A personal view of a decade of The Standard 2.0
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8:18 am, August 25th, 2017 - 43 comments
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With the distraction of the a looming election, one that is likely to ditch the dead hand of National’s cronyism on our economy and society, I missed that we’d managed to make this site survive and thrive for a decade.
I think that deserves some recognition for the vast effort made by the wide range of authors, moderators, commenters, and the trust that The Standard operates under.
We started work on the site in May 2007 as a trial to see what the toolkit was like, registered the domain name on August 3rd 2007 after there was a bit of agreement on what name to give it, and posted our first public post on August 15th 2007. The site was stashed on an existing windows server and connected to a ADSL line. I’d gotten drafted in because the authors needed someone to get the system up and running.
It was a slow start. In August 2007 the authors managed to put up 37 posts, and there were a total of 29 comments – most posts didn’t get any comments at all. Fortunately I don’t have any readership figures for that period. I just remember that they were rather depressing. But those early authors were persistent.
But by early the following year, the dirty tricks trolls had discovered us. Led by Cameron Slater they descended upon us like a pack of two line idiots – usually braying the same few lines like a demented parrot trying to look intelligent.
Increasing loads forced us to move to a small cluster being run by a sympathetic leftie. It turned out that this was a donation to the NZLP, who having no expertise in how to run computers, had passed control to him for any progressives to use. So I shifted the site to a Linux virtual server down in Christchurch.
It was a pain because we kept growing. But on the other hand this did allowed me to overcome some of the author reluctance to turn away commentary and to start imposing some moderation. Having the political parrots with no intelligence from Whaleoil and the Kiwiblog comment sections ‘expressing’ themselves made them realise that what I’d learnt from Usenet was accurate. Without control, the debate would descend to the lowest common denominator – which was somewhere a lot lower than the casual bigotry of a Leighton Smith radio wankfest that they’d previously envisaged was as low as it got.
The intent of the site was that people would write about how they felt about issues and their knowledge. Both authors who’d put their viewpoint, and the commenters who’d engage in a robust debate – usually starting by disagreeing with the author and everyone else.
Over the years we have 80 authors write something for the site. Some have written a lot. Anthony Robins has written more than 1800 of our 21,800 odd published posts. My total is a paltry 765. Some have written just a few posts. No-one has been paid for any posts.
I am eternally grateful for all of those authors and moderators who, despite the often strong disagreements, have managed to cooperate successfully with each other and keep generating the discussions. I appear to only write english well when I’m mad or irritated (this is quite unlike my behaviour when I write in a logical language like c++) , so I’m quite unsuitable to write a lot of content for this site. But the calm research and writing that is so prevalent amongst my fellow authors alleviates the occasions when I do manage to get irritated enough to vent my spleen in English.
Nor, apart from a few obvious trolls, has anyone been paid for any of the 1.27 million comments left on site.
On average these days we get between 40,000 and 50,000 unique people visiting the site each month. Of these roughly about a quarter are on the site at least once during a week, a quarter are there at least once a month, and about a third are ‘googlers’ who drop in the site for a single page and then drop out. Plus of course there are a hard core of about 4000 who are here reading every day, and the several hundred who regularly comment. While the site may look like one dedicated to comments. The reality is that most of our readers are lurkers.
From a technical viewpoint, we only just kept in front of the technical and financial curve. We’d kept renting space in server farms worldwide. From Christchurch to Utah, to San Diego, to Colorado. Every few years the load on the servers would get too high and we’d have to add capacity, or a whole new machine and just have to move to somewhere that had the capacity at a price we could afford. But the costs in both purchasing and my time just kept rising.
By the middle of 2014 we were running on a cluster of dynamically generated virtual machines in a Amazon Web Services server farm in Sydney, which was only just keeping up with the rising load and was straining out financial resources with a monthly bill that was approaching $1000 per month. This was paid for by advertising on the site, which was failing to keep up with the load.
Maintaining the number of systems in the cluster was getting somewhat expensive, especially since I was just about to start my next paid project. It had a database system, a primary server running NFS (Network File System), and was dynamically creating up to 10 web servers. Too much work, especially for something that I was doing as a voluntary contribution to the political debate.
So when I finally managed to get Chorus to install a fibre connection at my apartment (two years after it arrived in my street), I moved The Standard back into my living room on my old eight core workstation with a large amount of RAM and some SSD RAID drives. The costs plummeted to less than $250 per month. Being local rather than over in Sydney, I was able to debug the traffic load issues far more easily.
These days the site runs on my recently discarded eight core workstation with more RAM and faster drives. The bandwidth has increased from 50 megabits per second to 100 megabits per second, and the monthly cost has dropped to $134 per month – which includes my netflix viewing. The rather hot server heats my apartment in winter.
But I think that overall, this site is likely to be around for quite some time. This month I’m expecting well over 700 thousand page views from humans, with 90% from New Zealand (and the rest mostly from expat kiwis offshore). Next month is election month and I suspect we’ll get well over a million page views. I’m planning on more than 1.2 million. If the load goes up to high, it will startup the backup web system running on my new 16 core workstation – and I may have to open a few windows to let out the heat of the conversation.
Even after National gets turfed because they can’t find coalition partners, then there is a new government to hold to account.
So congratulate those authors for not letting me write all of the posts, and the other moderators who don’t enjoy inflicting (educational) pain on the trolls. And then lets look at the next decade.
Sysop.
