Paula Lorgelly, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
The government says funding for COVID vaccines and antivirals are up for consideration next year. With so much unknown about the long-term impact of COVID, will cost become a barrier to access?
The new government needs to tread carefully as it looks to reintroduce standardised testing. A one size fits all approach to testing students can have negative consequences for everyone involved.
Airlines and airports face increased scrutiny – and possibly legal action – over the contradictions between their sustainability claims and the reality of their high-emissions businesses.
Barbara Allen, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Karl Lofgren, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington, and Michael Macaulay, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
History suggests the new NZ government’s pledge to cut budgets and jobs in the public sector will cost more in the long run – and damage morale in the process.
Alison Pavlovich, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Labour’s 2021 property tax changes were meant to lower the cost of housing. But without a proper capital gains tax it only hurt investors and renters, and made the tax system overall less coherent.
New Zealand’s new government has vowed to explore ‘blue carbon’ options for removing atmospheric CO₂ to meet net zero goals. But first we need a national strategy for this developing field of science.
Why do gay men generally earn less than heterosexual men, and lesbian women more than heterosexual women? New research aims to find out why, and how LGBTQ+ inclusivity can be improved.
Tom Baker, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
The local and international track record of social investment funds and social impact bonds is far from convincing. A better-resourced public sector would be a simpler solution.
Despite demands for an urgent ‘reservation’ and ‘national interest test’ over new WHO regulations, New Zealand’s sovereignty is not at risk from international agreements or treaties.
Examining the DNA of the takahē has upended long-held beliefs about how the flightless bird ended up on the southwestern tip of New Zealand. This new knowledge can help future conservation efforts.
A recently signed Australia-Tuvalu citizenship agreement offers people displaced by climate change a chance to ‘move with dignity’. But staying with dignity has to be an option too.
The Public Finance Act is designed to prevent shocks and ‘fiscal cliffs’. And it is unlikely any problems faced by Nicola Willis will match the scale of those that dogged previous governments.
Nations struggle if the health of their population fails. But good health is seriously threatened by climate change. So putting health at the centre of climate action makes sense.
Peter Thompson, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The Public Interest Journalism Fund became a lightning rod for disinformation well before Winston Peters likened it to ‘bribery’. Policy making has already been compromised as a result.
Masoumeh Sara Rahmani, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington and Peter Adds, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
More than half of Māori identified as having ‘no religion’ in the latest census. Our new research examines what could be behind the sharp rise in Māori atheism.
Timothy Naish, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The world is on track to exceed 2°C warming within the next five years, with dire consequences for polar ice, mountain glaciers and permafrost – and human society.
Alan Brent, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington and Soheil Mohseni, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Using a ‘grid of grids’ network, New Zealand’s growing electric vehicle fleet could contribute to national energy resiliency, feeding electricity back into the system during peak demand.
The ACT Party claims revisiting the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi is about political equality. But removing a Māori cultural dimension to New Zealand’s democracy would have an opposite effect.
The country’s first formal three-party coalition will test Christopher Luxon’s promise of ‘strong and stable’ government – and the minor parties’ patience if things don’t go their way.
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University