Government to lay out agenda in speech from the throne

The Governor General will deliver the speech today, pressing play on a hectic three weeks of work for MPs

Mōrena, and welcome to The Bulletin for Wednesday, December 6, by Anna Rawhiti-Connell. Presented in partnership with Z Energy.

In today’s edition: young people in New Zealand strongly support smokefree measures; slowing construction and migration stressing rental market; Wellington mayor speaks about the challenges of the publicity storm; but first, another day of ceremony as the speech from the throne is delivered

The speech from the throne

Another day of ceremony today before work begins in earnest on the new government's agenda. Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro will deliver the speech from the throne (usually written by the prime minister’s office) and lay out the new government's agenda. We’ve already had strong signals via the 100-day plan, so it’s unlikely to contain any real surprises. The 2020 speech, delivered by then Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy, focused on Covid, economic recovery, housing, climate change, economic inequality, and Crown-Māori relations.  As The Post’s Luke Malpass notes on what today’s is likely to cover, the speech “is an overtly political document, and usually has the Governor-General, sitting in the old legislative council chamber, reading out some pretty classic political lines and soundbites which don’t quite gel with the person delivering it.”

Brownlee sworn in as speaker

Gerry Brownlee was sworn in as speaker yesterday. “What a surprise,” he said. Brownlee acknowledged the seven speakers he had served under during his parliament. “Many of them at some point or another have come under some approbium from parts of the House, quite often from me. And I think that is unfortunately the lot of the speaker, but I'll do my best to be fair and even across the House.” Brownlee also acknowledged outgoing speaker, Labour's Adrian Rurawhe, who now returns to the opposition benches. “You, Sir, brought a calm and a dignity to this House at a time that it was needed, and I know that many members who are here today very much appreciate that.”

If you’re on Instagram Stuff’s Robert Kitchin, as always, has great shots from yesterday. 

Willis seeking advice on halting extra pay for public servants fluent in te reo Māori

Andrew Geddis has delivered his verdict on yesterday’s swearing in and Te Pāti Māori’s approach to it. “The opening of parliament is suffused with symbolism and performative meaning. So seeking to challenge, or to subvert, that symbolic meaning is entirely apt for a party elected precisely to upend the status quo,” he writes. “Democratic dissensus and contestation doesn’t end once the places in parliament are filled.” On yesterday’s protests, as Newshub’s Jenna Lynch said last night, they were “peaceful and largely not too disruptive, but many are looking at it as the entree to the hikoi to come. Willie Jackson is picking protests 20 times the size of it when all the iwi leaders organise.” RNZ’s Phil Pennington reports this morning that public service minister Nicola Willis is seeking advice on halting extra pay for public servants fluent in te reo Māori but concedes she might not have a lot of luck as they are contained in binding collective agreements. The allowances range from $500 and $3500 a year.

An early start to the political year and the PM’s summer reading list

Kiingi Tuheitia, the Māori King, has issued Te Paki o Matariki, the highest form of proclamation, calling for a national hui for Māori to unite to ensure "all voices are heard when holding the new coalition government to account". It will be held on January 20 at Tūrangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia, providing an earlier-than-usual scene setter and direction of travel for the Ratana celebrations and Waitangi day. A shorter summer break for MPs and parliamentary staff and an earlier start to the political year was already on the cards. At Monday’s post cabinet press conference, prime minister Christopher Luxon indicated that cabinet is likely to be back on January 15, with parliament returning after Wellington anniversary weekend, on or near January 23. The final sitting day, as it was set down at the beginning of the year, is December 22. For Luxon, the shorter break could still contain a lot of reading if he follows the recommendations laid out in the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research’s annual summer reading list for the prime minister. This year’s includes End State: 9 Ways Society is Broken & How we fix it, (James Plunkett), How Big Things Get Done (Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner) and the General Non-Fiction winner at this year’s Ockham Awards, The English Version of the Treaty of Waitangi (Ned Fletcher).

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Young people in New Zealand strongly support smokefree measures

New research released this morning via the Science Media Centre and reported by RNZ this morning, shows that most New Zealanders aged 16-29 support the law to progressively ban smoking. As we know, the new coalition government plans to repeal changes to the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act that would have barred the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after 2009, among other restricted measures. The Canadian-based international study shows 79% of that age group wanted the ban. The University of Otago’s Dr Jude Ball, one of the study’s co-authors, says that even the majority of the young people who do smoke still support the scrapped policies. “This fits in with previous research both here and overseas which shows the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit,” she said.

Slowing construction and migration stressing rental market

According to Stats NZ figures released last week, in the 12 months to October, 39,900 new dwellings were consented nationwide, down 20.6% compared to the 50,252 consented in the 12 months to October last year. As Carmel Hall reports for the Bay of Plenty Times, industry figures cite slowing housing construction and high migration as the cause of “upward pressure on rents”. Trade Me figures showed that in the year to October, rental listings in Rotorua dropped 30% per cent and 15% in Tauranga, while median rents were up. Stuff’s Esther Taunton has a pretty harrowing story this morning about a woman evicted from her rental property while recovering from surgery to deal with a brain tumour. Two days after she moved out, the property was advertised at $130 per week more in rent than she had been paying.

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Watch: Last Home Renters

“That’s what everyone’s afraid of.”

Rodney Patea, a pensioner struggling to find a long-term rental in his Coromandel town, thinks he might have to buy a tent or live in his car. Last Home Renters follows Patea as he struggles to find a long-term rental home in Matarangi, a town of mostly vacant holiday mansions. The 76-year-old Māori fisherman finds himself in “dire straits” as his short-term lease ends. At the real estate office, there is nothing within his price range. The 15-minute documentary directed by his daughter follows his displacement and search. 

Made with support from NZ On Air.

Click and Collect

• Wellington mayor Tory Whanau speaks to the Herald about the challenges of the publicity storm surrounding her private life and her commitment to the city

• MBIE launches inquiry after confidential cabinet papers leaked

• Auditor-General to conduct review after Herald investigation discovered voting errors

• Coroner queries “significant blind spot” in the way St John ambulance officers work with specialist paramedics as inquiry into Christchurch mosque attack continues

• If you read the piece a few weeks ago about Gen Alpha slang, you will be ahead of the pack on the Oxford University Press word of the year

  Feeling clever? Click here to play 1Q, Aotearoa’s newest, shortest daily quiz.

Right now on The Spinoff

In the second part of her series, Zahra Shahtahmasebi advocates for changing our views about miscarriage, one conversation at a time. Sarah Zimmerman asks why we put up with crap counselling. Claire Mabey (and friends) round up a magnificent list of the best books from Aotearoa this year. Joel MacManus takes a rare peek inside Wellington's underground gold vault. For The Cost of Being, a Wellington barista explains where her money goes.

Sporting snippets

• Tall Blacks chasing Olympic qualification for Paris 2024

• University Oval in Dunedin has been renamed the Suzie Bates Oval. Unfortunately, this didn’t help the White Ferns against Pakistan.

Got some feedback about The Bulletin, or anything in the news? Get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz.

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