POLICE
Tova O’Brien (Stuff): Why the Police Minister failed to disclose the first time he heard about a McSkimming complaint and why it matters
Herald Editorial: Coster, Mitchell, Hipkins’ recollections vary, public deserve more answers (paywalled)
Giles Dexter (RNZ): No need for a further inquiry into McSkimming scandal - PM
Herald: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon dismisses need for wider Jevon McSkimming inquiry off back of questions about ministers’ knowledge
Anna Whyte (Post): Wider inquiry into Jevon McSkimming saga not needed ‒ Christopher Luxon (paywalled)
Sam Sherwood (RNZ): Who knew what and when in the Jevon McSkimming saga?
RNZ: ‘Total nonsense’: Police Minister hits back at former commissioner’s claims he knew about McSkimming allegations
Imogene Bedford (Herald): Police Minister Mark Mitchell denies early briefing on Jevon McSkimming complaints
John Braddock (WSWS): New Zealand police embroiled in major corruption scandal
Michelle Duff (Spinoff): The problem with Andrew Coster calling McSkimming complainant ‘hysterical’ on Q+A
PARLIAMENT, POLLS, YEAR IN REVIEW
RNZ: Too many laws passing without ‘proper scrutiny’, Geoffrey Palmer says
Chris Trotter (Interest): Are those the ghostly chuckles of Robert Muldoon echoing down the parliamentary corridors?
1News: Who’s up and who’s down? Party leaders react to new 1News poll
Tom Day (1News): Poll: Te Pāti Māori support crashes after weeks of in-fighting
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Political poll shows immense power of support parties (paywalled)
Adam Pearse & Julia Gabel (Herald): New political poll: Chris Bishop joins preferred PM ranks; Greens, TPM lose chunk of support
RNZ: Government still has the numbers to stay in power in new poll
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): ‘Increasingly volatile’: International economists think New Zealand politics is becoming more unstable
Michael Daly (Stuff): Government coalition cohesion ‘under severe strain’, country risk analysts say
Joel MacManus (Spinoff): Why Christopher Luxon thinks Ikea could win him the election
Cameron Bagrie (Herald): Government faces turning economy but rising distrust ahead of election (paywalled)
Richard Harman (Herald): Election year battlelines: National, Labour clash over health and tax (paywalled)
Joel Maxwell (Stuff): Is Te Pati Māori dead? That’s a sentence I never thought in January that I’d be writing by December
Hamish McNicol (NBR): ’No comment’ on FMA rumors about Stobo investigation (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): Rates cap, Labour Party, Māori seats, argy-bargy, Coster goes (paywalled)
Dave Armstrong (Post): Meet the Government that wants to cap everything (paywalled)
Tara Ward (Spinoff): What Christopher Luxon did last week while saying no to Q+A’s Jack Tame
Louis Collins (RNZ): The House: Scrutiny Week in review: Politics vs oversight
Hawkes Bay Today: Catherine Wedd confirmed as National’s Tukituki candidate for 2026 election
Harriet Laughton (Post): ‘Burst into tears’: ACT MP Mark Cameron to get life-saving kidney transplant (paywalled)
Janhavi Gosavi (Spinoff): The UK’s verdict on the Jacinda Ardern doco Prime Minister: ‘Fully human’ vs ‘shameless’
Marc Greenhill (Post): When sport and politics collide (paywalled)
TE PĀTI MĀORI
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Mariameno Kapa-Kingi resolute on her return to Parliament
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Liam Rātana (Spinoff): Te Pāti Māori, its AGM and what happens from here
Sam Smith (Stuff): Expelled Te Pāti Māori MP takes fresh shot at party president
RMA
David Williams (Newsroom): ‘This is a quick grab for growth and greed’
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government to unveil radical overhaul of RMA today, slashing consent requirements
RNZ: Government to reveal Resource Management Act replacement
Henry Cooke (Post): Government to announce ‘radical’ RMA reform today (paywalled)
EDUCATION, SCHOOL LUNCHES
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Schools’ spending on cruises, travel, hospitality scrutinised
Joanne Naish (Press): Schools rapped for spending on gym memberships, yoga classes and overseas travel (paywalled)
Lane Nichols (Herald): Teaching Council chair gives update on investigations at embattled agency, CEO Lesley Hoskin remains on leave
Lloyd Burr (Stuff): Erica Stanford fronts to receive Treaty clause petition
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Better reading, maths results but two new curriculums a massive job - principals
Samantha Gee (RNZ): Christchurch school launches internal probe over mouldy lunches
Mark Phillips (Post): Covid changed how adults work, but schools haven’t kept up (paywalled)
HEALTH
Anusha Bradley (RNZ): ACC’s financial squeeze: The human toll
Ian Powell: How did our health system get into this poop
Anna Whyte (Post): ACC halts Safekids funding from 2027 (paywalled)
Peter Williams: The Dysfunctional Maori Health Trusts
