Dawn chorus: A pivotal day

TLDR & TLDL: The Government is set to announce this morning whether it will go ahead with the $1.3b Mill Road four-lane project alongside the Southern Motorway, and whether it will use Covid-19 fast-track legislation to accelerate the development of motorway-fed South Auckland and the building of over 30,000 homes.

The project aims to improve links for new suburbs to house a further 120,000 people, but has been on hold this year because Auckland Council refuses to fund its $1b share of the infrastructure, arguing it can’t afford it under its self-imposed debt limits within a AA credit rating. Climate activists have also launched court action to block the project, arguing it is part of a broader plan that will increase emissions.

The decision is shaping up as a huge one for the Government and Auckland, as it sets the tone on both housing supply and climate change, and shows how restrained the Government is by its self-imposed debt limits. Stuff has reported the cost has blown out to $3b.

Connected to the project, Oyster Capital, Fulton Hogan and Kiwi Property want to rezone about 330 hectares in Drury East from future urban to a mix of residential, business and open space zones, Stuff has reported. The developers have applied for fast-track approval, which has to be given by the Government, and has been in talks with Auckland Council to use Milldale-style Infrastructure Funding and Financing tools to pay for the $1b of infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the NZ Herald reports this morning from an interview with Transport Minister Michael Wood that the Government has agreed to plans for a brand-new cycling and walking bridge across the Waitematā Harbour alongside the current Harbour Bridge - at an estimated cost of $685m. The timing may not be coincidental, given it answers a long-held complaint of cycling and climate activists.

My bet is the Government will approve and fund Mill Rd and help the Council with the infrastructure costs. The housing supply hit would be too great otherwise.

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Elsewhere briefly in our political economy

Thomas Coughlan @coughlthom

Ōtaki to north of Levin will be built, although we don't yet know at what cost, Robertson announced this morning. Upgrade announcement scheduled for tomorrow, where we'll hear about projects like Mill Rd and Melling.

stuff.co.nz$800m Ōtaki road will be built, Robertson confirms, with other upgrade roads expected to be announced tomorrowThe $800m road was in doubt following cost blowouts but Grant Robertson confirmed on Thursday it would go ahead.

Stuff.co.nz Politics @NZStuffPolitics

Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta won't rule out forcing councils into water reforms

dlvr.itLocal Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta won’t rule out forcing councils into water reformsLocal Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta won’t rule out forcing councils to the table

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Elsewhere overnight in the global political economy:

Axios @axios

NEW: Biden issued an executive order today that would ban Americans from investing in companies linked to China’s military and its surveillance activities. It’s an expansion of an executive order issued by Trump in November 2020.

axios.comBiden bans U.S. investment in companies linked to China’s surveillance activitiesThe ban will come into effect on August 2.

Reuters @Reuters

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan laid out how the U.S. will share 25 million of a planned 80 million COVID-19 vaccine doses with the world reut.rs/3vO8bmF

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Signs o’ the times news

Bloomberg @business

Average home prices jumped 7.3% in the 12 months to March, the fastest pace since the fourth quarter of 2006, according to Knight Frank’s Global House Price Index report trib.al/ULXHosK

Stuff.co.nz Business @NZStuffBusiness

Minister asks for patience over shortage of building supplies

dlvr.itMinister asks for patience over shortage of building suppliesConstruction companies hoarding materials now part of the problem, Poto Williams says.

Led Zealand @mykeywill

“Importers or exporters might also be forced to pay extra transportation charges to get containers to their correct destination.” More supply chain havoc after outbreak near 'pivotal' Chinese port in Yantian stuff.co.nz/business/12532… #nzpol #coastalshipping @nzlabour @NZGreens

stuff.co.nzMore supply chain havoc after outbreak near ‘pivotal’ Chinese port in YantianThe near-shutdown of an important Chinese port will have flow-on effects for us, according to the ​Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Federation.

Yaroslav Trofimov @yarotrof

In Dubai, too, some residents are getting revaccinated with Pfizer. “Several people I know are finding out they have not developed antibodies after Sinopharm and are rushing to book to get Pfizer,” one such resident tells @summer_said and me.

Yaroslav Trofimov @yarotrof

Relying on 🇨🇳 Sinopharm, Bahrain achieved some of the world’s highest vaccination rates. Now, as Covid cases and deaths soar, Bahrain is recommending people over 50 or w preconditions to get a Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot. Our scoop w ⁦@summer_said⁩ https://t.co/l5eK2fbP1I

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Useful longer reads and watches

Marc Daalder 😷 Wear a Mask, Scan QR Codes @marcdaalder

I spoke with @svs, @normnz, @AndyProwRS, @andrewtychen and @CERTNZ's Nadia Yousef about New Zealand's "she'll be right" attitude to cyber resilience and the risks that carries with it: newsroom.co.nz/the-gaping-hol… #cybersecurity #nzpol #CyberAttack

newsroom.co.nzThe gaping holes in our cyber bordersCybersecurity experts say the hacking of Waikato DHB is just the tip of the iceberg - New Zealand is vulnerable to far greater cyber threats if we don’t up our resilience.

Stuff.co.nz Business @NZStuffBusiness

Mainfreight and Fletcher Building: Two very different wage subsidy stories

dlvr.itMainfreight and Fletcher Building: Two very different wage subsidy storiesOPINION: Kiwi companies have repaid more than $700m in Covid subsidies, but some came out of it looking much better than others.

Robbie @RobbieNicol

Want to read our whole piece on Quinovic? Here you go, babyyy! Every retweet - a Quinovic employee gets a new job.

stuff.co.nzBringing the house down: A Quinovic monologueSATIRE: Today we’re talking about the number one property management company, if you’re listing them in order from most to least evil.

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My writing and podcasts elsewhere today

The Spinoff @TheSpinoffTV

Who will create the great global digital currency? Christine Lagarde? Elon Musk? What about a 'Jacinda-coin'? Bernard Hickey demystifies crytpo-currency.

thespinoff.co.nzBernard Hickey: A clash of the titans is coming over the future of moneyWho should we trust to create and run the digital currency or currencies that will define the world’s financial and economic landscapes for decades to come? Bernard Hickey takes a closer look at who might create the ‘one virtual money ring’ to rule us all: the world’s digital means of exchange and s

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Some fun things

Spark Sport @sparknzsport

ACCESS ALL ANGLES | What’s your favourite of Devon Conway’s century-making flick for FOUR? 🎥 ➡ #ENGvNZ Day 2 LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on Spark Sport from 9:15pm 🏏⭕️ ➡️ @BLACKCAPS Breakfast 7am each morning 🍳☕️

Alice Su @aliceysu

Fantastic deep dive into the battle of man vs sand in the deserts of northwestern China, by @DavidStanway w stunning visuals by @carlosrawlins. Watch the video all the way through for a heartbreaking moment

widerimage.reuters.comThe Great Green Wall: China’s farmers push back the desert one tree at a timeAfter a hard morning planting fresh shoots in the dunes on the edge of the Gobi Desert, 78-year-old farmer Wang Tianchang retrieves a three-stringed lute from his shed, sits down beneath the fiery midday sun, and starts to play.

Bon @galgonemild

Everyone in the National Party, looking at the pre-selection committees that let Jake Bezzant through TWICE.