The main issues in NZ politics today are Len Brown, the asset sales referendum, Avatar, Nelson Mandela, and the Act and Conservative parties. [Read more below]
Today’s links
Len Brown
Chris Trotter (Bowalley Road): Laughing-Stock City?
Jenny Suo (TV3): Brown 'not worried' despite censure
NBR Staff (NBR): Len Brown censured; Brewer wants to take things further
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Mayor Len Brown told: Shape up or ship out
Brian Rudman (Herald): Len's path to redemption in council hands
Newswire/RadioLIVE: Auckland Mayor Len Brown sorry after report
Sarah Harvey (Stuff): Len Brown apologises to councilors
TV3/RadioLIVE: 'Disappointed' councillors to question Brown
Alan Papprill (The Irascible Curmudgeon): On being apoplectic, angry and Browned off- the Auckland Mayoralty affair
Malcolm Harbrow (No Right Turn): Dirtier and dirtier
Russell Brown (Hard News): We need to talk about Len
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): The costs of the Brown report
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Danyl cuts through
The Standard:SkyCity: they’re toxic
Pete George (Your NZ): Brown criticised left, right and centre
Scott Yorke (Imperator Fish): Why Len must stay
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Orsman back running interference for Brown
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): No Len, the overwhelming sentiment is for you to go
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Len Brown from the perspective of the left
Scott Yorke (Imperator Fish): Nobody is to blame
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Brown must resign
No Right Turn: Unacceptable
End of year evaluations
Tracy Watkins and Vernon Small (Stuff): The 2013 political year in review
Claire Trevett (Herald): Of musical chairs and other absurd carryings-on
John Armstrong (Herald): Grim Reaper piles up political scalps
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): The TDB Media Awards: 2013 – the year of the Wahine & 5 Eyes
TV3: A look at 2013's biggest newsmakers
Paul Casserly (Herald): A binge and whinge about 2013
Deborah Hill Cone (Herald): 16 important things I learned this year
Bernard Orsman, Jamie Morton, Isaac Davison, and Liam Dann (Herald): New Zealander of the Year: The Over-30s
Beck Eleven (Stuff): End-of-year lists abound
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Fairfax rates the front benchers
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Nominations sought: New Zealander of the Year
Toby Manhire (Herald): The essential gift list for those in the public eye
John Drinnan (Herald): Media highlights of 2013
Asset sales
Dominion Post: Editorial: Referendums a waste of money
Stuff: Labour 'probably will' buy assets back
Polity: Herald on Sunday poll likely wrong
Malcolm Harbrow (No Right Turn): Grossly unethical
The Standard: Muppets.
The Standard: National has a big asset-sale problem
Malcolm Harbrow (No Right Turn): The referendum
Mandela
Andrew Austin (Herald): Quiet goodbye amid history's moment
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): The audacity of Key’s Hone Harawira dog whistle
John Minto (Daily Blog): We did what John Key should have done
Ben Irwin (Herald): Nelson Mandela funeral: Minto and Meurant recall pitch protest
Radio NZ: Harawira defends trip to South Africa
Isaac Davison (Herald): Harawira to explain South Africa trip
Newswire: Harawira defends taxpayer-funded trip
Pete George (Your NZ): Who does Harawira represent?
TVNZ: Harawira's South Africa trip a junket on taxpayer - Key
Liam Hehir (Stuff): Why Minto shouldn't have gone
Simon Wong (TV3): Harawira trip to South Africa wrong - PM
Isaac Davison (Herald): Key: Harawira took taxpayer-funded junket to South Africa
Michael Fox and Michael Field (Stuff): PM slams Harawira trip
Michael Sergel (Newstalk ZB): Harawira calls questions over wife's trip 'bulls**t'
Catherine Delahunty (Frogblog): A Mandela Moment
Giovanni Tiso (Overland): Do you remember the 1981 Springbok Tour?
Helen Clark (Listener): Nelson Mandela 1918 – 2013
Andrew Austin (Herald): Sharples' serendipitous superstar sit-down
Steven Cowan (Against the current): Pita Sharples’ amazing celebrity bus tour
The Act and Conservative parties
Audrey Young (Herald): Brash talks Hide up to return as Act leader
Herald: Book catalogues highs and lows
Gordon Campbell (Werewolf): The Blank Slate Boy
Stephen Mills (Stuff): Conservative Party prospects
Rob Hosking (NBR): The Colin Craig catfight – he's smarter than we guessed
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Perhaps Craig and Key are well suited
Laura McQuillan (Newstalk ZB): Bennett unfazed by Conservatives reshuffle
Radio NZ: Christine Rankin considers contesting seat
Polity: The Christine Rankin poll
Pete George (Your NZ): Craig wants smacking change but would leave gay marriage
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Colin Craig says
Chorus
TVNZ: Public pain if Chorus adopts cost-cutting measures
Liam Dann (Herald): Market will give verdict on Chorus
Radio NZ: TUANZ seeks inquiry into Chorus share price movement
Greg Presland (The Standard): Chorus insider trading?
