NOTE TO SUBSCRIBERS:

Thank you to the large number of subscribers who have recently upgraded to paid subscriptions for the Democracy Project. Your support is what makes it possible for me to run this project full-time — researching, curating, and analysing NZ politics every day.

I want to be upfront: I’m planning to increase the monthly subscription rate to $15 in the coming weeks. The current rate is $10/month. If you subscribe now at $10, that rate is locked in — you’ll keep paying $10 even after the price goes up for new subscribers. That’s Substack’s grandfathering policy, and it rewards early supporters.

If the Democracy Project is part of how you stay informed about New Zealand politics and current affairs, I’d encourage you to consider locking in the current rate while it’s available.

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FUEL CRISIS AND ENERGY POLICY
Danyl McLauchlan (Listener): The grand and urgent political project that’s going begging (paywalled)
RNZ: ‘Very unlikely’ government will go ahead with 12-cent fuel tax rise - Willis
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Energy security is the new climate change (paywalled)
Dave Armstrong (Post): The fuel shock isn’t an accident – it’s political (paywalled)
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Schools on diesel heating prepare for big bills as government considers support
Rob Stock (Post): Iran war: The businesses in demand thanks to Trump’s war on Iran (paywalled)
Herald: New Zealand’s fuel stocks ‘stable’, increases in petrol and jet fuel, diesel level drops
Fiona Rotherham and Jono Mitchell (NBR): Employers and the fuel crisis: don’t panic, plan (paywalled)
Cate Macintosh (Press): Schools told to stay open — but fuel crisis raises fears for buses and staff travel (paywalled)
Will Johnston (Post): Taranaki faces major job losses as energy sector shifts, report shows (paywalled)
Catherine Groenestein (Post): Demand for solar power surges in Taranaki as power, fuel prices keep rising (paywalled)
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): Middle East war shocks fragile New Zealand economy (paywalled)
Greg Presland (The Standard): Missing in action

PARLIAMENT, ELECTION AND GOVERNMENT
Chris Trotter (Interest): The man who should be king
Richard Harman: Luxon may have planned to get even tougher with Bishop (paywalled)
Sean Whittaker (Newsroom): Plug the gaps in political donation rules or watch trust erode
RNZ: Foreign Minister Winston Peters off to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
Azaria Howell (Herald): Public sector graduate jobs down 66% as Greens warn of exodus to Australia
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Labour’s Vanushi Walters on Govt’s ‘selective’ diplomacy and the challenge of trusting Trump
Claire Robinson: The Demographic Tsunami is coming. Parliament removes the Māori seats at its peril
Sam Sherwood (RNZ): Police review into Tom Phillips documentary ‘entirely appropriate’ - minister
ODT: Editorial – The right to take the proverbial (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Post): NZ health and safety reform: How Brazilian dam disaster illustrates problem with ‘likely’ risk in new law (paywalled)
Liam Rātana (Spinoff): Why Kerrin Leoni thinks she can win back Tāmaki Makaurau for Labour
Alexia Russell (Newsroom): Big changes coming for statistics collection
Stuff: Poll: Coalition support at lowest since election, and most Kiwis think country is ‘heading in the wrong direction’

ECONOMY AND BUSINESS
Eric Frykberg (Listener): The shocks that shaped the nation: How these big economic events continue to affect our lives (paywalled)
Chris Liddell (Herald): Anthropic director Chris Liddell’s warning for New Zealand - don’t miss the AI tsunami (paywalled)
Liam Dann (Herald): OCR preview: Reserve Bank tipped to hold cash rate despite Iran war shock (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): OCR preview: Reserve Bank tipped to leave rate at 2.25%, reveal near-term forecasts (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Post): Smiles gone from capital’s commercial sector as 1578 businesses vanish in ‘tough’ two years (paywalled)
Frances Chin (Post): ‘Absolutely flipped it’: Bar owners praise law change for Easter (paywalled)
Stuff: Butchers were ‘hidden in car boots’ during Covid-19 lockdown, supermarket boss says
Fiona Rotherham (NBR): The second wave for NZ’s medicinal cannabis industry (paywalled)
Riley Kennedy and Jaime Lyth (BusinessDesk): How Allbirds went ‘extinct’ (paywalled)
Cécile Meier (BusinessDesk): Sydney billionaire Sam Arnaout eyes Christchurch Casino (paywalled)
Nona Pelletier (RNZ): Synlait Milk sells North Island operations to focus on back-to-basics approach

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FUEL CRISIS
Verity Johnson (Stuff): We don’t have anyone to believe in
Zane Small (Stuff): Seymour optimistic about ‘continuity of fuel supply without restrictions’
Tina Morrison (Newsroom): Sales of ‘gas guzzling’ campervans set to take a hit
Laine Priestley (ODT): Run on flour, sugar ‘panic buying’ (paywalled)
Daimon Stewart (Post): Why tax pooling could be just as important as car pooling to combat the fuel crisis (paywalled)

PARLIAMENT AND GOVERNMENT
Joel MacManus (Spinoff): Every political party is in opposition now
Louis Collins (RNZ): The House: Members of Parliament debate ability to take mickey
Dita De Boni (Post): High-flying public health exec and health services entrepreneur Dr Lee Mathias has died (paywalled)
Alecia Rousseau (Post): Inquiry launched into Fire and Emergency fleet failures amid long-running industrial action (paywalled)

CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENT, MINING
Linda Hall (Local Democracy Reporting): Insurer flags ‘sea surge’ risk for some Napier Parklands estate properties
John Drummond (ODT): NZ cannot keep offering a cold shoulder to climate change
David Williams (Newsroom): Oil shock blamed for stalling plan to clean up murky river
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Santana rejects Doc accusations (paywalled)

HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Herald: Editorial – Can regulators keep up with vape sales as health risks become more apparent? (paywalled)
Rafaella Melo (Herald): Cocaine use doubles in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, meth use ranks second-highest in New Zealand (paywalled)
Amelia Wade (Sunday Star Times): Children are growing up on screens. Experts warn their bodies are paying the price (paywalled)
Kevin Norquay (Post): The doctor will see you now (and finish the notes by AI) (paywalled)
Fiona Ellis (Waikato Times): Waikato gains and losses in patient care revealed (paywalled)
Centrist: The kids are alright – but the system still isn’t

TRANSPORT
Tom Hunt (Post): Six to eight years of disruption but Wellington tunnels still need funding (paywalled)
Andrea Vance (Sunday Star Times): The country’s biggest pothole? (paywalled)
Jenny Ling (Herald): Northland SH1 toll road plan sparks backlash from businesses and drivers
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Q’town cable car accepted into fast-track process (paywalled)

The paywall now starts at halfway through all Democracy Project newsletters. Please take out a paid sub if you want to support this service and access the full content, including the following sections: LOCAL GOVERNMENT; ECONOMY; POLICE; JUSTICE; INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; IMMIGRATION; ELECTRICITY

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NZ SOCIETY
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Are we “bowling alone”?
Danyl McLauchlan (Listener): Waning trust, the rise of populism, AI: An economist on finding answers to the challenges of our time (paywalled)
Josie Pagani (Post): A lesson at Easter: The experts may be right, but sometimes faith wins over facts (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): NZers seek violent content 600 times a day
Matt Burrows (Herald): Easter miracle? NZ churches claim youth attendance boom in global ‘Quiet Revival’ (paywalled)
Stephen Rainbow (Post): Homosexual law reform 40 years on and a world away from today (paywalled)
Paul Foster-Bell (ODT): Divorced from reality — NZ’s outdated divorce law (paywalled)
Herald: Editorial – Daylight saving is over: Time to reconsider changing the clocks (paywalled)
Neil Reid (Herald): Cruise giants Royal Caribbean accused of ‘cruel, callous’ tactics to avoid multimillion-dollar Whakaari/White Island eruption payout
Amanda Gillies (Newsroom): The RSA has a fierce battle on its hands

FUEL CRISIS
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): PM risks letting a good crisis go to waste
Kate Green (RNZ): GPs worry about patients missing appointments, low medicine stocks as fuel prices soar
Denise Piper (Herald): Marsden Point oil refinery closure: What it means for NZ fuel security now
Vernon Small (Sunday Star Times): How the Iran conflict just blew up NZ’s economic recovery (paywalled)
Herald: Editorial – There are ominous economic and military lessons from the Iran war (paywalled)
Kevin Norquay (Sunday Star Times): As fuel prices soar, Kiwis keep driving at all costs (paywalled)
Liam Dann (Herald): Three things to help you feel calmer about the crisis this Easter (paywalled)
Steve Edwards (Herald): Dairy farmers face higher fuel and fertiliser costs despite strong payout

ECONOMY AND BUSINESS
Damien Grant (Stuff): The ‘Instagram filter’ of debt: Why I secretly love inflation (and why you shouldn’t)
David Hargreaves (Interest): The Reserve Bank’s almighty balancing act
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): Foodstuffs brings in ecologically dubious Tasmania salmon in place of NZ fish
Sam Stubbs (Sunday Star Times): As geopolitics swirl, does ethical investing still make sense? (paywalled)
Jeff Ruscoe (Sunday Star Times): We’ve crunched the numbers - and KiwiSaver contributions should be closer to 14% (paywalled)
The Post: Auckland guest nights up 12% as momentum builds in events sector (paywalled)
Chris Ross and Tom Peters (World Socialist Website): Wave of job cuts in New Zealand
Damien Venuto (Stuff): Kiwis love complaining about banks but never switch. Here’s why most of us don’t bother
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): I can help Steve Abel

The paywall now starts at halfway through all Democracy Project newsletters. Please take out a paid sub if you want to support this service and access the full content, including the following sections: PARLIAMENT, ELECTION AND GOVERNMENT; JUSTICE AND CRIME; EDUCATION; LOCAL GOVERNMENT; TE AO MĀORI

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FUEL CRISIS
Luke Malpass (Post): So much for America First – everyone else pays (paywalled)
Luke Malpass (Post): From GFC to oil shock: Nearly two decades of fiscal challenge (paywalled)
Nik Dirga (RNZ): As the Iran war continues, what else might New Zealand face shortages of besides fuel?
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Is fuel support going to the right places?
Joel Kulasingham (Herald): Fuel crisis: How New Zealand’s response compares with other countries – from free public transport to work from home days
Miriam Bell (Post): Iran war: Fuel crisis ‘like Covid 2.0’ for struggling builders (paywalled)
Dita De Boni (Post): Iran war: Live-streaming star and oat-growing arable farmer finds his diesel costs doubling (paywalled)

PARLIAMENT, ELECTION AND GOVERNMENT
Sam Crawley: NZ election issues: why the economy and cost of living aren’t the same thing
Brendon McMahon (ODT): Potential successor to Pugh
Michael Guerin (Herald): Greyhound bosses admit battle to keep dog racing alive is over
Melissa Nightingale (Herald): Karitane man’s pension slashed due to ‘nasty’ NZ Super policy
Peter Dunne: A Prime Minister, not a CEO
Steve Braunias (Newsroom): The secret diary of .. Christopher Luxon
ODT: Editorial – Shuffling a fresh deck (paywalled)
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Talk with English spurred MP (paywalled)
Katie Ham (Post): Ex defence chief unwittingly linked to bankrupt tech entrepreneur’s new venture (paywalled)

OFFICIAL INFORMATION ACT
Andrew Ecclestone (Newsroom): Forget false narrative about costs, the OIA needs strengthening
Nick James (Post): Ombudsman warns humans need to make final call on redactions made by an AI bot (paywalled)
No Right Turn: Using austerity to attack democracy

ORANGA TAMIRIKI AND SOCIAL PROVIDERS
Mary Williams (ODT): Youth services delivery at risk (paywalled)
Tureiti Moxon (Post): The urgent case for a Māori-led tamariki authority (paywalled)
Kelly Makiha (Herald): Visions of a Helping Hand Trust to close Rotorua homeless laundry and shower service as funding dries up

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND DEFENCE
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Why business can’t stay quiet on the India trade deal (paywalled)
Anne-Marie Brady and Louisa Wall (Post): NZ and Cook Islands may have reset their relationship, but trust must be rebuilt through actions (paywalled)
David Fisher (Herald): NZSAS exclusive: Inside the secret missions where Special Air Service soldiers risked everything in Kabul (paywalled)
Anna Fifield: What is the international rules-based order anyway?
Herald: New Zealand-Cook Islands deal reignites diplomatic spat as Winston Peters responds to China’s comments
Thomas Mead (1News): Kiwi Christians appalled as Bible used to justify Iran war this Easter

MEDIA
Shayne Currie (Herald): TVNZ gang story - internal and external emails reveal how broadcaster handled political and journalistic fallout (paywalled)
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Post): Inside TVNZ’s gang story backlash: How the broadcaster responded (paywalled)
Shayne Currie (Herald): Journalist, NZ on Air board member wins payout over radio dismissal; AM shake-up – BBC World Service dropped; Sam Neill’s tears for Wilderpeople (paywalled)
David Harvey: Broadcasting Standards Authority’s Jurisdiction Grab: Why the Platform Decision Gets It Wrong

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CABINET RESHUFFLE
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Luxon’s reshuffle reveals a PM punishing rivals and rewarding loyalists
Jenna Lynch (Stuff): Hell hath no fury like a Luxon scorned
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): National’s reshuffle: After week of instability, Christopher Luxon makes his move (paywalled)
Jo Moir (RNZ): Why was Chris Bishop unceremoniously dumped as campaign chair in Luxon’s Cabinet reshuffle?
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): Luxon’s reshuffle: New campaign chair coy on whether he asked for the job, Pacific Peoples Minister says Auckland roots qualify him for the role
Luke Malpass (Post): The reshuffle Christopher Luxon says the bubble is overthinking (paywalled)
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Luxon’s reshuffle: Why Chris Bishop’s ‘demotion’ raises new leadership questions
Audrey Young (Herald): Why Christopher Luxon’s Cabinet reshuffle makes sense (and the one thing he can’t say) (paywalled)
Tom Day (1News): Chris Bishop hit hard in PM’s reshuffle
Nick James (Post): The winners and losers of Christopher Luxon’s Cabinet reshuffle (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Watts loses energy portfolio amid clashing views on LNG and Lake Onslow (paywalled)
Māni Dunlop (Te Ao Māori News): Luxon refreshes Cabinet, representation gaps come into focus
Brent Edwards (NBR): PM suggests reporters are over-thinking Cabinet reshuffle (paywalled)
Lillian Hanly and Giles Dexter (RNZ): Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announces election-year Cabinet reshuffle

FUEL CRISIS
Natalia Albert: The Fuel Crisis: Who, What, And On Whose Advice
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Marsden Point to get diesel storage capacity boost
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Iran war: Shane Jones strikes $21m deal for extra diesel storage, told tanks will be ready in two months (paywalled)
Thomas Manch (BusinessDesk): Government to contract Channel Infrastructure for $21m in additional diesel storage (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): New Zealanders’ 30% fuel bill increase laid bare
Blayne Slabbert (Post): Fuel shock tests New Zealand’s faith in hybrids as EV sales surge 174% (paywalled)
Miriam Bell (Post): Iran war: Rising shipping costs weigh on NZ agri-produce exporters (paywalled)
Thomas Manch (BusinessDesk): Government to ‘relook’ at LNG terminal says new energy minister (paywalled)
Anna Whyte (Interest): New Minister says world has changed, old Minister says Cabinet has made decision on LNG
Krystal Gibbens (RNZ): Life-saving services need priority in fuel plan, aviation sector says
Maxine Jacobs (Press): Christchurch electric vehicle seller does two years of business in ‘a couple of weeks’ as fuel crisis deepens (paywalled)
Mihingarangi Forbes (Te Ao Māori News): Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says the fuel crisis is causing anxiety among Māori communities
Stuff: Government increases mileage rates for community support workers during fuel crisis

