ECONOMY, COST OF LIVING
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Economists forecast tough calls to get books back to black
Luke Malpass (Post): Half-year economic update: The fiscal plan that depends on nothing going wrong (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Nicola Willis makes a Christmas wish as she comes out swinging against Taxpayers’ Union and Labour (paywalled)
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Fiscal update shows we’re having the wrong debate (paywalled)
Mandy Te (Interest): Is the Govt’s fiscal path ‘a credible path to surplus,’ ‘pixie dust economics,’ or is there an ‘elephant in the Cabinet room?’
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Finance minister must take responsibility for state of books, say Labour, Taxpayer Union
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Labour’s Barbara Edmonds says Government ‘lost control of the economy’ but won’t say what her party would do differently just yet
Brent Edwards (NBR): Government criticised for having the wrong fiscal priorities (paywalled)
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): Treasury update shows there is still no surplus in sight for the Government, as debt pile grows
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): NZ’s economy should grow soon, but so too will our debt
Gyles Beckford (RNZ): Government books bleaker as surplus gets further away, deficits grow
Jason Walls (1News): Govt pushes out surplus expectations again
Mandy Te (Interest): ‘Small deterioration in the fiscal forecasts’: Treasury expects widening fiscal deficit
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Nicola Willis working on ‘disciplined’ plan to return to surplus, says cuts would deliver ‘human misery’
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Willis delays return to surplus by another year
Brent Edwards (NBR): Government books take turn for the worse (paywalled)
Richard Harman: Willis blames Treasury (paywalled)
Thomas Manch (BusinessDesk): Fiscal Update: Government plots a steady course as surplus pushed and optimism held (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Government’s return to surplus pushed back another year to 2030 (paywalled)
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Fiscal update: Surplus now seen in year to June 2030
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): Hyefu 2025: Economic recovery? I hardly knew ye
Catherine McGregor (Spinoff): Hyefu lays out a path to surplus – if nothing goes wrong
David Hargreaves (Interest): Falling food prices point toward lower annual inflation rate
Anan Zaki (RNZ): Food prices show signs of easing but 4.4% higher than a year ago
Tom Raynel (Herald): Food prices fall for third month, but groceries and power still climbing
MINISTRY MEGA MERGER
Anna Whyte (Post): The three questions of a merger: What the new ‘MCERT’ needs to answer (paywalled)
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Chris Bishop can’t say how many jobs could be lost to multiple ministries merger
Gwynn Compton: Don’t fear the new mega-ministry
Lloyd Burr (Stuff): New mega-ministry launched: MCERT
RNZ: New ministry to combine housing, transport and environment
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): New government super ministry to support ‘ambitious reform agenda
Anna Whyte (Post): Ministry mega-merger for environment, housing and transport confirmed (paywalled)
Thomas Manch (Post): Ministry mega-merger the ‘third leg’ of major planning reforms (paywalled)
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Mega merger confirmed: MCERT to be formed (paywalled)
WILLIS V RICHARDSON
Adam Pearse (Herald): Ruth Richardson backs out of debate with Nicola Willis
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Willis v Richardson debate unlikely to go ahead
Henry Cooke (Post): Ruth Richardson pulls out of ‘circus’ debate with Nicola Willis (paywalled)
RESERVE BANK, INTEREST RATES, BANKS
RNZ: New Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman talks to Corin Dann: ‘Financial market conditions have tightened’
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): RBNZ governor’s unscheduled message had impact only ‘at the margins’ (paywalled)
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): Reserve Bank Governor Dr Anna Breman fires another ‘calm down’ shot at markets, as mortgage rates rise (paywalled)
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Finance Minister Nicola Willis welcomes RBNZ Governor’s jawboning (paywalled)
Martien Lubberink: Big Banks, Farmers, and Capital Requirements: 2025 Season Finale?