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The Minister of Education has shown complete disregard for rural communities and their school bus routes in Question Time today. ...1 day ago
- Economists sound alarm on Government’s slash-and-burn approach
A group of prominent economists has released an open letter to the Government, raising grave concerns about the far-reaching consequences of its fiscal policy. ...1 day ago
- Release: Smoking numbers up under Costello’s watch
National’s repeal of Labour’s smokefree legislation has taken New Zealand further away from achieving a Smokefree 2025 and a smokefree generation. ...2 days ago
- Release: Call for Palestine recognition by NZ, Australian and Canadian MPs
Parliamentarians from Australia, Canada and New Zealand have written an open letter to their respective Prime Ministers calling on them to recognise Palestine. ...2 days ago
- Justice Select Committee opens floor for Treaty Principles submissions
Today, the Justice Select Committee has decided to officially open submissions for the controversial Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 days ago
- Power of the people on full display as hīkoi approaches Parliament
Today, Hīkoi mō te Tiriti arrived in Wellington, with thousands gathering to march in unity against the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 days ago
- Hypocrisy as Te Whatu Ora contractor bill balloons
Te Whatu Ora’s bill for contracting and consulting staff has ballooned by nearly 20 percent under the National Government, breaking a promise they made during the election campaign to cut contractors. ...4 days ago
- Release: Growing pressure to scrap Section 7AA Repeal Bill
The newly released Section 7AA Repeal Bill's select committee report is further evidence that the Government should scrap it. ...4 days ago
- Government’s move to monetise access to nature a slippery slope
The Green Party is voicing serious concerns over the Government’s proposal to charge for access to public conservation land, released today. ...7 days ago
- Green Party condemns the passage of Treaty Principles Bill
The Green Party condemns the passing of the Treaty Principles Bill at first reading, and is clear that the fight is not over. ...1 week ago
- Stand Up for Te Tiriti
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is our country’s founding document. It forms the basis of the relationship between Māori and the Crown – and the Aotearoa New Zealand we live in today. ...1 week ago
- Release: Over 15,000 sign Labour’s open letter to Luxon
As the hīkoi to Parliament continues, Labour has sent an open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in a last-ditch attempt to get him to kill the Treaty Principles Bill. ...1 week ago
- Fast Track Bill threatens environment, climate and reputation
The fast-track legislation passing its second reading in Parliament is another step towards environmental ruin. ...1 week ago
- Greens join King’s Counsel in calling for Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned
The Prime Minister must answer the call from a group of senior lawyers of the King’s Counsel to abandon the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...1 week ago
- Chris Hipkins’ apology statement to state and faith-based care survivors
...1 week ago
- Release: Labour formally apologises to state and faith-based care survivors
Labour joins with the Government in unreservedly apologising for the abuse, neglect and trauma including torture in state and faith-based care and for ignoring the voices of survivors for too long. ...1 week ago
- Green Party stands in support of survivors of abuse in care
Today, the Green Party stands alongside the survivors of abuse in state care and faith-based care as the Government issues an historic apology. ...1 week ago
- Green Party calls for conscience vote on Treaty Principles Bill
The Green Party has written to the Speaker of the House requesting he enable a personal vote on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt move to exclude journalist risks chilling effect
The Green Party is alarmed by the Government’s move to exclude a journalist from covering this week’s apology for the survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care. ...2 weeks ago
- Without action, an apology will be empty air
For tomorrow’s apology to survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care to hold any water, the Government must not pursue the same policies that drove the abuse in the first place. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Concerns remain over tobacco interference
Concerns about the tobacco industry’s ability to interfere in government policy making remain, despite the inability of the Office of the Auditor-General to investigate the Government’s decision to halve the excise tax on heated tobacco products. ...2 weeks ago
- Urgent wake-up call on climate
The Climate Change Commission’s latest advice indicates Aotearoa needs to be stepping up on climate action. ...2 weeks ago
- Green MP’s Meme-ber’s Bill set to save the world
Break out the punchlines and dust off your meme folder: Green Party MP Kahurangi Carter’s Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill was pulled from the Ballot yesterday. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Poroporoaki: Ta Robert (Bom) Gillies
Kua hinga te manawa kairākau o Te Rua Tekau Ma Waru Tiwhatiwha te po! Kakarauru i te po! Ka rapuhia kei hea koe kua riro! Haere e te Ika a Whiro ki o tini hoa kua ngaro atu ki te Pō ...2 weeks ago
- Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principles Bill
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principle...
