The main issues in NZ politics today are Judith Collins, the latest opinion polls, Maurice Williams, 'Cabinet Club', and legal highs. [Read more below]
Today’s links
Judith Collins
Vernon Small (Stuff): A crushing time for Collins
Jane Clifton (Stuff): Collins show exposes selective hearing
Mamari Stephens (Sparrowhawk): A connection between Konrad, Judith & Maurice? You betcha.
Tim Watkin (Pundit): Why the Collins case is about then, not now
John Armstrong (Herald): Survival of the walking dead
Fran O'Sullivan (Herald): Key pulls chain on Crusher Collins
Vernon Small (Stuff): Ambassador noted limited Oravida contact
Simon Wong (TV3): Collins confirms health scare
Laura McQUillan (Newstalk ZB): Collins blunts health scare questions
Felix Marwick (Newstalk ZB): Mallard and Collins at loggerheads
The Standard: Culture of Impunity
Matthew Beveridge:Is it any wonder?
Rob Salmond (Polity): Collins' timeline of meddling
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Robertson wrong
Greg Presland (The Standard): Judith Collins the walking dead
Rob Salmond (Polity): Trevor
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Robertson misleads parliament over Oravida claims
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): No evidence to support Labour’s dirty smear, nasty party returns in force
Latest polls
Vernon Small and Stacey Kirk (Stuff): Poll puts Labour-Greens alliance in front
Rob Salmond (Polity): The Morgan poll, today and later
NBR Staff (NBR): Labour-Greens move ahead of National as scandal engulfs govt
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): What the latest Roy Morgan Poll means – Could MANA/Internet Party be the difference?
Louisa Wall (Daily Blog): When does corruption start damaging National?
Newswire: National support drops in poll
Felix Marwick (Newstalk ZB): National drops in latest poll
Audrey Young (Herald): National takes 6 point dive
Vernon Small (Stuff): National slumps in Roy Morgan poll
Greg Presland (The Standard): Latest Roy Morgan
Pete George (Your NZ): Poll bad for National, still not flash for Labour
Selwyn Manning (Daily Blog): National’s Support Collapses Over Collins+Williamson Scandals – Roy Morgan Poll
Maurice Williamson
TVNZ: Immigration Minister discussed policy with Chinese businessman
Steve Braunias (Stuff): What's the harm in a phone call?
Karl du Fresne (Stuff): Williamson part of a pattern
Isaac Davison (Herald): MP confirms meeting with Donghua Liu
Michael Fox (Stuff): Liu gave immigration views to Govt
Patrick Gower (TV3): Woodhouse discussed immigration with Liu
Simon Wong (TV3): Possible conflict in minister's meeting – Cunliffe
Legal highs
Taylor Sincock (TV3): Legal highs banned from shelves
Ben Heather (Stuff): Legal high industry's massive profits
Isaac Davison (Herald): Illegal-high users fair game: Ryall
TV3: Calls for legal high 'grace period'
Brian Rudman (Herald): Hard line on animal tests paints Key into corner
Duncan Garner (RadioLIVE): Let the ‘Synthetic High’ black market begin
Gordon Campbell (Scoop): On the synthetic drugs ban
Russell Brown (Hard News): A law gone awry
David Kennedy (Local Bodies):Illegal Highs, Knee-Jerks and the Greens
Mike Wesley-Smith (TV3): Synthetic high users stockpile before ban
The Guardian: New Zealand in U-turn on designer drugs
Marama Davison (Daily Blog): What are the risks if we ban legal highs?
Cabinet Club
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): The Soap Box: It does sound a bit dodgy...
Andrea Vance (Stuff): PM plays hypocrisy card in cash row
Radio NZ: Key a regular at Cabinet Clubs
Tova O’Brien (TV3): Key: 'Nothing wrong' with Cabinet Club donations
Andrea Vance (Stuff): 'Cash for access' claims fly
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Shock horror – electorates used MPs for fundraisers
NZfactcheck: Do National Ministers Attend Cabinet Club Meetings in their Ministerial Capacity?
No Right Turn: Government for sale
Keeping Stock: How would you feel...?
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Does Matthew Hooton use IPredict to promote his mates?
Welfare reform
Herald: Editorial: Incentive for beneficiaries a life-changer
Dan Satherley (TV3): People will 'adapt' to Christchurch – Bennett
Rachel Smalley (Newstalk ZB): Classic election-year policy
Stuff: All the right credentials to make the move
Jan Logie (Frogblog): Giving money to beneficiaries – if only.
