The main issues in NZ politics today are about the Labour Party's conference, and various related items. [Read more below]
Today’s link
Labour Party Conference
The Press: Editorial: Big ideas need detailed look
Stuff: Labour promises more for Waikato-BOP
Claire Trevett (Herald): Labour conference: Goff, Mallard to feel pinch to resign
Felix Marwick (Newstalk ZB): Labour happier and united for new policies
Newswire: Labour's vote-grabbing new policies
Vernon Small (Stuff): Labour's gender quota gets go-ahead
Felix Marwick (Newstalk ZB): Labour undecided over foreshore and seabed apology
John Armstrong (Herald): Labouring under an electoral delusion
Brook Sabin (TV3): Pressure on at Labour conference
Newswire: Labour makes pitch for Christchurch votes
Claire Trevett (Herald): Cunliffe gives first speech as leader
TVNZ: Cunliffe kicks off Labour conference berating Key
Vernon Small (Stuff): Hard decisions kept in a can
Tracy Watkins and Vernon Small (Stuff): Cunliffe heads off potential divisions
Matt McCarten (Herald): Pretend coalition on the ropes
Claire Trevett (Herald): Cunliffe to end conference with housing announcement
Audrey Young (Herald): Rudy Taylor endorsed as Labour's Maori VP
Audrey Young (Herald): Forestry deaths inspire Helen Kelly's conference speech
Laura McQuillan (TV3): Unions lay out demands for Labour
Matthew Hooton (NBR): How far left will Labour go?
Felix Marwick (Newstalk ZB): Cunliffe relaxed about potentially explosive policies
Jenny Michie (Daily Blog): Leo’s legacy
The Standard: Take us this day our daily statins
Greg Presland (The Standard): John Armstrong is labouring under a reality delusion
The Standard: Labour conference 2013 – day two
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Labour Party Conference 2013: The out of touch John Armstrong
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Labour Party Conference 2013 – Labour decide what they are – now they need to tell NZ what they will do
No Right Turn: Labour comes to its senses
The Civilian: Live Blog: The Civilian goes to the Labour Party Conference
The Standard: The prescient oracle
Keeping Stock: One step ahead
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Labour Party Conference 2013: The speech that will terrify National
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Another sneaky Cunliffe backflip. When is a promise, not a promise?
Pete George (Your NZ): Cunliffe versus truth
Alan Papprill (The Irascible Curmudgeon): Drawing Lines in the Sand. Cunliffe defines the clear differences between Labour and the PinoKeyo Parties.
Pete George (Your NZ): Cunliffe – Rebuilding the future?
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Now Labour wants to regulate working hours
Bryce Edwards (Liberation): Top tweets about the 2013 Labour Party conference
Labour Party gender quota
Audrey Young (Herald): Labour sets target for female MPs
Patrick Gower (TV3): Labour votes for gender quota system
Vernon Small and Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Cunliffe backs gender quota
TVNZ: Rebuild, gender equality on Labour's agenda
Keeping Stock: Labour's Man-Ban is back
Gintearsandcremebrulee: Gender quota
Ele Ludemann (Homepaddock): The best (wo)man for the job?
Labour Party insurance policy
Radio NZ: State-owned insurance firm 'would diversify market'
Ashleigh Stewart (Stuff): Insurers insist they're on track
James Henderson (The Standard): National: the party the insurance companies bought
Newstalk ZB: Insurance Council unimpressed with 'KiwiAssure'
TVNZ: David Cunliffe: 'KiwiAssure' plan not risky for NZ
Claire Trevett (Herald): Cunliffe set to tackle insurers
Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Cunliffe announces new Labour insurance policy
Corin Dann (TVNZ): Labour unveils plan for state run insurance company
John Armstrong (Herald): Soft target in the sights
Radio NZ: Critics slam state insurance idea
Laura McQuillan (Newswire): Cunliffe unveils 'KiwiAssure' insurer
Newswire: Labour's insurance plan panned by Insurance Council
Jacqui Stanford (Newstalk ZB): Brownlee dismisses Labour's insurance plan
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Have Labour not heard of how hated EQC is?
Voxy: Labour's leftward lurch continues – Joyce
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Face of the day
Keeping Stock: The devil is in the detail
Ele Ludemann (Homepaddock): Labour’s left lurch shows hasn’t learned
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Oh look, another policy with “kiwi” tagged on the front
Greg Presland (The Standard): Kiwiassure
The Standard: “The purists can weep”
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): What would happen to “KiwiAssure” if there was another earthquake?
Labour Party on TPP
Radio NZ: Labour to decide trade deal attitude
Vernon Small and Tracy Watkins (Stuff): CTU reinforces stance against TPP
Audrey Young (Herald): Cunliffe brokers Labour resolution on TPP
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): TPP and other fights at Labour’s conference
Labour Party on monarchy
Felix Marwick (Newstalk ZB): Key will play the Royal card - Cunliffe
Steve Kilgallon (Stuff): Labour agrees vote on Queen
Claire Trevett (Herald): Cunliffe sets a royal challenge
Brook Sabin (TV3): Labour debates ditching the monarchy
Nicholas Jones (Herald): Queen holds NZ back, says former top diplomat
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): The cost of the monarchy
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Labour choosing the populist path again
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Labour votes for a referendum on a republic
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Making shit up
Labour Party on Superannuation
Corin Dann (TVNZ): Labour softens stance on retirement age
Vernon Small (Stuff): Labour dilutes pension age policy
Audrey Young (Herald): Labour conference gives Parker options for superannuation policy
Labour Party housing policy
TVNZ: Labour pledges houses for Christchurch
Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Cunliffe launches accomodation plan
Claire Trevett (Herald): Labour Party unveils KiwiBuild policy detail
Laura McQuillan (Newswire): Labour announces Christchurch housing plan
Charles Anderson (Stuff): Housing policy 'questionable'
Radio NZ: Labour's housing plan for Christchurch questioned
Charles Anderson (Stuff): New era for New Brighton?
