Morning Briefing March 16: Ardern and Labour take tumble in poll - but Nats fail to capitalise

Jacinda Ardern and Judith Collins

Recent lockdowns take some of the gloss off the Government in the first 1 NEWS political poll of the year, the police probe potential bias in the force, and Team NZ aims to wrap up racing today.

The country’s recent quick-fire lockdowns appear to have taken some gloss off the Government in the first 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton poll of the year – but National and Judith Collins have yet to capitalise on that.

The poll, which has ditched landlines as a means for collecting data, sees Labour slipping four points to a still commanding 49 per cent support, with National lagging at 27 per cent. 

Collins and Jacinda Ardern have both also taken a dive in the preferred Prime Minister stakes, although Ardern remains miles ahead on 43 per cent compared to Collins’ 8 per cent.

More than a quarter of those polled say they don’t know who their preferred Prime Minister is.

Meanwhile, National’s private review into its disastrous 2020 election campaign continues to make headlines.

Stuff reports “sources familiar with the review” say it recommends National put an “absolute focus” on diversity through selecting candidates from different backgrounds. 

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High drama on the water

After grumbles of discontent that the America’s Cup races were a foregone conclusion once their start was out of the way, yesterday’s action delivered drama in spades.

Team New Zealand took first honours in a race that featured an actual lead change , but that was just the beginning of the excitement.

Race two saw both Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa fall off their foils on separate occasions, with the Kiwis eventually overcoming a massive 2km deficit to charge home and take a 5-3 lead in the series. 

Team NZ will retain the America’s Cup if they win both of today’s races, however Luna Rossa’s co-helmsman Jimmy Spithill is promising his team will “come out swinging” today . Anyone who remembers Spithill’s come-from-behind victory in the 2013 America’s Cup probably shouldn’t doubt him.

Meanwhile, Team NZ and their fans aren’t the only ones celebrating a good day out on the water.

Hospitality venues have been enjoying the patronage of the 50,000-strong crowds that flocked to Auckland’s waterfront over the weekend, while organisers are also declaring the event a success with almost 2000 boats making up the spectator flotilla. 

Police probe potential bias

The police have launched a new research programme focussing on bias and inequity within the force.

“Understanding Policing Delivery” will be a long-term research programme examining where bias may exist in police policies, processes, and practices.

Police will work with the Te Puna Haumaru Institute for Security and Crime Science at the University of Waikato, as well as criminal justice advocate Sir Kim Workman.

The research findings will inform police work programmes and help deliver on commitments to Māori and the Treaty.

Australia deports minor to NZ

The Government is looking into the circumstances that led to a 15-year-old being deported from Australia to New Zealand . The teenager was among a batch of deportees known as 501s recently sent to New Zealand.

Oranga Tamariki has confirmed it’s working to support the teenager who’s currently in managed isolation. Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta says authorities have been assisting and making arrangements for the minor's care.

Jacinda Ardern says she will be looking further into the teen’s deportation as she “would expect particular care to have been taken in the way a minor is dealt with”. 

National's foreign affairs spokesperson Gerry Brownlee says the case sounds "pretty appalling" on the face of it, while the Greens’ Golriz Ghahraman says the deportation is outrageous and heart-breaking.

These latest revelations come just days after Australia’s Channel 9 aired footage of a planeload of deportees destined for New Zealand, with Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton referring to the deportations as "taking the trash out" .

Property resale profits high

A new report is again highlighting New Zealand’s runaway housing market with property resale performance at its strongest in 15 years .

CoreLogic’s latest Pain and Gain report has found the percentage of people selling their houses for a profit has hit its highest level since records began.

The national median resale gain for the last months of 2020 was $276,000, which is a jump up from the previous record peak of $233,000. 

Meanwhile, landlords and real estate agents are both finding themselves under official scrutiny this week.

RNZ reports the Privacy Commissioner has begun talking to tenants, landlords, and property managers as part of an investigation into tenants’ privacy . And Inland Revenue (IRD) says it’s turning its attention to real estate agents who may be “under reporting income and overstating expenses". 

Legal wrangle over getaway car

An Auckland business owner is relieved he’s no longer facing a bill for the cost of damaging a burglar’s getaway car.

Jewellery designer Nick Nielson appeared on TVNZ’s Fair Go last night to talk about the frustrating six months he’s had since he smashed the windows of a fleeing car following a burglary at his Ponsonby store.

Nielson thought he might get a gentle lecture about how gung-ho his move was - but he certainly didn’t expect to be sued for damages to the car. You can read more about his insurance scrap here .

Other news of note this morning:

- Germany, France and Italy have joined other EU nations in halting their rollouts of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

- Nearly 100 NZ companies have signed an open letter calling on the Government to introduce an act against slave labour.

- New Zealand hospitals could be left short with a crucial piece of medical equipment being recalled globally .

- A new report says Type 2 diabetes currently costs New Zealand $2.1 billion a year and projects a quarter of Pasifika will have the disease in 20 years. 

- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the Government is still trying to get a two-way trans-Tasman bubble up and running, though she admits circumstances have changed .

- Recent surveys in the US and UK have found Generation Z are more commonly identifying as LGBTQIA+ and becoming more fluid in the expression of their sexuality and gender – so Re: has investigated if the same thing is happening in Aotearoa

- Beyoncé and Taylor Swift have had a historic night at the Grammys , where the top four awards were won by female acts. 

- And David Fincher’s Mank has received the most nods in the Oscar nominations announced this morning. 

And finally...

Hilary Barry test drives a casket

Who can forget that time Jeremy Wells went and picked out a lovely casket as a Valentine’s gift for his Seven Sharp co-host Hilary Barry?

Well, two years later, Barry has finally taken that present for a test run .

She visited Francis and Kaiora Tipene ahead of the new season of their hit show The Casketeers to talk about death, romance, and the joys of vacuuming – and to check out Wells’ gift.

The verdict? Wells has good taste in caskets and Barry apparently makes for a “beautiful-looking dead body”.

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