The Standard

Author Archive

Changing government in 2026

Written By: - Date published: 9:45 am, April 17th, 2026 - 48 comments

We need to stop slagging off the people who have the only chance of forming a centre left government this year.

A change of government this close or this far away…

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, April 2nd, 2026 - 59 comments

reasons to feel hopeful but not complacent.

“The future of everything is in New Zealand-made energy”

Written By: - Date published: 8:51 am, March 31st, 2026 - 27 comments

This is the kind of Just Transition story that turns us in the right direction.

The oil crisis: what we should be doing now

Written By: - Date published: 10:48 am, March 30th, 2026 - 24 comments

Responses to the government’s National Fuel Plan.

The Government’s National Fuel Plan

Written By: - Date published: 12:36 pm, March 27th, 2026 - 23 comments

Nicola Willis and Shane Jones present the details in the current plan for the Hormz oill crisis.

The oil crisis: “We live in challenging times”

Written By: - Date published: 4:33 pm, March 19th, 2026 - 46 comments

The government has shifted position and is now directly talking about the need to plan and prepare for a potential crisis and doing so for the worst case scenario.

The oil crisis: she’ll be right?

Written By: - Date published: 1:05 am, March 13th, 2026 - 47 comments

“Every emergency plan principle that I’m aware of says you communicate early, honestly and with a plan.” – Nathan Surendran

The Opportunity Party still hates beneficiaries

Written By: - Date published: 9:12 am, February 14th, 2026 - 79 comments

If you dismantle welfare, you push many New Zealanders into desperate poverty.

AI and The Standard (prelude)

Written By: - Date published: 1:11 pm, February 12th, 2026 - 18 comments

Why are the mods grumpy about AI use on The Standard?

Are whales people? The Green Party Bill to give whales personhood

Written By: - Date published: 12:10 pm, February 7th, 2026 - 47 comments

Save the whales! (and ourselves)

Game on: Labour and the Greens speak to media from Waitangi

Written By: - Date published: 2:28 pm, February 3rd, 2026 - 28 comments

Chris Hipkins, Marama Davidson, and Chloe Swarbrick speak on unity, working together while being separate partners, and the upcoming election.

The Mount Maunganui disaster and climate responsibility

Written By: - Date published: 11:40 am, January 25th, 2026 - 22 comments

Bryce Edwards’ piece and key mainstream media articles on how the Maunganui disaster happened are the start of a long, complex conversation about New Zealand’s precarity and the urgent need to change.

Happy New Year from The Standard

Written By: - Date published: 9:44 am, January 1st, 2026 - 7 comments

Happy New Year to all the readers, commenters, and fellow authors/mods at The Standard

Ozzy Man on Bondi

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, December 22nd, 2025 - 13 comments

Some of the best video media coverage of a terrorism event I’ve seen, from the human side.

Wealth taxation as national self-interest

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, November 26th, 2025 - 12 comments

Is it only the uber wealthy and politicians that don’t want a wealth tax? Guyon Espiner talks with ex trader, now people’s economist Gary Stevenson.

Labour Day: the working class and civil emergencies

Written By: - Date published: 6:06 am, October 27th, 2025 - 17 comments

On this Labour Day, a massive shout out to all the workers in Southland, Otago and other areas affected by the storms last week. Paid and volunteer, obvious and those in the background doing support for the frontline workers.

Understanding the shooting of Charlie Kirk

Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, September 17th, 2025 - 95 comments

Some of the kids aren’t alright. What if Charlie Kirk’s murder wasn’t from the left or the right, but something else entirely?

Metiria Turei was right but did we learn the lesson?

Written By: - Date published: 11:38 am, September 1st, 2025 - 44 comments

In 2017 the Greens shifted the Overton Window on a compassionate response to poverty, but where are we now?

Because it makes so much more sense to destroy communities and fund hospitals instead

Written By: - Date published: 9:12 am, August 4th, 2025 - 17 comments

Another day, another stupid consequence of NACTFirst’s mongrel government policies. North Shore hospital has dedicated a ward for patients who would normally be discharged but have nowhere to go. RNZ, North Shore Hospital has an entire ward of people stuck in hospital with no medical reason to be there. The 20-bed ward was created in […]

Old fast track, new fast track

Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, August 2nd, 2025 - 49 comments

What are Labour’s intentions towards protecting communities and the environment?

Queenstown as an exemplar of the limits to growth

Written By: - Date published: 1:24 pm, July 30th, 2025 - 19 comments

We are Queenstown.

What is the point of taxation?

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, July 21st, 2025 - 43 comments

Chloe Swarbrick and the Greens are changing the narrative on what tax is for.

Do humans have to respect the limits to growth?

Written By: - Date published: 1:23 pm, July 19th, 2025 - 11 comments

we don’t have to, but we probably should.

New Zealand starting to feel the pointy end of the climate crisis

Written By: - Date published: 10:26 am, July 14th, 2025 - 57 comments

Nelson Tasman region is still in a civil emergency and our climate denying Prime Minister is signalling an end to future flood bail outs.

The Thunberg dilemma

Written By: - Date published: 12:10 pm, June 10th, 2025 - 49 comments

If the Madleen activism was largely symbolic, did it work?

Trump vs Musk

Written By: - Date published: 12:20 pm, June 7th, 2025 - 16 comments

Two overly emotional, sociopathic, super egos having a cock fight on social media, or a man using his power to speak edifying and crystal clear truth.

Meta Ardern

Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, June 6th, 2025 - 54 comments

This is about what’s good and what works and why.

The existential moment we are in

Written By: - Date published: 10:44 am, June 2nd, 2025 - 26 comments

As the world re-entangles and pushes our interdependence to the foreground, we need a new thesis on freedom.

What would the Greens’ inheritance/gift tax mean for farming?

Written By: - Date published: 8:07 am, May 20th, 2025 - 48 comments

In a climate crisis world we should be treating farming as a national strategic asset.How would a wealth transfer tax affect that?

Jacinda Ardern’s speech to Yale graduates: leading with empathy is a strength

Written By: - Date published: 2:43 pm, May 19th, 2025 - 3 comments

Ardern at her finest.

The Green Budget

Written By: - Date published: 9:54 am, May 15th, 2025 - 49 comments

An economy for the people, by the people.