PARLIAMENT, ELECTION, GOVERNMENT
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): How Comms-driven politics broke New Zealand
Henry Cooke (Post): Poll: New Zealanders love the ‘mega projects’ despite commission’s warning on costs (paywalled)
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): What the surge in populist nationalism means for Winston Peters and NZ First
Grant Duncan: Election 2026: class war or culture war?
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): ‘Double standard’: Ministers entitled to $1m taxpayer contribution to super
Graham Adams (The Platform): Luxon finds merit in Treaty Principles after all
Brent Edwards (NBR): The political debate over race, culture and identity - This year’s election campaign might get ugly (paywalled)
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Ban on protests outside homes ‘unduly chilling on free speech’, Opposition says
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Nicola Willis says Chris Hipkins’ big speech could have been AI - but is AI writing her speeches?
Anneke Smith (RNZ): National and New Zealand First go head to head over Hauraki Gulf
Lloyd Burr (Stuff): Why Winston refused to meet Greyhound Racing NZ before the ban, and since
RNZ: Government scraps its quarterly action plans
Natalia Albert: The Policies are fine. The machinery is the problem: Part II
Keiller MacDuff (RNZ): Government deciding whether US should get access to New Zealanders’ biometric data
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): Social services select committee inundated with submissions opposing retrospective law change
Alice Peacock (Newsroom): Golden visa billions will be flash in the pan – former minister
Richard Prebble (Herald): NZ Super payments should be deferred to 72, with a lower pension paid from 65 (paywalled)
Eva Corlett (Guardian): Anger over plans to abolish New Zealand’s dedicated environment ministry
Stephanie Cullen: Parliament’s X-it is only to be expected
LABOUR PARTY
Janet Wilson (Post): Hipkins risks being overlooked by voters as he drags the small-target game out (paywalled)
Steven Cowan: Chris Hipkins and Labour: Slouching towards more of the same
Sally Murphy (RNZ): Federated Farmers optimistic ahead of annual meeting with Labour MPs
HEALTH DATA BREACH
Paula Penfold (Stuff): Person claiming to be MediMap hacker circulates apparent patient data to media; company seeks injunction
Kate Green (RNZ): MediMap hack: Pharmacists implement manual system to maintain safe care levels
Kate Green (RNZ): MediMap urgently seeks court injunction to protect stolen data after cyber hack
Kerre Woodham (Newstalk ZB): Privacy - can we have our cake and eat it too?
Herald: MediMap director says hacker corrupted patient details after stealing user login credentials
Dileepa Fonseka (BuisinessDesk): As MediMap saga continues, Government says long-delayed cyber strategy due within weeks (paywalled)
ELECTRICITY
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Power profits vs price hikes: Why bumper $1.85b gentailer results risk a political break-up (paywalled)
Anan Zaki (RNZ): Meridian warns households could face power bill increases up to seven percent
Richard Harman: Another Clyde Dam (paywalled)
Rebekah White (Newsroom): Want to fix NZ’s energy crisis? Here are four alternatives to imported LNG
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Government plans to use Health NZ, Defence, Corrections power demand to fuel new electricity investment (paywalled)
Tim Hunter (NBR): Meridian eyes demand growth in case of oversupply (paywalled)
Kate Newton (RNZ): Power concerns: Lines companies urged to consider ‘non-network’ solutions
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Meridian on Pūkaki: consent and be dammed (paywalled)
HOMELESSNESS AND POLICE MOVE-ON ORDERS
Nathan Seiuli (Herald): Blunt approach with move-on order could lead to bigger problems (paywalled)
Alexia Russell (RNZ): Shifting the homeless problem to somewhere we can’t see them
Adam Pearse (Herald): Homelessness: Officials warn Govt using unreliable data amid celebrations of dropping social housing demand (paywalled)
Mildred Armah (Stuff): ‘I will never leave’: Rough sleepers vow to stay in CBD despite move-on orders
HOUSING
Jenna Lynch (Stuff): Carrots or condos? Govt warned allowing housing on productive soils ‘irreversible’
Jordan Meyers (Post): The housing debate is now a divide between the haves and have-nots (paywalled)
Greg Ninness (Interest): Substantial improvement in housing affordability for first home buyers as prices slide
Catherine McGregor (Spinoff): The great townhouse slowdown
