The main issues in NZ politics today are the Act Party leadership, debates about Metiria Turei's clothes, NZ First, Labour Party, Maori politics, and inequality and poverty. [Read more below]
Today’s links
Act Party
Dominion Post: Editorial: A pact with ACT not a great look
The Press: Editorial: Reinventing the Right of centre
Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): New ACT leader changes views
Audrey Young (Herald): Key plays wait-and-see on party favours
Radio NZ: Election jack-up claimed by Greens
Herald: Editorial: Act's new leader could take lesson from Greens
Radio NZ: PM coy on possible support for ACT
Simon Wong (TV3): Key coy on Epsom seat deal
John Armstrong (Herald): Act finally does something right
Audrey Young (Herald): New Act leader 'getting lot of advice'
TVNZ: Act's new leader confident of turning party around
Briar Marbeck (TV3): ACT has become a 'soap opera'
RadioLIVE: Is this the last ACT?
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): ACT has an uphill battle
Gordon Campbell (Scoop): On further changes at Scoop, and the new Act Party leader
Tim Watkin (Pundit): ACT tilts at windmills, but don't forget other minors
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Meet The New Boss … Does Act’s Jamie Whyte represent change or continuity?
Metiria Turei
Nelson Mail: Dressing up and lowering standards
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): No-one wins after clothing argument
Jessie Hume (Daily Blog): Metiria and her 137,000-dollar “ivory tower”
David Kennedy (Local Bodies): "They go hard, they really go hard"
Catherine Delahunty (Frogblog): How adversarial politics is putting women off in the Pacific
Chris Trotter (Bowalley Road): Wearing Racism
Pete George (Your NZ): Judith Collins versus Campbell Live
General election
Pattrick Smellie (NBR): Key hints at early November election date
Susan James (Stuff): Don't be dumb, New Zealand
Michael Cox (Herald): The perils of meeting the voters
Matthew Beveridge: Social Media & the 2014 General Election
Steven Cowan (Against the Current): Will you be voting lizard this year?
Newswire: G20 summit complicates election date
Rob Salmond (Polity): Survey of non-voters
Jan Logie (Frogblog): Political decisions and Domestic Violence
Bruce Wills (Stuff): A funny way to attract voters
NZ First
ODT: The balance of power
Patrick Gower (TV3): Opinion: Winston, stop talking waffle
Patrick Gower (TV3): Poll: Public support for coalition with Peters
Audrey Young (Herald): Work with Peters, poll says
Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): Voters support Key with NZ First
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Political Report: Key might have to deal with the devil he knows
Labour Party
Tova O’Brien (TV3): Minimum wage hike puts pressure on Labour
Narelle Henson (Stuff): Labour/Green campaigns too bizarre to ignore
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Labour supporters want tax hikes even if they bring in no more revenue
Russell Brown (Hard News): Aiming for the feet
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Soper challenged
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): OECD says you can’t do special tax rules for digital companies
Claire Trevett (Herald): Cunliffe sets benchmark for election
Andrew Geddes (Pundit): Won't someone please think of poor Lesley?
Pete George (Your NZ): Cunliffe sets ambitious target
Danyl McLauchlan (Dim-Post): Dark days
Genesis float
NBR: Genesis Energy float timing soon, says Key
No Right Turn: Selling something that nobody wants to buy
National Party
Rose Patterson (Stuff): Smart politics or smart policy?
Pete George (Your NZ): English and English
Maori politics
Michael Fox (Stuff): Key expects Waitangi protests
Newswire: Key expects protests at Waitangi
Colin James (ODT): National day — for a leading small advanced country
Adam Bennett (Herald): Protesters at powhiri just part of day: PM
Radio NZ: PM expects trouble at Waitangi
Jack MacDonald (Maui Street): Why I am standing for Te Tai Hauāuru - Jack McDonald
Education
Deborah Hill Cone (Herald): High-achievement recipe needs some sugar
Darrell Latham (The Press): Striving for the best in education
RadioLIVE:/Newswire: Union sceptical about education taskforce
Radio NZ: Parata wants schools to cut red tape
Economy
James Weir (Stuff): Business confidence on a high
TVNZ: Billionaire may buy Martinborough Vineyard
Paul Buchanan (Kiwipolitico): Evaluating export growth.
Libertarianz
Simon Wong (TV3): Libertarianz call it quits as party
Laura McQuillan (Newstalk ZB): Libertarianz ask to be deregistered after 19 years
Radio NZ: Libertarianz Party deregisters
Inequality and poverty
Shane Cowlishaw (Stuff):
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Another draconian attack on the poor dressed up as social responsibility
Steven Cowan (Against the Current): Globalisation isn’t the problem
Matt Nolan (TVHE): Are we all confusing status competition and ‘inequality’: Short answer, yes
Karl du Fresne: Banks retains the capacity to surprise
David Clendon (Frogblog): Aspiring Northland
Taranaki Daily News: Helping those who can't help themselves
Giovanni Tiso (Bat, Bean, Beam): The cost of living
New flag
Newswire: No rush to decide on flag referendum
Kerre McIvor (Herald): How to flag down the boss
NZ-Australia relations
Newswire: John Key to talk Kiwi rights in Aussie
Audrey Young (Herald): NZ delegation to travel to Australia for joint cabinet
Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Key and Abbott to provide double vision on economic growth
Other
Stuff: Today in politics: Tuesday, February 4
Stuff: Poll shows Kiwis support irrigation
Steve Deane (Herald): Roast Busters fallout: Talkback host sues for $620,000
Felix Marwick (Newstalk ZB): MFAT told off over OIA response rate
Scott Yorke (Imperator Fish): We did it again!
TVNZ: Rachel Smalley joins TVNZ
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Scoop: Meet the new boss, just like the old boss
Tim Selwyn (Tumeke): Helen's world
Stacey Kirk (Stuff): Parliamentary Service admits new privacy blunder
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Berms being mowed again
Tim Hazledine (Herald): An economist's view of $100K contest
The Standard: UN to NZ Human Rights – ‘can do better’
