The Standard

Author Archive

Should Luxon join Trump’s Board of Peace?

Written By: - Date published: 9:27 am, January 21st, 2026 - 16 comments

Donald Trump invited Christopher Luxon to join a new organisation to oversee the redevelopment of Gaza and eventually the replacement of the United Nations. How should Luxon respond?

Management speech mumbo jumbo

Written By: - Date published: 11:16 am, January 20th, 2026 - 17 comments

Christopher Luxon’s latest State of the Nation speech suggests that over summer he has been spending more on his Spotify summer list than he should have.

Luxon’s utu

Written By: - Date published: 11:11 am, January 17th, 2026 - 10 comments

Christopher Luxon is extracting utu on Chris Bishop for his pre Christmas attempted coup by making Bishop eat humble pie on his plans to allow intensification in Auckland’s inner suburbs.

Peters attacks Reserve Bank Governor

Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, January 15th, 2026 - 27 comments

Winston Peters has attacked the REserve Bank Governor Anna Bremen for publicly expressing concern about politically inspired Department of Justice attacks on US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell.

The death of truth

Written By: - Date published: 11:32 am, January 10th, 2026 - 100 comments

The competing social media takes based on video that clearly shows that the shooting of Minnesota woman Renee Good was totally unjustified shows how dominant social discord is now considered to be more important than truth.

Some random and unusual responses to the US invasion of Venezuela

Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, January 7th, 2026 - 25 comments

Among a significant number of leaders claiming they are actively monitoring the situation in Venezuela after the US invasion and the kidnapping of President Maduro are some pointed and very relevant comments from some unusual sources.

What David Seymour did during the holidays

Written By: - Date published: 10:05 am, January 3rd, 2026 - 5 comments

David Seymour has spent some of his holidays meeting Argentine leader Javier Milei and praising Milei’s far right inspired destruction of local Government institutions.

Some random predictions for 2026 …

Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, January 2nd, 2026 - 8 comments

What will election year 2026 bring to Aotearoa?

Politician of the year?

Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, December 31st, 2025 - 3 comments

Chris Bishop is thought by some to be the politician of the year, mainly for drafting a couple of bills plaigarised from the work of David Parker and untested promises to build hugely expensive roads of National significance. But they are ignoring the most extraordinary performance by an opposition leader in recent decades.

Peters spits the dummy over India Free Trade deal

Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, December 24th, 2025 - 22 comments

“National preferred doing a quick, low-quality deal over doing the hard work necessary to get a fair deal that delivers for both New Zealanders and Indians.”

Good work if you can get it

Written By: - Date published: 11:36 am, December 21st, 2025 - 9 comments

National’s Ministerial Retail Advisory Group leader Sunny Kaushall has hit the headlines for huge catering costs inluding paying $9 for bottles of coke worth $5.50. But the deeper story should be why his activity, which is clearly political in nature, being funded by a fund set aside for victims.

Much ado about nothing

Written By: - Date published: 11:55 am, December 19th, 2025 - 6 comments

The Taxpayer’s Union campaign against Nicola Willis’s Socialist handling of the economy, complete with novelty fudge has crashed unceremoniously. The sponsors have clearly spoken.

Holy feck

Written By: - Date published: 8:10 pm, December 17th, 2025 - 22 comments

The last poll of the political year and it is a doozie. Labour is 8 points ahead of National.

Accelerating climate change under urgency

Written By: - Date published: 2:02 pm, December 11th, 2025 - 7 comments

The Government is legislating to halve methane emission reduction targets and remove the requirement for the ETS to accord with Paris Accord obligations. And intends to pass these changes under urgency despite there being no requirement to do so.

Why the next election will not be easy for Labour

Written By: - Date published: 12:12 pm, December 7th, 2025 - 27 comments

This may be a one term National Government. But electoral law reform, the state of Labour’s coalition partners, a possible economic upturn and a change in National’s leader threaten this.

