The Standard

Author Archive

Wrecking the country’s climate change response

Written By: - Date published: 11:59 am, November 8th, 2025 - 12 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.

The strange goings on in Papatoetoe

Written By: - Date published: 11:03 am, October 19th, 2025 - 3 comments

In the Papatoetoe subdivision of Otara Papatoetoe Local Board complaints of stolen voting papers and voters being told how to vote inside polling booths and in public places have been referred to the police.

Plunket declares war on the BSA

Written By: - Date published: 1:31 pm, October 16th, 2025 - 46 comments

Sean Plunket has threatened to sue the Broadcasting Standards Authority after it released a draft opinion suggesting that broadcasters using the internet should be subject to the same requirements as traditional broadcasters.

Government by the Farmers for the Farmers

Written By: - Date published: 12:14 pm, October 13th, 2025 - 13 comments

In a move that further undermines the country’s response to the climate crisis the Government has halved the methane reduction goal and determined that farms will not pay a price for greenhouse gas emissions.

The 2025 Local Government Election results

Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, October 12th, 2025 - 49 comments

The provisional Local Government election results have shown appalling turnout especially in Auckland and a voter reaction against large rates increases, potentially caused by the shelving of the Three Waters Reform package.

National Crashes in latest poll

Written By: - Date published: 1:03 pm, October 8th, 2025 - 41 comments

National crashing into the 20s in the latest Couria Poll must have increased dramatically the prospects of Christopher Luxon being deposed as Prime Minister.

Do not feed the Droll

Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, October 7th, 2025 - 57 comments

Martyn Bradbury’s attacks on Winston Peters and an attack on his home has allowed Winston to claim victimhood status and hog the media spotlight.

Voices for Freedom’s local government campaign

Written By: - Date published: 2:22 pm, October 4th, 2025 - 8 comments

Anti vax organisation Voices for Freedom has published a glossy well presented booklet suggesting how local body campaigns should be run. And it looks like a number of right wing campaigns are borrowing heavily from the information in the booklet.

Luxon’s bad faith stunt

Written By: - Date published: 8:56 am, October 1st, 2025 - 29 comments

Christopher Luxon recently wrote to Chris Hipkins seeking a bipartisan approach to gas drilling but then immediately turned this into a farce by leaking the letter to the Herald.

The Government wants to cheat the next election result

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, September 28th, 2025 - 24 comments

Christopher Luxon is sticking to his lines that the proposed changes to the Electoral Law will speed up the result even though this will disenfranchise an estimated 55,000 kiwis and even though the Chief Electoral Officer has said that if properly resourced the changes will make no difference.

Old man yells at rest of the world

Written By: - Date published: 10:53 am, September 26th, 2025 - 12 comments

Winston Peters has blamed the two most populous countries in the world for contributing to climate change, a problem that many in his party thinks does not exist.

National announces reversal of School Building Project cuts

Written By: - Date published: 9:42 am, September 23rd, 2025 - 7 comments

In the hope that it can address the Construction Industry crisis National has announced a partial reversal of cuts made to school building project made earlier in its term.

So much for the relentless focus on growth

Written By: - Date published: 3:32 pm, September 19th, 2025 - 26 comments

National’s crashing of GDP growth figures makes a mockery of its claim earlier this year that the Government was relentlessly focussed on unleashing growth.

The primary concern of the Left is Truth not Victory

Written By: - Date published: 10:35 am, September 14th, 2025 - 102 comments

The US right’s claim the left was responsible for the assassination of Charlie Kirk is unravelling as more details of the alleged killer emerge.

The Figjam Prime Minister

Written By: - Date published: 12:20 pm, September 4th, 2025 - 25 comments

Yesterday Christopher Luxon broke an embargo, claimed credit for an announcement that was made in 2021 and gave cover to an American corporate backtracking on an earlier promise to construct new data centres.

Government to avoid proper scrutiny of plans to allow rich foreigners to buy mansions

Written By: - Date published: 8:36 am, September 3rd, 2025 - 27 comments

Remember Act’s Regulatory Standards Bill which would establish principles of responsible regulation and increase transparency? It appears that not all policy will be subject to these requirements. Especially if they affect rich foreigners buying local mansions.

Jones accuses Luxon of hiding

Written By: - Date published: 7:51 pm, August 31st, 2025 - 43 comments

Shane Jones has publicly attacked Prime Minister Christopher Luxon by accusing him of hiding. The chances of a snap election have just shot up.

Councils’ obligations to Māori

Written By: - Date published: 12:12 pm, August 30th, 2025 - 12 comments

Kaipara District Council has circulated throughout the country a Franks Ogilvie opinion suggesting that local government obligations to Māori are limited. But even a cursory review of the opinion suggests that it is flawed and should not be used to minimise respect for Māori.

Gaslighters of the world unite

Written By: - Date published: 12:57 pm, August 26th, 2025 - 24 comments

David Seymour has complained that New Zealand has “some of the most anemic governing arrangements in the world constitutionally” without acknowledging that his Goverment could change this.

Van Velden pressures ERA to reduce worker compensation payments

Written By: - Date published: 9:52 am, August 23rd, 2025 - 16 comments

Brooke Van Velden has announced the appointment of four new members to the Employment Relations Authority and has expressed the wish that compensation payments to workers will be reduced.

The $671 million dollar woman

Written By: - Date published: 10:18 am, August 18th, 2025 - 23 comments

The Government is trying to spin that cancellation of the ferry contract will cost the country $144 million when the actual figure is at least $671 million.

What does this Government have against Te Reo Māori?

Written By: - Date published: 12:09 pm, August 13th, 2025 - 14 comments

Erica Stanford’s removal of te reo words from reading books is the latest of a series of attacks on te reo Māori by this Government.

Helen Clark on Palestine

Written By: - Date published: 3:39 pm, August 12th, 2025 - 31 comments

“This is a catastrophic situation and here we are in New Zealand somehow arguing some fine point about whether we should recognise. We need to be adding our voice to the need for this catastrophe to stop.”

Ani O’Brien’s weird take on homelessness

Written By: - Date published: 11:14 am, August 12th, 2025 - 28 comments

Ani O’Brien thinks that claims by Chloe Swarbrick that the Government is intentionally increasing homelessness are engaging in hyperbole and are not true. But who is the person engaging in hyperbole?