Political Roundup: 3 February 2023

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Dr Bryce Edwards
Lecturer and Political Analyst
Democracy Project; School of Government
Victoria University of Wellington

Items of interest and importance today

CO-GOVERNANCE, WAITANGI, THREE WATERS
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Blowing Off The Froth: Why Chris Hipkins Must Ditch Three Waters
Audrey Young (Herald): What iwi leaders will tell Chris Hipkins about co-governance (paywalled)
Michael Neilson (Herald): Waitangi 2023: PM Chris Hipkins and National’s Christopher Luxon to be tested by Māori leaders in first visits
Jo Moir (Newsroom): Hipkins heads to the Far North to woo at Waitangi
RNZ: Co-governance and climate to top agenda as PM meets Iwi Chairs Forum
Ripu Bhatia (Stuff): Human Rights Commission calls for government to commit to co-governance
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (1News): Ngāpuhi Treaty settlement set to be major talking point at Waitangi
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Waitangi Tribunal report recommending Crown land be returned to Māori front of mind at talks
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Nanaia Mahuta says she was happy to step aside as local government minister after Three Waters negativity
Caitlin Rawling (Newshub): Prime Minister Chris Hipkins now driving up to Waitangi after plane couldn't land due to fog

PARLIAMENT
Matthew Hooton (Herald): Chris Hipkins takes Labour from defeat to dead heat - but this election is about policies, not personalities (paywalled)
Damien Venuto (Herald): The Front Page: Can Luxon overcome trust issues to beat Hipkins?
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Christopher Luxon absent as Chris Hipkins steps into the floodlights
Brent Edwards (NBR): Polls, reshuffle, cost-of-living announcement, Waitangi (paywalled)
Anna Whyte and Bridie Witton (Stuff): The policies you forgot (or never knew existed) that Chris Hipkins could kick down the road
Emma Clark-Dow (Stuff): Michael Wood 'essentially' already minister of Auckland in transport role, mayor says
Grant Duncan: January Surprises

WELLINGTON CENTRAL
Anna Whyte (Stuff): Wellington Central seat exodus sets up potential thriller
Anna Whyte and Gianina Schwanecke (Stuff): Mayor backs young councillor's Green Party bid for Wellington Central seat
Toby Manhjire (Spinoff): James Shaw exits Wellington Central race, backs Tamatha Paul as Green candidate
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Green Party co-leader James Shaw will not contest Wellington Central, councillor Tamatha Paul to run instead
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): James Shaw won't stand in Wellington Central, supports Councillor Tamatha Paul for Greens candidacy
Giles Dexter (RNZ): James Shaw pulls out of Wellington Central race, backs Tamatha Paul
Anna Whyte (Stuff): James Shaw steps aside for new candidate in Wellington Central
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): James Shaw opts against Wellington Central run

TRANSPORT SUBSIDY EXTENSION
Gordon Campbell: On extending the fuel/public transport subsidies
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Govt are in a fuel subsidy precedent they can't get out of
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Extended petrol subsidy drives emissions gap
Timothy F Welch (Newsroom): Cheaper petrol only adds fuel to the fire
RNZ: Fuel subsidy extension about being 'nimble' - Robertson

ECONOMY, COST OF LIVING
RNZ: Chris Hipkins says it's 'inane' to rule anything in or out
Steven Cowan: Chris Hipkins: Bread and butter won't be any cheaper under his government
Liam Hehir (The Blue Review): Let's force David Seymour to recant on indexation
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): New data reveals true depth of New Zealand's cost of living crisis as household spending jumps
BusinessDesk: Cost of living climbed over 8% in 2022 (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Infometrics predicts long recession despite glimmer of hope over interest rates
RNZ: New Zealand likely to remain in recession into next year - Infometrics forecast
David Hargreaves (Interest): The economic tide is turning, but how quickly will it go out?
Brent Edwards (NBR): Households face a difficult two years (paywalled)
Bernard Hickey: The stagnant debates in our hermit kingdom of a political economy
Herald: Household inflation cools down: New quarterly stats released
Anan Zaki (RNZ): Higher unemployment rate prompts banks to lower OCR forecast
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): RBNZ can tone down after unemployment, inflation data (paywalled)
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Reserve Bank may follow the US Fed and slow the pace (paywalled)
Kiwiblog: Unemployment Rate Vs Those on a Benefit

AUCKLAND FLOODING, WAYNE BROWN
RNZ: Auckland flooding: PM Chris Hipkins announces funding, says 'there's no one-size-fits-all approach'
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Auckland flooding: Calls for Government to give extra help to uninsured families who've lost everything
RNZ: 'Tough calls' to be made on future of climate-vulnerable communities - Chris Hipkins
Nicholas Pointon (NBR): ‘We don’t want to become an insurer by default’ – PM (paywalled)
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland mayor Wayne Brown 'never going to be a smooth-talking politician'
Herald: On the Tiles - Local Edition: How Auckland Floods will impact Mayor Wayne Brown
Newshub: Auckland floods: Chris Hipkins says immediate response discussed in meeting with Mayor Wayne Brown
1News: Wayne Brown regrets 'drongos' text, says communication needs to improve
Herald: Auckland floods: Mayor Wayne Brown regrets ‘media drongos’ slur, labels comment ‘inappropriate’
Erin Johnson (Stuff): Auckland flooding: Swarbrick points to 'frontline disconnect' in disaster response
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Comms crucial, not optional, in an emergency
Jayden Holmes (Today FM): 39 percent of Aucklanders don't have home insurance - issues arising amid flood damages
Jonathan Killick (Stuff): Call for government to halt 'looming' rent increase for flood-stricken renters
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Unequal destruction: The crisis continues for Auckland's most vulnerable whānau
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Auckland floods: Authorities uncertain how many people made homeless
Herald Editorial: Timing of floods is terrible for local economy
Merepeka Raukawa-Tait (Herald): Māori to Mayor Brown: You might be Brown in name but not in mana
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): National MP Erica Stanford reveals father is trapped because of broken lift after Auckland's catastrophic flooding
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Wayne Brown’s email to mayoral candidate - ‘my biggest backer was me you drongos’

