News Briefing: 9 July 2025

PARLIAMENT, PUBLIC SECTOR
Farah Hancock (RNZ): New KiwiRail director Scott O'Donnell linked to NZ First donation, government loan
Paula Penfold (Stuff): ‘Pretty ironic’: Friday drinks sessions organised by senior health manager in charge of reducing alcohol harm
Matthew Hooton (Metro): Procrastination plus – Extending the parliamentary term would make our politicians lazier than ever
Simon Wilson (Herald): The rise of a New York socialist and the challenge to Labour here (paywalled)
Claire Robinson (Post): Political attack ads: we’re paying for them (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): Revealed: What police say happened the night of Kiri Allan’s crash arrest (paywalled)
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Public servants' views on staffing, stress and job satisfaction revealed in new survey
Anna Whyte (Post): One in 10 public servants report bullying or harassment in the past year (paywalled)
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Business of Government: Mergers, moths and more (paywalled)
Centrist: New Zealand ranks second in the world for freedom, just behind Finland
Herald Editorial: Social media humour can help organisations engage – or make them a laughing stock (paywalled)
Deborah Morris (Post): Welcome to the new archives building - vault of the nation’s memory (paywalled)

REGULATORY STANDARDS BILL
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): Regulatory Standards Bill hearing, day two: ‘Just good law-making’ or ‘Act’s ideological fetish’?
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Labour’s Deborah Russell fires up questioning former judge over Regulatory Standards Bill
Ruth Hill (RNZ): Anti-red tape bill a health risk, doctors say
Ryan Ward: The political legacy of a nonbinding bill
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Taxpayers Union, Māori data scientist among Regulatory Standards Bill submitters
RNZ: Unions, former MPs, lawyers speak at Regulatory Standards Bill hearings
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): David Seymour asked what relevance Te Tiriti had with lawmaking, here’s the response
Whatitiri Te Wake (Te Ao Māori News): Regulatory Standards Bill hearings enter second day of oral submissions
Brent Edwards (NBR): Legislation on regulatory standards provokes strong views (paywalled)

COVID-19
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): No, Jacinda Ardern hasn’t been asked to appear before the Covid Royal Commission
Paddy Gower (Stuff): The Covid inquiry should call Jacinda Ardern - and she should answer its questions
Rachel Moore (Stuff): Labour leader Chris Hipkins says Covid inquiry is platforming conspiracy theorists
RNZ: Royal Commission of Inquiry into New Zealand's Covid-19 response public hearing
Helen Petousis-Harris (Newsroom): What the Covid-19 inquiry is teaching us
RNZ: Covid inquiry hearings: No decisions yet on which politicians will appear
Finn Blackwell (RNZ): Some people with disabilities still terrified of leaving their homes after Covid discrimination (paywalled)
Felix Walton (RNZ): Auckland's Covid lockdown cut Northland off from rest of country, Royal Commission of Inquiry told
Catrin Owen (Stuff): Senior pilot wins Employment Court case after losing job over Covid-19 vaccine

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WATER
RNZ: Capping rates rises would make things 'worse not better' - Chris Hipkins
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Wellington mayoral candidate says cap on rates would reduce accountability
Tim Brown (RNZ): Christchurch Mayor backs proposal for government-capped rates rises
RNZ: Proposed reorganisation of Southland's councils being investigated
Matthew Martin (Waikato Times): Regional council dumps Local Government NZ (paywalled)
Julie Jacobson (Post): No easy fix: Pre-election report lays it bare (paywalled)
Joel MacManus (Spinoff): This Wellington sea wall shows how our heritage rules are broken
RNZ: Rich-listers pull out of Western Springs Stadium project
Michaela Gower (Hawke’s Bay Today/Herald): Woodville: Dead possum in drinking water wasn’t disclosed, Tararua council employee gets written warning (paywalled)
Michaela Gower (Hawke’s Bay Today/Herald): Water meters: Dannevirke council candidate wants better communication
Matthew Martin (Waikato Times): Taupō iwi offers scrutiny of joint management plan (paywalled)
Emily Ireland (Local Democracy Reporting): Caffell steps down: Deputy mayor gets his endorsement
Justin Wong (Post): Two more challengers for Upper Hutt mayoralty (paywalled)
Kira Carrington (Local Democracy Reporting): Marlborough votes to establish separate water organisation
Emily Ireland (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘Complementing, not competing’ against each other key to Wairarapa council’s future success

HEALTH
David Fisher (Herald): The $81m question: Does the Ministry of Health’s plan to stop problem gambling work? The answer: ‘We don’t know’ (paywalled)
David Hill (Local Democracy Reporting): Minister pressed on future of two Canterbury hospitals
Natalie Akoorie (RNZ): Senior doctors' union welcomes Health NZ U-turn on axing Wellington Hospital maternity beds (paywalled)
RNZ: Wellington Hospital will not proceed with cutting maternity and gynaecology beds
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): Health NZ backtracks on proposal to reallocate Wellington maternity beds
Natalie Akoorie (RNZ): Hamilton's private Braemar Hospital performs 159 free surgeries in one year
Lucy Xia (RNZ): Waitākere nurse finished shift with fractured ankle because there was no one to cover her
Joya Kemper et al (The Conversation): Quitting the quit-aid: people trying to stop vaping nicotine need more support
Maddy Croad (Press/Post): Feeling like a ‘criminal’: Clinicians face stigma over prescribing cannabis (paywalled)
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): ‘We underestimate the flu often’: Flu fatalities rare, but possible, among young people