POLICE-NETFLIX-PHILLIPS DOCUMENTARY
Sam Sherwood (RNZ): Tom Phillips doco crew received text as ‘heads up’ he had been shot and killed
Sam Sherwood (RNZ): Inside the messages between police’s media communications director and documentary boss
Katie Ham (Post): Commissioner Richard Chambers thanked as ‘facilitator’ of Netflix doco on Tom Phillips fugitive saga (paywalled)
Shayne Currie (Herald): Tom Phillips Netflix documentary - almost 300 pages of police, production company emails and texts revealed (paywalled)
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Post): Inside TVNZ’s gang story backlash: How the broadcaster responded (paywalled)

GREYHOUND RACING BAN
RNZ: Greyhound racing to end in August as bill passes
Lloyd Burr (Stuff): Should the greyhound industry get compensation following ban?
George Heagney (Post): $4m racing operation now worth ‘zero’: Greyhound trainer wants compensation (paywalled)

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GOVERNMENT
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Christopher Luxon to reshuffle Cabinet – can he turn it around? (paywalled)
Audrey Young (Herald): What I would do in the Cabinet reshuffle (paywalled)
Henry Cooke (Post): Reshuffle: Who will be up and who will be down in Christopher Luxon’s new Cabinet? (paywalled)
Justin Hu (1News): What to watch as Luxon shakes up Cabinet ahead of election
Ryan Bridge (Newstalk ZB): My thoughts on Luxon’s reshuffle
Hayden Donnell (Spinoff): An organisational chart to help CEO Christopher Luxon understand the government

BSA VS THE PLATFORM
RNZ: BSA ‘bordering on fascist’ after The Platform decision - Peters
Duncan Greive (Spinoff): The BSA’s decision to take on The Platform is brave, principled – and indefensible
Liam Hehir (The Blue Review): Broad Overcast
Steven Price: Attempt to de-Platform the BSA fails
Jenni McManus (Law News): BCA investigates itself, decides it can rule on racism complaint against The Platform’s Sean Plunket
David Farrar: Abolish the BSA
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Post): BSA claims jurisdiction to cover complaint about Sean Plunket’s The Platform (paywalled)
Simon O’Connor: BSA: Ideologically compromised?

FUEL CRISIS
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): The New Zealand fuel crisis laid bare in nine simple charts
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Iran war: Diesel price tops $3.50/litre, still outpacing 91 petrol and set to go higher (paywalled)
Gordon Campbell: On the folly of blaming everything on Trump
RNZ: Latest fuel stock update shows overall figures down
Anna Whyte (Interest): The Government’s planned 2027 fuel excise increase is ‘pretty unlikely to go ahead’ - Transport Minister Chris Bishop says
Maria Slade (BusinessDesk): Prices for key plastic piping products shoot up thanks to Middle East (paywalled)

PARLIAMENT AND ELECTION
Jenna Lynch (Stuff): National MPs threaten to withdraw support for fisheries bill
Louis Collins (RNZ): The House: Fishing while walking backwards
Reynold Macpherson (Herald): Populism and the election: Warning signs voters should watch for (paywalled)
Jonathan Ayling (Herald): Winston Peters is no social conservative, nor is NZ First (paywalled)
Adam Pearse & Jamie Ensor (Herald): Delegate defends National Party Papakura candidate selection amid claims of unfair process (paywalled)
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): One MP, One Pint: Brooke van Velden on knowing when you’ve reached your peak
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Bill to ease holiday alcohol restrictions passes final reading in Parliament

ELECTRICITY AND ENERGY
Richard Prebble (Herald): Winston Peters’ vintage attack on Labour masks big gaps in power-cost plan (paywalled)
Jen Purdie (The Conversation): LNG vs pumped hydro: will NZ choose to import risk or build cleaner resilience?
Andrew Dickens (Newstalk ZB): Is it time to split electricity gentailers?
Greg Hurrell (BusinessDesk): Shane Jones claims support for coal energy is across political spectrum (paywalled)
Blayne Slabbert (Post): Cook Strait power cable gets $1.14b upgrade nod (paywalled)
Thomas Manch (BusinessDesk): Commerce Commission plans to approve Transpower’s $1.13b Cook Strait cable (paywalled)
Kate Newton (RNZ): EV ‘fomo’ drives sales to their highest level in years amid fuel crisis, dealer says
Aziz Al Sa’afin (1News): EV sales surge in NZ as global tensions and fuel prices drive demand
Miriam Bell (Post): Horizon Networks adopts AI tech to boost climate resilience (paywalled)

The paywall now starts at halfway through all Democracy Project newsletters. Please take out a paid sub if you want to support this service and access the full content, including the following sections: GAMBLING, HEALTH, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, EDUCATION, ECONOMY AND BUSINESS, PUBLIC SECTOR, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, TRANSPORT

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GOVERNMENT
Jo Moir (RNZ): Who the winners and losers of Christopher Luxon’s election-year Cabinet reshuffle might be
Thomas Coughlan, Adam Pearse, Julia Gabel, Jamie Ensor (Herald): National reshuffle coming Thursday as grumpy selection and Sunday night meeting trigger leadership speculation (paywalled)
Henry Cooke and Luke Malpass (Post): Christopher Luxon’s long-awaited Cabinet reshuffle coming on Thursday (paywalled)
Jenna Lynch (Stuff): Reshuffle this week as rumours about Luxon’s leadership are downplayed
Henry Cooke (Post): National ministers tight-lipped on Sunday evening meeting with Christopher Luxon (paywalled)
Justin Hu (1News): PM Christopher Luxon set to reshuffle Cabinet later this week
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Tourism minister unhappy with MP’s shot at taxpayer spending on football
Russell Palmer (RNZ): ‘Shouldn’t come as a surprise’: No extensions to incorporated societies deadline, minister says

FUEL CRISIS
Henry Cooke (Post): Iran War: As air bubble of disruption approaches us in April, it’s starting to feel a lot like early 2020 (paywalled)
Luke Malpass (Post): While Australia cuts fuel tax, NZ holds the fiscal line in oil shock (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Iran war: Marsden Point owner can’t commit to Shane Jones’ ‘late May’ goal for extra fuel storage (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Iran war: A week’s worth of fuel stock includes dregs at bottom of tanks (paywalled)
Jo Moir (RNZ): Nicola Willis rules out reduction in road user charges for diesel users
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Ministers seek ‘urgent advice’ to ease fuel price pain for support workers
Julie Jacobson (Post): Iran war: Billing Donald Trump and the US for staff’s increased costs just what the doctor ordered (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Spurs’ next manager could learn from Luxon when it comes to pep talk (paywalled)
Sinead Gill (Press): ‘Difficult conversations’ with ratepayers around fuel costs likely after Easter (paywalled)
RNZ: Rising diesel prices begin to lift construction costs, QV says
RNZ: ‘I guess’: Chris Hipkins places trust in government to secure fuel supplies
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Deputy PM David Seymour outlines 5 lessons learned from Covid in addressing NZ’s fuel response
Sam Smith (Stuff): Australia has cut their fuel tax - should New Zealand follow suit?
Carrick Graham (Herald): Northland can help solve New Zealand’s fuel security problem (paywalled)
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Post): Iran war: St John absorbing fuel cost hikes, no change for patients (paywalled)
Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Fuel shock: Which big companies are easing staff travel costs
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): NZ look like the adults in the room re our fuel response
Roeland van den Bergh (Post): Iran war: Eight fuel ships are on their way - how many more will follow? (paywalled)
Nick James (Post): Iran war: Chris Bishop gets advice on expanding public transport as fuel crisis worsens (paywalled)
Anneke Smith (Post): Construction sector starting to feel economic headwinds of Iran war (paywalled)
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Fuel crisis the priority, not style guides, Judith Collins tells ACT
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): ‘You can put your prices up or you can have me as a customer’: Businesses confront fuel price rises (paywalled)
Tom Peters (World Socialist Website): War on Iran deepens social crisis in New Zealand

FUEL CRISIS: LNG TERMINAL
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Minister sticks to guns on LNG, saying price outlook for imported gas remains favourable (paywalled)
Giles Dexter (RNZ): War on Iran a ‘bazooka’ through government’s LNG plan - gentailer CEO
Mandy Te (Interest): Energy Minister Simon Watts reiterates that an LNG import terminal procurement process is on track

ENERGY AND ELECTRICITY POLICY
Simon Wilson (Listener): A 10-point plan for cutting fossil-fuel dependency (paywalled)
RNZ: Terrible timing but pending power price increase justified - Commerce Commission
Pete Hodgson (ODT): Selecting wise and unwise energy priorities (paywalled)
Greg Hurrell (BusinessDesk): Market-led energy transition failing on the demand side (paywalled)
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Businesses warn lines companies: Put power supply before profits
Tracey Kai (Newsroom): Yes, power bills are rising – but keeping them low will cost us more in the long run

FISHING
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Who Really wins from the Fisheries Bill?
RNZ: Shane Jones reminds National, ACT of fisheries bill commitment
Rob Stock (Post): Global hoki heroes take The Post shopping for fish in a New Zealand supermarket (paywalled)

GREENS
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Greens deny former sex worker’s background was a factor in candidate decision
Justin Hu (1News): Row erupts after Greens decline former sex worker’s candidacy
Steven Cowan: The Green Party has a Labour problem

PARLIAMENT AND ELECTION
Roy Morgan: New Zealand Poll: Support for National-led Government and Labour-led Opposition now tied
Ellen Curnow (Spinoff): Why the minor political parties are suddenly very interested in West Coast-Tasman
Lloyd Burr (Stuff): A top tax rate of 87.3% by 2065?! You’ve got to be kidding!
Phil Smith (RNZ): The House: Auckland, alcohol and animals up for debate at Parliament
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): Century-old Easter alcohol ban could be gone by Good Friday

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FUEL CRISIS
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): The Energy insurance that NZ never bought
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Fuel disruption: Government attempts to shore up alternative supply to avoid ‘mad, frenzied rush’
1News: Short weeks and free transport – the fuel crisis responses NZ could copy
Henry Cooke (Post): Iran war: The key debate that will shape New Zealand’s fuel response (paywalled)
Adam Pearse (Herald): Fuel crisis: Why hasn’t the Govt moved to phase two of its fuel plan? (paywalled)
Charlotte Cook (RNZ): Where does New Zealand’s fuel come from and how does it get here?
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Fuel industry welcomes government’s moves to increase capacity, says it won’t help overnight
Richard Harman: The Beehive mood has changed (paywalled)
1News: No NZ fuel phase meeting amid Australia tax move, jet fuel dip
Justin Hu (1News): Scheduled 12c per litre petrol tax hike ‘unlikely’ to go ahead - PM
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): Is the PM missing his moment?
James Ball (1News): Why diesel now costs more than petrol
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you’ll get what you need (paywalled)
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Government signals new fuel stock push as April risk looms (paywalled)
Gordon Campbell: On The Government’s leadership failure on the fuel crisis
Herald: Christopher Luxon provides update as jet fuel drop may prompt alert level assessment, Australia cuts excise tax (paywalled)
RNZ: Latest figures show increase in national fuel stocks
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): NZ fuel update: More diesel arrives
RNZ: Advocacy group calls for prioritisation of food security amid fuel crisis
RNZ: Fuel crisis: Rural distributors forced to prioritse as certain ports introduce allocation rules
RNZ: Aviation sector urgently calls for specific crisis plan for jet fuel
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Iran war: No relief on the horizon as diesel hits $3.44, overtakes petrol price (paywalled)
Herald: Fuel stocks rise with more than 50 days currently in stock, including diesel
Jessica Hopkins (RNZ): Fuel crisis: Auckland mayor says government should promote public transport over driving
Brent Edwards (NBR): Government’s tone gets more serious as Iran conflict drags on (paywalled)
1News: No NZ fuel phase meeting amid Australia tax move, jet fuel dip

FUEL CRISIS: GOVT SUPPORT
Max Rashbrooke (Spinoff): The government’s fuel crisis package looks weaker with each passing day
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): These workers keep people alive, but the Government won’t pay them back for petrol
Kate Green (RNZ): Care workers’ unions take Health NZ to court over travel costs as petrol prices soar

FUEL CRISIS: LNG TERMINAL
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Consider the LNG terminal idea killed
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): Iran could spell the end of the gas levy: Government changes messaging on LNG plan
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): PM says he’ll make final call on LNG terminal, Energy Minister suggests not much has changed (paywalled)
Mandy Te (Interest): Question mark hangs over Government’s plans to build LNG import terminal
No Right Turn: Good riddance?

FUEL CRISIS: IMPACT ON INDUSTRY
Greg Ninness (Interest): Higher diesel prices pushing costs of construction work involving heavy machinery up
Wei Shao, Nick James and Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Diesel surge hits farmers and truckers hard (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Post): Running on empty: Diesel price spikes and other costs set to make funerals more expensive (paywalled)

PARLIAMENT, ELECTION AND GOVERNMENT
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Govt reviews Official Information Act costs as requests spike
Herald: Editorial – Can voters trust Chris Hipkins? His credibility has taken another blow (paywalled)
Herald: Labour warns Govt not to sign FTA with India yet as deal text allegedly contradicts public statements (paywalled)
Azaria Howell (Herald): Todd Stephenson writes to Judith Collins on ‘slow’ English-first rebrand rollout; Minister asks for cost advice
Harriet Laughton (Post): Green Party says sex work not reason candidate was rejected (paywalled)
Amber Allott (Press): Former Buller mayor announced as NZ First’s new West Coast-Tasman candidate (paywalled)
Carmel Sepuloni (Herald): Auckland jobs, housing and transport need long-term government plan (paywalled)

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NOTE TO SUBSCRIBERS:

From today I am starting to make some changes to the Democracy Project Substack newsletters. Mostly, this is about seeking a sustainable revenue stream in order to keep the project going. I’m now working full-time on the Democracy Project, and my only source of income is from Substack paid subscribers. So, I’m hoping to convince more of my free subscribers to switch to a paid monthly subscription. To help with this, I’m going to try putting the paywall about halfway through all of my newsletters. Free subscribers will still get the first half of the News Briefings and Democracy Briefings, but if you want the complete versions then you will have to take out a paid sub. I’ll update you with some further changes over the next week.

