NZ POLITICS DAILY: May 1 2014

The main issues in NZ politics today are Maurice Williamson's resignation, Labour's monetary policy, legal highs, and Rape Crisis funding.  

Today’s links  

Maurice Williamson resignation

Jared Savage (Herald): Maurice Williamson resigns as a minister

Jared Savage (Herald): Maurice Williamson: Emails between top cops revealed

Brendan Manning, Jared Savage and Isaac Davison (Herald): Maurice Williamson 'crossed the line' - PM

Audrey Young (Herald): Williamson's 'significant error of judgment'

Audrey Young (Herald): Why Maurice Williamson should be sacked

Stacey Kirk and Vernon Small (Stuff): Minister Maurice Williamson resigns amid claim    

Andrea Vance (Stuff): Maurice Williamson: A career of highs and lows    

Felix Marwick (Newstalk ZB): Maurice Williamson resigns as minister

Stacey Kirk and Vernon Small (Stuff): Minister Maurice Williamson resigns amid claim    

TV3: Maurice Williamson resigns as minister

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Williamson and Liu

Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Silly Maurice Williamson - National's cronyism is reserved for Milk companies, corporate Hollywood, friendly media outlets, casinos and Rio Tinto – not partner bashers

Lynn Prentice (The Standard): Williamson now. How corrupt is the National cabinet?

Labour’s monetary policy

Josie Pagani (Pundit): Mr Joyce claimed nine mistakes in David Parker's interview. None stacked up.

Waikato Times: Ignore PM's criticisms of monetary policy

Vernon Small (Stuff): Labour policy launch sails with fair winds

Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): Risks with weaker dollar: Key

Simon Collins (Herald): Compulsory KiwiSaver excludes 300,000

Corazon Miller (Newstalk ZB): Labour's KiwiSaver plan called a built in excuse for bad Govts

Brook Sabin (TV3): Labour's rates plan to limit immigration

TVNZ: Key dismisses Labour idea of cutting migrants to curb inflation

Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): The Talented Mr Parker: Labour acquires the weapon it needs to win the September war.

Dan Satherley (TV3): Poor may be exempt from Labour's KiwiSaver plan

Radio NZ: No effect on rents, says Labour

Fran O'Sullivan (Herald): Flaws in Labour's inflation plan

Julie Moffett and Felix Marwick (Newstalk ZB): Labour monetary policy under the microscope

TVNZ: Labour economic policy tapping into 'political hotpoint' of immigration

John Minto (Daily Blog): Labour still playing in the same economic sandpit as National

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Reaction to Labour’s monetary policy

Pete George (Your NZ): Labour’s compulsory Kiwisaver exemptions

Pete George (Your NZ): Labour’s big Kiwisaver challenge

No Right Turn:  All about distribution

Mark Hubbard (Life Behind the Iron Drape): Why There Must be No Compulsory Kiwisaver II: Inequality against Men and Maori – Personal Choices and Trade Offs. #Individualism

Legal highs

Andrea Vance (Stuff): Legal highs move forced by Nat MPs

Nigel Moffiet (Stuff): Lobbyist on high after ban on synthetic drugs

Don Franks (Redline): Synthetic drug testing: Poem tae a rat

Janine Rankine (Stuff): A big victory for communities

Brian Rudman (Herald): It's high time we accepted most of us want a fix

Alexander Gillespie (Herald): Animal testing of drugs may be only way

Rape crisis

Isaac Davison (Herald): Rape crisis centres to get $10m boost

Stacey Kirk (Stuff): Funding boost for sexual violence response

TVNZ: $10.4 million 'a huge win' for sexual violence support services

No Right Turn: Good

Newswire: Sexual violence funding too late - Labour

Christchurch rebuild

Herald: Editorial: Inaction on flood basin defies belief

Greg Presland (The Standard): Paul Henry and Christchurch’s floods

Chris Richardson (Recess Monkey): Dalziel the Great and Powerful!

Foreign investment

Neville Gibson (NBR): Scrap foreign investment rules, for country's sake – think tank

Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): NZ needs foreign money - NZ Initiative

Craig McCulloch (Radio NZ): Xenophobes worry think-tank

Radio NZ: Foreign investment changes dismissed

Economy and inequality

Roeland van den Bergh (Stuff): NZ business confidence remains high

TVNZ: China tightens up on New Zealand milk imports

The Standard: Key Announces National’s Job’s Policy.

Ben Clark (The Standard): Piketty: inequality & capitalism’s flaw

Chloe King (Daily Blog): Poor people: they just need to buck up their ideas and change their attitude… oh wait minute

Radio NZ: Growth on housing consents continues

National Party

Dominion Post: Editorial: Tobacco stain on would-be MP

TVNZ: National Party selects Ohariu candidate

Andrea Vance (Stuff): National billboard breaks parking rules

Lynn Prentice (The Standard): National’s exports – how to lose value and jobs

Matthew Beveridge: Social Media and the Blue Rinse Brigade

The Standard: Clutha- Southland and the stark contrast in NZ politics

ACT Party

Fundamentally Useless: Maybe ACT aren’t so well-resourced after all…

Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Can Michael Wood and Julie Anne Genter end ACT?

Health

Alex O’Hara (TV3): Government cracks down on surgery mishaps

Sue Kedgley (Herald): Sunbed regulation needed

Laura McQuillan (Newstalk ZB): More pressure on Govt to tackle child health

TV3: Group seeks judicial review of fluoridation decision

Media and politics

Radio NZ: Project 'fills gap' in election coverage

Matthew Beveridge: Project Disrupt: Being PC Digital Innovation and Global Democracies

Matthew Beveridge: Project Disrupt: The role of social media in public debate and policy

Other

Stuff: Today in Politics: Friday, May 1

Newswire: Labour calls on UN to investigate ECan

Taranaki Daily News: Nip racist comments in the bud

Adam Bennett (Herald): Eye on New Zealand First MP's hiring of staff

Newswire: Crown to appeal Dotcom asset decision

No Right Turn:A good question

No Right Turn: Why does this woman still have an NZ honour?

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): The Robson complaint

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Crampton on alcohol prices

Susan Wood (Newstalk ZB): Susan's Editorial: Joy of children

Dan Satherley (TV3): NZ best in the world at fighting crime - expert

Peter Cresswell (Not PC): This is What Political Science Looks Like

Paul Moon (Herald): Portraits fall back on shock value

The Standard: The local in the bigger picture: new Green conservation policy

James Dann (Rebuilding Christchurch): It’s the constitution, it’s Mabo, it’s justice, it’s law, it’s the vibe

Fine Tooth Column: Shane Jones was never the last straw