The main issues in NZ politics today are education, John Banks, GCSB, spying, corruption, Colin Craig, and Chorus. [Read more below]
Today’s links
Education
Gordon Campbell (Scoop): New Zealand’s PISA education
TVNZ: Kiwi students sliding down world rankings
Dan Satherley (TV3):Education slide blamed on inequality
Vernon Small and Stacey Kirk (Stuff): Kiwi students fall behind in basics
Vernon Small and Stacey Kirk (Stuff): Government working to stop student slide
Simon Wong (TV3): NZ's global education rankings drop
Isaac Davison (Herald): Significant drops in NZ educational achievement - OECD report
Isaac Davison (Herald): Drop in student rankings doesn't reflect new standards – minister
RNZ: Education worse under National – Greens
RNZ: NZ well down in international maths table
Rob Salmond (Polity): Graphing the PISA results
Mark Hubbard (Life Behind the Iron Drape): State Education Failure: Answers Are Easy - Really.
RNZ: Big rise in tertiary achievement for Maori
Radio NZ: Kohanga report due within weeks
RNZ: Iwi leaders put education at the top of list
Stuff: Fund waka-building school: Labour
RNZ: Iwi leaders see light in charter schools
Dom Post: Editorial: Challenges remain in education policy
Teuila Fuatai (Herald): 'Positive' feedback to proposed Teacher Council changes
Corruption Perceptions Index and corruption laws
Integrity Talking Points: Why are we not excited about again topping the Corruption Perception Index?
Herald: NZ one of world's least corrupt countries
Newswire: New Zealand again least corrupt nation
Greg Stutchbury (Reuters): NZ to ramp up anti-corruption fight
Judith Collins: NZ tops global ranking for transparency, again
Rob Stock (Stuff): Century-old corruption law carries wrist-slap penalties
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): No corruption in NZ? Of course there is
John Banks legal trial
TVNZ: John Banks: Time to move on
No Right Turn: Good riddance to John Banks
Graeme Edgeler (Public Address): John Banks: what next?
Adam Bennett (Herald): Fast-track plan for Banks' trial
Simon Wong (TV3): Banks to stand trial for electoral fraud
TVNZ: John Banks' political future questioned as trial to go ahead
RNZ: Banks loses another bid over trial
Herald: John Banks to stand trial
Amy Maas (Stuff): ACT leader John Banks to face trial
RNZ: Greens call for Banks to resign
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): John Banks – one more step towards zombie oblivion
Peter Cresswell (Not PC): Another leader down
Will de Cleene (GoNZo): Patsy Who
Kaipara Districk Council investigations
Andrew Laxon (Herald): Auditors failed to spot Kaipara debt blow-out
RNZ: Auditor-General apologises to Kaipara ratepayers
Marika Hill (Stuff): Council blow-out warning to others
Radio NZ: Auditor-General apologises to Kaipara ratepayers
Stephen Franks: Kaipara victims of government non-performance
Andrew Laxon (Herald): MP set to appeal for Kaipara bailout
Asset sales
Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): Govt lowers asset sales estimate
Jamie Gray (Herald): Asset sales proceeds to drop – Govt
David Cunliffe’s election day tweeting
Scott Yorke (Imperator Fish):“You will never take me alive!”
TVNZ: Cunliffe apologises over by-election tweet
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Is it time for a change to electoral law?
