Author Archive

Europe 1 Dunedin 0

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, May 20th, 2016 - 79 comments

In Europe different communities and countries have managed to rely solely on renewable electricity sources, but in Dunedin some locals are fighting a community’s attempt to become sustainable.

Economic Leadership

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:30 am, May 15th, 2016 - 19 comments

The Reserve Bank is doing more for New Zealand than the National Government.

Saving the town

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:30 am, April 19th, 2016 - 78 comments

What do you do for a town when the company that provides all the jobs shuts down?

It’s time to reform Fonterra

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:00 am, March 25th, 2016 - 49 comments

Fonterra was formed to give New Zealand an economic advantage. Instead it is looking like the country’s biggest achilles heel. Time to reform?

Why Hillary is the only candidate to beat Donald Trump

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:30 am, March 3rd, 2016 - 104 comments

Why Hillary Clinton should be the Democratic nomination for this year’s American Presidential elections.

The left should take lessons from Donald Trump

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:31 am, February 28th, 2016 - 107 comments

Ad on why the left should look at Trump’s populism and adopt some of the better parts.

Common ground at Abel Tasman National Park

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:30 am, February 16th, 2016 - 76 comments

The desire of many New Zealanders to put a beach in the South Island under public control presents the opposition parties with a great opportunity to identify and defend common ground.

Waitangi Day v Anzac Day

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, February 6th, 2016 - 108 comments

Advantage asks why is Waitangi Day not treated the same as Anzac day?

Barry Brickell: Earth to Earth

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:11 am, January 26th, 2016 - 23 comments

Ad reflects on the death of Potter Barry Brickell and his tremendous contributions to art and environmental protection and poses the question are we doing as much as Barry to make the world a better place.

The unexpected oil crisis

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:30 am, January 16th, 2016 - 186 comments

The world is currently facing a problem that even a few years ago was unthinkable. Oil is cheap and demand has dropped out of the market. What are the geopolitical implications of this?

New Zealand’s alternative 1984

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:00 am, January 14th, 2016 - 76 comments

What would have happened if in 1984 David Lange had exerted control and appointed a centrist rather than right wing Labour cabinet?

Film review: The New Star Wars movie

Written By: advantage - Date published: 10:42 am, January 7th, 2016 - 103 comments

And now for something completely different for the Standard, a film review.

The major world risks in 2016

Written By: advantage - Date published: 12:37 pm, January 5th, 2016 - 14 comments

Ad reviews Eurasia’s appraisal of global risks the world faces in 2016.

We will always have Paris

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:09 am, December 27th, 2015 - 56 comments

COP21 provided welcome commitment by the world’s nations to do something meaningful about climate change. But this is not enough. So what next?

Local Democracy

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:30 am, December 19th, 2015 - 35 comments

Ad discusses a phenomenon where Local Government is having a greater and greater effect on New Zealand’s development. But local politicians are having less and less effect.

Christmas and Freedom

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:07 am, December 17th, 2015 - 35 comments

Part two of Ad’s series where he asks if Christianity is actually a liberation theology and maybe Jesus was a leftie after all.

Supply side Jesus

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:31 am, December 16th, 2015 - 74 comments

Ad proposes the theory that Jesus was actually a right winger.

CERT: the partial privatisation of the GCSB

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, December 13th, 2015 - 24 comments

A public private organisation with the acronym CERT was announced this week along with the new cyber security strategy. CERT’s role is to provide information to government so it can protect against cyber threats. Which is one of the roles of the GCSB.

The great future tide of homelessness

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:30 am, December 3rd, 2015 - 156 comments

The Salvation Army, and not the Government, has pointed out some very worrying trends relating to home ownership in New Zealand.

The ALP’s climate change emissions reduction target

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:04 am, November 30th, 2015 - 10 comments

The Australian Labor Party will today announce its goals for emissions reduction with a plan for zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Blueskin Bay

Written By: advantage - Date published: 10:30 am, November 24th, 2015 - 28 comments

The Blueskin Bay settlement north of Dunedin provides an example of people working collectively at a local level to live sustainably.

The third Industrial Revolution

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:30 am, November 19th, 2015 - 107 comments

The Paris climate change talks will force leaders to confront climate change and the threat of terrorism at the same time. Can they show the same determination to deal with the gradual but inevitable threat of climate change as they purport to show to deal with the immediate threat of terrorism.