ELECTRICITY AND ENERGY POLICY
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): The Establishment joins the electricity insurgency
Danyl McLauchlan (Listener): NZ First reads the room over gentailers (paywalled)
1News: Fuel price blowouts push NZ towards electrification – advocate
Thomas Coughlan & Troy Matich (Herald): LNG binned? New terminal looks doubtful, ministers consider options amid skyrocketing gas costs (paywalled)
Sam Stubbs (Sunday Star Times): Who should we blame for high power prices? (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Cheaper, greener energy: Biogas could far outshine imported LNG by 2050, report suggests (paywalled)
RNZ: Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme considered for fast-track by government
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Jubilant Lake Onslow backers forecast it can be built by 2034 and slash power bills (paywalled)
Steve Hepburn (ODT): $1b power savings from Onslow? (paywalled)
Nadine Higgins (Herald): Are electric vehicles cheaper than petrol cars? Costs, savings and battery concerns explained (paywalled)

FUEL CRISIS
Nathan Surendran: Every country in our supply chain has declared an emergency. NZ just launched an ad campaign
Edward Miller (Post): We’ve been left dangerously exposed by the failure to build public diesel reserve (paywalled)
Kate MacNamara (Herald): Government mulls buying extra diesel storage, despite axing a similar plan in 2024 (paywalled)
Liam Hehir (The Blue Review): Three weeks later...
Verity Johnson (Stuff): Let’s not waste this crisis
Richard Harman: What if MBIE and the fuel companies are wrong? (paywalled)
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Oil shock may slow energy project decisions (paywalled)
Miriam Bell (Post): Iran war: Forestry giant wants industry to be ‘critical’ in national fuel plan (paywalled)
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Perverse pricing model means Air NZ has stopped buying biofuel
RNZ: Latest gauge of the country’s fuel supplies to be released today
RNZ: Ministry seeks regulatory feedback on fuel plan to avoid red tape ‘getting in the way’
Delphine Herbert (RNZ): Fears transport service procurers may hit back as costs rise
Alecia Rousseau (Post): Care workers giving up food to cover cost of rising fuel (paywalled)

PARLIAMENT, ELECTION AND GOVERNMENT
Julia Gabel (Herald): Poll shows energy prices, global instability now greatest worries for New Zealanders
Grant Duncan: Can New Zealand First come third – at Labour’s expense?
Chris Trotter (Interest): Neither Labour nor National have survived the revolution that New Zealand had to have
Francesca Rudkin (Newstalk ZB): Here’s the Labour Party’s biggest problem
Amanda Gillies (RNZ): Fisheries Bill enters murky waters
Russell Palmer (RNZ): NZ First announces former mayor as West Coast candidate
Ben Walker (Post): Who’d be a politician? The case for making Parliament a better, safer workplace (paywalled)
ODT: Editorial – Poor process on policing Bill (paywalled)
Erin Smith (Herald): Labour selects former MP Angela Roberts to challenge Whanganui seat
Ani O’Brien: He knew: The paper trail Chris Hipkins can’t explain
Kiwiblog: Guest Post: The damning timeline for Hipkins
Harriet Laughton (Post): Agenda: Fuel in focus as ministers consider next steps (paywalled)
Cameron Bagrie (BusinessDesk): Why targeted government support beats universal cuts (paywalled)

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FUEL CRISIS
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Fuel crisis a narrow political strait for Govt to cross
Jenna Lynch (Stuff): New Zealand has the ability to call in emergency fuel supply – here’s how that would work
Tracy Watkins (Sunday Star Times): Iran war: Why Christopher Luxon is missing his ‘Ardern moment’ (paywalled)
Vernon Small (Sunday Star Times): Iran war: Conflict fallout hits NZ economy - and exposes cracks in Government’s response (paywalled)
Andrea Vance (Sunday Star Times): Iran War: Working poor face the limits of political fixes (paywalled)
Virginia Fallon (Sunday Star Times): Five days of food: The products, and people, under the pump (paywalled)
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): Fuel crisis money and the complainers (paywalled)
Simon Terry (Newsroom): Iran’s move to toll Hormuz raises the stakes for NZ
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): ‘I heard it described as the biggest energy shock in the history of the world; it certainly feels like it’

PARLIAMENT, ELECTION AND GOVERNMENT
Damien Grant (Stuff): Is this moment that PM forces me to eat my words? I hope so
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Sunday Star Times): The battle for Tāmaki: how a ‘safe’ seat became a live contest (paywalled)
Adam Pearse (Herald): Wellington MP Tamatha Paul standing by letter of support for graffiti tagger who defaced her city (paywalled)
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): Is this the end of Hipkins’ election chances?
Alistair Reese (Spinoff): The Treaty isn’t broken – we just can’t agree what it is
Mina Martin (NZ Adviser): New Commerce Commission CEO signals steady hand on competition
Aaron Smale (Listener): When does a nation’s actions become a breach of international law? (paywalled)
Tiana Haxton (RNZ): NZ government-backed initiative aims to power Pasifika youth in gaming and tech industry
Nicky Snoyink (Post): National parks for the people, or just the privileged few? (paywalled)
Liam Dann (Herald): Stupid Rules: The new book tackling New Zealand’s problem with red-tape (paywalled)
Chris Pugsley (Newsroom): Culture ministry axes Gallipoli site
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Law change could let IRD change its interest rates more quickly

SOCIETY
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): A Country losing faith
RNZ: Advice from the world’s happiest country, as NZ misses top 10
1News: Kiwis aged 15-24 lag in world happiness rankings
Varsha Anjali (Herald): Puberty blocker ban: What it could mean for transgender teens and their families in New Zealand (paywalled)
David Harvey (Listener): The debate over gender identity and legal obligation (paywalled)
Lianne Dalziel (Newsroom): We must all listen out for the sound of hatred
Janhavi Gosavi (Herald): New Zealand’s longest-running Pride festival turns 40, marks anniversary of Homosexual Law Reform Bill
Rob Campbell (Newsroom): Racism must be fought against, not reconciled with
Chris Trotter (ODT): The feeling of freedom and condemning freedom of expression (paywalled)

ECONOMY AND BUSINESS
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Why economists are ‘very worried’ about what lies ahead
Liam Dann (Herald): Recovery set to stall for third time in three years ... here’s how we should deal with it (paywalled)
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Here’s the problem with the Reserve Bank economists
Rob Stock (Sunday Star Times): Fraser Whineray: Masses are missing the KiwiSaver bus (paywalled)
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Why a global trade shake-up may be the World Trade Organisation’s only lifeline (paywalled)
Kurt Bayer (Herald): NZME business panel: Christchurch is booming – and Aucklanders are increasingly moving south
Press: Ngāi Tahu among bidders for Molesworth Station lease (paywalled)
NBR: Childcare ‘titan’ Wayne Wright Sr dies (paywalled)

HEALTH
Pretoria Gordon (RNZ): 60,000 children admitted to hospital with preventable diseases each year, Cure Kids warns
Joanne Naish (Post): The children caught in New Zealand’s meth crisis (paywalled)
Rebecca Wright (Stuff): Police minister says drug enforcement is working, despite cocaine use up 98%
Eva de Jong (Herald): The number of NZ women on oral contraceptives is falling. What is the truth about the pill? (paywalled)

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Kevin Norquay (Sunday Star Times): Spectator State: is watching as the world burns our best policy? (paywalled)
ODT: If only the world was a benign place (paywalled)
ODT: Editorial – Swords and ploughshares (paywalled)
Alexia Russell (RNZ): Why Israel and the US are in lockstep - and why that might be changing

MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Shayne Currie (Herald): TVNZ cuts - Good Sorts 6pm news segment, Re: News youth brand in firing line (paywalled)
Charlotte McLauchlan (Newsroom): A small country with a big chance to hit social media platforms where it hurts
Herald: Editorial – Meta, Google and the game-changing verdict (paywalled)

RMA
Mandy Te (Interest): RMA Reform Minister says ‘there are things in the Bills that need to be fixed’
Mandy Te (Interest): RMA reforms: ‘Natural hazard losses are not just insurance losses’
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Critters, fresh water and the endless growth agenda (paywalled)

HALTER
Dita De Boni (Post): NZ-born, US firm Halter hits US$2b valuation on Peter Thiel-led funding round (paywalled)
Chris Keall (Herald): Halter raises $377 million at $3.3 billion valuation, reveals what’s next (paywalled)
Riley Kennedy (BusinessDesk): Halter hits $3.4b valuation as Peter Thiel-backed fund leads $377m Series E raise (paywalled)

TRANSPORT
Andy Brew (Post): Axed rescue tug leaves ‘irresponsible’ risk ahead of rough winter for ferries: union (paywalled)
Matthew Martin (Waikato Times): Government backs $10m Hamilton Airport runway extension (paywalled)

IMMIGRATION
Phil Smith (RNZ): The House: Immigration changes to protect migrants but expand deportation
Alice Peacock (Newsroom): High-value migrants quitting NZ after 4-year tax honeymoon – industry

CARTOONS

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FUEL CRISIS
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Sleepwalking into the worst crisis since Covid
Jenna Lynch (Stuff): A crisis can be an opportunity, and Christopher Luxon is missing his moment (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Why the fuel crisis isn’t Covid and shouldn’t be treated the same
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Christopher Luxon grapples with ghost of Covid response as new crisis looms (paywalled)
Luke Malpass (Post): The oil crisis isn’t just anything, it’s the only thing (paywalled)
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): You might have noticed the absence of a certain podium from the fuel crisis announcements
Harriet Laughton and Nick James (Post): Iran war: Diesel, petrol and jet fuel to be given own alert levels in fleshed out fuel plan (paywalled)
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Government may pause fuel taxes increases
Post: Editorial – A light touch in a crisis (paywalled)
Charlie Mitchell (Post): ‘Oil for lamb’ and panicking pensioners: How New Zealand weathered the last oil shock (paywalled)
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Government reveals details of fuel crisis rationing plan - and who will be prioritised
Nick James (Post): Iran war: What will trigger restrictions on fuel (paywalled)
Brian Easton: Responding to the economic shocks from the Iran War
ODT: Editorial – Assurances NZ unlikely to run short (paywalled)
Murat Ungor (The Conversation): Distant conflict, local crisis: is this oil shock the wake‑up call NZ needed?
Henry Cooke (Post): Iran War: Simon Bridges warns the Government off any encouragement of working from home (paywalled)
Anneke Smith (Post): Fuel crisis: The old friendship that could keep New Zealand’s fuel flowing (paywalled)
Aimee Shaw (Post): Retailers caught in double whammy of increased costs and decreasing confidence (paywalled)
Thomas Manch (BusinessDesk): Government deciding which businesses face fuel rationing for new response plan (paywalled)
Andrew Dickson: The Strait We’re In
Henry Cooke (Post): Can Christopher Luxon be more than Nicola Willis’ press sec? (paywalled)
Julie Jacobson (Post): Businesses fear advice to work from home could be last straw (paywalled)
Blayne Slabbert (Press): Christchurch firms dust off Covid playbook for fuel crisis (paywalled)
Gary Hamilton-Irvine (Herald): As diesel prices surpass 91 petrol, truckies say goods and groceries will start going up too (paywalled)
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): People have been hoarding fuel - They don’t need to, ministers say
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Fuel response: Nicola Willis criticised Labour for cost-saving campaign, but now she’s launching her own
Steve Braunias (ODT): The secret diary of... pump attendants (paywalled)

PARLIAMENT, ELECTION AND GOVERNMENT
Claire Robinson: Is it time for the Greens to ditch the Dad-vote for good?
Ben Thomas (Post): A party ahead in the polls, but absent in the moment (paywalled)
Audrey Young (Herald): Vanushi Walters – the MP who wants to be our next Foreign Minister (paywalled)
Bijou Johnson (Herald): ‘Most powerful voting bloc’: Winston Peters courts retirees at Tauranga retirement village
RNZ: NZ First commits to $15 million towards Christ Church Cathedral rebuild if elected
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Focus on boosting enrolment after government’s new voter restrictions - Electoral Commission
Māni Dunlop (Te Ao Māori News): Push to boost Māori enrolment as roll campaign gets underway
RNZ: MPs lament greyhound ban but still vote for it
Layla Bailey-McDowell (RNZ): Communities push back against proposed alcohol reforms
Anne Salmond (Newsroom): Kiwi entrepreneurs, heroes show up Govt
Natalia Albert: Anthropic and politics in New Zealand

COVID
RNZ: Labour leader Chris Hipkins denies misleading public over Covid vaccine risk to under 18s
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Chris Hipkins says advice about Covid vaccine risk for teens arrived too late
Harriet Laughton (Post): Chris Hipkins denies seeing advice about Covid-19 vaccine doses for teens despite cabinet paper in his name (paywalled)
Kerre Woodham (Newstalk ZB): Chris Hipkins has got to go

MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Karl du Fresne: The Last Post
Stuff: Billionaire Jim Grenon closes in on threshold to acquire all of NZME
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (1News): What I learned from Julian Batchelor’s defamation case against TVNZ
Paddy Gower (Stuff: Netflix Secret: Dame Julie Christie’s company asked police for secrecy on Tom Phillips documentary
Emily Simpson (1News): ‘I love an adrenaline rush’: Tova O’Brien on work, love and her new Breakfast role
Shayne Currie (Herald): TVNZ executive editor - news and current affairs Phil O’Sullivan resigns (paywalled)
Matthew Tukaki (Waatea News): A Line has been crossed — Māori radio cannot be silenced
David Harvey: Justice should be seen by all – Why New Zealand’s courts were wrong to abandon X
Lloyd Burr (Stuff): Erica Stanford to social media giants: ‘Clean up your act’. But are they empty words?