Agnes Magele (Post): The realities of a life lived in poverty (paywalled)
Tony Alexander (One Roof): 16 reasons why it’s all over for mum-and-dad property investors
Brent Melville (NBR): Kāinga Ora could lose $30m on Ferncliffe u-turn, developers say (paywalled)
Stuff: NZ women lag men in home ownership despite stronger desire to buy
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Young women being left behind in property market
ECONOMY AND BUSINESS
Liam Dann (Herald): Economic recovery slowly rolling north into other regions, says Infometrics (paywalled)
Tim Hazledine (Post): Full employment, not price stability, should be the economic goal (paywalled)
Tom Raynel (Herald): Kiwis turn away from beer and wine as alcohol consumption hits all-time low (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Post): Woolworths adds 280 own-branded items in six months in push for profitability in NZ (paywalled)
Jaime Lyth (BusinessDesk): Woolworths New Zealand half year revenue jumps to $4.41 billion (paywalled)
Mike McRoberts (NBR): Māori call for change to traditional capitalist model (paywalled)
BANKS
Rob Stock (Post): Reserve Bank’s plan to save cash could require banks to open 1300 multi-bank hubs (paywalled)
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): Reserve Bank proposes getting banks to set up more than a thousand new ATMs or cash services sites in dramatic proposal
Andy Macdonald (BusinessDesk): Banks label RBNZ cash-access proposal ‘extreme’ (paywalled)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Tom Hunt (Post): Swag of new Wellington council spending behind ‘serious and sobering’ report (paywalled)
Jessica Hopkins (RNZ): Is it time to abandon postal voting for local elections?
Brent Edwards (NBR): Local government reform might overload mayors, says LGNZ (paywalled)
Fiona Ellis (Waikato Times): Get real: City council criticises rates cap proposal (paywalled)
Linda Hall (Local Democracy Reporting): Who wants to be Napier’s deputy mayor now? Five say ‘no thanks’
Gaurav Sharma (RNZ): Auckland local body election rivals unite against racism
Steve Hepburn (ODT): Nil rates rise backed by ORC — RMA changes dependent (paywalled)
Matthew Martin (Waikato Times): Mayor’s use of poo emoji costs ratepayers over $4k (paywalled)
Andrew Ashton (Waikato Times): Waikato District Council retains LGNZ membership (paywalled)
Phoebe Utteridge (Stuff): Mayor considering action after community board member shared ‘blatant racist’ cartoon
RNZ: Parking shortages ‘a failed experiment’ in policy planning - Auckland councillor
SEWAGE INFRASTRUCTURE
Amelia Nixon (Post): Moa Point repair crucial for $500m sludge plant - operation date ‘speculative’ (paywalled)
Nick James (RNZ): Hutt City Council seeks assurance after Wellington’s sewage treatment plant failure
Amelia Nixon (Post): Mayor takes a dip in newly opened south coast beach (paywalled)
FARMING
Harriet Laughton (Post): Farmers demand Government end egg and meat import loophole (paywalled)
Blayne Slabbert (Post): Meat workers go into debt as farmers and exporters ride $11.7b meat boom (paywalled)
Tina Morrison (Newsroom): Officials to trace little pigs and sheep to market
Lauren Baal (Newsroom): Redemption for failed Waikato experiment could lie in plants
Sally Murphy (RNZ): Farmers being cautious with profits
MINING
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): TTR hits pause on seabed mining but won’t commit to walking away (paywalled)
Tim Scott (ODT): Santana accused of second breach (paywalled)
Tim Hunter (NBR): Govt defends decisions on Siren Gold permits (paywalled)
1News: Seabed mining company served ‘trespass’ notice by activist
Peter Williams: Let the experts decide Bendigo’s future
TRANSPORT
Henry Cooke (Post): Government proposes new rule for passing cyclists lower than current road code recommendation (paywalled)
RNZ: Should e-scooters be allowed in cycle lanes?
RNZ: Golden Bay Air to receive $1.1 million government loan to maintain regional flights
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): The irony of the Govt’s golden bailout for Golden Bay Air
John Weekes (Herald): Regional airline loans welcomed but ‘insidious’ cost increases may be one reason for sense of urgency (paywalled)
MONARCHY
Andrea Vance (Post): Andrew stripped of Waitangi commemoration medal (paywalled)
Jonathan Ayling (Herald): Epstein-related arrests show rule of law still applies to lords and princes (paywalled)
Herald: Editorial – Removing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession must happen for a modern monarchy (paywalled)
CARTOONS