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- NZ must pursue independent foreign policy
The Green Party says the need is greater than ever for Aotearoa New Zealand to pursue an independent foreign policy. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Winston Peters must apologise
The Deputy Prime Minister should apologise to the public servant he named and blamed for something they did not do, and for misusing the rules of Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
- Government action provides Southland farmers more time to meet plan requirements
The Government is taking action to ensure Southland farmers and growers are not affected by unreasonable regional farm plan deadlines, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard say.“Cabinet has agreed to provide more time for farmers and growers to comply with regional rules ...11 hours ago - Bill reaffirms Government’s commitment to crack down on serious youth offending
The Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Bill had its first reading at Parliament today. The Bill reaffirms the Government’s commitment to crack down on serious youth offending, Minister for Children Karen Chhour says. “In recent years we have seen an unacceptable spike in youth offending. “This Bill makes ...11 hours ago
- Critical milestones for earthquake buildings review
Fairer, more sensible rules about managing earthquake risks are a step closer with the passing of legislation and the appointment of an independent chair to provide expert advice, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The Government is committed to reinvigorating our cities and regions to support economic growth, ...12 hours ago
- State of the art radiology machine for Auckland
People in Northland and Auckland will benefit from a new machine for cancer treatment installed at the Regional Cancer and Blood Service at Auckland City Hospital. The MV5 linear accelerator, or LINAC machine, officially opened today targets cancer tumours with pinpoint accuracy. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says this new, ...12 hours ago
- Foreign Minister to visit Europe
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Europe for high-level talks with France, Germany and the United Kingdom next week. "Since taking office almost a year ago, the Coalition Government has emphasised the importance we place on New Zealand's traditional and likeminded diplomatic and ...12 hours ago
- First arrests made under gang patch ban
Police have made their first arrests under the new gang patch legislation, with two gang members arrested, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “Just before 11 this morning, Police in Wairoa apprehended a gang member for wearing a patch to the supermarket. He has been arrested and will now face enforcement ...14 hours ago
- Better support for victims of sexual violence
The Government is proposing two major changes to name suppression laws that will put the views of victims of sexual violence first, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “We are committed to restoring law and order and these two proposed changes will help ensure the victims of crime are put at ...15 hours ago
- Government moving forward with Regional Deals
Cabinet has agreed to invite all regions to submit proposals for Regional Deals between central and local government that drive economic growth and deliver the infrastructure our country needs, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop say. Inviting all regions to propose a Regional Deal that boosts ...15 hours ago
- MSA pilot participant update
One of the ten young men selected to participate in the Military-Style Academy Pilot has allegedly reoffended. Children’s Minister Karen Chhour is disappointed but says it would be naïve to think that none of these young men would reoffend. “I’m saddened that this young person has not taken this opportunity ...16 hours ago
- Attendance rates increase, again
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says that school attendance is continuing to rise. In Term 3 of 2024 51.3 per cent of students attended school regularly, an increase of 5.3 percentage points from 46 per cent in Term 3 of 2023. “This Government has prioritised student attendance and it is ...17 hours ago
- Improving the lives of young New Zealanders
Ensuring New Zealand is the best place in the world for children and young people is the vision at the heart of the Government’s new Child and Youth Strategy, Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston says. “Childhood represents a huge opportunity to set people on a positive path towards living ...20 hours ago
- Government continues work to reinstate livestock exports by sea
The Government is reinstating the trade of livestock exports by sea while ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare, says Associate Minister of Agriculture Andrew Hoggard.“The Government will introduce legislation changes to reinstate the trade, enhance oversight, and strengthen requirements for exporters to identify risks and manage the welfare of ...1 day ago
- Speech to the National Quality Forum 2024
Tēnā koutou katoa – it is a pleasure to be here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging the important leadership role you all play in ensuring a quality health system New Zealanders can trust. There is enormous clinical expertise in this room covering a wide range of disciplines. ...2 days ago
- New Zealand’s COP29 National Statement
Tēnā koutou katoa. Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. New Zealand, and all nations represented here today, are already dealing with the impacts of climate change. Our households, businesses, and economies are bearing the costs of its effects. The choices we make now will shape the severity of these impacts for generations ...2 days ago
- Latest Quarterly Investment Report released
The Government has released its second Quarterly Investment Report (QIR) which shows substantial work still to be done by agencies to improve investment reporting and meet the Government’s expectations, Infrastructure and Acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “New Zealand has significant infrastructure and investment needs. The Government is determined to get ...2 days ago
- New Zealand supporting loss and damage fund
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced New Zealand will contribute NZ$10 million to the new Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage while at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. “New Zealand is joining the global effort to address the significant challenge of responding to ...2 days ago
- Gang crackdown begins at stroke of midnight
The free ride for gangs is over when the clock strikes midnight tonight, with tough new laws officially coming into effect, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Police Minister Mark Mitchell say. “Gang patches will no longer be able to be worn in public. To earn the right to wear a ...2 days ago
- LGFA increases borrowing capacity to support high growth councils
The Government is welcoming the decision by the Local Government Funding Agency to increase access to financing tools for fast growing councils to support greater investment in critical infrastructure, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says.“Communities across the country are facing an infrastructure deficit and significant population growth is projected in ...2 days ago