CLIMATE AND WEATHER
Sam Crawley: Climate polarisation in New Zealand: a growing left-right divide
Dita De Boni (Post): Green Fund 2.0: Can philanthropy lead where the Government fell short? (paywalled)
Te Aniwaniwa Paterson (Te Ao Māori): Pine plantations scrutinised in High Court case against Govt climate plan
Jim Salinger (The Conversation): What the coming El Niño climate pattern means for NZ in a warming world

ECONOMY AND BUSINESS
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Economists end week with plethora of warnings over Middle East turmoil (paywalled)
Duncan Garner (Listener): Feeling poor? Why it might not be a temporary blip (paywalled)
Herald: Payments firm Airwallex names Sir Bill English as chairman of New Zealand board
Simon Robertson (BusinessDesk): The Reserve Bank of New Zealand needs a wider remit (paywalled)

INEQUALITY AND WEALTH
Jenni Mortimer (Herald): New Zealand charity waitlists grow and donations cut up to 50% amid cost-of-living crisis
NBR: 40 years of the Rich List: 2006 Trade Me sale’s 17 millionaires (paywalled)
Simon Wilson (Listener): Meeting the Brit economist baffled by NZ’s lack of a wealth tax (paywalled)

BANKING
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): ASB’s long running transaction monitoring woes
Mahvash Ikram (Law News): ANZ and aggrieved customers square off in long-awaited multi-million-dollar class action
Jaime Lyth (BusinessDesk): ANZ argues class action lawsuit over loan error is ‘disproportionate’ (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Post): ANZ class action: Bank urges High Court to reject ‘nuclear option’ in home loan class action lawsuit (paywalled)
Hamish McNicol and Calida Stuart-Menteath (NBR): Believe the hype: NZ class actions are booming (paywalled)

WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
Joel Kulasingham (Herald): Most Auckland beaches unsafe for swimming due to wastewater overflow after stormy weather
Andrew Ashton (Waikato Times): ‘Brutal reality’: Hamilton’s water authority can’t fund growth alone (paywalled)
1News: Toxic algae red alerts for Wellington region rivers

WELLINGTON
Justin Wong (Local Democracy Reporting): Airport and business groups unite behind new Wellington tunnels plan
Ethan Manera (Herald): Wellington businesses demand clear timeline on second Mt Victoria Tunnel after Chris Bishop hints at delay (paywalled)
Nick James (Post): Local Government Minister Simon responds to blistering letter from Wellington mayor Andrew Little (paywalled)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Grant Miller (ODT): Council staff — on or off the agenda? (paywalled)
Mary Williams (ODT): Unravelling the city’s elected enigma (paywalled)
Tatiana Gibbs (Press): Cleaners face job cuts as Venues Ōtautahi accused of living wage ‘loophole’ (paywalled)
Mathew Nash (Local Democracy Reporting): Rotorua Museum: Bay of Plenty resident free entry condition axed from $4.1m grant

AUCKLAND
Richard Harman (Herald): Wayne Brown vs National: How Auckland politics now drives the Beehive (paywalled)
Wayne Brown (Herald): What Auckland needs: A five-point plan to fix unlock the city’s potential (paywalled)
Tim McCready (Herald): Eden Park boss Nick Sautner urges Auckland to think bigger on global stage (paywalled)
Desley Simpson (Herald): Auckland council savings plan targets $106m to hold rates at 7.9% (paywalled)
Simeon Brown (Herald): Auckland’s next decade: CRL, convention centre and a city back on track (paywalled)
Grant Bradley (Herald): Watercare $13.8b Auckland water upgrade: How new funding will be spent
Rupert Hodson (Herald): Auckland City & Regional Deal: Committee unveils new city narrative (paywalled)
Bill Bennett (Herald): Auckland growth plan: EMA says city must ‘connect the assets’
Chris Bishop (Herald): On Auckland’s future: Transit development key to growth (paywalled)
Penny Tucker (Herald): Auckland needs long-term national plan with city at centre of growth (paywalled)
Carrie Hurihanganui (Herald): Auckland’s next chapter: City Rail Link, Eden Park and airport investment
Gary Blick (Herald): Auckland Council and the economy: Five key ways its decisions shape growth
Marco Assorati (Herald): New Zealand infrastructure: Why the next decade is a once-only chance

CARTOONS

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IRAN WAR: ENERGY CRISIS
Matthew Hooton (Herald): Diesel shortage: Why our ‘benign’ isolation is now a brutal risk (paywalled)
Margaret Cooney (Post): As the fuel crisis bites, politicians should go bold and fast on electricity (paywalled)
Mandy Te (Interest): Government pushing ahead with plans for $1 billion LNG import terminal
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Truckies worry as diesel slows to a trickle: ‘Shortage would bring economy to its knees’
Matt Nippert (Herald): Iran war: What six incoming oil tankers mean for New Zealand’s fuel supply (paywalled)
Harriet Laughton and Nick James (Post): Iran war: Diesel, petrol and jet fuel to be given own alert levels in fleshed out fuel plan (paywalled)
Anneke Smith (Post): Iran war: Parliament preparing for hybrid sittings if fuel dries up (paywalled)
Timothy F Welch (Newsroom): Free public transport the fuel crisis response that makes sense
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Fuel crisis could get ugly, Bishop warns infrastructure sector (paywalled)
Audrey Young (Herald): Government’s oil-crisis response slick so far but the real test is coming; Labour navigates dangerous times (paywalled)
Richard Harman: Fuel supplies all at sea (paywalled)
Luisa Girao (Press): ‘Nothing left to cut’: Diesel surge squeezes rural New Zealand (paywalled)
Harriet Laughton (Post): Iran war: No on-site diesel for ambulances, but priority in national fuel plan (paywalled)
Bryce Wilkinson (Herald): The oil price policy traps from the 1970s which the Government should learn from (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Iran war: Pump price of 91 has risen by more than the imported cost, new figures suggest (paywalled)
Jo Moir (RNZ): NZ will not move up fuel alert level tomorrow, Willis says changes will not be sudden
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Concerns Iran war could hold up cancer care – Simeon Brown getting advice as helium supply, crucial for MRIs, put under pressure (paywalled)
Anna Whyte (Interest): Deputy PM David Seymour stresses supply focus ahead of release of fuel plan detail
Nick James (Post): Iran War: MBIE defends twice-weekly updates on fuel stocks amid criticism (paywalled)
Miriam Bell (Post): Iran war: Fuel crisis a ‘gut punch’ for forestry company in salvage mode (paywalled)
Rob Brewis (BusinessDesk): Fuel is super tight, so let’s float some boats (paywalled)
Ganesh Ahirao: Is $4/litre inevitable?
Edward Miller: As oil prices surge, how realistic is a worst-case inflation scenario of 3.7%?
Robert McLachlan (The Conversation): Driving in the wrong direction: why NZ’s oil consumption is at a 5 year high
Julia Gabel (Herald): Half of country’s most vulnerable children excluded from Govt’s fuel relief package
Russell Palmer (RNZ): More than half of families in material hardship will not get $50 fuel support package

WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
Farah Hancock (RNZ): These Waikato hydro lakes are supposed to be safe to swim in, but a toxic algae problem is getting worse
Nick James (Post): Wellington water war: Andrew Little blasts minister over looming bills, demands urgent price oversight (paywalled)
RNZ: Wellington Water seeks tender for fixing smelly Seaview wastewater treatment plant
Tom Hunt (Post): Tiaki Wai set to open in the red as councils shift $1.7b debt (paywalled)
Tina Law (Press): Council staff reject mayor’s plan to pump partially-treated wastewater into sea, say it could cost up to $18m (paywalled)
Brent Melville (NBR): Developers raise ‘serious questions’ over Auckland water deal (paywalled)
Madleine Carr White (RNZ): Toxic algae warnings issued for Hutt and Wairarapa rivers
Lucy Xia (RNZ): Mahurangi oyster farmers call for more transparency on Watercare’s compensation calculations

GOVERNMENT
Fox Meyer (Newsroom): Pike River families say workplace safety reforms are ‘sociopathic’
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Proposed deportation changes could disproportionately affect Pacific Island nationals
Rob Kidd (ODT): Charity chair takes aim at critics (paywalled)
Harriet Laughton (Post): High Court rules in favour of NZ College of Midwives, against Government (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): Minister confident her public service will help in private sector (paywalled)
NBR: ComCom selects Mbie deputy secretary Suzanne Stew as next CEO (paywalled)

SURCHARGE BAN
Mandy Te (Interest): Surcharge ban hits an impasse - ‘I don’t see a scenario where it gets passed before the election’
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Labour suggests way forward for card surcharge ban if retailers don’t bear the costs (paywalled)
Giles Dexter (RNZ): ACT and Retail NZ claim paywave surcharge ban ‘dead’, but National says that’s wrong
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Commerce Commission under pressure to prune spending on office greenery (paywalled)

PARLIAMENT AND ELECTION
Nik Dirga (RNZ): Politicians and defamation in an election year - How far can you go?
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): With his move to NZ First, Alfred Ngaro joins the party hopper hall of fame
David Harvey: The Empty chair – Chris Hipkins and the bankruptcy of the New Zealand left
Ani O’Brien: The truth about TOP
Geoff Fischer: An Opportunity for Q – Qiulae Wong and the Opportunity Party

GOVERNMENT FISHING BACKDOWN
Hayden Donnell (Spinoff): Everyone in New Zealand vs Shane Jones
Kerre Woodham (Newstalk ZB): The Fisheries Amendment Bill – time to go back to the drawing board?
Herald: Editorial – Fishing industry: This week’s U-turn by the Government is a win for the small fish (paywalled)
Steve Hepburn (ODT): Some fishers apparently miss memo on size, quantity rules (paywalled)

MEDIA
Ian Taylor (Stuff): ‘A question of trust’: Why I’m walking away from the NZ Herald
Stuff: Stuff Group to consolidate its print operations in Christchurch
Shayne Currie (Herald): Stuff to close Wellington print plant, 30 jobs up in air (paywalled)
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Post): Beer-ly a feud: Stuff and The Spinoff settle stoush over a pint (paywalled)
Shayne Currie (Herald): Mark Richardson’s TV exit; Troy Bowker v Sinead Boucher - war of words over Stuff print plant closure; Are Media CEO quits (paywalled)

EDUCATION
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): PPTA launches blistering attack on NCEA plan, as changes confirmed
Jaime Cunningham (Herald): More students, less money: Universities face unfunded enrolment crunch
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Association supports compulsory science for Year 11 students
Aotearoa Education Collective: Proposal to replace NCEA confirmed
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Tertiary Education Commission warns of government funding shortfall for domestic enrolments

POLICE
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Bill to give police new powers to move and detain introduced to Parliament
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): I’m surprised the police allowed the Tom Phillips documentary to happen
Paddy Gower (Stuff): Police forced to reveal Netflix is behind controversial Tom Phillips documentary
Sam Sherwood (RNZ): ‘No response’: Jevon McSkimming yet to pay back taxpayer funded hotel stays during affair
Michael Morrah (Herald): Woman in Jevon McSkimming case allegedly sent 87 emails to detective’s wife, some ‘threatening’ (paywalled)
Post: Frustration allegedly pushed McSkimming accuser to send offensive and threatening emails (paywalled)

COVID
Derek Cheng (Herald): Chris Hipkins says he never got the ‘unnecessary risk’ advice on teens and Covid vaccine. This Cabinet paper shows otherwise (paywalled)
Paula Lorgelly (The Conversation): In the next pandemic, NZ doesn’t need to choose between health and the economy
Peter Williams: Royal Commission always destined to come up short
Reid Basher: Weakness at the top: Covid-19 pandemic inquiry report
Reid Basher (Post): The even-bigger picture view of disaster readiness from the big-picture Covid review (paywalled)

JUSTICE
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Move to strip upbringing info from alcohol and drug court reports angers lawyers, counsellors
Catrin Owen (Stuff): What it’s cost taxpayers (so far) for an inquiry into a judge who spoke out at the Northern Club
Andrea Vance (Post): Judicial inquiry costs nearly $1 million – Judge Ema Aitken’s legal fees top the bill (paywalled)
Rachael Kelly (Press): Fake evidence or digital alibi? How AI is rewriting the rules of New Zealand courts (paywalled)
RNZ: Fewer victims of crime, annual Justice survey reveals

ECONOMY
Susan St John: Time to reset both the economy and income support
Martin Van Beynen (Post): How to stop major employers closing down (paywalled)
Sally Riad, Charlie Mitchell and Urs Daellenbach (Newsroom): How supermarkets use frame game to deflect attention on profits
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Student loans: Government giving Inland Revenue discretion to provide interest relief for overseas-based borrowers (paywalled)

HEALTH
Kate Green (RNZ): Emergency Department AI gives meth recipe in ‘jailbreak’ testing
Joanne Naish (Press): Call for constitution to give New Zealanders legal right to health care (paywalled)
RNZ: New needle exchange provider denies drug users are avoiding it

HOUSING
Henry Cooke (Post): Auditor-General wants clearer rules on emergency housing rejections following ninefold rise (paywalled)
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Minister stands by decision to tighten emergency housing criteria despite criticism
Pierson Palmer (Common Ground Aotearoa): Decay hurts us all

MINING AND DRILLING
Ruby Shaw (ODT): Jones pulls out of debate, blames media (paywalled)
Rachael Comer and Brooke Black (Press): Oil and gas exploration could mean significant economic opportunity for South Canterbury (paywalled)
Steve Hepburn (ODT): Expansion won’t encroach on town: miner (paywalled)
Greg Hurrell (BusinessDesk): Sams Creek drilling project firms up Golden Bay gold prospects (paywalled)
Liz McDonald (Press): Bids sought for oil and gas search off South Island coast (paywalled)

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ENERGY POLICY
Mandy Te (Interest): NZ First, the Greens and Labour all eyeing change to the gentailer model
Nick James (Post): Energy Minister says nearly $1m salary for head of defunct Crown-owned fund ‘hard to justify’ (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): LNG plan ‘worst of both worlds’, environment watchdog warns
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Electricity Authority launches ‘Billy’ as Consumer NZ says it’s not shelving PowerSwitch (paywalled)
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Electricity Authority launches Billy for power price comparison, switching (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Supply of new power industry workers not keeping pace with forecast demand, report warns (paywalled)
Gamaliel Ramos (Post): The ghost of 1988: Contending with Rogernomics at the petrol pump (paywalled)
Steve Hepburn (ODT): Ministers soften stance on Onslow (paywalled)
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Fuel price surge sharpens scrutiny of Gull–NPD merger as Exxon sale talk builds (paywalled)

IRAN WAR: ENERGY CRISIS
Luke Malpass (Post): Iran war: Fuel pressure builds as Government prepares to unveil high-level response plan (paywalled)
Janet Wilson (Post): As the pressure mounts over building fuel crisis, Nicola Willis is showing why she’s there (paywalled)
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): Government considers helping refurbish Channel Infrastructure’s empty Marsden Point fuel storage tanks (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Fuel update: Government to announce fuel alert framework on Friday as stocks fall 10% in two weeks
Richard Harman: What aren’t we being told about fuel supplies? (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Shane Jones canned emergency diesel plan: Labour (paywalled)
Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Fuel price shock: Who misses out under tax credit boost
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): EV owners complain of ‘50 percent’ power price increases
Lee Marshall (Post): Fuel price-gouging claims aren’t true or helpful (paywalled)
Anna Whyte (Interest): Questions about next phase of fuel response as more flights cancelled and jet fuel prices jump

IRAN WAR: GOVT $50 SUPPORT PACKAGE ANNOUNCED
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): $50 a week for some in NZ. How are other countries dealing with the fuel crisis?
Tyson Beckett (Herald): Fuel crisis: Anti-poverty group slams lack of financial support for beneficiaries
Bella Craig (RNZ): ‘Uncaring and humiliating’ - fuel package leaves many drivers out in the cold
Susan St. John (Daily Blog): Fuel crisis package and the ‘paid work first’ failure

GOVERNMENT FISHING BACKDOWN
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): U-turn on fish sizes not enough for some
Gill Higgins (1News): Hooked: Govt U-turn on changes to commercial fishing size limits
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): Government backdown on removing commercial fishing size limits
Emma Ricketts and Jenna Lynch (Stuff): Government squabbles over who forced fishing backdown

GOVERNMENT
Jamie Ensor (Herald): NCEA to be abolished: Government confirms new secondary school qualifications coming - what parents, students need to know
Jonathan Ayling (Herald): Bluesky social media move makes Parliament and courts look partisan (paywalled)
Richard Prebble (Herald): AI is breaking our transparency law – and it could be the only fix (paywalled)
Joel MacManus (Spinoff): The many dodgy claims behind the government’s major events fund
Newstalk ZB: Pay equity overhaul: Govt minister ‘surprised’ by rights watchdog pushback
Steve Hepburn (ODT): Fast-track Act slammed as dictatorial (paywalled)
Joanne Naish (Post): Government Bill undoes Pike River legacy, families say (paywalled)
Sam Sherwood (RNZ): Bullying allegations against senior Corrections staffer raised more than a month ago
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Treasury told minister reviewer had taken Reserve Bank to court but it saw no conflict of interest (paywalled)
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): ACC helps launch Zealandia investment fund, targeting public-private partnerships, with $300m commitment (paywalled)
Brent Melville (NBR): ACC stumps up with $300m for new PPP fund (paywalled)
Herald: Editorial – Government right to review dog control laws (paywalled)

