The Good Oil is a New Zealand news and commentary site, not the cooking-oil brand. If you came looking for something for the kitchen, you've found a different Good Oil. The Good Oil at goodoil.news has no connection to the cooking-oil brand made by Pure Oil NZ.
Most of what The Good Oil publishes is New Zealand political news, analysis and commentary, with a regular eye on Australia, Britain and the rest of the world. It covers politics and current affairs from a conservative, centre-right point of view and doesn't hide its opinions. There are also cartoons, daily puzzles and The Good Oil Podcast.
The site was founded by Cam Slater and used to be called The BFD. The name changed in 2024, but the publication carried on under the same business, BFD Publishing Limited, and the old thebfd.co.nz address now brings readers here. Cam's political writing goes back further still, to his Whale Oil blog.
Cam isn't the only one writing. Others whose work appears here include Chris Trotter, Lushington Brady, Nathan Smith, Graham Adams, David Farrar, Lindsay Mitchell, Dr Oliver Hartwich and Dr Eric Crampton, and the daily cartoons come from BoomSlang and SonovaMin. The authors page lists everyone else.
Most articles are free to read. A free account lets you comment and sends new posts to your inbox, and paid memberships add extras. The About page has more on the site, and the plans are on the membership page.
Common questions
Is The Good Oil a cooking oil?
No. The Good Oil at goodoil.news is a New Zealand news and commentary website, and a subscription here is a membership of the site. It has no connection to the cooking-oil brand made by Pure Oil NZ.
Is The Good Oil the same as The BFD?
Yes. The BFD changed its name to The Good Oil in 2024. The same business, BFD Publishing Limited, still publishes it, and thebfd.co.nz now takes readers to goodoil.news.
What does a membership cost?
Most of the site is free to read, and a free account lets you comment and get new posts by email. Paid memberships are Basic at NZ$5 a month or NZ$50 a year, Basic+ at NZ$15 a month or NZ$150 a year, and VIP at NZ$25 a month or NZ$250 a year. Each paid tier comes with a seven-day free trial.
What do paid members get?
Basic removes ads and adds Daily Trivia. Basic+ adds the daily crossword, sudoku and codecracker, plus the SonovaMin and BoomSlang cartoons. VIP adds the Ten@10 curated articles newsletter, Real Good Oil and Political Intelligence: Quick Hits. All paid members can read subscriber-only articles, which include most episodes of The Good Oil Podcast.