Ian Wright Journalist Profile

Articles

Green hydrogen could decarbonise entire industries in NZ - but there’s a long way to go

Nov 24, 2024 | theconversation.com | Jannik Haas |Aaron Marshall |Andy Nicol |David Frank Dempsey |Ian Wright |Matthew Watson | +1 more

Jannik Haas receives funding from MBIE to work on topics related to energy systems and holds clean energy stocks. Aaron Marshall receives funding from MBIE to work on water electrolysers and energy-related technology. He has received funding from NZIMMR for energy storage technology. He is a co-founder and shareholder of Ternary Kinetics which is developing liquid organic hydrogen carrier technology and has minor shareholdings in a range of energy companies.
UK food & drink must prepare now for Trump’s presidency

Nov 19, 2024 | thegrocer.co.uk | Ian Wright

How quickly things change. Just three weeks ago, most of us would have agreed with the contention that business should be planning for a two-term/10-year Labour government. But events in the last few weeks have shifted things. The first event was the budget. Despite any amount of attempted gloomy mood-setting ahead of its delivery, the budget had a distinctly chilly reception from most business audiences and an apoplectic response from farmers.
The budget has set the stage for a tough business environment

Oct 31, 2024 | thegrocer.co.uk | Ian Wright

Let us be candid. Yesterday was not a great day for UK business in general, and food and drink in particular. But it is an harbinger of what is to come. There were some small mercies. National Insurance exemptions for smaller businesses are welcome and politically very well judged. Retailers may feel ‘it could have been worse’ on business rates. Meanwhile, hospitality businesses will be pleased with the treatment of draught beer.
Alex Salmond knew how to leverage Scotland’s food & drink greatness

Oct 15, 2024 | thegrocer.co.uk | Ian Wright

The late Alex Salmond certainly wasn’t a nice man, but he was arguably a great one. Andrew Neil described him as “full of plots and plans”, which captures Salmond’s peerless understanding of the opportunities afforded him by the exercise of power as Scotland‘s first minister. He saw, as his predecessors had only begun to grasp, how he could enlist Scotland’s food and drink assets – both at home and around the world – in the battle to win Scotland’s independence.
The new Efra Select Committee head is shrewd, radical - and cunning

Sep 19, 2024 | thegrocer.co.uk | Ian Wright

Earlier this week, the Liberal Democrat Conference was pretty much an Ed Davey-fest. Davey’s extraordinary (and rather clever) general election campaign of daily photo opportunities designed to illustrate Lib Dem policies, and make readers and viewers smile, played a major part in winning his party 72 seats in the new House of Commons.
Food & drink exports are central to UK growth agenda

Aug 21, 2024 | thegrocer.co.uk | Ian Wright

A decade ago, you would have struggled to find more than one in 10 parliamentarians who were able to offer a coherent answer to questions about the importance of the food and drink industry to the UK economy. A garbled series of random sentences, including the words Tesco and whisky, would have sufficed for most members of either chamber.
Declining PhD student numbers are a warning sign for NZ’s future knowledge economy

Jul 25, 2024 | theconversation.com | Ian Wright

The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s economic trajectory has long been characterised by its reliance on primary commodities, such as unprocessed forestry exports, where high volume and relatively low value are common.
What Donald Trump election win could mean for food and drink

Jul 23, 2024 | thegrocer.co.uk | Ian Wright

Let’s start with a question: for which 2024 candidate is this the opening statement of the manifesto? “For decades, our politicians sold our jobs and livelihoods to the highest bidders with unfair trade deals and a blind faith in the siren song of globalism.” George Galloway? Jeremy Corbyn? Jean-Luc Mélenchon, of the far-left France Unbowed? All wrong. This is the opening paragraph of the manifesto adopted by Donald Trump and his Republican Party at last week’s National Convention.
US election 2024: What Trump's win could mean for global food and drink

Jul 23, 2024 | thegrocer.co.uk | Ian Wright

Let’s start with a question: for which 2024 candidate is this the opening statement of the manifesto? “For decades, our politicians sold our jobs and livelihoods to the highest bidders with unfair trade deals and a blind faith in the siren song of globalism.” George Galloway? Jeremy Corbyn? Jean-Luc Mélenchon, of the far-left France Unbowed? All wrong. This is the opening paragraph of the manifesto adopted by Donald Trump and his Republican Party at last week’s National Convention.
The four Labour power players for food and drink

Jun 25, 2024 | thegrocer.co.uk | Ian Wright

Over the next 10 days, a lot will be written about the policy choices facing the incoming government. Essentially, though, it’s pretty simple: drive growth through investment in infrastructure and skills to improve productivity, and deliver what the shadow chancellor calls ‘securonomics’. Across the food and drink industry, there is far less specific policy proposed. For sure, Labour’s need to reduce pressure on the NHS will mean swift action on HFSS foods.