NATIONAL PARTY FUNDRAISING
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Selling access to the PM for $10,000
Anneke Smith (Post): Gold-plated dinner: How much you’d pay for a meal with Christopher Luxon, Nicola Willis or Simeon Brown (paywalled)
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Should we be outraged at the dinner charging $10k to sit with Luxon?
No Right Turn: Naked corruption

PARLIAMENT AND ELECTION
Alexia Russell (Newsroom): It’s election year – let the lies, damn lies, and dodgy statistics flow
Andrea Vance (Post): Election at risk? The hidden hurdles facing the 2026 vote (paywalled)
Julia Gabel (Herald): Speaker Gerry Brownlee asks court to recall and reconsider Mariameno Kapa-Kingi judgment
Brent Edwards (NBR): The debate on strengthening New Zealand’s ailing democracy (paywalled)
Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Can a ‘CEO’ PM survive a crisis when his own partners are eating his vote?
Phil Smith (RNZ): The House: MPs debate an apparent offer to assist in the Strait of Hormuz
Joe Hendren: Winston Peters: Pugwash for the People
Brent Edwards (NBR): Legislation will increase workplace harm, select committee told (paywalled)
Hayden Donnell (Spinoff): Hard hats, the ultimate accessory for the plan-challenged politician
Steven Cowan: Workers won’t miss Brooke van Velden

GREEN PARTY HOUSING POLICY
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Greens promise to cap rent rises at 2 percent a year
Adam Pearse (Herald): Green Party election housing policy: Rent increase caps, a rental WoF and tens of thousands of new public homes
Kerre Woodham (Newstalk ZB): ‘They’re must-haves’: The Greens’ fuel relief package should be seriously considered
Mandy Te (Interest): Greens pledge ‘to stop housing being treated as a state-sanctioned casino’
Harriet Laughton (Post): Greens to cap rents at 2% in sweeping housing policy (paywalled)

HOUSING
Julia Gabel (Herald): Auditor-General says social welfare staff need clearer guidelines on declining emergency housing under new criteria
Māni Dunlop (Te Ao Māori News): Emergency housing rejections surge with Māori continuing to bear the brunt
Greg Ninness (Interest): Residential investment property is becoming characterised by increasingly low returns
Maria Slade (BusinessDesk): Ockham lays off staff amid ongoing apartment downturn (paywalled)

ECONOMY
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): New Zealand is expensive, Reserve Bank economist says - here’s what we can do about it
Stuff: Productivity growth the only way to lower cost of living, Reserve Bank says
David Hargreaves (Interest): Westpac economists see 1% house price fall, 5.6% unemployment and 4.1% inflation
Anna Whyte (Interest): Monetary policy can’t fix cost of living, structural reform key to growth, RBNZ chief economist Paul Conway says
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Infrastructure spend in New Zealand must work harder: user-pays in focus
Liam Dann (Herald): Iran conflict fallout: Westpac tips GDP to shrink in June quarter (paywalled)
Cameron Bagrie (BusinessDesk): RBNZ soothes on oil shock but inflation pressures are building (paywalled)
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): From 60c to $5.79: Farmer says ‘someone is making a big margin’ as plant shuts
Riley Kennedy (BusinessDesk): Nestlé visits New Zealand, pitching dairy partnerships and net zero (paywalled)
Nicholas Pointon (NBR): Decline in director bans expected to reverse (paywalled)
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): NZ Post and eight courier firms warned over cartel conduct
Miriam Bell (Post): ‘Who is making the margins?’ McCain closure and war price spike crushing NZ vege growers (paywalled)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Ethan Manera (Herald): Wellington water bills: Local Govt Minister Simon Watts steps in over higher-than-expected charges
Ellen O’Dwyer (RNZ): Wellingtonians face average $2400 water bill next year, massive increases to follow
Tom Hunt (Post): Wellington Water ‘clarifies’ Moa Point staffing claims but won’t say if alarms acted on (paywalled)
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): Whanganui council faces criticism after $62k logo spend
Blayne Slabbert (Press): Ratepayer-funded agency secures $114m investment, but creates just 69 of 500 target jobs at halfway point (paywalled)
RNZ: Dunedin councillor Benedict Ong asked to resign after code of conduct breach
Grant Miller (ODT): Ong asked to resign as mayor ‘horrified’ by conduct report (paywalled)
ODT: Editorial – Councillor Ong stays on (paywalled)
Matt Cowley (Herald): Bay of Plenty Regional Council should not rush investment portfolio, Tauranga Port decision (paywalled)
Ben McNulty (Post): It’s your time to be heard on Wellington City Council’s spending (paywalled)

HEALTH
RNZ: Dozens of modern medicines languish on Pharmac’s drug wish list. for years
RNZ: More recruitment leading to shorter wait times for mental health patients, govt says
Lianne Dalziel (Newsroom): ‘Peters misrepresents global pandemic rule changes’
Kate Green (RNZ): Health NZ staff told to stop using ChatGPT to write clinical notes
Chris Wilkins, Marta Rychert and Robin van der Sanden (The Conversation): The price of meth has been plunging in NZ. Are Mexican cartels driving the drop?

MEDIA
Catrin Owen (Stuff): How billionaire Jim Grenon’s name came up in a defamation case against TVNZ
Gavin Ellis: Ad spend milestone is nothing for New Zealand to celebrate
Spinoff: Anna Fifield joins The Spinoff to take the reins of the World Bulletin
Steve Braunias (Listener): On legends of the trade: Bernard Orsman, Mark Sainsbury, Fran O’Sullivan, Cathy Campbell and Chris Rattue (paywalled)
Shayne Currie (Herald): Former TV3 boss Juliet Peterson to leave Sky TV after just eight months (paywalled)
Annabelle Russell (NBR): Substack appoints ANZ head of partnerships (paywalled)

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NZ’S INVOLVEMENT IN WAR
Alexander Gillespie (The Conversation): How and why NZ could be drawn into the Iran war – and the high stakes involved
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Combat deployment of NZ troops to Middle East unlikely, even if help asked - law professor
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Winston Peters says New Zealand not ‘rushing to contribute military forces to this conflict’
RNZ: NZ not yet committed to Strait of Hormuz action, despite NATO statement - David Seymour
Anneke Smith (Post): New Zealand ready to help secure Strait of Hormuz- but how? (paywalled)
Phil Pennington (RNZ): NZ has ‘seized opportunities’ to work closer with US on defence, space - MFAT briefing
Keith Rankin: Has New Zealand just signed up for World War Three?
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Call for uni to cut ties with Israel-linked tech firm (paywalled)

IRAN WAR: GOVT $50 SUPPORT PACKAGE ANNOUNCED
Luke Malpass (Post): Iran war: When petrol money politics meets hard fiscal limits (paywalled)
Justin Hu (1News): ‘Fails to meet the crisis’: Govt fuel relief draws opposition reaction
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Willis unveils $50-a-week fuel crisis package with three Ts and zero Covid
Zeb Tupa’i (Herald): Fuel relief: How New Zealand’s $50 support package compares with support overseas
Adam Pearse (Herald): Fuel crisis: About 140,000 families to receive $50 a week to help with high fuel prices
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Fuel costs support package: Will those who most need help get any?
RNZ: Who will be eligible to get an extra $50 a week as part of the fuel crisis package?
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Fuel crisis package: Nearly 150,000 families to receive $50 a week
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Iran war: Nicola Willis downplays chance of wage subsidies as it dishes out help for households (paywalled)
ODT: Editorial – $50 better than nowt? (paywalled)
Nick James (Post): Iran war: Government announces $50 boost to Working for Families (paywalled)
Gill Higgins (1News): Govt fuel relief ‘should have gone to business’ – struggling region

IRAN WAR: ENERGY CRISIS
Grant Duncan: Election year gets blown up: fuel prices rise, reputations plummet
Herald: Editorial – Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis are in a lose-lose situation. We should keep calm and carry on (paywalled)
Gordon Campbell: On the Government’s juggling of public anxiety over fuel prices
Ani O’Brien: Slashing taxes won’t fix the Fuel Shock, targeted measures the right move
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Government getting advice on proposal to boost Marsden Point storage
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Fuel prices keep drivers off roads
Anneke Smith (Post): Defence Force scaling back activity to conserve fuel (paywalled)
Jo Moir (RNZ): Fuel prices to stay high for at least 100 days, officials tell Labour
Rachel Maher (Herald): Ministry of Education weighs remote learning as fuel crisis worsens, attendance drops
Roeland van den Bergh (Post): Iran war: Diesel price rise adds a $7 million cost to NZ a day, trucking body says (paywalled)
Katy Jones (Press): Fishing giant loses at least $4 million to high diesel price (paywalled)
Jonathan Milne (NBR): The three tankers that hold NZ’s last confirmed oil supplies (paywalled)

ENERGY POLICY
Kevin E Trenberth (Newsroom): NZ’s energy dependence won’t be solved by the private sector
Henry Cooke (Post): Will we ever raise petrol taxes again? (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Government approves Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme for ‘fast-tracking’ (paywalled)
Steve Hepburn (ODT): Lake Onslow ‘game changer’ on fast track (paywalled)

BROOKE VAN VELDEN EXIT
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Act’s heir apparent Brooke van Velden calls time on politics
Audrey Young (Herald): Brooke van Velden exit: what her departure means for David Seymour, Act and Tāmaki (paywalled)
RNZ: ACT Party deputy and minister Brooke van Velden retires from politics
Henry Cooke (Post): ACT deputy leader Brooke van Velden not standing for re-election (paywalled)

GOVERNMENT
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Te Kāika and the broken model of social service contracting
Mary Williams (ODT): $123k paid to chair’s company (paywalled)
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Chris Finlayson: Punish ministers for Official Information Act breaches (paywalled)
Adam Pearse (Herald): ‘Human error’: Education Minister admits sending National Party video to principals through ministerial email
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Business of Government: Public sector grows, merger pushback and more (paywalled)
Cécile Meier (BusinessDesk): Government AI spending hits $20.2m with real cost likely far higher (paywalled)
Harriet Laughton (Post): Ministers differ over why Government rejected WHO rules on pandemics (paywalled)
Centrist: Still little sign of ‘austerity’ in the public service

PARLIAMENT AND ELECTION
Ethan Griffiths (Herald): National Party fundraiser offers $10,000 dinner with Christopher Luxon
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Exclusive poll results reveal if Kiwis’ view of National’s Christopher Luxon, Labour’s Chris Hipkins changed after recent troubles (paywalled)
Chris Trotter: Breaking-up is hard to do – Divorcing Labour from neoliberalism, the Treaty and identity politics will not be easy
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Nicola Willis tells Labour there’s a new sheriff in town (paywalled)
Liam Hehir (The Blue Review): The problem with TOP
Stuff: Winston Peters makes squiggly letter joke after Greens reach out with real letter
Joseph Los’e (Herald): Labour selects Kerrin Leoni to take on Oriini Kaipara in Tāmaki Makaurau electorate
Oliver Hartwich (Newsroom): Liberal democracy suffers its great leap backward
No Right Turn: Not a government in waiting

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Ellen O’Dwyer (RNZ): Wellingtonians’ water bills jump by hundreds of dollars, more increases to come
Tom Hunt (Post): Wellingtonians told to expect $200-a-month water bill rising to $566 within the decade (paywalled)
Ethan Manera (Herald): New Wellington water entity Tiaki Wai opens books, warns of higher costs to households to boost investment (paywalled)
Julie Jacobson (Post): Cost-conscious Wellington council slashes $600k Civic Square activity budget (paywalled)
Jonathan Killick (Post): Wayne Brown’s ‘new deal’ for Auckland developers (paywalled)
Tess Brunton (RNZ): Dunedin City Council considers sanctioning first-termer Benedict Ong for code of conduct breach
Ruby Shaw (ODT): Ong nominates himself for NZME board (paywalled)
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Cultural assessments ‘massive over-reach’ (paywalled)

RESERVE BANK
Damien Venuto (Stuff): The RBNZ Governor said ‘medium term’ 17 times – here’s what that means for your mortgage
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Reserve Bank should ‘avoid reacting too early’ to higher inflation, says governor (paywalled)
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): RBNZ’s Anna Breman sees potential for ‘decent growth’ in the economy (paywalled)
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): Short-lived disruption ‘can and should’ be looked through: RBNZ (paywalled)
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Iran war: Reserve Bank Governor abandons her original speech notes

HEALTH
Amanda Gillies (Newsroom): ‘It can kill within 24 hours’: Kiwi Dad’s plea as meningitis emerges in Dunedin
Laura Frykberg (Stuff): Heading to Wellington Hospital’s ED? There’s about a 50% chance you’ll be waiting over six hours
Nicholas Jones (Stuff): The columnist who died on the way to hospital as his final words were published
Felix Walton (RNZ): Government announces new diabetes roadmap but keeps details secret, for now
Fiona Ellis (Waikato Times): ‘We do have a crisis here’: Call to boost cardiology workforce (paywalled)
David Farrar: More progress with health targets

HOUSING AND URBAN PLANNING
Penny Smith (RNZ): Homelessness among older people at crisis levels, Christchurch Methodist Mission says
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Alain Bertaud on Auckland’s urban planning, housing debate and global mistakes (paywalled)
Deborah Morris (Post): Nowhere to park: The gap between planning and real life (paywalled)
Waikato Times: Housing Minister gives green light for 1500 Te Awa homes development (paywalled)
BusinessDesk: Govt changes its tune on property management regulation (paywalled)
Brent Melville (NBR): Glendowie golden visa, Bayswater watch what £20k bought in 1967 (paywalled)

MINING AND OIL
Ben Tomsett (Herald): Santana Minerals’ Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project mine divides Central Otago (paywalled)
Blayne Slabbert (Post): Why the US wants in on West Coast minerals (paywalled)
Samantha Gee (RNZ): Golden Bay gold mine proposal pushing ahead ‘without any genuine community consent’, say locals
ODT: New push to drill for oil off Otago coast (paywalled)
Steve Hepburn (ODT): Oil rigs off Otago coast long shot as applications open (paywalled)
Caroline Orchiston (ODT): Telling communities about mining and quakes (paywalled)

