News Briefing: 19 June 2025
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE, TRADE
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Why NZ's involvement in possible US-Iran war may hang on Europe
Adam Pearse (Herald): New Zealand pauses Cook Islands funding over China deal stoush
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Confusion as NZ becomes midpoint on China route to South America
Thomas Manch (Post): New Zealand signs on to China ‘Southern Link’, a Belt and Road Initiative (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Prime Minister Christopher Luxon visits a great wall in China – and it has a message for him (paywalled)
Richard Harman (Politik): What will Five Eyes say about this! (paywalled)
Maiki Sherman (1News): Luxon's trade delegation lands in China amid world unrest
1News: Chinese travellers get easier transit through NZ with visa change
RNZ: Visa change for Chinese passport holders travelling through New Zealand announced
RNZ: PM Christopher Luxon rejects idea of visa waivers, extended visas on first trip to China
Thomas Manch (Post): Boosting tourism from China more than visas, Luxon says (paywalled)
Jo Moir (RNZ): Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on blitz of promotional events in Shanghai
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Primary sector firmly on China agenda despite education and tourism focus
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Exporters hope to escape China beef restrictions
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Christopher Luxon begins China mission with a focus on meat, dairy ... and skincare
1News: Two NZ embassy staff, families evacuated from Tehran
POST-FRESHWATER STRATEGY POLL, IPSOS NZ ISSUES MONITOR
Andrea Vance (Stuff): The Post-Freshwater Strategy Poll: Labour pulls ahead of National
Luke Mapass (Post): The Post-Freshwater Strategy Poll: Labour gains, but key issues remains with Coalition (paywalled)
Adam Pearse (Herald): Exclusive: National loses control of cost of living to Labour in new survey
Ipsos: New Zealand Issues Monitor - June 2025
PARLIAMENT
Max Rashbrooke (Spinoff): The Greens have broken dramatically with the James Shaw era
Brent Edwards (NBR): Green Party’s ‘clown economics’ drives fiscal debate (paywalled)
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): 'New security service' for Parliament would have more powers
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): Swears, spending and ‘making shit up’: Inside scrutiny week, part one
Phil Smith (RNZ): The House: Scrutiny Week Q&A with Green MP Lawrence Xu-Na
RMA, HOUSING
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): ‘Despot’ or housing saviour? Chris Bishop to gain power to overrule councils
RNZ: Government to give itself power to override councils on housing in RMA changes
Mandy Te (Interest): Housing Minister given power to override local councils on planning decisions
Luke Malpass and Harriet Laughton (Post): Government gets new powers to overrule councils (paywalled)
Liz McDonald (Press): ‘That is nuts’: Christchurch councillor in spat with minister over housing intensification (paywalled)
Amy Williams (RNZ): Auckland Council says 100,000 new homes built after planning rule book came into force
Joel MacManus (Spinoff): The government is fed up with councils taking the piss on housing
Mountain Tui: "Quick, Dirty and Affable" Chris Bishop
Natalia Albert: Chris Bishop’s Big Housing Bet
Susan Edmunds RNZ): House prices '20 percent lower in 2030s than 2021'
Gabi Lardies (Spinoff): New research finds over half of LGBTQI+ flatters experience housing discrimination
STATE CARE OF CHILDREN
Jo Moir (RNZ): National's Erica Stanford clashes with Labour MPs over redress system for survivors abused in state care
Tim Brown (RNZ):Abuse in care survivors in line for under a third of government's $774m package
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): ‘Reports of concern’ rose 60 percent after Govt cut child safety contracts
No Right Turn: Stealing from their victims
CENSUS
Kate Newton (RNZ): The traditional Census has been switched off: What happens now?
Kate Newton (RNZ): Five-yearly Census to be scrapped from 2030, replaced with administrative data, annual surveys
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Number is up for error-ridden NZ census – so what fills the data void?
