LOBBYING, INTEGRITY
Kristy Johnston (RNZ): How the oil and gas industry helped rewrite New Zealand’s drilling rules
Monique Steele (RNZ): Minister Andrew Hoggard assures PM he’s following Cabinet rules after complaint
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Govt cost-cutting raises public sector corruption risk – report
Lane Nicholas (Herald): Advertising firm rejects conflict of interest claims amid Teaching Council procurement investigation (paywalled)
Bryan Bruce: The Big Question - Money and Politics
Neil Sands (Law News): Organised crime in NZ has become a national security threat, says anti-money laundering expert
LUXON LEADERSHIP
Tova O’Brien (Stuff): To coup or not to coup - Luxon insists that is not the question
Stuff: ‘I am going to be prime minister going into next year’: Luxon says he will lead National into next election
Caron Copek (Stuff): Luxon dismisses ‘coup’ claims a day after major KiwiSaver policy announcement
Herald: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon defiant amid talk he could be rolled as National Party leader
RNZ: Christopher Luxon insists coalition strong despite NZ First, ACT stoush
Herald: Christopher Luxon dismisses leadership speculation, vows to lead National into 2026 election
Mandy Te (Interest): PM will ‘absolutely’ lead National Party into next year’s election
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Two years on, Luxon yet to say what Govt stands for
Oliver Hartwich: Failing the politics of feels: Why NZ’s Luxon is tanking
Richard Harman: Luxon gets himself back on track (paywalled)
HOUSING, BUILDING
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): Warranties and professional indemnity insurance to become compulsory to prevent home owners from being left out of pocket under new building regime
RNZ: New ‘home warranty’ rules protecting homeowners announced
Miriam Bell (Post): Are there gaps in the new building liabilty system? (paywalled)
Mandy Te (Interest): Building consent system changes: Govt announces ‘safeguarding’ measures for building owners
Jessica Hopkins (RNZ): Opposition MPs, community groups call for proposed Auckland homelessness ban to be binned
Grant Miller (OD)T: Council mulls funding homelessness services (paywalled)
Sarah Curtis (Northern Advocate): Far North among biggest winners in new Govt housing plan: Chris Bishop
RNZ: Call for changes to tackle overheating homes in summer
KIWISAVER, SUPER
Jamie Ensor (Herald): National’s KiwiSaver contribution proposal would lead Government to get more money from Employer Superannuation Contribution Tax (paywalled)
Bernard Hickey (The Kākā): Performative politics on KiwiSaver & social housing
Sam Stubbs (Post): Has National stolen the KiwiSaver crown? (paywalled)
Russell Palmer (RNZ): What do opposition parties think of National’s KiwiSaver policy?
Martin Hawes (Post): The key to KiwiSaver: compulsion and higher contributions (paywalled)
David Chaplin (BusinessDesk): Contribution bombshell: how the National Party learned to stop worrying and love KiwiSaver (paywalled)
Damien Venuto (Stuff): ‘Clearly a KiwiSaver election.’ Why your next vote could determine the future our kids enjoy
ODT Editorial: Super charging superannuation debate (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Why a higher KiwiSaver balance could cost you at retirement
Brent Edwards (NBR): Business lobby questions doubling KiwiSaver costs for small firms (paywalled)
GOVERNMENT
1News: ‘None whatsoever’: Luxon claims no concerns about Winston Peters after u-turn
Catherine McGregor (Spinoff): With election year approaching, Winston Peters is practising his greatest hits
Brent Edwards (NBR): NZ Initiative wants cost-benefit analysis of fast-track (paywalled)
Joel Maxwell (Stuff): Māori are totally being constructively dismissed from Aotearoa
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Public sector bosses ordered to look again for new cost savings
TE PĀTI MĀORI
Maiki Sherman (1News): Exclusive: Former Te Pāti Māori leaders not prepared to walk away
Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira (RNZ): Iwi calling for Te Pāti Māori president John tamihere to step down, ousted MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi says
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Te Pāti Māori said she blew her budget by $133k, but MP says she actually ‘underspent’
Adam Pearse (Herald): Expelled Te Pāti Māori MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi claims spending was under budget amid overspend allegations
Sam Smith (Stuff): Ousted Te Pāti Māori MP makes fresh claim about alleged overspend of fellow MP’s budget
Anna Whyte (Post): Te Pāti Māori MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi says she actually underspent Parliamentary budget (paywalled)
PARLIAMENT
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): The $379m Parliament
Chelsea Daniels (Herald): MPs hold $379m in property across New Zealand
Chris Trotter (Interest): Winston Peters plans to set off a landslide of disillusioned Labour voters by deploying the explosive force of democratic expectations
Lloyd Burr (Stuff): Will Craig Renney push out Barbara Edmonds from Labour’s finance role?