HOUSING
Dave Armstrong (Post): Life on the rough streets, by choice of course (paywalled)
Caroline Williams (Stuff): 'No where else to go': Fears someone will ‘freeze to death’ amid Queenstown’s housing shortage
Ruwani Perera (The Hui): Homeless person froze to death, family living in mall car park amid national ‘crisis’
RNZ: House building costs rise at strongest rate in nearly two years, Cotality index shows
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Family abandoning ‘dream home’ plan say landslide risk finding ‘doesn’t make any sense’
Stephen Ward (Waikato Times): Waikato-Tainui poised to bring more homes to Hopuhopu (paywalled)

WORKPLACE SAFETY, EMPLOYMENT
Mary Afemata (Local Democracy Reporting): Precarious low-pay work traps thousands of Aucklanders – study
Bill Hickman (RNZ): Uber's fight over employment status of drivers goes to Supreme Court
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Employee or contractor? Supreme Court hears Uber case (paywalled)
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): Uber maintains drivers aren’t employees (paywalled)
John Braddock (World Socialists): New Zealand government attacks workplace health and safety law

TRANSPORT
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): KiwiRail seeks to recover costs with new user charges
Matt Lowrie (Greater Auckland): Selling Tolling Rights
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): ‘Very disappointing’: Ministry of Transport shelves key freight study update, cites fiscal constraints (paywalled)
1News: Speed cameras' range confirmed as NZTA takes over from police
Laine Priestley (ODT): Support grows for return of Southerner
Shanti Mathias (Spinoff): Ghost bus: why is Motu Move taking so long to arrive in Canterbury?
Julie Fairey (Spinoff): As a councillor I’ve always advocated for improved road safety – then I got hit by a car
Donna Govorko (Post): Driver licence reforms can’t put safety in the back seat (paywalled)

BUSINESS
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): New Tūroa ski field operator pleads to Govt for critical help
Rob Stock (Post): Cash comeback? Bill seeks to make retailers accept paper money again (paywalled)
Cameron Smith (Herald): Spike in IRD-enforced liquidations as pressure goes on companies in tax arrears (paywalled)
Joseph Los’e (Herald): Māori economy surges: Iwi entities lead with strong financial performance
Rachel Moore (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern inspired cafe in Auckland closing its doors

JUSTICE, CORRECTIONS
1News: OT report sheds light on escape of bootcamp participant from tangi
Alecia Rousseau and George Heagney (Manawatū Standard): Protecting children from harm a ‘colossal challenge’ (paywalled)
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Kids shouldn't be exempt from citizen's arrests
Kerre Woodham (Newstalk ZB): Is it any wonder the Govt's interfering with the judiciary?
Sam Sherwood (RNZ): Mt Eden prison murder-accused and victim both known to mental health services

ENVIRONMENT, CONSERVATION
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): Study finds NZ’s largest orange roughy fishery facing collapse
David Williams (Newsroom): Council investigates alleged Barker’s wastewater breach
Madeleine Powers (Waikato Times): Plastic-Free July? Not at this seawall (paywalled)

IMMIGRATION
Kaya Selby (RNZ): Immigration NZ confirms fraud in Samoa: Staff bribed to help Samoan nationals obtain visas
Finn Blackwell (RNZ): Over 200 work visas linked to companies connected to Vietnamese organised crime rings
Simon Laurent (Post): English language bar set too high for skilled migrants (paywalled)
RNZ: Nearly 300 visa applications from Israelis, Palestinians and Iranians in past month

FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TRADE
Richard Harman (Politik): Peters heads off to the trade war (paywalled)
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Buy now, and get a free set of knives in the back
Duoya Lu (RNZ): NZSIS renews warning of foreign interference risk in sister-city ties

OTHER
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): Why do families earning $200K-plus need govt. support?
Nik Dirga (RNZ): How are designated terrorist entities selected in New Zealand? Here's what you need to know
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Constitutional complications for Govt’s census shake-up
Fox Meyer (Newsroom): Reti is behind the wheel, but he didn’t pick the route
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Free Speech Union seeks seats on InternetNZ board after swamping membership base (paywalled)
RNZ: Government to loosen rules for selling homes in trusts
Reid Basher (Sunday Star Times): Rising insurance costs a sign of growing disaster risks (paywalled)
Gordon Campbell: On Using The Tax System To Boost Funding For The Arts
Michael Daly (Stuff): Tens of thousands are leaving NZ for good - how big a problem is it?
Liz McDonald (Press/Post): Ikea snaps up southern farmland amid forestry crackdown (paywalled)
Dave Hull (Stuff): ‘We have to be courageous now too’: Why the Rainbow Warrior sinking still matters 40 years on
Claire Achmad (Newsroom): Our child protection system is sounding the alarm, but are we listening?
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Suicidal thoughts and self-harm: The children’s counselling service facing the mental health crisis
Rob Stock (Post): DIY investors warned: risks are on you (paywalled)
Kevin Norquay (Post): Fantail-sized nest egg? When life shocks ruin your retirement (paywalled)