- Temporary Traffic Management costs revealed
The Government has revealed that over the past three years, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has spent an eyewatering $786 million of taxpayers’ money on road cones and temporary traffic management (TTM), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“When I became Minister, I was surprised to learn that that NZTA did ...2 days ago
- Jurisdiction of Disputes Tribunal to double
Legislation that will double the financial jurisdiction of the Disputes Tribunal from $30,000 to $60,000 has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith. “We need to improve court timeliness and access to justice so that Kiwis and get on with their lives. Court delays affect everyone, the ...2 days ago
- Protecting New Zealand from foreign interference
Legislation that will specifically criminalise foreign interference and strengthen espionage offences has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “It is normal and appropriate for states to interact and work to influence one another. This encourages cooperation and can have mutually beneficial outcomes. “However, the reality ...2 days ago
- Significant milestone for Canterbury Road of National Significance
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed news that the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board has approved funding towards pre-implementation and early works on the State Highway 1 (SH1) Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass Road of National Significance (RoNS). “Reaching this significant milestone is a reflection of our Government’s ...2 days ago
- Health survey results to help drive change
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says findings from the annual Health Survey highlight the need to continue driving better health outcomes for New Zealanders. The New Zealand Health Survey is an annual snapshot of key metrics measured from July 2023 – July 2024. Findings released this morning include: In 2023/24, ...3 days ago
- Final push needed to get to Smokefree 2025
A renewed effort to get people to quit smoking will build on what has worked to date and target the groups who most need support, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said today. “The latest New Zealand Health Survey results show the daily smoking rate at 6.9 per cent and we ...3 days ago
- New diplomatic appointments
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced four new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign ...3 days ago
- Next steps for Regulatory Standards Bill
Regulation Minister David Seymour has today announced the next steps in the Government’s plan improve the quality of regulation by opening consultation on a proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. “New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation,” says Mr Seymour. ...3 days ago
- Red Tape Tipline goes live
Minister for Regulation David Seymour has today announced that the Ministry for Regulation’s Red Tape Tipline is now live. “We want to hear about your red tape horror stories. From today, New Zealanders will have a say on how they are regulated through an online portal,” says Mr Seymour. The ...3 days ago
- Youth Parliament 2025 announced
The Minister for Youth Matt Doocey has today announced the eleventh Youth Parliament will be taking place in 2025. “Youth Parliament offers a unique youth development opportunity to young people from across New Zealand to experience the political process and learn about how government works,” says Mr Doocey. “The two-day ...3 days ago
- Police stats show promising change
After nearly a year in Government, Kiwis have seen significant change across law and order with promising early results shown across some Police statistics, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “In August 2023, I told New Zealanders that if they had not started to see a change in public safety within ...4 days ago
- Better coordination of anti-scam efforts
With the launch of Fraud Awareness Week, the Government is committing to new coordination efforts across industry and government to combat online scams, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Online financial scams are a growing problem for New Zealand. New data released today shows that Kiwis lost nearly ...4 days ago
- Minister to consider 7AA select committee report
Minister for Children Karen Chhour will consider the recommendations made by the Social Services and Community Committee in its report back to Parliament on the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill. “I want to thank the people who made submissions and those who appeared before the committee in ...4 days ago
- Defence Minister to attend ASEAN meeting
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Vientiane, Laos. “We need to take every opportunity to engage with our international partners, given the increasingly unstable geo-political situation,” Ms Collins says. “New Zealand has a long-standing commitment to this ...4 days ago
- Launching the White Ribbon Ride
The Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, Karen Chhour, was on hand to wish riders well at the start of the North Island leg of the White Ribbon Ride in Whakatāne this morning. The ride helps mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, ...4 days ago
- Construction to begin on next stage of Papakura to Drury
Construction on the next stage of the SH1 Papakura to Drury project will begin early next month, with the contract for works awarded to Fulton Hogan, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. "SH1 Papakura to Drury is a key project that will drive economic growth and productivity, reduce congestion, and enable people ...6 days ago
- NZ signs trade deal with Costa Rica, Iceland and Switzerland
Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has signed a pioneering trade agreement that prioritises New Zealand’s sustainable exports at a ceremony during APEC in Peru today. “The Agreement on Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS), between Costa Rica, Iceland, and Switzerland was concluded in July of this year and opens up significant ...6 days ago
- Government and iwi work together on aquaculture
Five new Aquaculture Settlement Areas will help ensure Ngāi Tahu shares in the opportunities aquaculture offers for Southland’s economy, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. “The Aquaculture Settlement Areas (ASAs) I’m announcing today set aside space so the Crown and Ngāi Tahu can assess their potential for aquaculture development. ...7 days ago
- Government launches review to ensure electricity market is fit-for-purpose
The terms of reference for a review of the performance of the electricity market have been released. The review, initiated by the Coalition Government during the power crisis in winter will look at whether current regulations and market design support economic growth and access to reliable and affordable electricity, Energy Minister ...7 days ago
- Speech to Social Investment Hui: Jack and his whānau need our help
Kia ora koutou katoa. Nau mai, haere mai, piki mai. Ki te mihi atu ahau, ki te manwhenua nei, Te Atiawa, Ngāti toa rangatira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Thank you, Andy, for your introduction. Let me acknowledge you as the new Chief Executive of the Social Investment ...7 days ago
- Minister of State for Trade heads to Brisbane for PACER Plus meeting