ECONOMY
Joel MacManus (Spinoff): Iran War: Is the New Zealand economy cooked?
Paddy Gower (Stuff): ‘Ghosted, rejected, depressing’: 22-year-old graduate, 13 months unemployed, 60 job applications, not one interview
Miriam Bell (Post): Construction tech could cut millions from NZ’s infrastructure budget (paywalled)
Anne Gibson (Herald): Construction slump deepens as New Zealand’s crane index falls to lowest level since 2016 (paywalled)
Sarah Ramsay (ODT): Long-term focus needed for country’s growth and confidence (paywalled)
Blayne Slabbert (Post): South Island gets $5b economic boom while Wellington goes backwards (paywalled)
Blayne Slabbert (Press): Canterbury’s $55b engine booms, but Southland is the star student (paywalled)
Katie Hunter and Charlotte Graham (Waikato Times): Waikato tops North Island in economic bounce-back (paywalled)
RNZ: McCain to close Hastings vegetable processing plant by January 2027
Damien Venuto (Stuff): KiwiSaver contributions will increase on 1 April. There could be unintended consequences
Murray Harris (Post): Hands off our future: Expand, don’t erode, the country’s KiwiSaver scheme (paywalled)

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FUEL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF IRAN WAR
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Labour leader Chris Hipkins not offering policy ideas to help Kiwis amid fuel price rises
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Government set to unveil details of fuel support package
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Fuel cost crisis: Govt to unveil ‘targeted and temporary’ support tomorrow
Julia Gabel (Herald): Fuel prices: Government to announce support package for families under the pump as petrol hits $4 a litre in some areas
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Cost of living relief is coming and we have a plan for the global fuel crisis, says Government
Henry Cooke (Post): Iran war: Chris Bishop says fuel crisis will force major rethink of transport plan - including fuel tax hikes (paywalled)
Nick James (Post): Iran war: No public transport fare hikes in the pipeline ‒ and definitely no subsidies (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Iran war: ANZ urges Government to avoid debt trap with its new fuel support package tomorrow (paywalled)
Dita De Boni (Post): Iran war: NZ petrol stocks dip below 50 days, one tanker due the next week: MBIE (paywalled)
Miriam Bell (Post): Iran war: Why construction is one of the industries hit first and hardest in a fuel crisis (paywalled)
Jenna Lynch (Stuff): Do we need a lockdown to dampen diesel demand?
Karanama Ruru (Stuff): It’s not ‘dirty’: NZ to start importing fuel to Australian standards amid oil crisis
Richard Harman: Little known trade agreement could save our fuel supplies (paywalled)
Richard Harman: Will politics trump the ratings agencies and Treasury? (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Employers offering transport perks warned of tax rules
Dave Armstrong (Post): Fuel crisis exposes need for bold transport rethink (paywalled)
John Gerritsen (RNZ): School attendance services warn rising fuel prices likely to drive up truancy
Roeland van den Bergh (Post): Airlines fear being stranded in NZ as global jet fuel supply tightens (paywalled)
Katie Todd (RNZ): How rising costs are reshaping New Zealand’s regional air links
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Government relaxes fuel standards to secure more fuel shipments, Jones hints change could be permanent (paywalled)

ENERGY AND EVS
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Treasury revises advice after initial scepticism of $1 billion LNG terminal (paywalled)
Kate MacNamara (Herald): Government taps shuttered green fund to push ahead with $8m LNG import plan (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Government sticking by LNG plan in wake of Middle East conflict (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Will you get a solar rebate from your power company?
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Full steam ahead for plan to boost geothermal energy use (paywalled)
BusinessDesk: How decades of change ended Marsden Point refinery (paywalled)
John O’Sullivan (Post): Unleashing the energy superpower under our feet (paywalled)
David Williams (Newsroom): Slow chargers underpin Govt’s slow-track investment in public EV chargers
Jack Riddell (Herald): Fuel crisis: The next NZ shortage could be electric and hybrid vehicles, as customers flock to them

NZ FIRST
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Peters plays the power card
Luke Malpass (Post): Peters sets out NZ First’s new election stall leaning into conservatism (paywalled)
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Winston Peters acknowledges power companies may challenge split plan
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): What will this election do for New Zealand

RNZ-REID RESEARCH POLL
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): RNZ-Reid Research poll: Labour extends lead over National
Jo Moir (RNZ): RNZ-Reid Research poll: Bleak numbers for Luxon, but no obvious successors
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Christopher Luxon says he’s focused on fuel challenges not polls

GOVERNMENT, PARLIAMENT AND ELECTION
Mike Grimshaw: 5+8x10 = NZ? On tribes, politics and NZ society
Kate MacNamara (Herald): $1.2b Regional Infrastructure Fund: Which private companies have benefited so far (paywalled)
Joel Maxwell (Stuff): What did this coalition leave behind, a country feeling worse off?
Sam Crawley: How partisan is Treaty of Waitangi opinion?
Anneke Smith (Post): NZ public backs even tougher gun laws after Bondi shooting – survey (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): Willis rejects further changes to personal tax thresholds (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): Thin capitalisation rules acting as a ‘barrier to investment’ (paywalled)
Roeland van den Bergh (Post): Push for container refund scheme ahead of election (paywalled)
Thomas Manch (BusinessDesk): Critical infrastructure company directors could be fined under proposed cyber-security regulations (paywalled)

BANKS
Rob Stock (Post): Judge dubs outcome sought by ANZ borrowers in High Court class action ‘pretty extreme’ (paywalled)
Jaime Lyth (BusinessDesk): ANZ class action: 17,000 customers take on bank at High Court (paywalled)
Brent Melville (NBR): New Zealand’s largest class action kicks off against ANZ (paywalled)
Andy Macdonald (BusinessDesk): Open banking: Big banks yet to issue end date for suboptimal transacting (paywalled)
Andy Macdonald (BusinessDesk): Payments NZ and MBIE resist claims of ‘significant disconnect’ in open banking progress (paywalled)
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): FMA makes ‘groundbreaking’ crypto ruling as sector pushes for regulation

HEALTH
Nicholas Jones (Stuff): His heart stopped. Days later, a letter arrived telling him he wasn’t a priority
Fiona Ellis (Waikato Times): Struggle to see specialist: Majority of cardiology referrals declined (paywalled)
Louisa Wall (Post): Fixing Māori health inequities demands system change, not tweaks (paywalled)
1News: Cocaine consumption surges to all‑time high in New Zealand
Harriet Laughton (Post): Record-breaking cocaine use calls for radical shift in government drug policy (paywalled)

ECONOMY
RNZ: Canterbury leads ASB’s rankings as Auckland rebounds and Wellington finishes last
Ryan Bridge (Newstalk ZB): Don’t expect a lolly scramble from the Government
Damien Venuto (Stuff): The $50,000 tax trap that could quietly cost Kiwi investors thousands
Tom Raynel (Herald): Debt Awareness Week: Four in five New Zealanders ashamed to admit they are struggling (paywalled)
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): Tasman exodus in charts – better pay, higher costs
Stuart Williams (Post): ‘Meat-and-potatoes’-like NZX is not a total insulation from the ripple effects of war (paywalled)
David Chaplin (BusinessDesk): KiwiSaver reforms for farms and rentals expose politics over policy (paywalled)
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): India a key export growth priority, but risks still linger (paywalled)

FISHING AND AGRICULTURE
Gill Higgins (1News): Debate grows over proposed changes to commercial fishing size limits
Ross McNaughton (RNZ): Shane Jones labels critics of fisheries bill as ‘noisy voices’
Andrew Jeffs (Post): Auckland seafood harvesting ban hides hidden hooks (paywalled)
Tina Morrison (Newsroom): ‘Incredible risk’ as calls for national farm database rejected
Mike Yardley (Press): Wattie’s closure threatens food security and demands taking a stand for our growers (paywalled)
Paul McBeth: Fonterra’s mission impossible becomes mission accomplished
Liam Dann (Herald): Fonterra profit jumps, risk around costs of war disruption flagged (paywalled)
Riley Kennedy (BusinessDesk): Fonterra milks the gains but Middle East conflict looms over outlook (paywalled)
Will Mace (NBR): Fonterra shirks off supply chain disruption, boosts forecasts (paywalled)
1News: Five applicants seek to operate NZ’s largest farm

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; DEFENCE
Chris Trotter (Interest): When it comes to national security, small countries can either obey or think
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): How NZ military plans to ramp up drone use
Olivier Jutel, David Jenkins, Richard Jackson and Fairleigh Gilmour (ODT): Otago is lining up with an Israeli cyber war giant (paywalled)
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Weapons not part of any future NZDF contracts: Uni (paywalled)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Alexia Russell (Newsroom): Candidates distance themselves from fraudulent election
Hayden Donnell (Spinoff): Wtf: we are throwing out so many votes for no good reason
Matthew Rosenberg (Local Democracy Reporting): Council staff face ‘emerging tensions’ on Rakiura/Stewart Island
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Documents reveal disharmony between Napier Mayor and councillors

HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS
Maui Brennan and Jacqueline Paul (Newsroom): Fact-checking Potaka’s claim that rents are more affordable
Mina Martin (NZ Adviser): Housing slump leaves RBNZ with fewer levers and buyers squeezed
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): 400 new homes in pipeline (paywalled)
Kelvin Davidson (One Roof): First-home buyers still on top - but the storm clouds are gathering

TRANSPORT
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Road rage of a different kind: How cranes and trucks are feeling jammed up
Nick James (Post): Auckland Harbour Bridge investment case to be considered by NZTA board (paywalled)
Deborah Chambers (Herald): Auckland’s motorway crash response system is so outdated (paywalled)
1News: Six remote roads set to lose full NZTA funding, mayors want rethink
Nick James (Post): Auckland Harbour Bridge investment case to be considered by NZTA board (paywalled)
Charlyse Tansey (Newsroom): Road rules shakeup on the table

EDUCATION
Paula Penfold (Stuff): Education website removes videos of sex offender after Stuff inquiry
Rachel Maher (Herald): Massey University brings back in-person exams to combat AI cheating (paywalled)
Chris Abercrombie (Herald): The new school qualifications system needs to be introduced as a whole package (paywalled)
John Gerritsen (RNZ): School attendance improves in some areas after truancy overhaul

CLIMATE CHANGE
Thomas Mead (1News): Council proposes to move beach community amid sea level rise
Thomas Mead (1News): As waves surge, tiny Canterbury community raises $200,000 for seawall
Herald: Editorial – The conversation you have to have if you live in a beachfront property (paywalled)

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NZ FIRST
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): Nationalist with a capital W: Winston Peters sets out NZ First’s plan to win 2026
Mandy Te (Interest): NZ First wants to split power gentailers into separate generators and retailers
RNZ: Winston Peters announces proposal to overhaul energy sector in State of the Nation speech
Adam Pearse (Herald): Winston Peters’ newest candidate makes a stuttering start but could solve NZ First’s dilemma (paywalled)
Adam Pearse (Herald): Winston Peters’ State of the Nation: Former National minister Alfred Ngaro to stand for NZ First
Stuff: Peters unveils power shake-up in speech hitting out at ‘woke agenda’ and ‘weirdos with purple hair’
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): Peters says NZ First would split power companies up (paywalled)

GOVERNMENT, PARLIAMENT AND ELECTION
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Politicians find it ‘difficult to assess’ what Ministry for Ethnic Communities achieving, encourage better performance reporting (paywalled)
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Government data being held by ‘unvetted third parties’ - Treasury report
Grant Duncan: Private lives of public figures: when the personal becomes political
Claire Robinson: ACT came to government to shrink the state. Instead it shrank National’s polling
Louis Collins (RNZ): What to expect when you’re expecting an election
Henry Cooke (Post): Agenda: Fuel crisis deepens as Government moves to twice weekly updates (paywalled)

FUEL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF IRAN WAR
Danyl McLauchlan (Listener): Fossil fools: On the coalition’s petrol problem (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Green Party suggests axing infrastructure projects, mainly in Auckland, to make public transport free for three months
RNZ: Fuel price strains send public transport numbers skyrocketing
Verity Johnson (Stuff): This feels like March 2020 all over again
Jesse Mulligan: Soooooooo-lar Power
RNZ: Seven weeks worth of fuel stocks in NZ - Finance Minister Nicola Willis
Laura Frykberg (Stuff): Nicola Willis says we have enough fuel for now, economists are sceptical it will stay that way
Herald: Finance Minister Nicola Willis says seven weeks worth of fuel in New Zealand storage but ‘we are not relaxed’
André Chumko (Post): Iran war: Government leans on seven-week fuel buffer as AA urges restraint (paywalled)
Grant Bradley (Post): The 12-hour jet fuel warning that could ground New Zealand (paywalled)
Keiller MacDuff (RNZ): Misinformation being spread on fuel price app, but intentions unclear
Catherine Masters (One Roof): ‘Nasty’ fuel shocks and deserted open homes: What escalating Iran war means for NZ house prices
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): Middle East conflict puts upward pressure on mortgage rates, for now (paywalled)
Idea: How to protect the poorest during a fuel crisis (paywalled)

EVS
Keiller MacDuff (RNZ): $50m plan to double the number of public EV chargers
Stuff: Government-backed investment set to double number of public EV chargers across country
Post: Government loans and private investment to add another 2500 EV chargers across NZ, doubling network
Mandy Te (Interest): Government, Meridian Energy and ChargeNet to more than double EV chargers across New Zealand

THE PRESS SOUTH ISLAND POWER LIST 2026
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Who really runs the South Island?
Philip Matthews (Press): The Press Power List names the South Island’s most influential individual (paywalled)
Philip Matthews (Press): The Press Power List 2026: Whose power has increased, who has lost their way? (paywalled)
Liz McDonald (Press): Richard Peebles crawled out of a collapsed building, then helped rebuild the city around it (paywalled)
Philip Matthews (Press): New names in politics, the arts, technology: The Press Power List’s Ones to Watch (paywalled)

HEALTH
Fox Meyer (Newsroom): Health NZ downplays security flaw found in its vaunted AI chatbot
Ian Powell: Ethics of conviction and ethics of responsibility in health systems
Gill South (Stuff): To pay or self-insure? The painful private healthcare conundrum hitting Kiwis
Michael Morrah (Herald): Specialist mental health team excluded from decisions on shared prison cells for mentally ill prisoners
Fiona Ellis (Post): Struggle to see specialist: Majority of cardiology referrals declined (paywalled)
Andrea Vance (Post): Principals ‘deeply alarmed’ as school nurses could be slashed by half (paywalled)
Curtis Walker (Waikato Times): A plan ignored: How New Zealand failed its kidney patients (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): 4.5 or two-star water? Health labels confuse
Alice Peacock (Newsroom): Pharmac owes it to taxpayers to fund weight loss drugs – Novo Nordisk boss

HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS
1News: Two million homes? Visiting planner weighs in on Auckland housing debate
Jonathan Killick (Post): ‘This is damning’: Auckland councillor releases PC120 feedback report (paywalled)
Fiona Terry (Listener): Title fights: What owners wished they knew before buying into apartments and townhouses (paywalled)
Charlotte Mulder (1News): West Coast town’s housing stock at breaking point amid mining boom
Nadine Higgins (Herald): Why a Kiwi investor is choosing to rent instead of buying
Critic: Tamatha Paul talks housing

MEDIA
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Post): Metro magazine ends print run to focus on digital future (paywalled)
Charlotte Glennie (Listener): ‘Covering a natural disaster is very different to witnessing horror that’s deliberately inflicted’ (paywalled)
Jean Balchin (ODT): Student mag fundamental to uni community (paywalled)
Ani O’Brien: The sudden discovery of restraint and empathy in journalism