The Government’s 59 policy changes that are destroying the country’s climate response

Written By: - Date published: 8:41 pm, December 5th, 2025 - 8 comments

Count them and weep.

Is National planning to welch on Paris Climate obligations?

Written By: - Date published: 11:50 am, December 4th, 2025 - 12 comments

It appears to be more and more inevitable that National will welch on the country’s Paris Accord obligations.

Seymour and the mouldy meal

Written By: - Date published: 11:29 am, December 2nd, 2025 - 22 comments

David Seymour’s campaign to reduce the so called excessive spend on Labour’s school lunches have struck a rather awkward problem. At least for one school recently provided lunches were inedible which basically destroys the whole reason for having them.

He’s running

Written By: - Date published: 12:25 pm, November 26th, 2025 - 31 comments

Christopher Luxon’s stint as Prime Minister is under serious threat. And despite his clear assertions to the contrary the rumour mill suggests that Chris Bishop is lining up for a tilt for the top job.

The Coalition of Chaos

Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, November 21st, 2025 - 35 comments

Winston Peters is misbehaving big time and shortly after saying assets sales is a tawdry silly argument he yesterday threatened to repeal the Regulatory Standards Act.

Why does National really hate EVs?

Written By: - Date published: 8:56 am, November 19th, 2025 - 14 comments

The Government has reversed the clean car standard and by doing this has ensured that the country’s car fleet will be less efficient and produce more greenhouse gasses.

The Fast Track law is being made worse

Written By: - Date published: 8:48 pm, November 16th, 2025 - 8 comments

Just over a year ago the Government passed a constitutional abomination of a law and is now trying to make it worse and do this quickly. What is going on?

The tawdry silly argument in favour of selling assets

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, November 12th, 2025 - 26 comments

Winston Peters has criticised National’s proposal to campaign at the next election on asset sales in a way that makes you wonder how National and NZ First can survive in coalition.

Wrecking the country’s climate change response

Written By: - Date published: 11:59 am, November 8th, 2025 - 18 comments

If you thought that your contempt for the current administration had peaked let me disappoint you. This week they have taken steps to undermine the Climate Change Commission and the ability of the public to influence future emission reduction plans.

Let them eat Michelin Stars

Written By: - Date published: 2:46 pm, November 7th, 2025 - 9 comments

The Government’s class prejudices are now on clear display. In the same week that news emerged that the Government is considering a ban on rough sleepers in major urban town centres further news emerged that it is subsidising Michelin to award Michelin stars to local restaurants.

Treaty what treaty?

Written By: - Date published: 2:47 pm, November 5th, 2025 - 19 comments

The Government’s all out assault on te Tiriti o Waitangi continues. And this time supposed liberal Erica Sanford is engaged in the latest assault.

The attempted hostile takeover of Kelston Boys High School

Written By: - Date published: 10:17 am, October 31st, 2025 - 24 comments

Individual State Schools face the prospect of hostile takeover by groups that may wish to change dramatically the way that the school is run. And Kelston Boys High School is a test case for how the process may work.

CGT – The Empire strikes back

Written By: - Date published: 10:06 am, October 30th, 2025 - 140 comments

The usual voices have publicly attacked Labour’s proposed Capital Gains Tax using arguments that do not stack up.

Is that it?

Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, October 28th, 2025 - 151 comments

Labour’s Capital Gains Tax has been released in less than an optimal manner. And the policy is more modest than some would have liked.

Spare a thought for Christopher Luxon

Written By: - Date published: 12:25 pm, October 27th, 2025 - 12 comments

Christopher Luxon successfully contesting his Auckland Council Rates bill will reinforce a strong impression that he is more concerned with personal wealth than the collective good.

More RONS!

Written By: - Date published: 9:40 am, October 25th, 2025 - 23 comments

National has announced it will be spending nearly three times as much on Roads of National Significance as it campaigned on and has justified dubious investment decisions by changing how benefits are calculated.