Has Chris Hipkins flown back into a gathering storm?
In the UK, he's been attracting media attention for his love for sausage rolls. Back home, the headlines aren't quite as fun.
Mōrena and welcome to The Bulletin for Tuesday, May 9 by Catherine McGregor. Presented in partnership with Z Energy.
In today’s edition: School strikes to go ahead this week; severe thunderstorms and chilly temperatures on their way; new figures show how much house values have dropped in a year. But first, a tough news cycle for a very jet lagged PM.
Whaitiri affair leaves Labour ‘fraying at the edges’
Know the feeling of arriving back from holiday and absolutely dreading going back to work? Prime minister Chris Hipkins probably felt a bit of that before stepping off the plane in Wellington yesterday. The Meka Whaitiri affair has caused Labour to begin “fraying at the edges”, writes Luke Malpass in Stuff, and the “sheen provided by the Hipkins ascendancy is quickly wearing off”. The fact that Whaitiri waited until Hipkins was out of the country before resigning is hardly a ringing endorsement for his leadership, Malpass argues. “Clearly the new PM didn’t command enough respect (from Whaitiri at least) to be given any sort of warning.” On the NZ Herald, Claire Trevett writes about a new National ad that paints the government as increasingly chaotic and Hipkins as hapless and distracted. “If they do take seed, those perceptions can be very dangerous, so Hipkins does not have long to steady things up,” she says. As for Whaitiri’s defection to Te Pāti Māori, Richard Harman on Politik says there may be an upside for Labour: “Longer term, her presence in the Māori Party might be a bonus for them because she is a natural conservative and someone they might find relatively easy to work with in government.”
‘They never fail to drag out the pain’
As Labour braces for Whaitiri return to parliament today as an independent MP, the Greens are dealing with their own turmoil following the resignation of Elizabeth Kerekere on Friday night. The Greens are far from alone in dealing with problematic MPs, writes Marc Daalder in Newsroom, pointing to Labour’s Whaitiri and Gaurav Sharma and the ham-fisted way in which Simon Bridges was ousted from National leadership. “What could be unique to the Greens is how they never fail to drag out the pain for as long as possible,” Daalder writes, before quoting a “long-time Green Party figure” who recently quit in frustration, blaming “the dogged persistence” of the Greens in revealing their internal strife to the world. “It's just really embarrassing and… so distracting," the anonymous former Green tells Daalder. On Scoop, Gordon Campbell argues that the Greens may come to regret pushing Kerekere out over a “single email [and] anonymous allegations about her attitude”. “Unless evidence emerges of some worse sins committed by Kerekere – kicking puppies, bringing Big Macs to caucus lunches – the Greens have only themselves to blame for this loss of talent,” Campbell writes.
PM doles out Whaitiri’s old jobs
With Whaitiri gone, one of Hipkins’ first jobs on his return was divvying up her portfolios. At a media conference where he revealed that he still hadn’t heard from his former minister despite leaving her several messages, the PM announced that Kieran McAnulty would become cyclone recovery minister for Hawke's Bay, adding the role to his current one of cyclone recovery minister for Wairarapa. Rachel Brooking is to be food safety minister, Peeni Henare will be minister for veterans, and Rangitata MP Jo Luxton will become a minister outside cabinet, with the portfolios of customs, associate minister of agriculture, and associate minister of education.
Bringing sausage roll diplomacy to the world
His return to New Zealand may have been bumpy, but at least Hipkins can console himself that his London visit was a success. While, as Toby Manhire reported in yesterday’s Bulletin, Hipkins kept a “low profile” at the coronation, his love for sausage rolls brought him some unexpected media attention. Both King Charles and British prime minister Rishi Sunak had sausage rolls prepared for their Kiwi visitor, a gift “so unusual (and a bit silly) [that] the story was picked up by the British press, despite it likely being one the busiest weeks in the UK this year”, writes RNZ’s Katie Scotcher from London. Hipkins also sat for a wide-ranging 10 minute interview on a BBC weekend politics show which closed with host Laura Kuenssberg telling the audience: "And we thought our politics were sometimes a big strange, there we go – Chris Hipkins, the new prime minister of New Zealand and sausage roll fan".
