BUDGET 2026
Jo Moir (RNZ): Finance Minister puts money where her mouth is by reducing Budget’s operating allowance
Jenna Lynch (Stuff): No room for sugar hits in the Budget - Government cuts its spending allowance
Henry Cooke (Post): Nicola Willis says ‘job-rich’ projects will feature in $2.2b boost to capital allowance (paywalled)
Henry Cooke (Post): PM Christopher Luxon says he will pick ‘social stability’ over high migration (paywalled)
Simon Shepherd (NBR): Govt cuts $300m from Budget operating allowance (paywalled)
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Willis blames fuel crisis for reduced Budget savings, Seymour takes credit for lower operational spending
Thomas Manch (BusinessDesk): Saavy or splurge? Ministers coy about where $2.2b extra Budget capital to be spent (paywalled)
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Prime Minister Luxon doubles down on 2029 surplus goal (paywalled)
RNZ: Christopher Luxon signals immigration policy, more capital spending in Budget 2026
IMMIGRATION
Jenna Lynch (Stuff): PM tests waters of immigration debate after coalition partners dive headfirst
Richard Prebble (Herald): Act’s proposed immigration crackdown misses root cause of NZ work and welfare woes (paywalled)
Ganesh Nana: Immigrants, foreigners, racism, and economics
RNZ: PM promising solution to immigration problem that doesn’t exist, demographer says
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Winston Peters takes crack at Christopher Luxon over immigration comments
Justin Hu (1News): National eyes KiwiSaver changes as Luxon hardens on immigration
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Immigration NZ could ‘demand identification papers from everyone’ says civil liberties group
Lauren Crimp (RNZ): Claims immigration changes will see US-style crackdown ‘completely wrong’ - Erica Stanford
Harriet Laughton (Post): Lawyer argues removing appeal rights in deportation cases fails migrants (paywalled)
Anneke Smith (Post): NZer held by ICE would have to be facing death penalty for ministerial intervention - Winston Peters (paywalled)
Mihingarangi Forbes (RNZ): Everlee Wihongi case: Government officials confirm contact with US immigration over Kiwi’s detention
Richard Shaw (The Conversation): Kiwi or not to be: can a citizenship test really measure what it means to be a New Zealander?
MĀORI POLITICS
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): The Māori political class is failing its people
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Oriini Kaipara dodges questions about her future with Te Pāti Māori
Justin Hu (1News): Hone Harawira awaits wife’s approval to stand for Te Pāti Māori
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Has the Māori Party been a success?
PARLIAMENT, ELECTION AND GOVERNMENT
Derek Cheng (Herald): Revealed: How the Government pivoted its alcohol policies from reducing violent crime to boosting the economy (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Shane Jones entertains critical minerals heavyweights at Parliament, ponders minimum prices (paywalled)
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): Luxon shines his little light through global storms and political gloom
Richard Harman: PM’s significant speech (paywalled)
Rachel Maher (Herald): Police spend $100k to block Brian Tamaki Auckland Harbour Bridge protest march
Stuff: Shane Jones given the haere rā from question time
Anneke Smith (Post): National MP Tim Costley questions why FENZ hired consultants to respond to his inquiry (paywalled)
Catherine McGregor (Spinoff): The Opportunity Party is having a moment
CONSERVATION REFORMS
Louis Collins (RNZ): ‘Practical change’ or ‘paradigm shift’? MPs debate conservation reform
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Opposition warns reforms open up conservation estate to sale as government pushes on
Māni Dunlop (Te Ao Māori News): Ngāi Tahu warns conservation reforms undermine Treaty settlements, Minister defends it
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Govt takes one step forward, three steps back on environment policies
No Right Turn: The regime is out of time
CLIMATE
Martha Jeffries (Spinoff): Is the climate law change this government’s jump the shark moment?
Shay Schlaepfer (Post): The Government’s erosion of environmental justice is undermining our democracy (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Post): Greens/Labour Government could use ‘urgency’ to repeal climate bill (paywalled)
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