NATIONAL PARTY CONFERENCE, ECONOMY
Giles Dexter (RNZ): National pins re-election hopes on economy
Danyl McLauchlan (Listener): No plan A or B: PM Chris Luxon’s economic tinkering (paywalled)
Matthew Hooton (Herad): Luxon living on borrowed time as stagflation looms (paywalled)
Anna Whyte (Post): Luxon buying time to wade through turbulent seas (paywalled)
Shanti Mathias (Spinoff): Luxon assures his party that he’s relentlessly back on track
Catherine McGregor (Spinoff): National’s campaign countdown begins in Christchurch
Ben Thomas (Post): As the Nats gather, Luxon finds himself fighting from a corner (paywalled)
Liam Dann (Herald): The NZ economy is still sick, doubts are growing about the Govt prescription (paywalled)
Adam Pearse (Herald): Ex-National Party president Peter Goodfellow on what threatens 2026 re-election (paywalled)
Adam Pearse (Herald): National Party president: Voters aren’t seeing PM Christopher Luxon’s ‘humanity’ (paywalled)
RNZ: Forest & Bird slams reform as 'conservation retreat', but minister defends economic push
Anna Whyte (Post): The iconic hotspots the new international tourist fees will apply - and what could be next (paywalled)
Herald Editorial: Foreign tourist fee is a no-brainer (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): The Government says it’s fixing the cost of living, so what happens if voters don’t believe it? (paywalled)
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): National makes economic pitch after Trump tariffs setback
Giles Dexter (RNZ): PM wants NZ to get behind development, progress, stem tide of Kiwis leaving for Oz
RNZ: 'Wave' of Conservation Act concessions, foreign visitor charge for high-volume DOC sites
Anna Whyte (Post): Foreign visitors to tourist hotspots to be charged (paywalled)
Anna Whyte (Post): After US export blow, National party faithful congregate to war plan the economy (paywalled)
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Luxon to tell National faithful 'we're turning the corner'
David Hargreaves (Interest): Unemployment likely to hit highest level since 2016
Liam Dann (Herald): Unemployment tipped to hit nine-year high as labour market weakens
Felix Walton (RNZ): 30 percent of people seeking help are doing so for the first time - NZ Food Network charity
RNZ: Cost of living drags consumer confidence further down
Nick Stride (Interest): Consumer confidence slips in July
Nona Pelletier (RNZ): Consumer debt issues down, but liquidations up
US TARIFFS
Geoffrey Miller (Democracy Project): US tariff decision gives New Zealand plenty to think about
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): NZ's 15% reminder power writes the rules (paywalled)
Richard Harman (Politik): The dangers of cozying up to Trump on tariffs (paywalled)
Michael Daly (Stuff): Kiwi economist warns about pushing back on US tariffs hike, ‘we’ve got to be cautious’
Adam Pearse (Herald): Trade Minister to fly to US to discuss President Trump’s ‘blunt’ 15% tariff hike
Giles Dexter (RNZ): US refuses to budge on 15 percent trade tariff imposed on NZ
Anna Whyte (Stuff): Trade Minster speaks to US following tariff hike
Luke Malpass (Post): Tariff Surprise! Love from the capricious court of Donald Trump (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): How bad is the tariff news for NZ, really?
Herald: Government responds to Trump tariff hike as Labour accuses it of ‘major fail’
RNZ: NZ hit with 15% Trump trade tariff, Trade Minister says he will push back
Jamie Gray (Herald): US slaps 15% tariff on NZ goods
Thomas Manch (Post): Ministers put on brave faces as US ramps up tariff on Kiwi products (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker and Thomas Manch (Post): Surprise as United States tariff on NZ exports hiked to 15% (paywalled)
John Anthony (BusinessDesk): Trump axes duty free rule early, raising costs for NZ’s exporters (paywalled)
HOUSING
Justin Hu (1News): Govt seeks 'urgent advice' as rough sleeping increases
Adam Pearse (Herald): Homelessness: Government reluctantly open to policy backdown as it seeks ‘urgent’ advice amid rough sleeping rise
Amelia Wade (Sunday Star Times): Homeless in New Zealand: How we reached ‘crisis’ point (paywalled)
Brad Olsen (Interest): Examining homelessness trends
Mary Afemata (Local Democracy Reporting): Pacific families bear the brunt of public housing evictions
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Evictions from Kāinga Ora homes for disruptive behaviour up 500%
Gwynn Compton (Local Aotearoa): The long read: NIMBYism belongs in the ash heap of history
Hayden Donnell (Spinoff): Nope, no way, we haven’t already zoned for enough housing in Auckland
Caroline Williams (Stuff): Tenants given 48 hours to leave, property managers ‘didn’t want blood on their hands’
Greg Ninness (Interest): Housing slump continued in July with stock levels remaining high and asking prices declining
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Nik Dirga (RNZ): What would New Zealand recognising Palestinian statehood mean?