ENVIRONMENT
Nikki Macdonald (Stuff): We've paved paradise, how do we let the water out?
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): How do we know climate change played a role in the Auckland floods?
Jan Heijs (Newsroom): Stormwaters’ inclusion in Three Waters reforms will worsen flood risks
RNZ: What now for Auckland? Four ideas for a more climate resilient city
Sharon Brettkelly (RNZ): Can a sponge city really prevent flooding?
Stuff: Dunedin council buys 'globally significant' Foulden Maar site
Federico Magrin (Stuff): Bleaching, death of sponges in Fiordland linked to marine heat waves
Molly Swift (Newshub): New Zealand researchers discover rocket launches could hinder healing the ozone layer

CHILD WELFARE, ORANGA TAMARIKI
Rebecca Macfie (Listener/Herald): Ardern put a spotlight on child poverty. But did she actually make a difference? (paywalled)
Ashleigh McCaull (RNZ): Oranga Tamariki insists progress being made to meet minimum standards despite new report
RNZ: Reported assaults on children by Oranga Tamariki staff up 250 percent in 2 years
Aaron Hendry (Herald): Oranga Tamariki kids in motels are not ‘a necessary evil’ (paywalled)
Don Rowe (Spinoff): 10-year-olds can be charged with murder in NZ. The UN says that should change

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Stephen Ward (Waikato Times): Cheeky 'Chippy' comment as Hamilton criticises Government reforms
Oscar Francis (ODT): Gore mayor ambivalent about rumours
Stuff: Decline in Christchurch's tree canopy could be reversed under new city plan

EDUCATION
ODT Editorial: Hipkins’ polytechnic merger
Zizi Sparks (Rotorua Daily Post): Cabinet reshuffle: Education Minister Jan Tinetti says she’ll hit ground running
Ripu Bhatia (Stuff): New Zealand Principals' Federation elects first wahine Māori president
Sonya Bateson (Bay of Plenty Times): Expensive school uniforms a yoke around parents’ necks (paywalled)

TRANSPORT
Tommy de Silva (Spinoff): Auckland needs sustainable transport. Will we get it under Wayne Brown?
Justin Hu (1News): Govt might scrap Auckland light rail, Opposition says
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Will Auckland light rail survive govt policy refocus? (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): MPs question if biofuels obligation bill needed (paywalled)

FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Geoffrey Miller (World Politics Review): For New Zealand After Ardern, China Remains a Tricky Balancing Act
Lydia Lewis (RNZ): New Zealand PM to look into Pacific overstayer petition
Don Rowe (Spinoff): End in sight for Australian deportations denounced as draconian and inhumane
Thomas Bywater (Herald): New Zealanders visiting the UK will soon have to pay an ETA before travel
Gianina Schwanecke (Stuff): Why New Zealand's reputation isn't hurting as much as it might feel it is
Christine Rovoi (Stuff): NZ welcomes Kiribati back to the Pacific Islands Forum family

PRIMARY INDUSTRIES
Matthew Rilkoff (Stuff): Taranaki farmer loses appeal against record fine for illegal earthworks
Gerhard Uys (Stuff): Oat milk trade-off: Fewer greenhouse gases, but less profit, study shows
Will Harvie (Stuff): Two 'illegal' methyl bromide operations found in Canterbury

HOUSING
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Govt takes action against landlords: Here are the biggest fines of 2022
Miriam Bell (Stuff): Lowest number of January sales in 20 years
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Banks lower home loan rates but one economist wouldn't 'touch them with a bargepole'

BUSINESS
Dita De Boni (NBR): Tex Edwards a lonely soldier in fight to break up supermarkets (paywalled)
Grant Bradley (Herald): Cabinet reshuffle: What the tourism industry wants from new minister Peeni Henare (paywalled)
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): Z Energy weighs in on ‘excessive’ fuel amendment bill (paywalled)
Miriam Bell (Stuff): It is time for change in the home building industry, economist says
Greg Ninness (Interest): Building industry could be heading for a breather as dwelling consent numbers decline
BusinessDesk: Downturn and change coming for home builders: Westpac (paywalled)

HEALTH
Oscar Francis (ODT): Govt response provides nothing new: mayor
Herald: How racism was identified in initial media reporting of Covid in Aotearoa

OTHER
Adam Pearse (Herald): Police Minister Stuart Nash pushing for faster removal of cigarettes from dairies
Sinead Gill (Stuff): 'David and Goliath': The tiny community fighting a 20% hike in power bills
Emma Hatton (Newsroom): Investigation underway over concerns pokie trusts cooking the books
RNZ: Gathering at restored Ōhaeawai battle site to mark New Zealand wars
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): Pākaraka: ‘We didn’t pull the trigger, we didn’t swing the bayonet. But together we should all move on’
RNZ: Improving grid stability project ahead of schedule in Waikato
Joseph Pearson and Tony Smith (Stuff): Grant Robertson suggests Fifa considers its commercial arrangements amid concerns about Saudi sponsor
Sam Brooks (Spinoff): A gay All Black is a big deal