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School strikes to go ahead despite MoE salary offer
An 11th-hour attempt by the Ministry of Education to stave off industrial action by teachers has failed. More than 20,000 high school teachers will strike this week, beginning with schools across the entire South Island today. The ministry last night increased its offer on the base salary for all teachers, including a maximum base salary for top teachers of $100,000 by 2024 – around $7000 more than they currently get. The PPTA says the national executive will consider the offer later this week, but what’s on the table is less than the cost of living increase they want and the strike action is still going ahead. After today’s South Island stopwork, the rolling strikes move to Wellington and the lower half of the South Island (including Hawke’s Bay) on Wednesday, and the rest of the North Island on Thursday.
Severe thunderstorms, chilly temperatures on their way today
Civil Defence (CD) is warning people living in Auckland, Great Barrier Island and Coromandel to prepare for “severe” thunderstorms from lunchtime today. Metservice says the weather system could produce “localised torrential rain in excess of 40 mm/h and a slight chance of a damaging tornado” and CD’s John Price says that "given the amount of rain that has already fallen we want people to be aware that there is an increased possibility that there could be landslides”. Northland is also under a severe thunderstorm watch on Tuesday from 7am today, and many parts of the country are under heavy rain watches and warnings. Meanwhile much of the southern and eastern South Island should prepare for a sudden cold snap, with Cantabrians being advised to haul out the electric blanket before they go to bed tonight.
How generative AI has revolutionised the tech industry
Has any technology ever caused as much disquiet as generative AI? In the latest episode of his media podcast The Fold, Duncan Greive talks to veteran tech journalist Peter Griffin about how this new generation of AI works, why it has scientists, philosophers and politicians spooked, and its implications for media industry.
National average home value drops more than 13% in a year
The average New Zealand home is worth just a smidge over $900,000, new figures from Quotable Value show. Property values dropped by an average of 4.5% in the first four months of 2023, including an average reduction of 0.6% in April – considerably less than the 1.4% average drop in March. “The national average home value is now $902,501, which is 13.3% less than the same time last year, but 22% higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic first began,” Newshub reports. The same report also suggests Christchurch house prices are finally hitting the skids. The city has just recorded its first double-digit percentage annual decline in house prices in 14 years, The Press reports (paywalled), adding “The average price was down 10% in the year to April, from $801,614 to $721,460.” Last month Christchurch property values dropped by an average of 3.7%, a big increase on the March reduction of 1.2%
Click and collect
Wellington police want the public’s help in identifying four people captured on camera in connection with damage to Len Lye’s Water Whirler sculpture on April 22.
Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson has apologised after the ombudsman found he failed to meet his legal obligations under the Official Information Act (OIA) in three cases.
National and Act are calling for the release of the full transcript of minister Kiri Allan’s controversial speech to RNZ employees, after just two paragraphs from the speech were released yesterday under an OIA.
Up to 1000 homes in Porirua are without water this morning after a main burst last night.
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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Stewart Sowman-Lund reports on how Auckland’s bus chaos is forcing commuters to pay twice for a journey that should be covered by a single transfer ticket. As yet another deadline is extended, survivors are losing hope that the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry will ever be truly effective, writes Steve Goodlass. ChatGPT is a mediocre sous-chef, finds Fran Barclay. Hera Lindsay Bird recaps some of literary history's greatest feuds. And Duncan Greive is asking – nay, begging – for a printer that just works.
Sporting snippets
All Whites midfielder Clayton Lewis has signed for Sydney-based Macarthur FC after leaving the Wellington Phoenix on Friday.
A Givealittle page set up by a Warriors fan to help pay any potential fines imposed on Warriors coach Andrew Webster by the NRL has been closed down.
Top coach Wayne Smith’s comments that watching rugby has become “tediously predictable” are right on the money, writes Patrick McKendry of 1News.
The presidential hopeful who ‘eats like a starving animal’
Having lost an election, staged an insurrection, faced criminal charges, and helped an array of his chosen candidates to embarrassing defeats, Donald Trump’s political career should already be consigned to the dumpster. Lucky for him, his main rival (who hasn’t actually yet declared his candidacy for president) is an unlikeable weirdo with non-existent personal skills and the whiniest voice in politics. New York magazine has created a running list of all Ron DeSantis’s crimes against good etiquette so far, from ignoring a colleague for two whole years to eating chocolate pudding with his hands. Keep checking back, it’s sure to be updated regularly.
I too ❤ sausage 😋 rolls..yum