Julia Gabel (Herald): Capital gains tax poll reveals option with most support: How it differs from Labour policy
RNZ: Chris Hipkins takes shots at Te Pāti Māori, Winston Peters
Ethan Manera (Herald): Greg O’Connor reflecting on political future after Ōhāriu electorate abolished, losing selection
Henry Cooke (Post): Labour MP Greg O’Connor not sure if he will seek list placing as he loses bid for new seat (paywalled)
Matt Burrows (Newstalk ZB): Top leader Qiulae Wong thought MP was an ‘awful job’ – now she’s gunning for Parliament
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): The international media view on the big ‘Kiwi experiment’
Eric Frykberg (Listener): Was this the worst financial decision ever made by an NZ Prime Minister? (paywalled)
Stuff: ‘I dealt with 1.0’: Jacinda Ardern’s take on handling Trump, second time around
Herald: Former New Zealand Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern’s advice to her younger self
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WATER
Gwynn Compton: Oversold or not, a shake-up is coming for local government
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Regional politicians drive their Chevy to the levee
Steve Hepburn (ODT): Potential ‘end of regional councils’ (paywalled)
Anna Whyte (Stuff): Luxon signals ‘serious shake-up’ of local government as parties gear up for 2026
RNZ: ‘Serious shake-up’ of local government imminent
Tom Hunt (Post): Wellington Water reveals $1.3m communications budget kept under wraps (paywalled)
Joel MacManus (Spinoff): Andrew Little buddies up to the right
Dave Armstrong (Post): Stuck in the middle with who? A new mayor’s ‘excellent’ position (paywalled)
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): Reviewed: The first (and only) 25 metres of the Golden Mile
RNZ: Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s advice to National and Labour: Be more like me
Matthew Nash (Local Democracy Reporting): Cause of leak that sent treated wastewater into lake a mystery
Jonathan Leask (Local Democracy Reporting): Selwyn’s cost cutting: Council staff find up to $18m of savings
RNZ: Work underway to replace pipes after almost century underground in New Plymouth
PRIMARY AND EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES, ENVIRONMENT
Monique Steele (RNZ): Waikato pig farm faces record $437k fine for discharging effluent to land, water
1News: Pig farm hit with $430k fine for ‘appalling’ effluent pollution
Tom Eley (Herald): Waikato piggery hit with largest-ever RMA fine over pollution breaches
Phil Pennington (RNZ): ‘Forever chemicals’ in New Zealand whales and dolphins
Jamie Morton (Herald): Time to kick this marine menace to the curb
Farah Hancock (RNZ): The controversial ‘secondary kill’ 1080 poison plan targeting feral cats
Rob Stock (Post): Santana trading halt lifted as it gets everything it needs for mine’s final fast track assessment (paywalled)
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Minerals royalties fall 40% as Govt orders review (paywalled)
Tina Morrison (Newsroom): Producers to pay for their agrichemicals and tainted packaging
Brent Sheather (NBR): The beginning of the end for forestry in NZ (paywalled)
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE, TRADE, SPY AGENCIES
Matt Nippert (Herald): The dark fleet hiding in our own backyard: How the Cook Islands sold its flag to Moscow and Tehran (paywalled)
RNZ: Veterans’ charity say transitional support for those leaving Defence Force is lacking
Charlotte Cook (RNZ): Former soldier left ‘sad, devastated and broken’ after training Ukranian recruits
TRANSPORT, ROADSIDE DRUG TESTING, INFRASTRUCTURE
RNZ: Roadside drug testing nearly worthless, expert says
RNZ: Budget for Mt Messenger Bypass project nearly doubles to almost $600 million
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): NZ has 55,000km of paper roads. Here’s what that means
EMPLOYMENT
Alexia Russell (RNZ): Why the Uber drivers’ victory will be trumped by Parliament
Ryan Ward: The shifting terrain of worker exploitation in the gig economy
Steven Cowan: Brooke van Velden: Shielding corporations from accountability
Andrea Midgen (Post): How disabled New Zealanders are being excluded from the workforce (paywalled)
Bill Hickman (RNZ): Resene workers go on strike: ‘They don’t care about us’
Melissa Nightingale (Herald): Resene living wage campaign: Workers to strike again over 8-cent pay offer increase
David Hargreaves (Interest): Job ads have now risen by 1% in each of the past four months and are up 7% year-on-year, according to SEEK NZ
POLICE, CORRECTIONS
RNZ: Lessons from boot camp trial, Oranga Tamariki says, but earlier reviews showed same themes
Sam Sherwood (RNZ): Senior Auckland detective faces criminal investigation over objectionable material
Finn Blackwell (RNZ): Mt Eden Prison under significant pressure at time of pepper spray death, staffer says
Finn Blackwell (RNZ): Caleb Moefa’auo died after being pepper sprayed in prison, his mother wants answers
Anne Gibson (Herald): Christchurch Men’s Prison expansion: The three bidders vying for the $800m contract (paywalled)
CARTOONS