Peter Newport is a former reporter for Radio NZ, and a former producer with TV3. He started his career at the ODT and TVNZ before working for Australia’s Channel 9 as their London Correspondent, as a senior News Director with BBC TV News and as a Discovery Channel documentary producer. He lives in Queenstown.
Last night the Clutha Southland National Party selected Hamish Walker, a 32 year old business advisor from Balclutha, as the replacement for disgraced MP Todd Barclay. But if National think that will put to rest the questions swirling around their electorate operations in the Deep South they're dreaming, writes Peter Newport.
If the government won't do something about housing, then Queenstown mayor Jim Boult will – or at least, that's the plan. Peter Newport finds out how he proposes to fix the town's affordable housing crisis – now officially worse than Auckland's – and why he's calling on Wellington to loosen its iron grip on local government.
Martin Matthews has resigned as Auditor General on the back of a report into his actions – and inaction – during the three years that Joanne Harrison was committing fraud at the MOT. But if the report was so damning, why can't the public read it, asks Peter Newport.
The ever-deepening storm centred on the Harrison fraud case just became a mid-category hurricane. Yesterday's State Services Commission investigation report is likely to trigger a new chain of events that could extend well beyond embattled Auditor General Martin Matthews, writes Peter Newport
Each winter, cold houses in New Zealand cause the death of almost 1600 people, and hundreds of thousands more have their health and wellbeing severely curtailed. It's a national emergency, but the government agency tasked with addressing it has had its budget slashed to the bone. Cold comfort for freezing New Zealanders, writes Peter Newport.
Dunedin can sometimes seem like the neglected afterthought of New Zealand's main centres, unappreciated by all except those who choose to live there. Peter Newport reports on what's coming next for Dunedin after Cadbury shuts its doors.
Newsroom today provided fresh details of the payments and coverup in the Todd Barclay scandal. But the MP for Clutha-Southland remains something of a mystery on the national stage.
The battle for New Zealand mobile network supremacy got a whole lot more interesting today, as Spark launched some cutting edge technology – in Queenstown. Peter Newport reports.
The fast-growing Southern Lakes district – Queenstown, Wanaka and surrounds – currently faces enormous challenges. But the bigger problem? The body in charge is three hours' drive away and seems reluctant to spend the money needed to fix them. Peter Newport explains how an upcoming by-election could become a referendum on the future of Otago.
Auditor General Martin Matthews has come under extra pressure to resign today as the State Services Commission launches a full, independent investigation into the treatment of whistle-blowers who tried to warn Matthews about fraudster Joanne Harrison. Peter Newport reports.