Minister of State for Trade Nicola Grigg has travelled to Australia to attend the PACER Plus Ministers Meeting in Brisbane. “Trade plays a critical role in driving employment, economic growth, and improving the standards of living in the Pacific Region. The Government is strongly committed to supporting Pacific Island countries ...7 days ago
- Proposals to modernise conservation released
Toitū te taiao – Our environment endures The Government is consulting on proposals to modernise New Zealand’s conservation management system, aiming to protect relevant natural areas while supporting sustainable growth in tourism and regional economies, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says. “Today, the Department of Conservation – Te Papa Atawhai is ...7 days ago
- Grattan on Friday: Marles plays a defensive bat on nuclear as the government rushes to get though la...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Richard Marles is an ambitious man who hasn’t given up the dream of one day reaching the top job. But, despite being deputy prime minister, his profile is much lower than that of Treasurer Jim ...4 hours ago - NEW POLL: Kiwis Overwhelmingly Support MPs’ Expenses Transparency Law Change
62% of respondents support the extension of the OIA to cover MPs’ spending, compared to just 13% opposed and 24% were unsure. ...6 hours ago - The House: Meanwhile, a week of passing law
The political week has been packed with worthy distractions, but all week Parliament has focused on passing new laws. Here are the highlights. ...6 hours ago - The biggest difference between Hīkoi mō te Tiriti and past hīkoi: More support from non-Māori
Analysis - The diversity of voices during the hīkoi was noticeable - from tangata moana to young immigrants to elderly Pākehā from the South Island. ...7 hours ago
- The House: Samoan citizenship restoration – ‘It means we belong to this land’
When the bill to restore NZ citizenship to some Samoans passed this week, Parliament's galleries were full to the brim with members of the community. ...8 hours ago
- More Delays In Action On Use Of Puberty Blockers With Children
Women’s Rights Party Co-leader Jill Ovens says the Ministry has put New Zealand children at risk by continuing to allow “off-label” prescribing of puberty blockers at far higher rates than other similar countries. ...9 hours ago
- Police Minister adamant he wasn’t aware of gang members training at gun clubs
That is despite two papers from police that raised the matter with him. ...9 hours ago
- Shorten declares himself ‘a proud moderate’, saying Australians ‘in the middle’ shouldn’t ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Bill Shorten has declared himself “a proud moderate” in a valedictory speech declaring parliament has the responsibility to ensure the extremes of left and right do not set the terms of political debate. Shorten, ...9 hours ago
- New ‘best practice’ principles for superannuation products are coming. We asked a panel of exper...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Garrow, Editorial Web Developer Studio Romantic/Shutterstock We all know how important it is to save enough money for retirement – but what about spending it wisely when we get there? Even for those who have built up a suitable ...9 hours ago
- Government accused of betraying Kiwis’ trust over lack of consultation on live exports
The government has always vowed to reinstate live exports by sea, which was banned by the previous Labour government. ...10 hours ago
- 7 things you can do if you think you sweat too much
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Freeman, Associate Professor of Dermatology, Bond University ERIK Miheyeu/Shutterstock Sweating is our body’s way of cooling down, a bit like an internal air conditioner. When our core temperature rises (because it’s hot outside, or you’re exercising), sweat glands all ...10 hours ago
- Phenergan for under 6s is now banned due to hallucination fears. Here’s what to use instead
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nial Wheate, Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Macquarie University Australia’s drug regulator has issued a safety warning over the medicine Phenergan and related products containing the antihistamine drug promethazine. The Therapeutic Goods Administration said the over-the-counter products should not be given to children ...10 hours ago
- A new stage adaptation of Peter Carey’s Jack Maggs is a delightful homage to theatrical storytelli...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Campbell, Lecturer, Performing Arts, UniSA Creative, University of South Australia Matt Byrne/STCSA Jack Maggs is a delight and a homage to theatrical storytelling in Australia. Based on Peter Carey’s bestselling novel, Jack Maggs follows the ex-convict as he lands ...10 hours ago
- The government has introduced laws for its social media ban. But key details are still missing
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Angus, Professor of Digital Communication, Director of QUT Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology Ron Lach/Pexels The federal government today introduced into parliament legislation for its social media ban for people under 16 years. Communications Minister Michelle ...10 hours ago
- Archives NZ, National Library to cut 27 roles
The Department of Internal Affairs wants to bring the two organisations under the joint leadership of the Chief Archivist and National Librarian. ...10 hours ago
- Gang patch ban: Members warn of potential for violence to ‘erupt’ as new laws enforced
"I can't see this lasting unless they have a budget to lock fullas up in jail which I think is absolutely stupid, really it's ludicrous," Ngavii Pekapo, who set up a Mongrel Mob chapter 54 years ago, says. ...11 hours ago
- ACT leader David Seymour raises doubts about Waikato medical school
Government documents show ACT leader David Seymour told the government he was "dissatisfied" with a cost-benefit analysis. ...11 hours ago
- National’s Erica Stanford allegedly calls Labour’s Jan Tinetti a ‘stupid bitchR...
The Education Minister has apologised in Parliament for her remark. ...11 hours ago
- Labour backs new Police Commissioner – but warns against routine arming
The alternative to policing by consent would be a police state, which New Zealanders don't want, the party says. ...12 hours ago
- Youth on boot camp pilot re-offended five weeks after release
Children's Minister Karen Chhour said while it was disappointing, it would naïve to think none of the participants would lapse. ...13 hours ago
- In photos: People of the hīkoi, and why they marched
Hikoi mō Te Tiriti has come to an end, going down in history as the largest march to Parliament in Aotearoa. ...13 hours ago
- ‘Everything is becoming a culture war’: Jon Ronson on conspiracies and cycleways
Ahead of his appearance in Aotearoa, the acclaimed British journalist, podcaster and documentarian talks to Stewart Sowman-Lund about why people are still fascinated by the fringes. The last place I would expect to find Jon Ronson is relaxing in the countryside. The iconic British journalist and writer is best known ...13 hours ago - Kia kaha Lebanon: NZ media only tell half your story of struggle
The United States has vetoed a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution — for the fourth time — in Israel’s war on Gaza, while Hezbollah demands a complete ceasefire and “protection of Lebanon’s sovereignty” in any deal with Israel. Amid the death and devastation, Joe Hendren reflects on his time in ...14 hours ago
