labour’s new party list shows who’s valuable (and who isn’t) (paywalled)
Rob Campbell (Herald): Focus on law and order always punishes those without much to gain from current order
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): This campaign is a slam dunk for the Opposition
Daily Blog: The Working Group announces 7 live-streamed TV simulcast Election Debates for 2023 Election
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): Business of Government: Greens turn back the clock, wellbeing, open govt and more… (paywalled)

POLITICAL FINANCE
Damien Venuto (Herald): The Front Page: Can money buy you political influence in New Zealand?
Donna Chisholm (BusinessDesk): Cash for Candidates: what do you get?

TAX
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Labour braves beetroot, boondoggles and the ghosts of 2011
Julia Gabel and Chris Knox (Herald): Removing GST from fruit & vegetables: How much would households save? (paywalled)
Eric Crampton (Newsroom): Taking GST off food would be a big mistake
Don Brash (Herald): Leave GST alone, system is simple, change wouldn’t help needy, have desired results (paywalled)
Richard Prebble (Herald): Cutting GST on food: A bad answer to the wrong question on tax (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Countdown says ‘some time and cost’ in removing GST from fruit and veges
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Grant Robertson refuses to say whether he still believes removing GST from food a ‘boondoggle’

TIM VAN DE MOLEN, KIRI ALLAN, PARLIAMENT
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): National leader Christopher Luxon says he’s never seen under-fire MP Tim van de Molen be aggressive
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): National MP Tim van de Molen referred to Privileges Committee for alleged ‘threatening or intimidating’ behaviour
Glenn McConnell and Thomas Manch (Stuff): National’s Tim van de Molen accused of ‘threatening or intimidating’ Labour MP
RNZ: Complaint about behaviour of National MP Tim Van De Molen received by Speaker
Newshub: National MP Tim van de Molen referred to Parliament’s Privileges Committee after allegation of possible threatening conduct
Maiki Sherman (1News): National MP to answer questions on ‘threatening’ behaviour
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Chris Hipkins won’t budge on revealing if concerns were raised about Kiri Allan by any of his MPs amid new revelations
Marc Wilson (Listener/Herald): Kiri Allan’s resignation reflects the high rates of declining mental health among MPs (paywalled)
Kris Faafoi (Post): Sticking up for politics (paywalled)

IMMIGRATION
Michael Neilson (Herald): Mass arrivals bill: Immigration Minister Andrew Little hits out at Greens, says National ‘opportunistic’ in opposing
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Immigration Minister spars with National and Greens over asylum seekers – ‘Wilfully blind’
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): War of words between minister and select committee that rebuked Mass Arrivals Bill
Michael Neilson (Herald): Green Party says overstayer amnesty a priority if Labour wants its support after election

ECONOMY, COST OF LIVING
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Unemployment expected to rise slightly to 3.5%
Damien Venuto (Herald): Stock Takes podcast: How much worse will unemployment get?
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Power price crunch: Households feel sting of low-user option ending
Kirsty Johnston (RNZ): Poverty-stricken households penalised with extra fees after their power is cut off
David Hargreaves (Interest): Latest Reserve Bank figures show the total of officially ‘impaired’ housing loans has now surpassed the peak of the sharp, but brief rise during the pandemic in 2020
David Burton (Post): Why is the KiwiSaver gender gap widening? And why aren’t we fixing it? (paywalled)

BUSINESS, WAGE SUBSIDY, EMPLOYMENT
John Weekes (Herald): Covid-19 wage subsidies: The top 10 company repayments to the Government (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Post): Government should invest $500 million in startup companies, report says (paywalled)
Brad Olsen (Interest): More people are working later in life
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): New Crown-owned Kiwibank parent company injects $225m into the bank from the proceeds of the sale of Kiwi Wealth
Rob Stock (Post): Kiwibank owner to invest $225m in growing bank’s home loan business (paywalled)
NBR: Kiwibank gets $225m injection following Kiwi Wealth sale (paywalled)
Nikki Mandow (Newsroom): What offshore AI crackdown means for Kiwi businesses
Nikki Mandow (Newsroom): Questions over NZ modern slavery law as cosmetics exploitation report released

MOVING TO AUSTRALIA
Hayden Donnell (Spinof): ‘All my stuff is here’: Why one business owner is bravely not moving to Australia
Damien Venuto (Herald): The Front Page: How worried should we be about Kiwis leaving for Australia?
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): This country needs a change to stop people from leaving
Shilpy Arora (Stuff): One-third of Kiwi workers think of quitting and moving to Australia – study
William Hewett (Newshub): Business owner moving to Australia blames NZ’s poor education system, not feeling valued by commercial market

