The Health Crisis and the Election
The quickly developing health crisis the country is facing is providing a major incentive for people to change the Government at this election.
Open Mike 18/10/2026
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Feeds are back
After a considerable bit of work, the feeds are back in the sidebar. The previous system used a wordpress plugin that drifted over the years from something that could do what I wanted, to a system that seemed to be largely targeted at ‘borrowing’ whole pages from other sites to push advertising. Let me know if what places you’re reading, and you think should accessible from on here.
Open Mike 17/10/2026
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Daily review 16/10/2026
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
How To Celebrate Getting Really Rich
Pleading for more protection for the super-rich during an election is not going to land well for National.
Open Mike 16/10/2026
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Daily review 15/10/2026
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Voting for Opportunity could cement the right wing for another 3 years
Nearly 40% of Opportunity’s voters come from the left. Around 17% come from the right. Can we risk another 3 years of the current right wing Government?
The Opportunity National Courtship
National has softened some policy positions, bringing it closer to meeting some of Opportunity’s five bottom lines. Is Luxon preparing to pull off the post-election flip-flop to end all flip-flops?
Enrolment levels
From this morning’s PolitikToday, the enrolment figures are out. Currently sitting at 90.77% overall against the estimated electorate. As you’d expect the 18-24 age group, is the worst off, having about 62% enrolled. What is interesting is the age groups of 65-69 and 70+ show more than 100% enrolment. The 70+ group having a remarkable 103.25%. I can feel the conspiracy theorists stirring…
Open Mike 15/10/2026
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Daily review 14/10/2026
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Open Mike 14/10/2026
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily review 13/10/2026
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Open Mike 13/10/2026
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily review 12/10/2026
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Lies Damned Lies and National Party Employment statistics
Chances are pretty high that you would have heard National party MPs claim that there will be an extra 220,000 jobs over the next few years. Turns out that the net figure is closer to 30,000 and relies on population growth.
Open Mike 12/10/2026
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Why is everybody talking about tax and fiscal holes?
The most important issue for New Zealanders is inflation and the cost-of-living yet National and its Dirty Workers want us to talk and think about tax all the time.
Open Mike 11/10/2026
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Open Mike 10/10/2026
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Daily review 09/10/2026
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Coalition’s problem: bullshit doesn’t conceal poor performance
I had a look at the New Zealand Election Survey for the 2023 election at what voters issues were in 2023. It looks very similar in the major issues today. Economy and cost of living predominating, then health, climate change and crime. That has to be problem for the conservative coalition and especially for National. They haven’t moved the needle to anything except worse.
Open Mike 09/10/2026
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Chris Hipkins Is Right
Chris Hipkins is not Jacinda Ardern. His small bore policies may not even reward Labour in 2026 vote share. But 2026 is the right time for the Chris Hipkins school of politics.
Daily review 08/10/2026
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Calculated cruelty
National has announced two populist cruel policies today of benefit cuts for beneficiaries on the Jobseeker benefit for over two years and random drug testing for beneficiaries.
The Leader’s debate
Some thoughts on the first Leader’s debate, essentially to agree with Thomas Coughlan that Luxon is leading National to a defeat and this debate did not help.
Open Mike 08/10/2026
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Daily review 07/10/2026
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
National plans to slash overseas aid
National’s announcement made yesterday to make savage cuts to overseas aid to pay for cancer treatments is a stunner. Imagining seeking the votes of those who want to have an improved health system and those who harbour racist thoughts at the same time.
Who buys the election – follow the money
A site called followthemoney.nz is worth looking at. It is beta site that tracks since 2019, the visible money directed at political parties. It includes declared donations, the broadcasting allocations, some details on the donations over and under 15k and a interesting list of declared donors in 2026 up to the end of September.
Open Mike 07/10/2026
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily review 06/10/2026
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
The Diesel Powered Election
This is the diesel election and we need the fastest way possible out of it.
RNZ-Reid poll happy dance
This is good. It’s one poll, trends are better, but what it gives left wing parties and volunteers a big confidence boost twenty […]