The PressPatron Post
Great Kiwi journalism, delivered weekly
-- Issue Eight: 04 November 2019 --

Welcome to the latest edition of The PressPatron Post! Each week we share impactful stories from across our community of New Zealand media sites.

In this week's edition: creating a more welcoming Aotearoa, a 'health check' of New Zealand media, IHC celebrates 70 years of advocacy, proposals for welfare reform, the dangers of unimmunised hospital staff, and more.

Below you will find some of the best investigations, analysis and opinion pieces that have resonated with local supporters of independent media. Let me know if you have any suggestions or feedback about our newsletter.
Alex Clark (Founder/ CEO)

PS: Within our last edition, we asked which day of the week you prefer for our newsletter. So far, Monday is the winner!  If you haven't voted yet, click here.
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Guled Mire: Working for a more welcoming Aotearoa

"I guess the main message I have for everyone is that we all have a part to play in shaping a much more inclusive, diverse, welcoming, humane Aotearoa. It’s much more than just countering racism and discrimination."

>> Support E-Tangata

New Zealand media: a health check

"The lack of a viable business model for the creation and distribution of news and cultural content in New Zealand should give us all pause. Whatever the government announces in the coming weeks, that is the scale of the challenge it faces – a media bleeding out in front of its eyes, with all the flow-on consequences around information and culture that implies."

>> Support The Spinoff

Are unimmunised hospital staff putting us at risk?

"If you need to go to hospital, it mightn't occur to you that the workers there may not be vaccinated. Newsroom science editor Eloise Gibson tried to find out what proportion of workers in every DHB in New Zealand were vaccinated from measles and other illnesses. The answer? Nobody knows."

>> Support Newsroom

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Thank you to those stroppy parents who founded the IHC 70 years ago

"The committee not only rejected parental requests for community support but also reinforced the use of words and concepts such as ‘idiots’ ‘imbeciles’ and ‘feeble-minded’ that the parents had objected to."

>> Support Public Address

The ethics of the 4 day work week. It's not just about the hours

"We should work to live, not live to work," declared Britain's shadow chancellor John McDonnell last month, as he announced the British Labour Party would reduce the standard working week to 32 hours, without loss of pay, within 10 years of winning office.

>> Support Noted

Innocent until proven guilty? Not if you're Māori, poor or homeless

Like other parts of the criminal justice system, bias in New Zealand's remand system continues to discriminate against Māori. Many of us take for granted that if we are ever accused of a crime, we will be treated as if we are innocent until proven guilty.

>> Support The Spinoff

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Welfare back in the spotlight

Although our next election is more than a year away, a heated debate on welfare has already begun. Noted, Newsroom and Interest each share their perspective on National's recent proposals for tougher treatment of people on benefits.

National eyes familiar 'foes' in welfare proposals

"National has turned to some predictable villains in its proposals for social sector reform, in what may be a sign of things to come as we head into election year."

>> Support Newsroom

"Benefit sanctions will cost all of us more in the long run

Stopping women whose partners may be gang affiliated and their children from accessing the benefit is a poorly thought through social policy. Benefit sanctions are a false economy that except to exacerbate misery, increase poverty, and create additional flow-on costs for our health, education, and justice sectors."

>> Support Noted

Jenée Tibshraeny on how National's outdated approach to welfare would be too disruptive for a conservative party to pull off

"The National Party dangled some bait before us this week, and most of us took it hook, line and sinker. The delicacy on offer, a 56-page social services discussion document from an opposition party, wouldn't usually be that appetising to the media. But this was different."

>> Support Interest

Did you enjoy these articles? This is just a small selection from Aotearoa's largest network of independent media sites!

PressPatron in the UK

The New European is part of our global PressPatron community. Their team of writers shares unique insights into Brexit. We hope you enjoy their piece below.

There can still be a second referendum

Andrew Adonis discusses the difficulties the UK has had in negotiating a Brexit deal and why it's not too late to call a second referendum.

>> Support The New European