- ‘Deserves a Bafta’: After the Party premieres in the UK to five-star reviews
The acclaimed New Zealand drama has just premiered on TV in the United Kingdom, and the five-star reviews are already flowing in. Six months after it was called a “blistering” “tour de force” by Australian critics, and nearly a year since The Spinoff declared it the best drama New Zealand ...14 hours ago
- Drugs are getting cheaper and easier to find in Aotearoa
New Zealanders are drinking and smoking less, but most other recreational drugs are becoming cheaper, more popular and more available, two new reports show. Two significant new surveys about drugs in Aotearoa were released this week, offering a rare insight into New Zealanders’ choice of substances, which ones are becoming ...14 hours ago
- COP29: ‘climate finance’ for the Pacific is mostly loans, saddling small island nations with mor...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Ratuva, Director, Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury Lenora Qereqeretabua, the deputy speaker of Fiji’s Parliament, at the COP29 climate summit. IISD/ENB/Mike Muzurakis, CC BY-SA As this year’s UN climate summit reaches its final stage of negotiations, Pacific ...15 hours ago
- Review: The magic of Wicked and the curse of corporate greed
The new movie musical is undoubtedly a fun watch, but it’s also proof that bigger isn’t always better, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund. Contains minor spoilers for Wicked. There’s no doubt that Wicked is going to be huge. No other pop culture event this year, save from maybe Charli XCX’s Brat, has ...15 hours ago
- Dame Jacinda Ardern to be given United Nations leadership award
She will get the champion for global change award from the United Nations Foundation at a ceremony in New York tomorrow. ...17 hours ago
- NZ will resume live animal exports – to low demand
Analysis: NZ is lifting what was supposed to be a permanent ban on live animal exports. But it’s not the lucrative industry it once was. The post NZ will resume live animal exports – to low demand appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago - Financial forms of family violence affect one in seven of us – but the law is lagging
There are calls for New Zealand’s Family Violence Act to name economic harm as a standalone type of violence, rather than a subcategory of psychological abuse, to bring it in line with the United Kingdom and Australia. Economic harm – restricting access to, sabotaging or exploiting another person’s financial resources, ...17 hours ago
- Downside Risks To Treasury’s Economic And Fiscal Forecasts
New Zealand is currently running a structural fiscal deficit, with expenditure exceeding revenue. Economic growth falling short of expectations has been making it harder for the Government to bring the books back into balance. ...18 hours ago
- Science continues to exclude Indigenous communities. Fixing this benefits everyone
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jordan Peter Anthony Pitt, Associate Dean of Indigenous Strategy and Services (Faculty of Science), University of Sydney An enduring challenge facing science around the world is how to best include and engage Indigenous communities. In Australia, for example, 0.5% of Indigenous ...18 hours ago
- Why is cricket so popular on the Indian sub-continent?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Cricket originated in England, but has been spread worldwide by British soldiers and settlers in the past few hundred years. It is now the second most popular sport in ...18 hours ago
- Disinformation and deepfakes played a part in the US election. Australia should expect the same
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Renee Barnes, Associate professor of Journalism, University of the Sunshine Coast Mladen Zivkovic/Shutterstock As America takes stock after Donald Trump’s re-election to the presidency, it’s worth highlighting the AI-generated fake photos, videos and audio shared during the campaign. A slew ...18 hours ago
- Is thunderstorm asthma becoming more common?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kira Morgan Hughes, PhD Candidate in Allergy and Asthma, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University When spring arrives, so do warnings about thunderstorm asthma. But a decade ago, most of us hadn’t heard of it. So where did thunderstorm asthma ...18 hours ago
- Overwhelmed by ever more clothing donations, charities are exporting the problem. Local governments ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yassie Samie, Postdoctoral Researcher in Fashion and Textiles, RMIT University anna.spoka/Shutterstock What happens to your clothes after you don’t want them any more? Chances are, you will donate them to op shops run by a charity organisation. There are more ...18 hours ago
- Friendly fire: a nuclear push by allies at COP29 poses a sticky problem for Albanese
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland IndustryAndTravel/Shutterstock Prime Minister Anthony Albanese didn’t see this coming. At the global COP29 climate talks in Baku, the Australian government was indirectly criticised by two allies, the United States and the ...18 hours ago
- Nugget Is Dead brings queer love, multiculturalism and Aussie flair to the Christmas movie formula
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phoebe Hart, Associate Professor, Film Screen & Animation, Queensland University of Technology Julia Firak Stan’s new Christmas film Nugget is Dead is a colourful production that follows the rules of the seasonal genre film to a tee – with an Aussie ...18 hours ago
- Help Me Hera: Should I cut contact with my ex-stepdad?
My parents are finally getting divorced. So why do I feel like my stepdad’s feelings are still my problem? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Dear Hera My parents recently announced their separation. This in itself isn’t a problem. I’ve already gone through this once before in my early childhood, so ...18 hours ago
- New Zealand Drops In Global Ranking On Climate Action
If the government won’t hold polluters to account, then people will. People are increasingly taking to the streets and the courtrooms, putting their bodies on the line to shut down polluting industries. This will only escalate further unless New ...19 hours ago
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Lets celebrate after the election.
The election would be much more boring without the The Standard !
Indeed.
But I thought that it was worth bookmarking..
Great read, thanks for the effort!
Living in cow cockey country with National friends and National relatives I find The Standard brings balance and sanity back into my life.
Keep up the good work. You’re doing great.
Great effort everyone especially you Lynn.
I’ve probably been here for 8 of those years – love the site. love how it has changed and evolved. Thank you to everyone.
I have a lot of fun here. More than any LEC meeting that’s for sure.
You’ve done great things here LPrent.
My competitive instincts still want to know how we are going against other sites.
But that core of writers is a good sign. Feels like being part of something exciting and successful. And worthwhile.
TDB: 420,280 page views over the last 30 days
We will be behind Kiwiblog in page views. But Sitemeter has been retired, so I haven’t monitored them for a couple of months.
