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No One Cares

Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, December 18th, 2021 - 71 comments

I had reason to visit Waitara in Taranaki recently, and I don’t want to sound like there’s a different world still operating … … but the fish and chip shop people weren’t wearing masks, I passed three guys burning the street with dirt-bikes and no helmets and famously lank and long hair, random fireworks lit up […]

Fonterra’s Capital Restructure

Written By: - Date published: 2:26 pm, December 7th, 2021 - 32 comments

Fonterra is in the middle of a big restructure of its capital. It is still the case given its dominance over us that where Milk Supertanker Fonterra goes, we go.

In December 2022 We Will Be …

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, October 25th, 2021 - 15 comments

A year ago we were preparing for the America’s Cup and threading our way through the latest crisis quite well.  What will we be planning next year?

Time for Auckland to go back to level four?

Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, October 15th, 2021 - 114 comments

With daily Covid infection rates in Tamaki Makaurau increasing it may be time for the Government to consider a short sharp lockdown to try and arrest this increase and to let vaccination rates improve.

China and Real Estate Developers

Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, October 10th, 2021 - 17 comments

Speaking of contagion, China is dealing with an outbreak of real estate market ebola.

Highway to the Danger Zone

Written By: - Date published: 12:51 pm, September 29th, 2021 - 25 comments

I never thought I would see the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of the United States military essentially being a witness against the previous President of the United States. Yet here we are.

Germany Votes: Where To Now

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, September 26th, 2021 - 22 comments

Germany is up for Federal election tomorrow and it’s pretty important for the stability of the European Union.

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori

Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, September 19th, 2021 - 78 comments

Te Wiki o Te Reu Māori is coming to a close.  The past week’s events highlight the resurgence of and dependance on Te Ao Māori.  Nowadays most of us, at least in the circles that I move in, have a deep and growing respect for Te Ao Māori and realise that it is the best […]

We are stuck

Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, August 12th, 2021 - 45 comments

New Zealand has one of the most concentrated and oligopolistic economies in the world, and also one of the least commercially protected societies. Will we ever be able to break out of it? If you look across our society, it is the relationships of less than 20 main companies with our government that form a […]

When We Needed Electricity, it Was Shut Off

Written By: - Date published: 1:49 pm, August 10th, 2021 - 104 comments

Minister Woods and Prime Minister Ardern have been reduced to asking a series of questions about why Transpower got major electricity providers to drastically cut power last night.

Our modern Olympics

Written By: - Date published: 7:46 am, July 26th, 2021 - 7 comments

The Olympics is an opera that runs on one orchestrated symbol after another, and this Tokyo Olympics is a superabundant tragedy.

Why we debate

Written By: - Date published: 11:55 am, July 18th, 2021 - 18 comments

Explorations in debate culture, how to argue well, and what we do on The Standard.

The Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationships Registration Bill

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, July 16th, 2021 - 133 comments

Why the proposed changes to the law relating to gender identification is not such a bad thing. The law allowing this has been in place since 1995, but the process is confusing, intimidating, and time-consuming.

America’s Democratic Decline Really Matters

Written By: - Date published: 11:57 am, July 4th, 2021 - 48 comments

With the United States Supreme Court allowing individual states to choke voting rights into bare consciousness, that country is accelerating its democratic decline. That matters for every democracy including ours.

Make the film and be damned

Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, June 18th, 2021 - 23 comments

A company wants to make a film about the Christchurch mosque massacre on 15 March 2019. Maybe it should do.

The America’s Cup is just another spinoff

Written By: - Date published: 7:18 am, June 17th, 2021 - 36 comments

We need less presumed hold over Team New Zealand, and more encouragement of more spinoff businesses that make their way in the world.

RIP Don Clark

Written By: - Date published: 9:43 am, June 5th, 2021 - 14 comments

A guest post about West Auckland Labour stalwart Don Clark who died recently.

The Non-Partisan Populism of Popper’s Paradox

Written By: - Date published: 6:18 pm, May 22nd, 2021 - 91 comments

When democracy and free speech are hijacked to silence others, they can no longer support their principles and become a contradictio in terminis.

Will we rebuild better?

Written By: - Date published: 7:34 am, May 17th, 2021 - 36 comments

There’s a question Covid19 allows us to ask that we haven’t been able to ask since the end of World War 2: can we all just co-operate to get along – as a species?

Putting Five Eyes in its place

Written By: - Date published: 10:25 pm, April 20th, 2021 - 19 comments

Following her speech to the NZ China Council, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta wanted to be very clear that in speaking out about issues with other countries, New Zealand would not be doing it in concert with Five Eyes partners. She expressed a view that New Zealand did not agree with Five Eyes remit encroaching beyond intelligence, and that this had been communicated to Five Eyes partners. Good.

The Problem with Personification in Politics

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, April 19th, 2021 - 12 comments

It is a grave mistake to treat Ministries as if they are real persons.

Einstein versus Trump*

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, April 18th, 2021 - 10 comments

Einstein tried to explain complex things and understand reality; Trump tried to explain it away and distort reality.

Well done John Edgar

Written By: - Date published: 9:41 am, April 10th, 2021 - 11 comments

I’d thought I’d take a moment to celebrate the life of John Edgar, who passed away a few days ago.

Go well Kiri Allan

Written By: - Date published: 7:57 pm, April 6th, 2021 - 10 comments

Kiri Allen has announced that she is receiving treatment for stage three cervical cancer.

Covid Zeitgeist

Written By: - Date published: 12:04 pm, March 21st, 2021 - 31 comments

NZ politics needs recharging and renewal to move forward. We need more charging stations.

Zucked in

Written By: - Date published: 7:38 am, February 19th, 2021 - 19 comments

For a while the Australian Federal Government has been proposing legislation requiring Facebook and Google to compensate Australian media interests for posting links to local media stories.  Facebook has just replied by giving the Australian Government the middle finger.

No extradition for Assange

Written By: - Date published: 12:27 am, January 5th, 2021 - 104 comments

Great news. While unexpected, Nicky Hager who was an expert witness for Assange at the trial, thought this might be a possibility when he spoke to the Fabian Society in November. More details tomorrow.

Update: Bail application to be heard on Wednesday London time.

An Introvert’s Guide to Spending Money*

Written By: - Date published: 1:38 pm, December 29th, 2020 - 30 comments

Don’t waste your money on shit, spend it on good shit.

Stuff apologises for decades of racist reporting

Written By: - Date published: 7:58 am, November 30th, 2020 - 123 comments

In a headline I thought I would never read this morning Stuff has apologised for decades of racist reporting, and has in its own words “grappled with the truth that our journalism has often unfairly portrayed Maori, ranging from racist to blinkered”.

Georgian Republicans are part of the deep state threat to Trump

Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, November 23rd, 2020 - 22 comments

Over in the US of A some amazing claims are being made with Trump’a lawyer claiming that in Georgia, which has perfected the art of disenfranchising Black American voters, there has been a deep seated conspiracy to lose the state for Trump.  And Venezuela is involved.  

They Are Not Morons

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, November 17th, 2020 - 76 comments

Donald Trump will be back for another go at the Presidency in 2024. Progressives should underestimate the possibility of his winning. Unless the remaining centre-left generates strategies that are executed so well that people feel the difference good politics makes, the elements of populism arising again will stay ready like the elements of a bomb.