ODT Editorial: US needs to walk the talk (paywalled)
Steve Braunias (Newsroom): The secret diary of .. the FBI in NZ
Charlotte Graham-McLay (AP): FBI director says a new office in New Zealand will counter China's sway, provoking Beijing's ire
James Nokise (Post): The curious case of the Feds popping into the capital (paywalled)
Eva Corlett (Guardian): FBI opens first office in New Zealand ‘to counter China and cybercrime’
Caleb Fotheringham (RNZ): Henry Puna calls New Zealand's involvement in Cook Islands politics 'improper'
PARLIAMENT, ELECTORAL REFORM
Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira (RNZ): Electoral Commission rejects claims of Māori roll tampering
Pokere Paewai (RNZ): 'System just sucks': Political scientist says Māori being deterred from voting
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Te Pāti Māori pursuing two-pronged legal action
Shane Te Pou (Herald): Facing prospect of election defeat, Government tries to change the rules (paywalled)
Andrew Gunn (Press/Post): Why dropkicks, the lazy and ACT supporters all deserve the vote (paywalled)
Michael Turner (Sunday Star Times): NZ’s emerging political gender divide (paywalled)
Peter Dunne: Oppositions Seldom Win, But Governments Often Lose
David Farrar: Sensible electoral law changes
Luke Malpass (Sunday Star Times): More action, less haka: Peeni Henare’s race for redemption (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Making ‘New Zealand’ country’s official name added to NZ First’s ever-changing list of bills
Stuff: NZ First seeks to legislate ‘New Zealand’ as country’s official name
Brent Edwards (NBR): The economy, National, voting, minority government, Kiwibank (paywalled)
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Leary dignified as sun sets on her Bill — and gains unlikely fan
Damien Grant (Stuff): Hauling the Fonterra CEO in front of the finance minister was political theatre
Phil Smith (RNZ): The House: Rats and mice to sort out: Parliament's tiny laws
LABOUR PARTY
Vernon Small (Sunday Star Times): Capital gains over a wealth tax: A choice Labour may come to regret (paywalled)
David Farrar: Woods bails on Wigram
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Senior Labour MP Megan Woods won't contest seat at next election
1News: Senior Labour MP won't contest electorate, will stand on list in 2026
The Standard: Old fast track, new fast track
PAY EQUITY
Kirsty Johnston (RNZ): Project 10: How the government kept the pay equity law change secret
Giles Dexter (RNZ): What officials said about pay equity changes
Adam Pearse (Herald): Use of urgency to upend pay equity scheme decided after PM’s meeting with senior ministers
PUBLIC SERVICE
Jonathan Boston (Newsroom): Whoops! How not to build an efficient public service
Anna Whyte (Post): Reaching for change: Is our public service obsessed with restructuring? (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Collins to strip diversity, pay equity rules from public service law
EDUCATION
Jamie Ensor (Herald): NCEA changes announcement: Erica Stanford, Christopher Luxon to reveal proposal for secondary school qualification
Andrea Vance (Sunday Star Times): Erica Stanford’s high-wire act
Cherie Howie (Herald): Education row: Willie Jackson, Erica Stanford spar over private schools amid NCEA talks
1News: Q+A: NCEA leaves Kiwi kids unprepared for future - Crimson head
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Transparency claim by uni ‘outrageous’: Reports replaced with summary (paywalled)
Peter de Graaf (RNZ): Government has 'no intention whatsoever' to close NorthTec, Northland MP promises
Natasha Hamilton-Hart (Open Inquiry): Chumocracy in the universities?
RNZ: Schools are struggling to recruit new board members as deadlines loom
Nadine Roberts (Stuff): Former Shortland Street star’s fight to help autistic son
HEALTH
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): North Shore Hospital has entire ward of people with no medical reason to be there
Philip Bagshaw, Sue Bagshaw, John McCall, Potter, John, Rob Campbell, Bill Rosenberg, Gil Barbezat, Brian Cox, Matt Roskruge, Chris Frampton: Open letter to Auditor-General asks: Do long-term contracts for private health providers have legitimate standing?
Jared McCulloch (1News): Rural hospitals — the heartbeat in NZ regions — do they need resus?