Len Brown
Voxy: Sunday Bevan Chuang Interview 3/11/2013
Kate Harley (TV3): Wewege denies relationship with Chuang
TVNZ: Mistress apologises to mayor's daughters
Radio NZ: Luigi Wewege denies allegations by mayor's ex-lover
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Tight belt starts at city's top
Herald: Luigi Wewege 'clarifies' position in Len Brown sex scandal
TVNZ: Revealing affair details 'foolishness' - Bevan Chuang
Stuff: Chuang confirms mayor was referee during affair
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Len Brown’s statements don’t add up
Ele Ludemann (Homepaddock): Is this a resignation offence?
Rodney Hide (Herald): Devilish detail wipes Len's power
Kathryn Powley (Herald): Len's affair a 'surprise', says Cameron Brewer
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): The supreme arrogance, vanity and psychopathy of mayor Len Brown
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): The benefits of sunlight
Steve Braunias (Stuff): The secret diary of...Luigi Wewege
Inequality, poverty, and unemployment
Susan Edmunds (Herald): Auckland: The new Monaco?
Ben Heather (Stuff): Contractors to assess sick and disabled for work
Damien Grant (Herald): Poverty isn't fault of rich
NBR Staff (NBR): Bennett: ‘I’m an advocate’ for Warrant of Fitness on private rental housing.
David Haywood (Stuff): The rising price of the sin tax
Radio NZ: Treasury report no deterrent for living wage campaigners
Newswire: $5m could save sawmill, MP says
The Standard: “A Tale of two countries” – NZ/Aotearoa
Olive McRae (ISO): Auckland Action Against Poverty Welfare Impact
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Living Wage proposal would mainly help the Government, not low income families
Eric Crampton (Offsetting Behaviour): The Living Wage, in one chart.
NZ-US relations
Stuff: Independence at risk
Dominion Post: Editorial: US tradeoff too long in making
Matt Robson (Daily Blog): National’s Grovelling Underscores Why NZ Must Reconnect To Its Independent Identity ASAP
NZ Post
NBR Staff (NBR): NZ Post should stay public
Matthew Theunissen (Herald): Postal job losses 'brutal reality'
Newswire: Key: NZ Post job cuts not out of the blue
Ben Uffindell (The Civilian): Single postal worker to deliver entire nation’s mail
National Party
Radio NZ: Backbenchers to fight for electorates
TVNZ: National MP Phil Heatley announces retirement
Andrea Vacne (Stuff): MP Phil Heatley will retire from politics
Adam Bennett (Herald): Phil Heatley to retire from politics next year
Newswire: Another National MP calls it a day
Michael Fox (Stuff): English to resign as MP for Clutha-Southland
TVNZ: Bill English to step down as MP for Clutha-Southland
Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Making the gains stick
John Roughan (Herald): Key's restraint should be applauded
Adam Bennett (Herald): New list MP seeks nomination for Whangarei electorate
Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Five key points for National's popularity
Ben Uffindell (The Civilian): National gains in poll; up 25% since 2002
Ele Ludemann (Homepaddock): Fresh vs stale
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): English goes list only, Heatley retires
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Watkins on National’s popularity
No Right Turn: A contrast on renewal
Douglas Graham
TVNZ: Sir Douglas Graham to keep knighthood
Vernon Small and Michael Fox (Stuff): Sir Douglas Graham to keep knighthood
Michael Fox and Vernon Small (Stuff): Gong decision angers Lombard investors
Fran O'Sullivan (Herald): Complacency led to Sir Doug's disgrace
Andrew Geddes (Pundit): Arise, Sir Douglas
No Right Turn: National loves white-collar criminals
Mike Butler (Breakingviews): Should this treatyist remain a sir?
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Douglas Graham retains his knighthood
Education
Bruce Munro (ODT): The value of education
RadioLIVE: Greens call for Parata to admit defeat
Jo Moir (Stuff): 'Chance lost' with axing of Teachers Council
Patrice Dougan (Herald): Parata alone will pick new panel
Patrice Dougan (Herald): Govt will not appeal Phillipstown ruling
TV3: Teachers Council scrapped in favour of new body
Housing
Michael Fox (Stuff): New lending criteria labelled unfair
Martin van Beynen (Stuff): The Block exploits desperate contestants
James Weir (Stuff): Governor willing to consider 'unintended consequences'
Superannuation
Rob Stock (Stuff): Will you be sitting pretty when you retire?
Rodney Hide (NBR): KiwiSaver: A money-go-round tax in disguise
Brian Gaynor (Herald): Cautious banks win - but investors are losing
