The Standard

Author Archive

This Fonterra Failure is a New Zealand Failure

Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, October 31st, 2025 - 49 comments

The vast majority of Fonterra shareholders have agreed to sell all its consumer brands to Lactalis, and it’s an economic crime against New Zealand.

Labour’s Sub-Therapeutic Dose for Economic Sickness

Written By: - Date published: 6:41 pm, October 20th, 2025 - 53 comments

Why is Labour proposing $200 million for a growth fund when New Zealand First got $3 billion?

So, New Zealand First Then?

Written By: - Date published: 2:17 pm, September 4th, 2025 - 43 comments

In 2026 New Zealand First in all likelihood will be back in power because Labour and National will need them to form government.

The Curious Case of Central Otago

Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, August 18th, 2025 - 31 comments

How can a region be so pretty, so rich, but so poor? 

Good, Democratic, Easy-To-Support Energy Policies

Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, August 11th, 2025 - 16 comments

How to make fundamental changes to the country’s energy systems to ensure that future supply is sustainable and democratically controlled/

Power Companies Collude to Require New Zealand Coal-Fired Electricity

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, August 6th, 2025 - 20 comments

The country’s four main power companies have signed an agreement to stockpile coal and to extend the life of the coal-fired Huntly power station.

Give Young People The Vote

Written By: - Date published: 2:53 pm, July 27th, 2025 - 25 comments

If we are to renew the purpose of democracy after this current bunch of old people have had a crack at shrinking it, we need to turn this into something prospective voters can actually hope for: they can make change happen through the vote.

The Time For The Left To Act Is Now

Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, July 23rd, 2025 - 50 comments

None of National’s policies are working. But the time of Labour’s policy vacuum needs to be over. It’s time to make their mark and take Luxon front on and win.

The left should unite on tax, fast

Written By: - Date published: 9:41 am, July 20th, 2025 - 39 comments

… before the election starts to get real.

We Have a Human Right to Water, and to Democracy

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, July 1st, 2025 - 25 comments

hand rising out of the dark ocean

National is rolling out comprehensive water corporatisation, across New Zealand.  For those who don’t live in Auckland, Wellington, or other centres with commercialised water services already, this is coming to you fast. “Water Done Well” is the policy of this government to require all communities to decide on forming commercial water delivery entities, to run […]

State-run food stores anyone? 

Written By: - Date published: 10:31 am, June 30th, 2025 - 26 comments

What if we broke New Zealand’s grocery misery with our own grocery store?

National Wants to Increase Retirement Age to 67

Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, June 28th, 2025 - 75 comments

If Luxon and Willis go ahead with it as a policy platform for the 2026 election, and win, a raise in the age of entitlement for national superation will most likely be implemented.

Our growing stress is everywhere

Written By: - Date published: 9:38 am, May 24th, 2025 - 22 comments

We don’t know where this country is going and it’s getting worse. 

We’ve Lost Australia

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, May 12th, 2025 - 45 comments

New Zealand was once in a sustained Australasian partnership. Now, with New Zealand tracking further and further into policy extremes, Australia – and our children – are leaving New Zealand behind.

The Ukraine-United States Deal

Written By: - Date published: 11:55 am, May 4th, 2025 - 13 comments

In a bargain of the damned the United States and Ukraine have signed a peace agreement to share revenues from the future sale of Ukrainian minerals and rare earths.

Labor Wins In Australia

Written By: - Date published: 8:18 am, May 4th, 2025 - 39 comments

In yesterday’s election there was lot to cheer about. Labor won a landslide election. And Coalition leader Peter Dutton lost his seat.

After ANZAC Day

Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, April 29th, 2025 - 29 comments

ANZAC Day 2025 is just so dark in the face of a hot war in the Ukraine, and the real lack of commanding peacemakers left on this earth. 

Farewell Pope Francis

Written By: - Date published: 11:52 am, April 22nd, 2025 - 10 comments

“Let us not be afraid to say it: we want change, real change, structural change. The system has imposed the mentality of profit at any price, with no concern for social exclusion or the destruction of nature.”

Trump Schadenfreude

Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, April 6th, 2025 - 68 comments

All the fools supporting hard right political leadership will now be reminded of what they signed up for.

US imposes 10% tariff on NZ imports

Written By: - Date published: 1:43 pm, April 3rd, 2025 - 52 comments

While 10% is at the lower end of this unjustified tax, it is very serious for our whole NZ economy.

Reasons for Optimism

Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, March 22nd, 2025 - 14 comments

We’re good, but we know we want better leadership.

Failed Conference

Written By: - Date published: 1:03 pm, March 14th, 2025 - 46 comments

Luxon’s team have delivered zero deals out of the multibillionaire conference on infrastructure. This is a fail.

Great America

Written By: - Date published: 12:23 pm, March 9th, 2025 - 17 comments

The United States of America is in full territorial expansion mode and there is little that anyone can do about it. 

A Commercial Peace Agreement? 

Written By: - Date published: 10:54 am, February 20th, 2025 - 68 comments

Trump’s opening bid for peace towards Ukraine was that the United States would gain access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.

If that’s Luxon’s Plan, What About Labour? 

Written By: - Date published: 1:05 pm, January 26th, 2025 - 56 comments

It’s time to highlight what a Labour plan for the New Zealand economy under a 2026 government would look like. And ask questions. 

New Zealand’s worst leadership speech since 2008

Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, January 24th, 2025 - 22 comments

The PM’s ‘State of the Nation’ speech about the New Zealand economy titled “economic growth the key to better days ahead” was a bag of words with no plan.

The Left Went That Way

Written By: - Date published: 8:38 am, January 14th, 2025 - 37 comments

In the past two decades, election results in western Europe, Australasia, and North America have been framed as a crisis of the left. But in reality are things that bad?

President Biden’s Accomplishments

Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, January 11th, 2025 - 33 comments

It’s common these days to see the rapid 2024 exit of multiple global social democrat leaders as just a post-COVID symptom of democratic impatience. But Biden achieved far more than his age-related decline obscures.

Winston’s Next Job

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, January 10th, 2025 - 18 comments

While he scoops up behind Minister Willis’s Cook Strait ferry disaster, he’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and our primary lead on the rise of President Trump and boy does he have a job ahead of him.

President Trump makes a new Middle East Possible

Written By: - Date published: 6:04 pm, January 5th, 2025 - 23 comments

U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump makes more things possible in the Middle East than the Biden administration.

Electric Shock

Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, December 2nd, 2024 - 29 comments

New Zealand is one of the slowest countries in the developed world to transition from combustion to electric vehicles. The shocks we are seeing in Europe to car makers and car buyers herald more trouble ahead.