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search syntax

Search syntax

Type words or a Sphinx search expression in the query box. The plugin uses this expression for full-text matching through SphinxQL.

Start with a few words, then narrow the search using these examples, inspired by recent posts on The Standard.

All words
unemployment statistics

Find both words, anywhere in the indexed text. A space means AND; unemployment & statistics also works.

A phrase
"data centres"

Find these words next to each other, in this order. Use straight double quotes, as shown.

Either word
Labour | National

Find either word. Use the vertical bar for OR.

Leave a word out
election -Trump

Find election while excluding Trump. election !Trump also works. Include a positive search word; -Trump on its own is not a valid search.

Group alternatives
(Labour | National) unemployment

Find unemployment together with either Labour or National. Parentheses make combinations easier to read.

Words near each other
"coalition government"~5

Find these words close together, in either order, allowing fewer than five intervening words.

In a title
@title "data centres"

Find the phrase in a post or page title. Comments have no indexed title; select Posts for articles only.

In the body
@body "tactical voting"

Find the phrase in the text of a post, page or comment.

By an author
@author lprent @body search

Find search in the body of items whose indexed author name contains lprent. Use the displayed author or commenter name, which may differ from a login name.

In a category
@category politics

Match words in indexed category names. Use the Categories checkboxes to select a specific category and its descendants.

In a tag
@tags election

Match words in indexed tag names. Use the Tags checkboxes to select a specific tag. Comments inherit their parent post’s categories and tags.

Combine fields
@title election @body (Labour | National)

Require election in the title and either Labour or National in the body. A field applies to following words until another field or the end of its parenthesized group. @* switches back to all fields.

Which fields work with @?

The current index supports @title, @body, @author, @author_full, @category and @tags. @author_full lprent searches the same author text as @author lprent; it uses the same word-matching rules.

The date columns published_utc, calendar_day and date_added are numeric attributes used for filtering, date counts or ordering. They cannot be searched with @: expressions such as @published_utc 2026 or @calendar_day 20261107 produce a query error. Use the From and To (inclusive) controls for dates.

Likewise, use Content for posts, pages or comments, and the Categories and Tags checkboxes for specific terms. Their numeric IDs and content-type attributes cannot be searched with @.

For example, enter @title election, select Posts, set From to 2026-01-01 and To (inclusive) to 2026-11-07, then press Search. This combines the title search with an inclusive date range in the site’s time zone.

Find recent posts

Select Posts only and Newest first. In Text Search or Archive Explorer, set From to one year ago and To (inclusive) to today, then press Search. The sidebar opens Text Search, where you can add these dates. For comments, the date range uses the comment’s own date.

Try @title election, @title "data centres" or unemployment statistics. Recent starting points:

If the results surprise you

Check Content and the date, category and tag filters. English word endings may match the same stem, so quotes fix word order rather than spelling. Wildcard searches such as elect* require index settings that the plugin’s default configuration does not enable.

Enter the expression itself in the box; choose dates and ordering with the controls. For example, use Labour | National for alternatives.

Background: Search upgraded (yet again).

Content
Date range
Browse dates
Categories

Names open category archives. Check boxes to combine filters, including subcategories.

Browse all category archives

Tags

Popular tags and your selections. Names open tag archives; check boxes to combine filters.

john key
no right turn
national
climate change
cameron slater
lies
dirty politics
housing
GCSB
labour
nick smith
TPPA

Browse all tag archives

Clear all

Searching: posts Sorted by: newest Results: 91–120 of 1,031

Post

Nearly time for the Bionic Beaver

· lprent

Like everyone these days, I live in a range of widespread cultures. As well as this one, my far flung family, work and a number of others I have been heavily involved in various parts of the computing community for many decades. So there are…

admin humour The Standard

Post

Tax is violence

· weka

https://twitter.com/TheSpinoffTV/status/981653772110737408 Can we please now save David Seymour from his violent oppression and relieve him of his tax-funded salary? Should probably liberate him from the evil clutches of that red couch too.

david seymour parody social media lolz tax

Post

Thought for the day

· notices and features

https://twitter.com/ShaulaEvans/status/952252680692486145 https://twitter.com/ShaulaEvans/status/952294529960353793 https://twitter.com/ShaulaEvans/status/952354544695980032 https://twitter.com/ShaulaEvans/status/952641004988854272

Satire

Post

Who is the white dude of the year?

· notices and features

Based on an idea from tweets by Ben Torkington. https://twitter.com/bentorkington/status/945879075532324864 https://twitter.com/bentorkington/status/945879244126564352 https://twitter.com/bentorkington/status/945879391426326528 So who is the white dude of the year and why?

humour Media Satire

Post

Tory Translation Service

· Enzo

  I don’t often admit that there is anything that the right do better than the left, but, credit where it’s due, there are a few things. Chief amongst them are dog whistling and wedge politics. These are calculated political silencing tactics that use language…

making shit up same old national Satire spin

Post

What colour undies will Jordan wear?

· Natwatch

Being a person of his word I'm sure Jordan will be keen to make good on this promise. Red undies would be fitting of course. https://twitter.com/MacFinlay/status/921161301841367040 https://twitter.com/rumpole3/status/921180655089631232

humour

Post

Site down this afternoon

· notices and features

Hah hah just kidding! There may be speed wobbles under an expected heavy traffic load, but there is no "scheduled maintenance". Make your predictions here, if you feel so inclined. The Herald has its bases well covered... https://twitter.com/ShayneCurrieNZH/status/920696037353799680

election 2017 humour The Standard

Post

Wellington Political Theatre’s Waiting for Godot – a review

· Anthony R0bins

Beckett’s classic Waiting for Godot by the city’s oldest company, the Wellington Political Theatre, is a triumph. WPT stalwart Bill English delivers a solid, if unimaginative performance as Estragon. His brooding presence is the very embodiment of a sense of inevitable doom as he wrestles…

election 2017 humour

Post

Poor reporters

· notices and features

Spare a thought for our poor political reporters - tasked with reporting the unreportable - breaking live feed! Looks like no further developments today:

election 2017 humour

Post

Best debate zinger

· Natwatch

The best debate zinger didn't come from anyone on the stage. In response to claims made by Mr Billshit when defending his 2040 target to cleanup our rivers - https://twitter.com/lailaharre/status/903162157285597184

bill english humour

Post

3:43

· notices and features

Great (Aussie) video on the gender pay gap... [twitter_video id="895540259642986497"]  

gender humour sexism video