Public Health Communication Centre: Vaping prevalence and trends: Findings from the 2024-25 NZ Health Survey
Julie Jacobson (Post): Majority of public health nurses consider quitting - NZNO survey (paywalled)
RNZ: Play sand recall expands to include Bluey, Frozen and Paw Patrol products
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Jonathan Killick (Post): Judge to decide on whether to trigger local by-election in Auckland (paywalled)
Grant Miller (ODT): Water regulation changes expected to be costly (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): City to Sea bridge death warrant to be revoked, highlights Green-Labour rift (paywalled)
CHILD WELFARE, FAMILY VIOLENCE
Ellen O’Dwyer (RNZ): Children’s Commissioner launches anti-abuse ‘Dear Children’ campaign
Amy Williams (RNZ): Family violence refuge fully booked out over weekend, as pressure mounts
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE, TRADE
RNZ: NZ navy ship shadowed by seven Chinese warships
Herald: New Zealand navy patrolling East Asia waters shadowed by seven different Chinese warships, NZDF says
Suzannah Jessep (Newsroom): New Zealanders increasingly distrustful of China and the US
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Todd McClay reports ‘substantial progress’ on NZ India FTA negotiations (paywalled)
MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA
Gavin Ellis: Battle for media thrones: Coming ready or not
Nicholas Pointon (NBR): Treasury’s RNZ trust issues (paywalled)
RNZ: RNZ hits live listener target a year early
David Farrar: The silence of the media
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Incoming 25% ‘funding cut’ for Māori media will be ‘catastrophic’ - even this National MP agrees
Shayne Currie (Herald): RNZ’s $11m move into TVNZ delayed by up to eight months, broadcaster outlines details of new-look studios (paywalled)
Shayne Currie (Herald): TVNZ planning new morning business show, seeks presenter – job ad (paywalled)
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): The Government talks a big game about social media, but will there be action?
Bryan Bruce: You Should Have Been Here Yesterday - Inside Child Poverty (paywalled)
EMPLOYMENT, WORKPLACE SAFETY, BUSINESS
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Human Rights Commission joins pay equity court case
RNZ: Minister tells sister of man killed at fertiliser plant action is being taken
RNZ: ACC ‘breaking promise’ of flexible work arrangements - PSA
Brodie Stone (Northern Advocate): Older Northland workers struggle to find jobs amid cost of living pressure
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): ‘Gift to the retailer’: What to know about gift cards this Christmas
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): On the Money: The Warehouse, an ex-MI6 agent, Peter McBride and his McBridesmaids, and more (paywalled)
Miriam Bell (Post): ‘Survive till 26, thrive in 27’: NZ construction sector remains cautious (paywalled)
TAX
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): GST turns 40: Is it here to stay?
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): IRD error shortchanges thousands of taxpayers by an average of $300 each
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Tax change could leave family businesses with bigger bills
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): Inland Revenue proposes changing tax treatment of loans companies issue to shareholders (paywalled)
Oliver Hartwich: The tax problem New Zealand cannot seem to solve
MĀORI-CROWN RELATIONS, TREATY, KOTAHITANGA FUND
Eva Corlett (Guardian): UN report sounds alarm over Māori rights in New Zealand
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘A gesture of courage’: Whanganui hapū celebrate settlement milestone
Andy Macdonald and Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Kiingitanga eyes future replication of up to $150m fund (paywalled)
Liam Rātana (Spinoff): After the treaty settlements: Kotahitanga Fund signals new phase
Mike McRoberts (NBR): Global capital meets Māori ambition (paywalled)
Eva Corlett (Guardian): From ‘terrorist’ to national treasure, renowned Māori activist finally tells his own story
CLIMATE CHANGE, EXTREME WEATHER, NATURAL HAZARDS
Peter de Graaf (RNZ): Northland hit harder than most by climate change, report finds
John Drummond (ODT): The signals climate retreat sends
RNZ: Man dumps home insurance over Tower Insurance’s sea surge assessment
RNZ: Westpac launches scheme to help owners protect homes from extreme weather
Lois Williams (Local Democracy Reporting): New report maps landslide risks on West Coast
HOUSING, BUILDING
Nikki Preston (One Roof): Waikato-Tainui snaps up $10m of ex-state homes for iwi buyers
David Hargreaves (Interest): A lot of home owners appeared to be waiting for the OCR cuts - and they may be disappointed with the outcome
Herald Editorial: Auckland housing intensification plan poses a threat to kids’ play space (paywalled)
CARTOONS