Here’s my curation of the day’s top news, analysis, commentary, charts and cartoons from around Aotearoa and elsewhere about our political economy on housing, climate and poverty. This is only published in full for paying subscribers.
Firstly and briefly, here’s my summary of this morning’s top news:
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Wellington Mayor Andrew Little have finally announced1 a re-start to development of Kainga Ora’s Arlington site in central Wellington after work stopped there four years ago. But the new plan reduces the unit-building project by two-thirds to 104. The Wellington City Council is looking at building new homes on parts of the site now not being used by Kainga Ora, but Little said private housing development would be an option. Bishop would not disclose the new cost estimate ‘for commercial reasons.2’
Bishop also quietly delayed3 the release of the new land transport funding plan until after the election, which would have included details about time-of-use charging on existing roads. Both major parties have expressed support for the user-pays idea, but both are cagey about the details and when it might be introduced, given the politically explosive nature of the decision4.
The lack of any sort of sustainable or scalable funding agreement between central and local Governments continues to stymie attempts to develop new housing supply more quickly. In response to a letter this week from Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and Queenstown Mayor John Glover asking for the suspension of fast-track approvals for new developments, Chris Bishop has acknowledged the Government will have to change the development contribution rules for fast-track projects. Currently, fast-tracked projects can get the green light before contributions with councils are agreed. Katie Bradford has the scoop this morning on the front page of the NZ Herald-$. See Front Page of the day below.
In another sign of the intense pressures of the sinking lid on health spending to push overall Government spending under 30% of GDP, patients from North Shore hospital were being transported by ambulance to Whangārei Hospital yesterday, even though the main Northland hospital is itself under pressure, as Rowan Quinn reported yesterday for RNZ5. Health infrastructure and maintenance spending is forecast to keep falling as a share of GDP, which has meant already-flea-invested carpets in Auckland may not be replaced for decades, as Kate Green reported yesterday for RNZ6.
Social Development Minister Louise Upston appeared to make unspecified concessions to opponents of the Disability Support Services Bill in changes7 announced8 overnight to the bill after the select committee reported9 from its first reading debate and submissions. Watch out for more excellent coverage and commentary on this issues on the substacks of Dr Bex, Nick Ruane and Huhana Hickey
Health Minister Simeon Brown’s recent appointments to the Nursing Council have triggered a rash of resignations from the Council’s executive, sparking new protests from unions over Brown’s recent ‘anti-woke’ appointments to various bodies in the health sector, as reported by 1News overnight and Andrea Vance this morning for The Post-$10.
New Editor-in-Chief of The Post-$, Matthew Hooton, is reported by NZ Herald’s11 media columnist Shayne Currie this morning as having had a ‘tantrum’ in Stuff’s Auckland newsroom on Wednesday afternoon over a video interview with Hooton and Andrea Vance on Stuff12 about this week’s National Caucus leadership vote. ‘One source said he made his view known - publicly and loudly in the newsroom - to a Stuff videographer. They described it, in their view, as a “public tantrum”.’ Hooton denied to Currie it was a ‘tantrum’.
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