NZ POLITICS DAILY: March 20 2014

The main issues in NZ politics today are John Key in China, Judith Collins, Hone Harawira, the Kohanga Reo Trust, Forestry, and the Labour Party. 

Today’s content

John Key in China

Radio NZ: Currency deal should give transparency

Li Ning (Stuff): Political, economic stability attractive

Newswire: Key sets $30b trade target with China

Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): The Soap Box: Sweet and sour to Popular Key

TVNZ: China, NZ chase $30b two-way trade by 2020

Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): NZ to build greater presence in China

Laura Walters (Stuff): Currency deal 'symbolic'

Claire Trevett (Herald): Agreement to increase China trade

Corin Dann (TVNZ): Chinese president to visit New Zealand

Claire Trevett (Herald): PM's own dinner with Oravida's chairman - and 250 other dairy exporters

Demelza Leslie (Radio NZ): New target for NZ-China trade

Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): Chinese leader to visit NZ

Patrick Gower (TV3): Assurance but no apology from Key in China

Fran O'Sullivan (Herald): Dinner invite measure of Key's stature

Newswire: Key drives food safety message in China

Newswire: Key meets Li Keqiang in Beijing

Matthew Beveridge: Something a little different from John Key

David Farrar (Kiwiblog):Improving the relationship with our largest trading partner

Grant Duncan (Policy Matters): New Zealand, China's little brother...

Gordon Campbell (Scoop): On New Zealand’s currency deal with China

Judith Collins

Adam Bennett and David Fisher (Herald): Collins shrugs off Labour attacks

Corin Dann (TVNZ): No further action by PM over Judith Collins

Hamish Rutherford and Vernon Small (Stuff): Key backs Collins over Oravida dinner

Peter Wilson (Newswire): More pressure for Collins to go

Radio NZ: Collins knew official would be at dinner

Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Collins confirms Oravida dinner pre-arranged

TVNZ: Judith Collins faces more heat over China dinner

David Fisher (Herald): Judith Collins makes about-turn on information that 'didn't exist'

Felix Marwick (Newstalk ZB): Collins wants more time to disclose Oravida details

Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): Oravida focus bad for votes – Key

Rob Salmond (Polity): Losing count of Judith's lies

Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Key’s ‘well, when the president does it, that means it is not illegal’Nixon moment

Hone Harawira

Newswire: Harawira: I met with Dotcom

Radio NZ: Harawira admits meeting Kim Dotcom

Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Harawira meets with Dotcom

Pete George (Your NZ): Harawira explanation raises questions

Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): What Kim Dotcom & Hone Harawira talked about

Kohanga Reo Trust

Herald: Editorial: Fraud office probe crucial in kohanga reo case

Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Will Key forgive this breathtaking disaster?

Michael Fox and Tracy Watkins (Stuff): SFO to look at kohanga reo arm

Peter Wilson (Newswire): Labour accuses Parata of cover-up

Isaac Davison and David Fisher (Herald): Trust won't say who got $50k koha

Radio NZ: Parata accused of mishandling review

Radio NZ: Ministers accused of turning blind eye

Newswire: Kohanga Reo subsidiary under investigation

Teuila Fuatai and Isaac Davison (Herald): SFO asked to investigate Te Pataka Ohanga

Michael Fox and Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): New Kohanga Reo claims spark SFO call

Radio NZ: Kohanga trust exonerated

NBR Staff (NBR): Kohanga Reo probe a whitewash - Taxpayers' Union

Forestry

Stuart Nash (Daily Blog): The economic philosophy behind Labour’s Forestry policy

Pete George (Your NZ): Labour MPs lukewarm support of forest/wood policy

Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): The reports of Cunliffe’s death have been greatly exaggerated – how Labour bounces back – policy, policy, policy

Frances Cook and Laura McQuillan (Newstalk ZB): Solid opposition to Labour's forestry policy

Adam Bennett (Herald): Labour's 'pro-wood' policy offers timber sector a fillip

Sarah Robson (Newswire): Union supports Labour's wood plan

Newswire:Labour plans to boost wood industry

Paul McBeth (NBR): Cunliffe offers tax sweetener to stoke ailing wood processing sector

Catherine Harris (Stuff): $1m prize for wooden building

Pete George (Your NZ): Labour’s forest/wood policy on social media

Rob Salmond (Polity): Labour's forestry package

The Standard: Labour and the Greens announce forestry policies

Labour Party

Vernon Small (Stuff): Labour tweaks relationship with Greens

Michael Cummings (Stuff): Labour must focus on voters' interests

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Labour’s problem with the Ladies

Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): What the Hell’s Gone Wrong with Cunliffe!

Peter Cresswell (Not PC): The New Zealand Left Needs To Reinvent Itself [updated]

James Dann (Rebuilding Christchurch): My speech for the central selection meeting

Ben Uffindell (The Civilian): Cunliffe dismisses poll as scientific data point realistically evaluating his chances at victory

John Armstrong: Cunliffe safe in spite of poll shock

Dan Satherley (TV3): Labour already bouncing back - Cunliffe

Paul Henry (TV3): Labour confidence falls - poll

Dominion Post: Editorial: Change? Why bother when all is well

Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Cunliffe not getting his facts right

Rob Hosking (NBR): The economic pick up and Labour-Green 'reverse curse' continues (paywalled)

Housing

Southland Times: Editorial: Home steep home . . .

Rachel Smalley (Newstalk ZB): Capital gains tax a very polarising issue

Ellipsister: Xenophobia and Embarrassing

Education

Lyndon Hood (Werewolf): From The Hood: Unofficial Cabinet Manuals

Scott Yorke (Imperator Fish): Hekia Parata on being misquoted

Russell Brown (Hard News): What Hekia Parata actually said

Maori politics

Simon Collins (Herald): Closing the gaps: Melting pot offers hope

James Ihaka (Herald): Closing the gap: Iwi keen to buy up state houses

Vaimoana Tapaleao (Herald): Closing the gaps: Power Up mentoring initiative gives Pasifika NCEA success

Vaimoana Tapaleao (Herald): Closing the gaps: Maori-Pacific report card - Good but could do better

Paul Moon (Herald): Ngapuhi their own worst enemy

Economy

Waikato Times: Reserve Bank rethink needed

James Weir (Stuff): Big improvement in current account deficit

Simon Collins (Herald): Families being split by poverty

Denise Roche (Frogblog): Workers productivity not matched by pay boosts

Other

Stuff: Today in Politics: Thursday, March 20

Anna Leask (Herald): Court gags Dotcom bodyguard

Bernard Orsman (Herald): Thumbs down for Len Brown – poll

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Yeah nah on welfare fraud

John Braddock (WSW): New Zealand media bury fresh Snowden revelations

Ben Uffindell (The Civilian): Colin Craig threatens to sue self for defamation

3 News Online Staff (TV3): Opt out option for Yellow Pages delivery

Isaac Davison (Herald): Roast Busters investigation still months away – IPCA

Amy McGillivray (BOP Times): Simon Bridges welcomes second baby into family

Matthew Beveridge: People to follow on Twitter: NZ Parliament accounts

Fightback: CHCH: Rally against racism + Fighting Racism meeting

Eric Crampton (Offsetting Behaviour): Genter on cost-benefit

Russell Brown (Hard News): The New New News

Jonathan Mitchell (Radio NZ): Wait times at courts drop

Scott Yorke (Imperator Fish):Doomed?

The Press: Editorial: No grounds for judge's recusal

Brian Rudman (Herald): Black, red and white flag a spark of sense

Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): The slow, deliberate strangulation of Native Affairs