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Cunliffe’s defence shot to hell
Barry Soper (Newstalk): Cunliffe may have breached law during by-election
Newswire: Labour leader Cunliffe investigated over tweet
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): No surprises, another Labour politician broke electoral law
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Cunliffe breaches election day law
GCSB Inquiry
John Armstrong (Herald): Opposition's glee missing the point
Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Inquiry methods heavily censured
RNZ: Dunne not vindicated by committee report – Labour
RNZ: Parliamentary Service acknowledges criticism
Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Key hints at Dunne return
Stuff:Info sharing slammed
Simon Wong (TV3):GCSB leak inquiry raises concerns
TVNZ: Dunne speaks out over 'unacceptable' Henry inquiry
Barry Soper (Newstalk): Parliamentary Services slammed over journo-tracking scandal
Spying
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Spy Q&A more a PR exercise
Audrey Young (Herald): GCSB head: Kiwis' offshore data not protected from spies
Simon Wong (TV3):'Cyber espionage' on the rise
RNZ: GCSB director doesn't believe US spies on NZers, but can't be sure
Newswire: Cyber attacks increasing, GCSB head says
Audrey Young (Herald): No large-scale collection of Kiwi data by NSA - GCSB head
Paul Buchanan (Herald): Snowden leaks sure to catch NZ out
Patrick Gower (TV3): Tucker: Spies 'certainly saved lives'
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Top spies front up to MP questioning
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Govt must come clean on spying – Labour
No Right Turn: But do we believe them?
No Right Turn: An explosion of spying
Forestry deaths and corporate manslaughter
Dom Post: Editorial: NZ work-safety culture flawed
Stuff: Forestry sector 'not an industry in crisis' – Key
Simon Wong (TV3): Bridges: Forestry prosecution 'very likely'
Patrice Dougan (Herald): PM: Corporate manslaughter law 'unlikely'
Patrick Gower (TV3): Opinion: Nats chicken out over corporate manslaughter
Electoral enrolment fraud trial
Newswire: Lawyer warns of prejudice in fraud trial
Chorus
Stuff: Govt could pay Chorus more upfront
Chris Barton (Herald): How did Chorus get into this mess?
Tim Hunter (Stuff): Debt at core of Chorus's fiscal fragility
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Where to for Chorus
Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): Govt faces questions over Chorus contact
NBR: John Key caught out on Chorus, Curran says
CHCH East by-election
Chris Trotter (Press): Tribute due to Anderton for by-election victory
Rebuilding Christchurch: The Insider’s Guide To Christchurch East
Blogging and the media
Stephen Franks: Free speech and Whale Oil
RNZ: RNZ begins search for Morning Report presenter
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): TDB NZ Blogger Alignment Awards 2013
Rena report
Jamie Morton (Herald): Rena probe report seen to fall short
Newswire: Iwi not engaged in Rena clean up
Herald: Editorial: Rena response should leave us more secure
Colin Craig and Conservatives
NBR: Colin Craig not sure man walked on moon
Matthew Backhouse (Herald): Colin Craig unsure about moon landing
Stuff: Men on Moon no priority for Craig
Dan Satherley (TV3): Colin Craig not sure about moon landing
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Colin Craig – now denies moon landing
Election 2014
Newswire: MP Shane Ardern waves goodbye to Beehive
Michael Fox (Stuff): Shane Ardern to retire
Environment
No Right Turn: The cost of anti-environmentalism
Bruce Wills (Manawatu Standard): Farmers keen to come clean
Destiny Church
James Ihaka (Herald): Split at top of Destiny Church
Stuff: New Destiny Church split
Census
Malcolm Campbell (Press): Why the Census matters to everyone
Herald: Census data 2013: Facts and figures
Jared Savage and Harkanwai Singh (Herald): Census data revealed: What we earn and how your pay rates
Michael Fox (Stuff): Fewer New Zealanders own homes – census
Matthew Backhouse (Herald): Census 2013: Christchurch has higher incomes, fewer people
Simon Colllins (Herald): Census 2013: New Kiwis add to our diversity
Simon Collins (Herald): Census 2013: Our changing nation
James Ihaka (Herald): Asians fast overtaking Maori population
RNZ: Fewer people working in manufacturing
Tim Selwyn (Tumeke):Con census
Peter O’Neill (Timaru Herald): Editorial: How many children?
Other
Michael Fox (Stuff): Operation 8 answers sought
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Will 3.2 close?
Stuff: Today in politics - Wednesday, December 4