PARLIAMENT, PUBLIC SERVICE, YEAR IN REVIEW
Henry Cooke (Post): Chris Hipkins’ big decision over the summer: Destroy Te Pāti Māori or work with them? (paywalled)
RNZ: Chris Hipkins says Seymour, Peters will be ‘nightmare’ for National in lead up to election
Adam Pearse (Herald): Why Chris Hipkins still refuses to answer the big Winston Peters question (paywalled)
Michael Daly (Stuff): Hipkins encouraged by the polls, says Labour has work to do to earn right to govern after 2026 election
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Chlöe Swarbrick is a ‘demagogue’, says David Seymour (paywalled)
Toby Manhire and Ben McKay (Spinoff): The 2025 Golden Jandals for conspicuous contributions to NZ politics
Dita De Boni (Post): NZ Super Fund doubles down on ‘woke’, despite political headwinds (paywalled)
Philip Crump: The Architecture of a Capable State: Why Cuts, Cosmetic Fixes and Good Intentions are not enough
Henry Cooke (Post): National MP Paulo Garcia standing down at election (paywalled)
Imogene Bedford (Herald): National MP Louise Upston marries long-time partner in surprise home wedding
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Lucy Xia (RNZ): Ōtara-Papatoetoe election re-do a ‘nail in the coffin’ for the postal voting - law professor
David Farrar: Yes there should be a by-election in Papatoetoe
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Judge finds irregularities, voids election result after claims of voter fraud in South Auckland
Hayden Donnell (Spinoff): Judge finds widespread voter fraud ‘infected’ the Papatoetoe local board election
Jonathan Killick (Post): Judge overturns ‘infected’ Auckland local election in ‘unprecedented’ voter fraud case (paywalled)
Lucy Xia (RNZ): Auckland’s fortnightly rubbish collection trial kicked to curb
Torika Tokalau (Local Democracy Reporting): Auckland fortnightly rubbish collection trial scrapped
Jessica Hopkins (RNZ): Mayor Wayne Brown’s rate rise not popular with former deputy chief of staff
Simon Wilson (Herald): The joy of cycling (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): First look at Wellington’s next rates rise: 9.4% but prone to change (paywalled)
Peter Griffin (BusinessDesk): AI is local councils’ secret weapon, Hutt leading way (paywalled)
ENVIRONMENT, RMA, CLIMATE CHANGE
Anna Sargent (RNZ)): Water fight: Farmers strive to limit cows’ environmental footprint
Keiller MacDuff (RNZ): Anglers becoming endangered species on some Canterbury rivers
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Legislation to replace RMA sent to Environment Select Committee
Linda Hall (Local Democracy Reporting): Hawke’s Bay cities in level 3 water restrictions as usage hits 95 million litres a day
Kate Newton (RNZ): Climate change could claim nearly all of NZ’s glaciers, research shows
David Chaplin (BusinessDesk): FMA’s climate reporting exemption for fund managers: ‘no action’ (paywalled)
Russell Palmer (RNZ): ‘No quick fixes’ for high visitor numbers at iconic sites
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Agencies worried parking fees at DOC hotspots will see unsafe roadside parking instead
David Williams (Newsroom): ‘Non-communicative’: Neighbour pans regulator over Barker’s consent
BONDI SHOOTING, GUN LAWS
RNZ: Labour leader Chris Hipkins says New Zealand should not dilute gun reforms
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Luxon promises security funding for Jewish community if needed
RNZ: NZ police to guard Jewish community locations following Bondi attack
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): What needs to happen because of our terrorism complacency
EDUCATION
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Teaching Council interim CEO resigns from board for ‘avoidance of doubt’, chair says
John Gerritsen (RNZ): More than 10,000 children stood down for physically assaulting other students, teachers last year
1News: Bangerz Trust investigated for alleged attempt to access Kelston school data
Derek Cheng & Chris Knox (Herald): Search your school: The most-improved schools in NZ - and how they did it (paywalled)
Cécile Meier (BusinessDesk): School lunch programme wastes millions despite savings (paywalled)
Tatiana Gibbs (Press): Christchurch school Haeata promised own report over mouldy lunches, instead they said this (paywalled)
Jude MacArthur (Newsroom): A long-overdue chance to right some wrongs
Te Ahipourewa Forbes (Re: News): ‘Inequity gaps will widen’ - school stands firm on Treaty commitment
ENERGY
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): 1000 customers each weekday have power disconnected
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Ministers say energy costs cut GDP by $5.2b, lowered wages by 1.4% (paywalled)
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Energy hardship eases overall, but affordability worsens since 2021 (paywalled)
Michael Daly (Stuff): Steven Joyce worried electricity prices could restrain growth in 2026
Marcos Pelenur (Herald): Waiting out the gas crunch? Grab the opportunity to get ahead instead (paywalled)
Rosemary Baird (Newsroom): Best illustrated book of the year: Manapōuri
MUMA AND WILLIE JACKSON
Cameron Slater: Explosive Leaked Documents Prove Willie Jackson’s Wife’s Bullying Review Did Happen and Expose a Weapons-Grade Cover-Up
Cameron Slater: Documents expose Willie Jackson’s trespass shenanigans to bust union
Matthew Tukaki (Waatea News): When Principles Blur – Matt McCarten, Unlikely Alliances and a Political Reckoning
Waatea News: Lies, lies and more lies as leftie joins with a cadre of right wingers to bring down a Maori organisation
Waatea News: Garner forget how to fact check, McCarten hoodwinks another ranter
MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA
Joel MacManus (Spinoff): Billionaire NZME director Jim Grenon funding defamation lawsuit against TVNZ, court told
Shayne Currie (Herald): Julian Batchelor v TVNZ defamation case – former TVNZ presenter Peter Williams takes stand in support of Jim Grenon-funded Batchelor claim (paywalled)
Steven Price: Media regulation system breaking down?
Bryce Mills (Herald): The online world is hurting our kids - legislation can protect them (paywalled)
CARTOONS