COVID
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Is there actually less Covid-19 going around at the moment?
RNZ: Covid-19 mandatory self-isolation period could soon be relaxed, PM hints

HEALTH
Karen Rutherford (Newshub): Worst-ever day of ‘ramping’ at Waikato Hospital with emergency departments overloaded
Digby Werthmuller (1News): Oamaru Hospital ED shut for 15 hours amid doctor shortage
Sue Teodoro (RNZ): Te Whatu Ora committed to remedying hospital defects, court hears
1News: Parents protest vape shop opening near West Auckland school
1News: Kids ‘thrown under the bus’ as vape shop opens 30m from school
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Big win for Dunedin’s ‘dicks guy’
RNZ: Nurse pay deal ‘just the start’ with many left out

EDUCATION
Tatiana Gibbs (Post): School leavers achievement falls to decade low (paywalled)
Michael Neilson (Herald): PM Chris Hipkins responds to recommended 14.5pc pay rise for teachers
Gianina Schwanecke (Post): Public Service Watch: A possible end to secondary teachers’ pay dispute (paywalled)
RNZ: Te Pūkenga reveals $80 million deficit for 2022
Deena Coster (Taranaki Daily News): Taranaki polytech could lose 8% of staff if restructure gets green light
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): University protesters charged with damaging property
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Uni geology department next in line for cuts (paywalled)
Kate McVicar (NBR): ABC, it’s easy as deliverable policy: ECEs want to see results (paywalled)

CHILD WELFARE
Michael Neilson (Herald): Māori Party vows to take Māori children out of state care, replace Oranga Tamariki with Mokopuna Māori Authority
Brigitte Morten (NBR): Act’s surprising Oranga Tamariki proposals prompt scrutiny (paywalled)
Rayssa Almeida (RNZ): Give kids in state care a say in how they’re looked after – advocates

HOUSING
Finn Blackwell (RNZ): ‘They clearly don’t really care’ – Auckland renter paying for mouldy home
David Cunningham (Stuff): The Reserve Bank signalled we were done – so why are mortgage rates still going up?
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): BNZ lifts home loan rates, two economists ask why
1News: Major bank’s mortgage rate hike ‘out of step’ with industry
Felix Desmarais (1News): ‘Most vulnerable’: 80 public specialised care homes for Wellington
Conor Knell (Post): Wellington’s first public housing with on-site care and support (paywalled)

ENVIRONMENT, CONSERVATION
Marnie Prickett, Adele Broadbent, Nick Wilson, Michael Baker, Simon Hales (Public Health Communication Centre): Emphasis on indigenous forests in ETS would benefit public health
Hamish MacLean (ODT): Eighteen albatrosses snagged by surface longline fishing off the southeast coast of the South Island in the first three months of this year
Piers Fuller (Post): 10-year Wairarapa study finds 1080 drops good for forest bird and insect populations (paywalled)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Wayne Brown (Herald): Why bureaucracy costs blow out and how to stop it (paywalled)
Erin Gourley (Stuff): Residents in Wellington overcharged regional council rates for four years
Erin Gourley (Stuff): Miscommunication leads to $9 million rates error (paywalled)
Robin Martin (RNZ): New Plymouth council meeting to take place on marae for first time
Jemima Huston (RNZ): Councils think big on waste reduction despite dropoff in recycling
Nicholas Boyack (Post): What is going on with the Upper Hutt City council and Farrah’s? (paywalled)

OTHER
Thomas Manch (Stuff): ‘It’s a bit bleak’: Government officials warn of the future New Zealand faces
Allan Barber (Interest): Full credit to trade negotiators
Sam Sherwood (Herald): Police hiring freeze, contractor cuts: High-level directive warns of ‘more fiscally constrained environment’ (pawyalled)
Alexa Cook (Newshub): Anger builds over Government’s secret offer to share cost of buying out cyclone-damaged Hawke’s Bay houses
RNZ: Nelson Tenths Māori land case set to go back to High Court
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Judge lambasts couple’s ‘vague and last-minute’ tikanga bid to stay on occupied land
Rachel Maher (Herald): Posie Parker asks assurance from Prime Minister of her safety upon return for court hearing
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Gang rivalry ‘turned the streets of Gisborne into a dangerous battleground’
Stuff: Entertainment for prisoners: Home improvement out, yoga in
RNZ: With the Football Ferns out of the World Cup, who are political leaders now backing?
Bonnie Harrison (RNZ): The Detail: The feud between our two big weather forecasters