Updated now using statcounter: Kiwiblog: 859,032 page views over the last 27 (?) days
Who knows what is happening at Whaleoil as the site steadily drifts towards being a guns and god clickbait site for advertising.
Currently for the last 30 days we have 659,488 page views and still rising.
You can see this on the Dashboard using your login – might need to use Screen Options to drop Google Analytics widget into view. I’m trying to find a way to make that public, at least enough for Open Parachute, but ideally for the front pages as well..
Thank you LPRENT – great to read the story behind The Standard. Congratulations to you and everyone involved. Although I do make occasional comments, I am more of a reader than a lurker (I hope). Despite my relative passivity as a writer, the site has great value to me.
Many thanks to Iprent for giving us the space to debate.
And to the rest of you for making it all work.
Now. Lets get the crooks out of power.
It is probable that The Standard is contributing to the National demise. It is always my first point of call and offers reassurance to we who are not in the centre of things. So thanks. Great stuff.
Yes Iprent great work I have been reading articles and post for about 18 months.
I am hooked my writing post is improving my spelling and grammar as well as other things.
This site educates me on what has being going on behind the closed doors that the systems have put up. It helps to keep the power full honest thank you for building a great website
Total bloody legends, the lot of you!
It’s been fun and at times heated but the thing I appreciate is the community and the conversations. The articles are great but the comments threads are where the ideas are thrashed out, insults exchanged, and hopefully understanding gained of different points of view
A real lifesaver. This site was recommended to me in 2014 and I have been a daily visitor ever since. I comment sometimes but I always read including the comments. A great alternative to the Herald. Your work is very much appreciated by me.
The Standard is my go-to place for NZ politics, not just the posts – but the many commenters who often provide good links and information. And just as importantly, show the humour and goodwill necessary to conduct political conversation in this space. Like Glenn above, live in a blue region – which produces a different kind of “blue” conversation in our household.
Just got off the phone after a regular call with a salesperson, who for some reason, led in with the ridiculousness of “Winnie privatising the electricity companies – prices will go up!”. This piece of nonsense was followed by such pearlers as: “NZ has the best welfare in the world”, “People living on the streets choose to be there”, “UBI is giving money for nothing, but I’m going on the Super in a few months…”.
The conversation ended with a failed “Agree to disagree” offer from the salesperson, probably belatedly working out this is not a good way to promote sales. I turned it down, saying that “I don’t only disagree with her, I think her facts are incorrect” and I challenged her – “as another person privileged enough not to have to face sanctions and housing crisis – to find out more before the next phone call”. Don’t think it will make a difference, but it may stop the ignorant assumption that “all true NZers” think the same.
Thanks sysop, and all the many authors, contributors and commenters for making this a good conversational space – and have provided such a wealth of information that can be used to combat such statements. I value this resource immensely.
(On another note, accidentally clicked on an old post link a few days ago, and was delighted to see karol and QOT commenting. Was disappointed to see the date post was 2014, but it was good to read their comments once again).
Wow! Karol & Queen of Thorns, been a while since I’ve seen those commenters’ names (though I think QoT contributed under a different name for a while too). I haven’t been here all the time – obsessing for a few months (or years!), then drifting away, only to come back again (under a different keyname if the old one no longer fit). Even when I’m not commenting, I’ll still drop by sometimes for thought provoking posts and links.
Congratulations to; The Standar trust and all the writers, and commenters, who have got it this far.
I miss both of them. Along with a pile of other “personalities” who emerged and disappeared (some by choice – others via moderator or me) over the years.
But people often pop back up Frequently reinventing themselves on the way. We don’t tell or comment unless they have an existing ban and get us to focus on them = so we double their original ban and restart it.
Happy birthday, lprent. Keep up the good work.
Thanks to all involved. The debate and information is invaluable. Long may it live.
Thank you all so much.
I first landed here for a few months in 2005 and a flatmate and I agreed that something like this site was overdue.
Then in May 2007 I finally settled here and I must have been among the first readers. Can’t stand the MSM so this site largely *is* the media to me.
Thanks for all your work lprent. I know how much you put into this site.
Maybe a book should be written about it one day …
Well the interesting one depends if I ever get the frigging gag order lifted on the legal idiot’s identity.
But most of what can be public already is. Most of the rest of it is covered by our privacy policy.
Of course there are those historian munters who seem to confuse cause and effect. We express and outlet opinions. We don’t try to manage them.
We simply aren’t like David Farrar, Matthew Hooten, Whaleoil, or Mike Hoskings, Paganis, etc who do seem to “tailor” their opinions to external criteria and try to not listen to the responses. Try that on here and the commenters would have fun twisting the knife…
Thank you lprent for all your work setting up The Standard and keeping it going.
I like how this site is so fast at getting posts up about current political issues and events. If I hear a snippet of info on a news bulletin I often come here to find out more and there is almost always something up about it. Things happen fast in politics and The Standard keeps pace with it all. Thanks to everyone who makes that happen.
Bring back CV
he’s not banned AFAIK. but his views were increasingly alt-everything and ended up causing annoyance/frustration on both sides… catch him on twitter
I have been a reader about three years and find it necessary reading to get a balanced view other than The Herald and Stuff. It’s always interesting and stimulating and only sometimes annoying! Thanks and appreciation to all.