1News: Five-yearly census to be scrapped
David Hargreaves (Interest): Government axes official census - replaces with 'administrative data'
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): Government puts paper census in the bin (paywalled)
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Scrapping the census was long overdue
REGULATORY STANDARDS BILL
Janet Wilson (Post): How Seymour’s bill could blow up the coalition (paywalled)
Anaru Eketone (Herald): Regulatory Standards Bill under fire for limiting Parliament’s sovereignty
Daniel Vernon: If the Regulatory Standards Bill passes, native wildlife should register as a business
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WATER
Anna Whyte (Post): Scrap regional councils, says regional development minister
Anna Whyte (Post): Local Govt Minister ‘working at pace’ on rates cap model (paywalled)
Tom Hunt and Harriet Laughton (Post): Wellingtonians distrust their council, residents’ survey says (paywalled)
Ethan Manera (Herald): Rich-lister philanthropist Mark Dunajtschik bankrolling Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung
Tom Hunt (Post): Staff cuts and scrapped projects: Camp Chung's strongest hint yet at cuts (paywalled)
Tom Hunt and Julie Jacobson (Post): Sir Peter and his latest Shelly Bay museum plans revealed .. to an extent (paywalled)
Ethan Manera (Herald): My Kitchen Rules contestant Teal Mau running for Wellington City Council
RNZ: Lack of people standing for Auckland's next local body election worries officials
Matthew Martin (Waikato Times): Dob-in-a-fraudster portal for council (paywalled)
HEALTH
Mary Williams (ODT): Lead for hospital build paid $2.5k a day
Libby Kirkby-McLeod (RNZ): Media attention, political pressure credited with solving cardiac surgery waitlist at Waikato Hospital
Ruth Hill (RNZ): Taxpayer to foot the bill for cancer drugs for private patients
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): ACC supported 160,000 people at a cost of $2.5 billion last year, new data shows
ODT Editorial: New suicide prevention plan (paywalled)
RNZ: Melatonin to be sold over-the-counter; psilocybin to be prescribed
1News: Medsafe approves sale of melatonin and prescribing magic mushrooms
Lucy Xia (RNZ): More than 200 senior Northland doctors, dentist striking over pay dispute with Health NZ
Isaac Davison (Herald): Doctor fee hikes to end as funding wrangle finishes? GP rep says outcome ‘promising’ (paywalled)
EMPLOYMENT, BUSINESS, TAX
Gordon Campbell: On Sacrificing Worker Rights On The Altar Of Commerce
Stephanie Ockhuysen (RNZ): Inland Revenue finds $45 million of undeclared tax in horticulture industry from last 10 months
Chris Keall (Herald): Ute buyers face Investment Boost carrot, Fringe Benefit Tax ‘stick’ (paywalled)
Mike McRoberts (NBR): Màori economy could surpass $200b by 2030 (paywalled)
Anne Gibson (Herald): Construction survey: 59% lack forward work beyond a year (paywalled)
Tom Raynel (Herald): Hansells Masterton owes more than $10m to staff, ANZ, the Inland Revenue and company linked to the Hart family (paywalled)
EDUCATION
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Ministry of Education spends thousands hunting leaks to RNZ
Hanna McCallum (Post): Lifting student achievement, Education Minister’s focus during ‘scrutiny week’ (paywalled)
CONSERVATION, ENVIRONMENT
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Court action threatens Ruapehu ski season
RNZ: Iwi files court action against minister and DOC over Ruapehu ski fields
Eloise Gibson (RNZ): Scientists may have found a big, mysterious carbon sink in the South Island
Shea Esterling and William Grant (The Conversation): Matariki and our diminishing night sky: Light pollution makes stars harder to see
TREATY SETTLEMENTS, MÀORI-CROWN RELATIONS
Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira (RNZ): 'By Seymour, for Māori?' - Tama Potaka defends Māori targeted funding cut
Julia Gabel (Herald): Northland iwi leader rules out settlement under this Government after minister’s comments
ECONOMY, RESERVE BANK
David Hargreaves (Interest): Stagflation anyone? And how are we supposed to know?
Luke Malpass (Post): Today’s GDP figures expected to be OK - second quarter, not so much (paywalled)
RNZ: Consumer confidence perks up slightly
Stuff: Consumer confidence edges up but remains below average – Westpac McDermott Miller
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Our economy is an increasingly large hole
Susan Emunds (RNZ): Government to spend $16.5m changing way inflation data reported
Brent Edwards (NBR): Willis grilled over Reserve Bank funding (paywalled)
Tim Hunter (NBR): Orr has gone from the RBNZ - who’s next (paywalled)
POLICE, CRIME, DRUGS
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Police consider options for adopting body cameras
Sam Sherwood (RNZ): What a 'rapid review' of police after Jevon McSkimming case will look at
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Police Minister's office blames Labour government for police recruit exemptions
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Deep dive into New Zealand's growing meth crisis
Natasha Gordon (Herald): NZ drug report shows sharp rise in cocaine, methamphetamine use
BOOTCAMPS
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Children's minister Karen Chhour criticised for lack of transparency over bootcamps
Adam Pearse (Herald): Bootcamps: Children’s Minister admits teen death derailed pilot participants
PĀMU
Brent Edwards (NBR): Landcorp defends struggling business ventures (paywalled)
Riley Kennedy (BusinessDesk): Pāmu on track for record profit as farmgate prices rise, farm performance improves
OTHER
Ryan Ward: NZ Initiative wants to answer a question no one asked
Stuff: Government introduces bill to ease overseas investment rules
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): The real world is catching up to Radio New Zealand
ODT Editorial: Until the next disaster comes (paywalled)
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Immigration minister faces questions over deportations, parent visas, asylum and Gaza
Liam Rātana (Spinoff): Slashed Matariki funding threatens to leave communities in the dark
Nick James (RNZ): Maritime NZ files charges against KiwiRail over Aratere ferry grounding
RNZ: FMA confirms job cuts
Alexa Cook (RNZ): Public have their say on controversial Hawke's Bay dam
Russell Palmer (RNZ): New standards may be needed for NZ's critical communications infrastructure
Herald Editorial: New Zealand’s cell-tower rules need to reviewed (paywalled)
Brett Kerr-Laurie (Press/Post): Three racing greyhounds die in three days (paywalled)
Miriam Bell (Post): By the numbers: Here’s where NZ’s tourism industry is at (paywalled)
Blayne Slabbert (Press/Post): A new normal? Why food prices may stay high (paywalled)
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): International investors interested in importing LNG to NZ despite cold feet locally: Shane Jones (paywalled)
Mike McRoberts (NBR): Open banking marks progress with Màori data guidelines (paywalled)
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