Emma Andrews (RNZ): Māori life expectancy increases more than other ethnic group - Stats NZ
Ruth Hill (RNZ): Bonuses promised for doctors in short-staffed areas, union says existing allowances aren't being paid
Ruth Hill (RNZ): Senior doctors say Health NZ offer amounts to 'pay cut'
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Councillors dispute claims made by mayor (paywalled)
Jez Leftley (Sunday Star Times): The postcode lottery most New Zealanders wouldn’t accept (paywalled)
Shannon Pitman (Open Justice Reporting): Russian adoptee’s PTSD claim denied by ACC over residency rules
Alice Peacock (Newsroom): Big increase in workers taking weeks off on ACC
Sam Sherwood (RNZ): Intern pharmacist suspended after two-month-old Bellamere Arwyn Duncan dies following overdose
Zita Campbell (Local Democracy Reporting): Tairāwhiti tackles youth vaping with smokefree CBD
REPEAL OF OIL AND GAS BAN, ENERGY
Kirsty Johnston (RNZ): The great gas gambit: Why drilling for fossil fuels is not expected to resolve a developing energy crisis
Edward Miller (Newsroom): A less-known way that keeping hold of the gentailers can bring down power prices
Press Editorial (Post): Black gold and hot air (paywalled)
Eva Corlett (Guardian): New Zealand government votes to bring back fossil fuel exploration in major reversal
Jeremy O’Brien (Post): Grasping the global opportunity in geothermal energy (paywalled)
Mark Callander (Post): Is NZ on the cusp of the energy market we deserve? (paywalled)
NZ Energy: A slow-moving train wreck
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WATER
Kate Green (RNZ): Decreasing voter turnout, less newspapers, more abuse put off council candidates
K Gurunathan (Post): Beware Government campaigns to sway council elections (paywalled)
Tracy Watkins (Sunday Star Times): Councils’ harsh reality: You reap what you sow (paywalled)
Emily Ireland (Local Democracy Reporting): Councillors tired of being ‘beaten up’ and blamed by Government
ODT Editorial: Appreciating the community-minded (paywalled)
Charlie Mitchell (Press): The quiet campaign: Inside the freedom movement’s bid for council influence (paywalled)
Gwynn Compton (Local Aotearoa): Local government elections finally delivers its silly season
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Last-minute rush of local election nominations not enough to fill all seats
Simon Wilson (Herald): Wayne Brown’s big play in the Auckland Council elections (paywalled)
Stewart Sowman-Lund, Sapeer Mayron and Jonathan Killick (Post): Auckland councillors set to return to Town Hall unopposed (paywalled)
Jessica Hopkins (RNZ): Auckland local election battle heats up with new candidates revealed
David Long (Stuff): ‘Trumpian:’ Auckland councillor accuses Wayne Brown of power grab
RNZ: Ex-National MP Jami-Lee Ross seeks political comeback
Ethan Manera (Herald): Wellington mayoral race: Who’s in and who’s out as candidates confirmed (paywalled)
Cloe Willets (Woman’s Day): Tory Whanau on life after the mayoralty: Regrets, romance and resilience
Kate Green (RNZ): Wellington's longest-serving city councillor Iona Pannett won't stand in upcoming local body elections
Tom Hunt (Post): Wellington’s losing five good councillors ‒ this much is certain (paywalled)
Delphine Herbert (RNZ): Father of man found dead on Wellington's waterfront says safety balustrades a step in the right direction
Tom Hunt (Post): Council staff urge to push on with harbour fencing without public consultation (paywalled)
Herald: Waikato Regional councillor Kataraina Hodge re-elected unopposed to $63,000 role
RNZ: Sarjeant Gallery final cost $79.4m – ratepayers pick up a third of the bill
Pokere Paewai (RNZ): Iwi disappointed council deferring Taupō water management agreement
Peter de Graaf (RNZ): Lack of planning led to Kaitāia's aquifer project budget blow-out and delays, review finds
Libby Kirkby-McLeod (RNZ): Non-fluoridated water flows in Tauranga
RNZ: Two former Labour MPs vie for seats on Hamilton City Council
Grant Miller (ODT): Claim doubts expressed over candidacy (paywalled)
Matthew Rosenberg (Local Democracy Reporting): Nobby Clark unimpressed by brother’s surprise mayoral bid
Matthew Rosenberg (Local Democracy Reporting): Southland mayoral candidate berates CEO, brags about sporting accomplishments at meeting
Lois Williams (Local Democracy Reporting): 'Yet another rate': Franz Josef ratepayers balk at $2.8m stopbank extension
Matthew Nash (Local Democracy Reporting): Rotorua Lakes Council sets ‘ambitious’ 50% turnout goal for 2025 elections
Craig Ashworth (Local Democracy Reporting): Small-town surge tops growth of Taranaki council contestants