August 2007. Feels like an age ago. Facebook was only used by American students, YouTube was mainly pixelated garbage, Twitter was just starting out, Bebo was still a thing, Android was non-existent, People still used Windows, Dubya was still the worst POTUS ever, while Trump was some rich guy who built casinos. Barack Obama was a 1st term senator, Helen Clark was still PM, with Howard in charge over in Aus. And we all told ouselves that we were in the greatest boom ever.
The main left wing blog was Jordan Carter’s blog back then, with Slater just starting out. Kiwiblog and No Right Turn were there, so was Russell Brown, and Bradbury has taken control of Tumeke from Tim Selwyn. We had Sir Humphrey’s as well for the right.
Been one hell of a 10 years. Happy 10 years The Standard.
Well done Lynn and all other contributors. great site, a really excellent forum for unpacking NZ and international politics..had some great debates and learnt a lot from some of the great regular battlers along the way too, thanks.
I’m one of those watchers LPRENT (don’t have a lot of knowledge/political nous etc to comment much) but I’m here every day because I appreciate the thinking and sharing that goes on. I’m learning a lot thanks to the varied opinions of the contributors.
Live long and prosper. Many thanks.
Thanks heaps from me too.
Lprent obviously, weka and Bill especially.
My education and attitude is sharpened by reading here. Particularly feminist and climate change issues.
What our future may look like is shaped by.here too.
Thanks again all (including commenters) for all your mahi and aroha.
I would also like to add additional thanks. Clearing out the undergrowth via moderation has allowed some great discusson and valuable comments. Thank you so much moderators.
And a special thank you to weka for stepping up in so many ways and giving so much, which has empowered us all.
I thank all moderators and authors for all your giving and compassion.
Reading “Dirty Politics” in 2014 opened my eyes to the great media manipulation in NZ, and I came searching for other voices, and happily found “The Standard”. Thanks for all the effort LPrent and moderators. This is a 21st Taonga.
On a side note, I couldn’t access the site last night, as it said security was compromised.
The Standard is like a juicy, “letters to the editor” quick- fix for those of us who like to flip birds, pop bubbles and sprinkle borax onto the underpants-elastic of Tory trolls. Remember when you were young and lost a baby-tooth and just couldn’t stop exploring the gap with your tongue? The Standard!
There are very astute thinkers here and it’s a pleasure to watch them perform. Big ups (do people still say that? I wish they would) to the moderators and magicians who keep the coloured balls in the air.
I can’t stop visiting.
Damn right it is a good place to get honest and informed commentary that you know doesn’t have MSM bias, because it’s all unpaid.
TS tells the story of the hard working people who keep NZ running. Tradies, cops, teachers, nurses. Not the paragons of banking and big business who already own everything (including the “news”)
My time is precious and life is short but I keep coming back here! So, thank you all.
I think that, on average, this site keeps me informed and lowers my blood pressure. Thanks 🙂
Thank you lprent and all the crew. This site is a must for anyone who leans left. I am continually frustrated by the right leaning msm (including RNZ, which is the only station I listen to) and this is a welcome blogsite to peruse daily as a counterbalance. Keep it up everyone!
I love that the hot air from our posts is being put to good use in heating a house.
Thank you lprent for keeping the standard going all these years.
Many of the family and friends thought John Key was great, so discovering the Standard was like finding a balm.
Thank you Iprent for all you do. Many Happy Returns.
I am not physically very able now, and the Standard has provided many interesting hours and exercised the grey matter day and night.
I am still puzzleed as to why you labelled me a troll.
I am actually too busy to bother with such nonsense.
As a lurker of 4 years, your efforts are most appreciated.
There isn’t anything else quite like The Standard in NZ. The ability to note things of interest or personal angst in Open Mike is one of the jewels in its crown. The moderation that is flexible but still has appropriate limits stops the extent of the rants or complaints from being excessive or repetitively tiresome continuing in the same vein throughout a thread.
And how great it is that people are discussing politics and questioning attitudes, and discussing and learning, and perhaps questioning and reshaping their own attitudes as a result. There are regular commenters who I feel I know, though I know only the parts of their minds and thinking that they display here, but I am grateful that I have their thoughts to refer to and analyse and can agree or disagree.
I can hardly bear to watch tv news, all that colour, and dress and hair style, and fast delivery and carefully choreographed moves between talking heads. I like to come to The Standard for the latest, and if something should be here which I think is important, there is the opportunity for me to put it in Open Mike.
The authors are great, lprent is also, weka is staunch, and I just hope that some who have been away for a while like Olwyn will come back say once a week. The talk must be intense in this century, to make up for our naivety and complacency in the past century. In my experience we treated politics as a hobby, and left it to those who felt the need to bother, it was ‘she’ll be right’. That is, until it wasn’t, but we hadn’t been brought up to have regular meetings and discussions and make plans that would involve whole communities of people with a clear goal for years ahead. Now the horse is bolting and we need to get hold of the reins before we are all dragged off into the sunset or whatever weather or circumstance is presenting the latest disaster and problem.
A lot of us apparently, are older and getting bolder, and I am sure we welcome and invite all those younger people who are recognising the same concerns that arise from our lack of thought and discussion since WW2, which we know now was not the war to end all wars. And now we have climate change, IT diassociation and antisocial tendencies, AI, and an acronym culture, abbreviated language even a nascent pictogram culture. Writing thoughts that extend to a longish paragraph is good practice in thinking. Young people this is your life, your place, use it. If you get criticised sometimes, no worry, have a look at it, and learn what you need, and you in turn can criticise when you think appropriate. The internet gives and takes away, if you use it to join in The Standard you will be reaping more than you sow.