Labour Party
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): A Sort of Victory: Is Labour’s Old Guard Undermining Cunliffe’s Lurch to the Left?
Matthew Hooton (NBR): Labour stagnates as National renews (paywalled)
Michael Sergel (Newstak ZB): Singh no longer member of Labour Party
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Will Singh keep his JP?
Ele Ludemann (Homepaddock): Selected on merit?
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Labour’s first selection
TPPA
Jane Kelsey (Daily Blog): TPPA ‘trust me’ is not good enough for democracy
Keith Locke (Daily Blog): Parliament and people shut out of treaty ratification process
Resource extraction
Pat Baskett (Herald): Spirit of 1973 needed to stop oil drillers
Newswire: Oil spill response plan made public
Gordon Campbell (Werewolf): Dark Days at Anadarko
Avatar
AP: Avatar sequels: New Zealand scores three-movie deal worth NZ$500m
Nevil Gibson (NBR): Avatar deal points new direction for local film industry
John Barnett (Herald): Let's keep more big movie IP here
Vernon Small (Stuff): Avatar's arrow has found its mark
Ben Heather (Stuff): Critical eye on Avatar deal
TVNZ: Treasury critical of Avatar deal
Peter Wilson and Elise Scott (Newswire): Govt wins praise for Avatar deal
Claire Trevett (Herald): Govt taking stake in films
Herald: Editorial: Latest sell out to Hollywood further delays self reliance
The Standard: The Good and the Bad: NZ screen industry
Health
Newswire: Maori health funding cut – Labour
David Farrar (Kiwiblog):Ryall says no to nanny state
Housing
Isaac Davison (Herald): New homes tipped to cool market
Alex Fensome (Stuff): Wellington region to get new homes fast-tracked
Newswire: More special housing areas for Auckland
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Densification no solution, would someone tell Len
Pike River
Matthew Backhouse (Herald): Key: Whittall case could have been costly, heartbreaking
The Press: Hard decision probably right
Child poverty and inequality
Max Rashbrooke: Why the poverty line is valid, and 265,000 children really are in poverty
Peter O’Neill (Timaru Herald): Editorial: Living wage nice, but ...
Hera Cook, Amanda D’Souza, and Richard Edwards (Dominion Post): Lack of vision in child vulnerability laws
John Braddock (WSW): A quarter of New Zealand children live in poverty
Listener: Editorial: back to basics
Other
Daily Blog: Major NZ religions interviewed on Census 2013 results
Shane Cowlishaw (Stuff): Housing NZ's actions 'ruin man's life'
Sarah Stuart (Herald): Twelve Questions: Geoff Robinson
Radio NZ: Claimants challenge Treaty process
Fine Tooth Column: The Manny State
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Cherry picking over the imprisonment rate
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Why is NZ so far behind the world on Cannabis reform when we lead on legal high regulation?
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Taser stats
Elton Smallman (Stuff): U-turn on paid leave boosts parents' hopes
Alex Fensome (Stuff): Third World imprisonment levels slammed
The Standard: What happened to the working class?
Charles Anderson (Stuff): Festive card outrages school staff
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Dividing by race
Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): Tobacco firms sidestep tax rises
Herald: The Insider: Miner's smokescreen
Russell Brown (Public Address): We're back!
TV3: Report gives glimpse of NZ in 2100
Jacinda Ardern (The Ruminator): Political Kombat The Arts
Chris Finayson (The Ruminator): Political Kombat The Arts
Nicholas Jones (Herald): 'Informed, thoughtful citizens' at risk of vanishing: academics
Jane Clifton (Listener): We’re just not that into you
Newswire: Public backs ditching 'coat tail' MMP rule
Brian Easton (Listener): Shock of the new
John Armstrong (Herald):Seasonal spirit ferments in House
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): The Rebstock report
Merja Myllylahti (The Conversation): New Zealand’s blogosphere is thriving, but will the party last?
Stuff: Greens name Hamilton duo to take on Nationals
Donna Wynd (Herald): No Christmas cheer for children in poverty