Steven Cowan (Against the Current): The New Swaggers
Lynn Prentice (The Standard): Handouts to make them go away
Economy
James Weir (Stuff): Governor warns of currency action
John Anthony (Stuff):Website offers 'highway to China'
Isaac Chotiner (New Statesman): “Marx? I never really managed to read it” – an interview with Thomas Piketty
James Weir (Stuff): Unemployment holds at 6 per cent
Felix Marwick (Newstalk ZB): Leeway possible over milk powder exports
Brian Fallow (Herald): Wheeler fires exchange rate warning shot
Paul McBeth (NBR): Jobs growth, high participation rate show migrants finding work
No Right Turn: Still 42,000 out of work under National
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Stagnant Unemployment rate suggests Rockstar economy out of drugs
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): More jobs
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): On the importance of being widely read
Internet Party
Felix Marwick (Newstalk ZB): 'Prime Minister Wanted'
Kurt Bayer (Herald): Dotcom's promises to prospective MPs
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Even the candidates are on the payroll
GCSB
Danyl McLauchlan (Dim-Post): Suspicious
Radio NZ: Spy boss quiet on Snowden speculation
John Minto (Daily Blog): Hey Ian Fletcher – yes you, the head of the GCSB – haven’t you heard of Squeaky Dolphin? What about Dishfire? Muscular? Fairview? Blarney? Oakstar, Stormbrew?
Adam Bennett (Herald): GCSB head: 'We don't do that stuff'
Radio NZ: Spy boss denies mass surveillance
Shane Cowlishaw (Stuff): Spy boss won't say if Snowden has NZ files
Tobacco plain packaging
TVNZ: MPs reject tobacco company's plain packaging claims
Brendan Manning (Herald): Plain cigarette packs could reduce Maori health gap, committee told
Brendan Manning (Herald): Kids drawn to brightly-coloured cigarette packs, Committee told
Simon Day (Stuff): Plain pack smokes will 'harm brand'
Labour’s monetary policy
Audrey Young (Herald): Labour refuses to provide estimates on KiwiSaver plan
Ele Ludemann (Homepaddock): Unions want exemptions from higher retirement age
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Labour still refusing to calculate impact of VSR
Christchurch rebuild
3 News Online Staff (TV3): More cash for Canterbury support services
Radio NZ: State of council's books to be revealed
Lois Cairns (Stuff): Brownlee questions figures
Newswire: Labour tells Govt to check its rebuild figures
Lois Cairns (Stuff): Christchurch in financial strife
NZ First
Michael Fox (Stuff): NZ First penalty said to be unenforceable
Radio NZ: NZ First radically changes its rules
Laura McQuillan (Newstalk ZB): NZ First MP's letter to police a mistake
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): A bit misleading
Maori politics
Radio NZ: Chancellor wants Maori tertiary reps
James Ireland (Stuff): I carry my history, culture with me: tattooed candidate
Radio NZ: Maori employment rates improve
Auckland
Anne Gibson (Herald): Fast-track plan for 18,000 homes
Josh Fagan (Stuff): Auckland housing development fast-tracked
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): A Different Address: Mai Chen assesses Auckland’s future.
Education
Jody O’Callaghan (Stuff): Childhood centres in complaints to stay secret
Radio NZ: New body 'offensive' - teachers' union
Nicholas Jones (Herald): Ditch 'flawed' Pisa school tests, say academics
Other
Stuff: Today in Politics: Thursday, May 8
Louise Berwick (Stuff): Peters launches into Nats' candidate choice
Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Parliament gets ready for earthquakes
Pattrick Smellie (Stuff): English has a point, but can he make it?
Dave Burgess (Stuff): Unknowns of seabed mining test environmental staff
Stephen Franks: Badly needed common sense from Supreme Court on Lombard directors
Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): Fonterra botulism probe progresses
Sophie Rapson (Progress Report): The 38%
Rob Salmond (Polity): Kiwiblog on non-voters
Ben Clark (The Standard):Save Invermay
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Is Labour politicising citizenship ceremonies?
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): MPs’ Pecuniary Interests
Susan St John (Herald): Don't let glow vanish from golden years
Vaimoana Tapaleao (Herald): A good place to be a mum
Catriona MacLennan (Herald): Cap an easy way to protect vulnerable from loan sharks
No Right Turn: Member's Day
PMC: REGION: NZ media 'incapable of serving society', says author
Scott Yorke (Imperator Fish):Five!
Andrea Vance (Stuff): MP faces complaint over fake testimonial
Herald: Beehive in lock-down after gun scare
Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Who are David Cunliffe’s secret donors?
Muriel Newman (NZCPR): A Climate of Irrational Assumptions
NZFactCheck: Were the 2010 tax cuts fiscally neutral?
NZFactCheck: Is this site a rigorous fact-checking machine? A clarification post.
NZFactCheck: Does John Key donate his salary to charity?
