NZ POLITICS DAILY: 14th January 2014

The main issues in NZ politics today are Colin Craig and smacking, the Act Party, Dotcom's Mega Party, and oil and gas. [Read more below]

Today’s links

Colin Craig and smacking

Dominion Post: Editorial: Slap-happy Craig targets Right's rump

Russell Brown (Public Address): Making it up on smacking

Linda Hall (Hawkes Bay Today): Law does not stop child abuse

Greer Berry (Stuff): Anti-smacking law hitting its targets

Pete George (Your NZ): How big an issue is smacking?

Jessie Hume (Daily Blog): Colin Craig; unilaterally supporting the harm of children

Daily Blog: We don’t need any more of Colin Craig’s Political Sadism

Stacey Kirk (Stuff): Smacking law is stupid: Colin Craig

Radio NZ: Smacking comment by Craig appals ex-MP

Rebecca Quilliam (Herald): Colin Craig targets anti-smacking law

Pete George (Your NZ): National could get smacked

Pete George (Your NZ): Will a flick of the finger become a smack on the bum?

TVNZ: Colin Craig admits breaking 'silly' anti-smacking law

Laura McQuillan (Newstalk ZB): Police side-step political debate over smacking

Pete George (Your NZ): Happy clapper smacker

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Smart move by Craig

Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): He’s been hitting Elizabeth, we hear

Act Party

Matthew Hooton (NBR): New leadership team for ACT (paywalled)

Adam Bennett (Herald): Hooton rules out standing for Act in Epsom

Julie Moffett (Newstalk ZB): Profile seen to be problem for ACT

Stacey Kirk (Stuff): Hooton won't contest ACT leadership

Laura McQuillan (Newstalk ZB): Hooton rules out standing in Epsom

Adam Bennett (Herald): Young Act members seek nominations

Dotcom’s Mega Party

Chris Trotter (Stuff): Dotcom's Megaparty of serious fun

Danyl Mclauchlan (Dim-Post): Microparties

No Right Turn: Missing the obvious

Greg Boyed (Newstalk ZB): Greg's Memo: January 13

Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Why National have most to fear from Kim Dotcom’s new political party

Stacey Kirk (Stuff): Dotcom to launch 'Party Party'

Oil and gas

3 News Online Staff (TV3): Greens send postcard to Anadarko

Pete George (Your NZ): Dunedin oil/gas support and opposition

Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): I just can’t stand the hypocrisy

Radio NZ: Govt denies opposition to deep sea drilling is growing

Radio NZ: Greens take anti-drill campaign on road

TVNZ: Protesters jeer oil boss in Taranaki

Ele Ludemann (Homepaddock): Irony or hypocrisy?

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Comparing oil and gas to munitions

Pete George (Your NZ): Turei on offshore exploration

The Standard: Oil Free Otago’s day of action

David Kennedy (Homepaddock): Oil Drilling, A Future For Fools!

Pete George (Your NZ): Mayor and councillor aligned on oil ethics

Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Who wants to be a millionaire like the Norwegians?

Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Dunedin Mayor squeamish about gas exploration

Radio NZ: Oil protestors say more protests likely

Wilma McCorkindale (Stuff): Dunedin mounts drilling protest

Taranaki Daily News: Comment: Protesters seen as good guys only in movies

Pete George (Your NZ): Oil opponents overstating support

Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Hippy flotilla flops

Welfare drug-testing

Laura McQuillan (Newstalk ZB): Govt defends drug-testing of beneficiaries

Polity: Paula Bennett does the sums

Greg Presland (The Standard): Paula Bennett wastes taxpayers money on drug testing

Ele Ludemann (Homepaddock): Missing the point

David Fisher (Herald): Minister claims low drug result as victory

John Minto (Daily Blog): On a scale from one to 10 how vile is Paula Bennett?

Radio NZ: Drug-testing policy for beneficiaries not being properly tested

Steven Cowan (Against the Current): Mike Hosking: Lying Bastard

Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Why Bennett’s drug policy is a screaming success but not in the way Paula pretends it is

Fonterra

Liam Dann (Herald): The world's watching you Fonterra

Laura Walters (Stuff): Fonterra confirms E.Coli present

Martin van Beynen (Stuff): Let's talk about dairying

TVNZ: Farmers could face hefty bill if Fonterra loses case

Alcohol

Colin Espiner (Stuff): Quitting booze culture won't be easy

Michael Cummings (Manawatu Standard): Editorial: NZ needed to see drunken child

Herald: Herald on Sunday editorial: Drunk boy a disgrace to us all

RadioLIVE: Labour renews calls for alcohol law changes

Paul Buchannan (Kiwipolitico): “Its OK–He’s Maori.”