ECONOMY
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Wake up New Zealand: The panda wants a cuddle (paywalled)
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): RBNZ Governor Anna Breman’s speech pivots to focus on Middle East war (paywalled)
Chris Keall (Herald): Halter tipped for raise at $3.3 billion valuation, Kiwi fund details huge gains (paywalled)
Geerten Lengkeek (Post): Fonterra’s real turnaround was productivity (paywalled)
Mark Lister (Herald): Election 2026 and your portfolio: Why investors should stick to the plan (paywalled)
Aimee Shaw (Post): Hollowed Out: Global tech giant Tata Consultancy Services denies wiping out NZ jobs (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): KiwiSaver members get human rights warning

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; DEFENCE
1News: ‘Extreme risk’: Retired general’s warning about NZDF amid Iran conflict
Steven Cowan: The New Zealand Government has capitulated to Trump
Graye Shattky (ODT): New Zealand in this changing world — a trusted partner (paywalled)

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PARLIAMENT AND ELECTION
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): New Zealand First leader Winston Peters to make State of the Nation speech
Damien Grant (Stuff): Why Chris Hipkins’ private life is is none of our business
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): None of the allegations against Chris Hipkins are valuable to voters (paywalled)
Tracy Watkins (Sunday Star Times): The Facebook post, the media and the Opposition leader (paywalled)
Cecilia Robinson (Herald): Chris Hipkins scrutiny shows rising personal cost of public life in NZ (paywalled)
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): What a miserable little place Wellington is, when it turns ugly on you
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): Act’s Nicole McKee is the ‘guns, booze and dirty money’ minister
Brent Edwards (NBR): Opportunity Party names election candidates (paywalled)

ECONOMY
Aimee Shaw (Sunday Star Times): Hollowed Out: Where did all the jobs go? (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker and Luke Malpass (Post): Fitch puts negative outlook on NZ credit rating (paywalled)
Liam Dann (Herald): Let’s learn Covid lessons and hold our nerve through this crisis (paywalled)
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Nicola Willis faces fuel-crisis budget reckoning as diesel pain spreads (paywalled)
Damien Venuto (Stuff): NZ Super will have to change. Are you saving enough for what’s coming?
Ed Scragg (Stuff): Fitch long term credit rating outlook for NZ revised to ‘negative’
Ifor Ffowcs-Williams (Post): Cluster development is a way to make NZ a ‘place where talent wants to live’ (paywalled)
Alwyn Poole (Kiwiblog): The Hugely problematic size of Government in NZ

FUEL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF IRAN WAR
Vernon Small (Sunday Star Times): Government steadies itself in fuel crisis while Opposition struggles for traction (paywalled)
Sam Stubbs (Sunday Star Times): The Iran war: Let’s not waste this crisis (paywalled)
Toss Grumley (Sunday Star Times): Turmoil in the world: this too shall pass (paywalled)
Virginia Fallon (Post): Five days of fuel: How the pressure unfolded at the pump (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): $4 a litre 91 petrol is coming, but take care with data showing it’s here in main centres
RNZ: Fuel crisis: AA warns against panic buying, stockpiling
Kevin Norquay (Sunday Star Times): EV or not to EV, that is the question (paywalled)
Henry Cooke (Sunday Star Times): Iran war: How much could you save by ditching the car? Our calculator crunches the numbers (paywalled)
RNZ: Calls to delay Auckland rail closures as fuel prices push up public transport demand

GOVERNMENT
Harriet Laughton (Sunday Star Times): Government partners with vape company that took it to court five times (paywalled)
Steve Kilgallon (Post): Erica Stanford denies immigration changes ‘demonise’ migrants (paywalled)
Michael Morrah (Herald): Conservation minister Tama Potaka wants to ‘get the balance right’ in Shane Jones’ fishing rule changes
Sam Smith (Stuff): You’ll soon be able to drive or buy alcohol without a physical ID, but there is a catch

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
RNZ: New Zealand joins 19 countries in statement condemning Iran’s attacks in the Gulf
Julia Gabel (Herald): Inside Christopher Luxon’s Pacific trip: Michael Jones, visas, dancing, and what really happened with his matai title (paywalled)
Elizabeth Buchanan (The Strategist): Antarctic allies: Australia and New Zealand at the end of the earth

HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS
Hanna McCallum (Post): The state homes on the market as part of Kāinga Ora’s ‘turnaround plan’ (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): Emergency housing rejections hit new high while applications plummet (paywalled)
Greg Ninness (Interest): Trade Me Property says rents have declined and more landlords are OK with pets
Greg Ninness (Interest): Residential property less attractive to investors as capital gains dry up
John Braddock (World Socialist Website): New Zealand police given power to “move on” homeless people

EDUCATION
Alwyn Poole (Sunday Star Times): Why National has failed the test on education (paywalled)
Amelia Wade (Sunday Star Times): Which schools best prepare students for global success? Crimson’s Top 50 list sparks scrutiny (paywalled)
Ben Leahy & Chris Knox (Herald): How does your school rate? New analysis of 500 colleges’ NCEA results ranked against house prices (paywalled)
Sonia Gray (Herald): The broader impacts of strengths-based education – No Such Thing as Normal
Jai Breitnauer (Spinoff): You might think I’d back NZ’s specialist schools plan. Well, I don’t
Rachel Maher (Herald): How generative AI is reshaping New Zealand education
Charlyse Tansey (Newsroom): Joblessness makes new grads question worth of university

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Andrew Ashton (Waikato Times): Hamilton City Council promises ratepayers a procurement overhaul after damning report (paywalled)
Sandy Eggleston (ODT): Mayor ‘horror struck’ at cost of audit (paywalled)
Jonathan Killick (Post): Parnell lawyers threaten court over ‘unacceptable bias’ in panel deciding suburb intensification (paywalled)
Andrew Ashton (Waikato Times): Fears rates cap could downgrade council credit, push up interest costs (paywalled)
Victoria Meakin (Press): Christchurch stadium a game changer for big music acts - ahead of Wellington, Dunedin (paywalled)

WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
Andrea Vance (Sunday Star Times): The country’s water crisis flows through Queenstown (paywalled)
Guy Williams (ODT): Discharge decision ‘tough’ (paywalled)
Andrew Ashton (Waikato Times): Where does the wet stuff go?Water meter trial offers answers (paywalled)

MINING
Lee Scanlon (Westport News): Westland Mineral Sands confirms mine ‘pause’, 40 jobs gone
Mike White (Post): ‘Dial it back’: Expert urges Santana to stop confrontation over controversial gold mine (paywalled)
Scout Atkins (ODT): Gold’s meteoric rise fuelling job, mine boom (paywalled)
RNZ: Greenpeace targets PM’s office over possible NZ minerals deal with US

FAST-TRACK ACT
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Screen hub receives fast-track panel tick (paywalled)
Fox Meyer (Newsroom): Outdoor group looks to have Waitaha hydro fast-track judicially reviewed
Peter de Graaf (RNZ): Northlanders stage windblown protest against Bream Bay sand-mining application

BUSINESS
Naomi Arnold (Post): New Zealand’s Innovator of the Year: How Craig Piggott’s smart collars have revolutionised farming (paywalled)
Evan Harding (Press): Power agreement secured for AI factory near Invercargill (paywalled)
Matt Nippert (Herald): Zuru sues US Government over unlawful Trump tariffs, seeks huge refund (paywalled)
Amber Allott (Post): Medicinal cannabis start-up in liquidation after ‘making no repayments’ on $314,000 Government loan (paywalled)

CHATEAU TONGARIRO
Herald: Editorial – Chateau Tongariro could be a key destination in our tourism shift (paywalled)
Azaria Howell (Herald): Quake-prone Chateau Tongariro hotel needs millions in urgent repairs, investors told
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): Government backs Chateau Tongariro restoration as mayor welcomes ‘win’

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SEWAGE INFRASTRUCTURE FAILURES
Lauren Crimp (RNZ): Moa Point report reveals air bubble may have caused massive failure
Tom Hunt (Post): An unstaffed plant and a perfect storm: What happened that infamous night at Moa Point (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): Moa Point disaster: Trapped air and a perfect storm caused Wellington sewage spill, report finds (paywalled)
RNZ: Christchurch City Council issued a please-explain over sewage discharge
RNZ: Pumping wastewater into Kawarau River only option, Queenstown mayor says

ECONOMY
Brian Easton: The Recovery is off, Dear
Luke Malpass (Post): ‘Back on track’ never quite happened. Now comes the real test (paywalled)
Jane Yee (Herald): GDP is up, so why does the economy still feel flat?
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): The Budget with an identity crisis (paywalled)
John Gerritsen (RNZ): University students facing the ‘toughest time’ in years as costs increase
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): Explained: Oil prices and interest rates are rising - here’s what that means for NZ’s debt
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Is there a bright side to all the bad economic news?
Mina Martin (NZ Adviser): Business confidence slides as war fears derail recovery

FUEL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF IRAN WAR
Josie Pagani (Post): Rationing is irrational - don’t let bureaucrats decide who gets petrol (paywalled)
Kim Baker Wilson (RNZ): Sir Bill Birch oversaw carless days in the late 1970s - what’s his advice in this latest fuel crisis?
Max Rashbrooke (Post): EVs may get middle-class welfare – so what? (paywalled)
Basil Sharp (The Conversation): Return of the oil shock: lessons from a crisis New Zealand has seen before
Jo Moir (RNZ): PM Christopher Luxon takes the reins and risk on looming economic crisis
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): What can the Government really do to shield us from this oil shock? (paywalled)
RNZ: Government looking at ways to assist families with increasing costs due to Middle East conflict
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Iran war: Fuel run hits NZ, Pak’nSave pumps run dry (paywalled)
James Ball (1News): Why New Zealand has weeks of fuel supply but still has empty pumps
Catherine Groenestein (Post): From petrol tank to food costs: rising fuel prices eat into household budgets (paywalled)
Steve Braunias (Newsroom): The secret diary of .. the fuel crisis
Calida Stuart-Menteath and Hamish McNicol (NBR): Mitigating a fuel crisis as long as a piece of string (paywalled)
Samantha Hayes (Stuff): NZ in ‘OK position’ with fuel deliveries but ‘there could be changes’, Willis says
Miriam Bell (Post): Iran war: NZ tourism ‘safe haven’ sees 13% jump in international arrivals despite Middle East conflict (paywalled)

INTEGRITY ISSUES
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Inside the network that got Paul Eagle’s contracts
Ellen O’Dwyer (RNZ): Chatham council boss says no CE credit card until policies tightened after damning AG report
Katie Ham (Post): Disgraced Jevon McSkimming ignores call for hotel reimbursement (paywalled)
Mary Williams and Rob Kidd (ODT): Thousands of registered patients, one GP on site (paywalled)
Mary Williams (ODT): Charity misses financial deadline (paywalled)
Giulia Dondoli (NBR): Rethinking AML/CFT levy proportionality (paywalled)
Brooke Black (Press): ‘Excellent value for money’: Consultancy paid $632k to manage two Timaru council projects in 2025 (paywalled)
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Auditor-General slams mismanagement of millions in Stats NZ contracts
No Right Turn: Corrupt, criminal secrecy
No Right Turn: More tyranny

PARLIAMENT AND ELECTION
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): As war comes for Christopher Luxon, scandal arrives at the door of Chris Hipkins (paywalled)
Duncan Garner (Listener): Chris Hipkins, social media and the fraying line between private and public life (paywalled)
Mihingarangi Forbes (RNZ): ‘The silence is deafening’: Mariameno Kapa-Kingi yet to speak with Te Pāti Māori leaders
Maxine Jacobs (Press): Tākuta Ferris to remain independent candidate from Te Pāti Māori as election looms - for now (paywalled)
Troy Matich (Herald): The Opportunity Party reveals candidates, promises more on the way
Aziz Al Sa’afin (1News): Kiwi ex-pat’s plea to NZ politicians after crossing the ditch
Brent Edwards (NBR): Oil shock response and when the personal becomes political (paywalled)
Reynold Macpherson (Herald): Māori seats referendum push: Why a simple yes or no vote falls short (paywalled)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Ethan Manera (Herald): Wellington City Council HQ dispute: Tory Whanau hits back on involvement as Andrew Little ‘fuming’ over new office (paywalled)
Deborah Morris (Post): Capital Crossroads: Wellington’s population problem (paywalled)
Grant Miller (ODT): Council debate — when things get out of hand (paywalled)
Grant Miller (ODT): Ong told to remove defamatory post (paywalled)
ODT: ORC survey shows greater awareness of duties, trust up (paywalled)
Justin Wong (Local Democracy Reporting): Wellington and Porirua councils may work together over Spicer Landfill looming closure
Anya Fielding (RNZ): Former Wellington mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast admits to having driver licence suspended

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; DEFENCE
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Military alliances: is NZ getting a tangled web or a ticket to get in?
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Uni’s NZDF ambitions ‘shameful’ (paywalled)
John Weekes (Herald): Iran war: When NZ might send the Navy to conflict, how to clear the Strait of Hormuz, and who’s winning (paywalled)
RNZ: Rocket Lab wins record contract with US Department of War
RNZ: Winston Peters meets Cook Island PM ‘informally’ in Auckland, but no deal on key issues
Suzannah Jessep (Newsroom): Asia’s Iran problem is NZ’s problem

TRANSPORT
Nick James (Post): Ferry Holdings to pull back on regular updates about new Cook Strait ferries (paywalled)
Jenny Ling (Herald): Northland corridor toll proposal: Businesses fear higher freight costs
Herald: Editorial – People may dislike speed cameras but we need more of them (paywalled)
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Record public transport boardings day after Nicola Willis’ press conference (paywalled)

FARMING AND PROVINCES
Blayne Slabbert (Press): Canterbury could end up with 12,400 more cows as dairy profits clash with nitrate emergency (paywalled)
Riley Kennedy (BusinessDesk): The impact Wattie’s closure could have on dairy conversions (paywalled)
Kira Carrington (Local Democracy Reporting): Theatre’s accountant goes off-script with ‘dire’ wine industry predictions
ODT: Editorial – Out in the country (paywalled)
RNZ: Buller mayor devastated at potential loss of air connection
Harriet Laughton (Post): Wind, war and who pays: MPs scrap at Central Districts Field Days (paywalled)
Gianina Schwanecke (RNZ): Country Life: Donald Moore on meeting global demand for protein
Kate McVicar (NBR): Agri adviser launches $500m lending platform (paywalled)
Marcus Musson (Herald): Fuel shock and tariffs threaten to end log export price stability

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ECONOMY
Matthew Hooton (Herald): Iran war, weak GDP and rising bond yields raise risk of NZ stagflation (paywalled)
Jonathan Mitchell (Newsroom): ‘We’re in a different world’, cautions Nicola Willis
Liam Dann (Herald): GDP increase ‘disappointing’ as Government spending boosts growth and households reluctant to spend (paywalled)
Luke Malpass (Post): GDP letdown: Soo... about that economic recovery (paywalled)
Nick James (Post): Labour says weak GDP shows ‘an economy going nowhere’ (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Economy approaching fuel squeeze against backdrop of lower-than-expected growth (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): As debt-servicing costs head to $2500 per Kiwi, a top Treasury official suggests spending less, taxing more and selling assets (paywalled)
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): Hotter inflation a headache for the RBNZ (paywalled)
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): ‘We’re in a different world’, cautions Nicola Willis (paywalled)

