UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE ECONOMY
Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira (RNZ): National backs its policies as unemployment rises to 11-year high
Giles Dexter (RNZ): What the latest unemployment figures could mean for the election
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): As unemployment hits 11-year high, how does it look under the hood?
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): Over one third of 15 to 24-year-olds were unemployed or underemployed last quarter
RNZ: Salvation Army: Youth unemployment stats a ‘call to action’ for the country
Penny Smith (RNZ): ‘There are no jobs’: Support services warn unemployment crisis driving rising violence
Penny Smith (RNZ): Job seekers describe fear and frustration as unemployment soars
Nick James (Post): PM encourages people to move for jobs following high unemployment rate (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Unemployment jumps more than expected to 5.6% (paywalled)
Gyles Beckford (RNZ): Unemployment rises to 11-year high of 5.6%
Liam Dann (Herald): Unemployment rate hits 5.6% - worse than expectations
Ryan Bridge (Newstalk ZB): Unemployment isn’t as bad as it seems
Andy Macdonald (BusinessDesk): Worse than anticipated 5.6% unemployment rate rise (paywalled)
Māni Dunlop (Te Ao News): Unemployment hits 11-year high as Māori, rangatahi and Northland bear the brunt
Sandra Grey (Post): Full employment must be back on the agenda (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): How does your pay compare to the average?
RNZ: Older Kiwis choosing between ‘starving or heating’ as price increases bite
PARLIAMENT AND GOVERNMENT
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Luxon can’t control Winston Peters
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan grills Winston Peters on ‘racist’ comments that were directed at him
Victoria Meakin (Post): Dozens of complaints to Human Rights Commission about Winston Peters’ words to Chinese-born MP (paywalled)
Richard Harman: Dodging Xu Nan but running into the constitution (paywalled)
Gordon Campbell: On Christopher Luxon’s no good, very bad fortnight
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Christopher Luxon’s tough love routine has lost its shine (paywalled)
Virginia Fallon (Post): Behaviour problems start in parliament (paywalled)
Phil Smith (RNZ): The House: Responses and responsible government
Stuff: Parliament’s Got Talent? Singing visitor gets a ‘no’ from security
The Post: Editorial: Why Burnham matters beyond Britain (paywalled)
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Stats NZ forced to eye census Plan B as impasse threatens overhaul
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Stats NZ told to prepare for 2028 census without funding, as politicians squabble (paywalled)
ELECTION 2026
Julia Gabel (Herald): Mariameno Kapa-Kingi’s new party approved by Electoral Commission
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): There is ‘huge appetite’ for new limits on standing for Parliament, says Shane Jones, as he promises new NZ First policy
Damien Venuto (Stuff): Four in ten Kiwis say they’re falling behind. We asked our politicians what they’re going to do about it
Anneke Smith (Post): Justice Minister won’t say if voting should be easier or harder (paywalled)
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Calm down, the election enrolment changes aren’t a problem
Andrew Ketels (Herald): Luxon avoided a nightmare scenario, but he’ll still talk with a kingmaker (paywalled)
Richard Prebble (Herald): How a losing party can decide this year’s vote (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): Opportunity lays out plan to borrow more for infrastructure (paywalled)
Local Democracy Reporting: ACT candidate Paul Henry tells electorate to vote for a National MP
Justin Wong (Post): Poll showing Labour ahead at Kāpiti electorate (paywalled)
Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Should Kiwis ignore the cost of living and trust the long-term plan?
Michael Swanson: Are voters choosing Labour?
Chuan-Zheng Lee: I didn’t actually vote for people
Steven Cowan: Don’t vote — it only encourages them
LUXON’S DEFENCE FORCE FLIGHTS
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Christopher Luxon defends using Air Force flight after attending National Party fundraiser
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Christopher Luxon took Defence Force flight home after National Party fundraiser (paywalled)
Harriet Laughton (Post): Christopher Luxon defends Defence Force flight after National Party fundraiser (paywalled)
Herald: Labour goes on the attack as John Key defends Christopher Luxon’s Defence Force flights (paywalled)
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): We’ve got to stop nitpicking legitimate uses of Defence Force flights
LOCAL GOVERNMENT AMALGAMATIONS
Luke Malpass (Post): Parent, child, amalgamator? How localist Luxon became the great centraliser (paywalled)
Anna Leask (Herald): Christchurch rejects Selwyn-Waimakariri super city amalgamation in narrow council vote
Samantha Gee (RNZ): Christchurch rejects super city proposal, votes for unitary authority with current boundaries
Tom Hunt (Post): Councils divided as Wellington faces two major decisions (paywalled)
Justin Wong (Post): Referendum needed to back local government structures, says Wellington regional council (paywalled)
Emily Ireland (Post): Councils split over best way forward for Wairarapa (paywalled)
Emily Ireland (Post): ‘So undemocratic’: Wairarapa lumped into supercity proposal (paywalled)
Mike Tweed (Herald): Whanganui District Council opts out of Government’s Head Start amalgamation process
Susan Botting (Herald): Far North District Council backs Northland councils’ amalgamation plan
Bronson Perich (Herald): ‘We don’t want to be part of a super city’: King Country Council proposed
Bronson Perich (Herald): South Waikato backs Western Unitary Authority proposal
Jordan Smith (Local Democracy Reporting): Taupō mayor opposes ‘Western Waikato’ amalgamation proposal
Jordan Smith (Local Democracy Reporting): New Eastern Waikato bloc of councils says Government should accept merger
Janine Rankin and George Heagney (Post): Palmerston North and Horowhenua team up, open to more friends (paywalled)
Erika Harvey: Shotgun Amalgamations. Why Are Councils Being Rushed Down The Aisle Before Election Day?
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): Time for the Govt to bang heads over council reforms
Jonathan Killick (Post): Auckland Transport’s ashes: Who gets to decide on speed humps now? (paywalled)
David Farrar: Wellington Community Fund
Herald: ‘We can see your washing’: NZ politician joins meeting from bathroom
JUSTICE MINISTRY AND RUSSELL HARRISON
Julia Gabel (Herald): Russell Harrison: Ministry of Justice under review, boss apologises over ‘utterly unacceptable’ saga
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Justice Ministry to be reviewed, as minister’s confidence in agency ‘seriously shaken’
1News: Govt orders review into ex-Lotto host in criminal case being paid for years
Catrin Owen (Stuff): Criminal paid $500,000 for a government job he barely worked in - and he won’t have to pay it back
Herald: Russell Harrison: Health NZ spent $490k on advertisement featuring ex-Lotto presenter involved in Comancheros money laundering
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