Dave Armstrong (Dominion Post): Real drinking changes are unlikely

Labour Party

Liam Hehir (Stuff): Tricky issues facing Cunliffe

Rachel Smalley (Newstalk ZB): Labour needs to get its running shoes on

Polity: Herald on Labour on tax avoidance

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Herald hypocrisy

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Labour says it is undemocratic to have public sector redundancies!

Womens Weekly: Real Kiwi bodies: Michele A’Court & Jacinda Ardern

Economy

Hamish McNicol (Stuff): Business optimism hits 20-year high

Radio NZ: Business confidence at highest level in 2 decades

Steven Joyce (Herald): NZ must keep moving forward to become 'Pacific Tiger'

Herald: Editorial: Labour right to tackle tax avoidance by online giants

Olivia Wannan (Stuff): Experience slashed in Govt job cuts

Brennan McDonald: Rock Star Economy 2014

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Competition helps all

Inequality and poverty

Mike Treen (Daily Blog): Inequality will be the issue for 2014

Nicola Young (Stuff): Living wage policy is 'poor solution' to complex problem

Tim Watkin (Pundit): At what point does using government services make you a bludger?

Tom Peters (WSW): Unstable economic upturn in New Zealand

Bryan Bruce (Daily Blog): Why Bother Being Good?

Justice

Southland Times: Editorial: Maximum stupidity

Ben Heather (Stuff): Tolley hits back on inmate flights

TVNZ: Prison union, passengers unhappy about inmates on flights

3 News Online Staff (TV3): Anne Tolley slams prison transport leak

Beith Atkinson (Integrity Talking Points):Independence of Judges and the Police Commissioner not just a constitutional nicety

Newswire: Deported criminal will be monitored

Climate change

Nelson Mail: Editorial: Is this the canary in the goldmine?

Steve Kilgallon (Stuff): Failed doubters trust leaves taxpayers at loss

Education

Nicholas Jones (Stuff): The $42 million wasteland

Ruby Sycmore-Smith (ODT): Students get political in run-up to election

Jo Moir (Stuff): School gets aid despite assets worth millions

Dianne Khan (Daily Blog): The real Charter School agenda: Private equity and the silencing of teachers

Man of Errors: The airy fairy fluff of poverty and culture

National Party

Audrey Young (Herald): The backbenchers: MP draws on police wisdom in the House

Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Know your fascist – Northland MP Mike Sabin

Monarchy

Ross Henderson (Stuff): Arise NZ, we don't need royalty

John Sargeant (Stuff): Royal link has global benefits

Maori politics

Bernard Orsman (Herald): Jackson sues over Maori board selection

Tariana Turia (Herald): Cultural traditions must remain

Grant Duncan (Policy Matters): Are we really such sticklers for protocol?

Joshua Hitchcock (Ka Tōnuitanga): Why I Do What I Do

Herald: Editorial: Maori trust's thread hurts its own mana

Len Brown

Bernard Orsman (Herald): Battle to fix Len Brown's image

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): The absentee Mayor

Torben Akel (TV3): McCready alleges corruption against Len Brown

Newswire: Brown to answer corruption allegations

Other

Stuff: Objections to electorate boundary changes

Mike Mather and Elton Smallman (Stuff): Who will the Waikato vote for come the general election?

Audrey Young (Herald): The backbenchers: Taking chance to ditch the wheels for sneakers

Dougal McNeil (ISO): Family Court Reforms

NZ Parliament: New Zealand parliamentarians attend regional parliamentary forum

No Right Turn: Missing the obvious

Keir Leslie (Progress Report): The Honours List

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Not realising it is satire

Caleb Morgan (Cut Your Hair): Miscreants

Rachael Goldsmith (Daily Blog): Imagine.

Ele Ludemann (Homepaddock): Are taxpayers funding political and commercial campaigns?

John Lancashire (Dominion Post): A lot on Fonterra's plate

Polity: Matt McCarten on the year ahead

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Waikato seats

Kevin Foley (Timaru Herald): Cheap plonk, sponsorship merit debate

Steve Braunias (Stuff): The best things about Hamilton

Adam Bennett (Herald): British officials dismiss 'Anzac whitewash' fears

Scott Yorke (Imperator Fish): Unity!

TVNZ: Christchurch rebirth recognised in New York Times list

Radio NZ: NZ now 15th on broadband league table

Audrey Young (Herald): Ambassador series: Education key link for Thailand and NZ

Toby Manhire (Herald): The moa peril, and other tips for tourists in NZ

3 News Online Staff (TV3): Greens: GE ban 'would help NZ's image'

Jono Hutchison (TV3): New Zealand progressing to becoming smoke-

GPJA: GPJA #488 (1 of 2): WAIHOPAI PROTESTS JAN 24-26