FUEL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF IRAN WAR
Jenna Lynch (Stuff): Hang on, help is on the way: Government signals fuel relief package
Amanda Gillies (Newsroom): Iran war reshaping New Zealand’s economy
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Luxon reaches for silver linings in looming fuel crisis
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): What can the Government really do to shield us from this oil shock? (paywalled)
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Fuel situation could get worse before better, says Christopher Luxon
Michael Reddell (Post): Considerable economic pain and a poorer NZ is unavoidable if war continues (paywalled)
Delphine Herbert (RNZ): NZ prepares for uncertainty at the pump as it eyes prolonged Middle East conflict
RNZ: Rising cost of fuel forces Kiwis to consider alternative transport to save money
Anna Whyte (Interest): Government officials eye targeted support as fuel crisis deepens
Henry Cooke (Post): Iran War: Government working on support package as Christopher Luxon admits situation ‘could get worse’ (paywalled)
Dita De Boni (Post): Iran war: Petrol stations raising fuel prices but not ‘over-reacting’, says ComCom (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Treasury advises Government to consider long-term view when weighing up fuel relief (paywalled)
Roeland van den Bergh (Post): Iran War: Fuel set to rise as oil surges after Middle East tensions escalate (paywalled)
Thomas Manch (BusinessDesk): Cabinet ready to change fuel specifications for Iran war supply crunch (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor & Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Finance Minister Nicola Willis hints at who will receive Government’s targeted fuel support – and who will miss out (paywalled)
RNZ: All bets off over NZ petrol prices after Iran gas field strike, AA says
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): NZ ‘preparing for a worst case scenario’ as fuel crisis deepens
Nick James (Post): Iran War: Crude at US$185 a barrel, 6% inflation - what is the best and worst case scenario for fuel in NZ? (paywalled)
BusinessDesk: How decades of change ended Marsden Point refinery (paywalled)
Tim Hunter (NBR): The real meaning of energy security (paywalled)

LABOUR AND CHRIS HIPKINS
Natalia Albert: Labour’s Problem Is Not Chris Hipkins
Martin Van Beynen (Post): Hipkins’ ex-wife hits him where it hurts (paywalled)
ODT: Editorial – Diving in the shallow end (paywalled)

ELECTION
Lloyd Burr (Stuff): ‘Moronic’ Trump, ‘pingers’ at festivals and scrapping TOP: Beers and banter with Opportunity’s Qiulae Wong
Brent Edwards (NBR): Opportunity Party names election candidates (paywalled)
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Further proof the Taxpayer poll was an outlier
Sinead Gill (Press): Te Tai Tonga candidate Mananui Ramsden on the essence of being Ngāi Tahu and getting out of poverty (paywalled)
Torika Tokalau (Local Democracy Reporting): Former Auckland councillor returns to politics - for the Greens

GOVERNMENT
Kirsty Johnston (RNZ): How a crucial 45-minute meeting between ministers took pay equity claims away from tens of thousands of women
Brent Edwards (NBR): Select committee told new planning laws could be worse than RMA (paywalled)
Anne Gibson (Herald): $100m Waikato steel manufacturing plant wins fast-track consent, 200 jobs to be created (paywalled)

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
RNZ: Robbie Williams shows ‘touch and go’ without government funding, says Frontier Touring
Thomas Manch (BusinessDesk): Government agencies underspent $2.4b on capital investment in September quarter (paywalled)
Sam Sherwood (RNZ): Bullying allegations see senior Corrections staffer Leigh Marsh under investigation
Sam Sherwood (RNZ): ‘Deliberate’ police leaks to put him in ‘worst possible light’, McSkimming claims
Dana Johannsen (RNZ): ‘I feel let down’: Complainants to sport integrity agency wait 15 months for resolution

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Ellen O’Dwyer (RNZ): Serious Fraud Office looking at Chatham Islands Council spending
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Chastened Chathams in do-or-die talks with Govt after spending blowout
Lucy Xia (RNZ): Faulty alarm and surge protection led to Mahurangi River wastewater spill, reviews find
Ethan Manera (Herald): Tensions at Wellington City Council over mayor and councillors’ offices at new Jervois Quay HQ (paywalled)
Mark Lockhart (Newsroom): Auckland’s trees are disappearing – and no one is stopping it
Grant Miller (ODT): Ong faces pay cut amid conduct allegations (paywalled)
Samantha Gee (RNZ): Tasman ratepayers face rates increase of almost 10 percent as council grapples with costs

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; DEFENCE
RNZ: ‘Colonial-style arrogance’: China unhappy with NZ-Australia statement
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): The wins and woes of Luxon’s Pacific visit
Margot Staunton (RNZ): ‘If it’s not cultural, what is it?’ Fiame questions use of matai titles amid Luxon controversy
Julia Gabel (Herald): Christopher Luxon gushes over family ties with Pacific but there is an elephant in the room
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): ANZAC force - are we biting off more than we can chew?

NZER OF THE YEAR
RNZ: Technology entrepreneur Sir Rod Drury named 2026 New Zealander of the Year
The Post: Tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Rod Drury wins New Zealander of the Year supreme award (paywalled)
Chris Keall (Herald): Sir Rod Drury named 2026 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year, sees ‘energy sovereignty’ challenge (paywalled)
Riria Dalton-Reedy (Te Ao Māori News): Māhera Maihi named Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year (paywalled)
Crux: Sir Rod Drury and Mike Casey honoured in New Zealander of the Year Awards

FISHING
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): Hefty penalty for leaking commercial fishing footage
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): Fisheries overhaul gets rid of minimum size limits for industry
Michael Morrah (Herald): Bill would remove commercial minimum snapper size under fisheries reforms (paywalled)
Stuff: Some fishers just ‘blatantly breaking the rules’, set nets getting confiscated ‘regularly’

HEALTH
Layla Bailey-McDowell (RNZ): Too expensive to smile: Calls grow for universal, Te Tiriti-consistent dental care
Rob Campbell (Post): This devolution plan won’t solve the problems besetting Health NZ (paywalled)
Liam Hehir (The Blue Review): Submission to Medical Council

CLIMATE AND WEATHER
Benjamin D Tombs, Judy Lawrence and Rob Bell (The Conversation): ‘Disaster inertia’: why must NZ keep relearning the same lessons from extreme events?
Law News: Climate change: Insurers, homeowners seek clarity about who’s going to pay?
RNZ: New multi-million dollar plant in Kawerau to become home to Southern Hemisphere first

MEDIA
Shayne Currie (Herald): Will John Campbell help RNZ rise again?; RNZ reporter’s sweary blooper; Katie Bradford’s new role; Questions over Facebook, Google ad data (paywalled)
Crux: Crux confirms 100% move to Substack
1News: Host of TVNZ’s new business show announced

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CHRIS HIPKINS ALLEGATIONS
Veronica Schmidt (Spinoff): The Jade Paul-Chris Hipkins story was messy for a reason
Audrey Young (Herald): Chris Hipkins allegations: When politicians’ personal lives become fair game (paywalled)
Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Do voters judge politicians on their private lives? Should they?
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): PM says families should be kept out of political scandal after Hipkins’ ex-wife’s claims
Henry Cooke (Post): How many people saw Facebook claims against Chris Hipkins? (paywalled)
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): The Hipkins allegations and effect
Karl du Fresne: A masterclass in damage control, and Labour’s PR flunkies didn’t have to lift a finger
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): Chris Hipkins, Tory Whanau and when private lives become political fodder
Herald: Labour leader Chris Hipkins faces renewed scrutiny after denying ex-wife’s allegations
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Chris Hipkins says he considered his future in politics after ex-wife’s claims
Ben Kepes (Post): Keeping the private out of politics is a virtue to value (paywalled)
The Centrist: Hypocritkins? Hipkins, privacy and the ‘very high standards’ problem
Henry Cooke (Post): Chris Hipkins says he considered stepping down in last 24 hours (paywalled)

FUEL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF IRAN WAR
Callum Jones and Eva Corlett (Guardian): Isolated and exposed: can New Zealand’s fragile economic recovery withstand the global oil shock?
Nathan Surendran (Stuff): We’re already rationing fuel. We’re just doing it badly
Damien Venuto (Stuff): Weak points in New Zealand’s economy exposed by Trump’s Iran war
Richard Prebble (Herald): Middle East war: New Zealand’s risky bet on ‘paper’ oil reserves as war widens (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Price of fuel continues to edge up as oil hovers above US$100 (paywalled)
Dita De Boni (Post): Iran war: NZ petrol, diesel stocks dip slightly but don’t worry, say ministers (paywalled)
Kevin Norquay (Post): Fuel crisis demands NZ control its energy destiny, EV fans say (paywalled)
Matthew Hooton (Patreon): Iran: Communism is always Wellington’s first answer (paywalled)
RNZ: Nightshift cleaner welcomes Finance Minister’s mooted support against surging petrol prices
Shamubeel Eaqub (LinkedIn): Oil: Price, Rationing, & the Long Game
David Bainbridge-Zafar (Press): As the oil market teeters, free public transport would be a fiscal masterstroke (paywalled)

DEFENCE FORCES
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Defence Minister Judith Collins reassures New Zealand will still ‘make sovereign decisions’ over force despite closer ties with Australia
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): NZ joins forces with Australia: ‘The most dangerous times in my life’
Lane Nichols (Herald): Defence Force pays $4.2m for renovated Devonport church overlooking naval base, warships (paywalled)

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; PM IN THE PACIFIC
Jamie Ensor (Herald): New Zealand officials have had United States critical minerals framework for months despite Christopher Luxon saying talks ‘very preliminary’ (paywalled
)Anneke Smith (Post): Christopher Luxon in Tonga: PM’s unpopularity follows him offshore (paywalled)
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): The spike in drug shipments bedevilling NZ and the Pacific
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Prime minister retreats to safe law and order ground in Pacific
Tom Raynel (Herald): Plastics New Zealand warns of steep price rises and supply risks from Iran conflict

PARLIAMENT, ELECTION AND GOVERNMENT
Graham Adams (Platform): Media campaign against Luxon risks backfiring
Liam Rātana (Spinoff): The fight for Te Pāti Māori voters has begun
Andrea Vance (Post): Unredacted briefing blunder reveals hidden Cook Strait ferry costs (paywalled)
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Minister ‘disappointed’ by Stats NZ bungling critical inflation figure
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): New poll offers solace for Luxon, but election hangs by a thread
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): National higher in new poll, but Labour still ahead
Nick James (Post): National edges up as Luxon moves past resignation rumours (paywalled)
Matthew Hooton (Patreon): New Poll: Labour’s Backroom Campaign to Save Luxon Continues (paywalled)
Jonathan Ayling (Herald): Covid spending saved lives. Superannuation spending preserves lifestyles (paywalled)
Sam Sherwood (RNZ): McSkimming fallout: Firearms Safety Authority head Angela Brazier cleared of misconduct
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Another common-sense move from Erica Stanford
RNZ: Promoters accused of holding government to ransom over big events
David Hargreaves (Interest): Govt Statistician apologises after big Stats NZ food price error

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Andrea Vance (Post): Chatham Islands Council refers Auditor-General report to Serious Fraud Office (paywalled)
Andrea Vance (Post): Chatham Islands Council paid nearly half a year’s rates to one Wellington consultancy (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): Moa Point report delayed as outfall ticks past 3b litres (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): Fears for trains and ferry as 31,000 fewer Wellingtonians travelling to work (paywalled)

AI DATA CENTRE
Chris Keall (Herald): Datagrid’s $5.1b Southland data centre: The three major hurdles facing the plan to build New Zealand’s largest AI ‘factory’ (paywalled)
Thomas Manch (BusinessDesk): Datagrid signs electricity deal with Mercury for Southland AI data centre (paywalled)
Peter Griffin (BusinessDesk): Datagrid’s Southland AI centre: A $3.4 billion bet on a stagnant economy (paywalled)
ODT: Editorial – Southland’s new harvest (paywalled)
Larry Blair (NZ Energy): The 280MW question?
Steve Hepburn (ODT): Data centre means more turbines: Mercury (paywalled)

ECONOMY, WORK AND BUSINESS
Phoebe Utteridge (Stuff): ‘I don’t have lunch any more’: Food prices bite as pensioner left with 33 cents after weekly shop
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): GDP update expected to confirm economy entering potential fuel squeeze against backdrop of moderate growth (paywalled)Federico Magrin and Liz McDonald (Post): Too many airports? Rising costs force reckoning for regional air links (paywalled)
Cameron Bagrie (BusinessDesk): Why 3.7% inflation is no worst case – and what should really worry us (paywalled)
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): NZ’s widening current account deficit faces oil price headwinds (paywalled)
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): Rural KiwiSaver changes will come back to bite, officials warn

HEALTH
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Health NZ warned financial control ‘one of the thorniest’ aspects of decentralisation
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): NZ rejects WHO pandemic rule changes, aligning with ‘fringe’ RFK Jr
Hannah McQueen (Herald): Why a short stay in an NZ hospital can change older people’s lives forever (paywalled)
Derek Cheng (Herald): ‘Pick and choose’: Cheaper MDMA, rising ketamine in party drug scene (paywalled)
ODT: Editorial – Alcohol harm downplayed (paywalled)

HOUSING
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): ‘Buyers know they have the power’: Property market off to slow start, Cotality data shows
1News: First home buyers defy ‘sluggish’ housing market as sales fall again
Brent Melville (NBR): Private property investors chip in $24.8b to economy (paywalled)
Miriam Bell (Post): Buyer caution keeps housing market subdued as sales fall again (paywalled)
Miriam Bell (Post): Big spike in overseas buyer interest in luxury homes (paywalled)

THE PRESS SOUTH ISLAND POWER LIST 2026
Blayne Slabbert (Press): The quiet voice for Canterbury business who has ministers on speed dial (paywalled)
Philip Matthews (Press): Who are the two power couples named on The Press Power List 2026? (paywalled)
Philip Matthews (Press): A banker, a bishop and a business giant named on The Press Power List (paywalled)
Philip Matthews (Press): Entertainment visionary, a philanthropist and a rural leader named on The Press Power List 2026 (paywalled)
Liz McDonald (Press): From hammer to high-rise: the school leaver who built a property empire (paywalled)
Philip Matthews (Press): Hugh Wilson: The man who led a botanical revolution (paywalled)
Luisa Girao (Press): Phil Rossiter: The West Coast changemaker (paywalled)

CLIMATE
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Crown lawyers agree High Court could quash emissions plan if found unlawful (paywalled)
Tina Law (Press): Christchurch council emissions jump 23%, casting doubt on 2030 carbon-neutral goal (paywalled)
RNZ: Call for low-emission zones in Auckland
Laura Robichaux (Herald): Climate adaptation in Aotearoa: Why communities need to just start now

NEW BOOK ON BUREAUCRACY AND BUSINESS
Amanda Gillies (Newsroom): Make stupid rules, win stupid prizes
Natasha Hamilton-Hart (The Conversation): Too many ‘stupid rules’, too little authority: how organisations create their own red tape

CARTOONS

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