Dr Wendy Liu, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Anne Bardsley, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Jennifer Salmond, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Kristiann Allen, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Marc Tadaki, Cawthron Institute, and Martin Brook, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Not all environmental change is obvious. But incremental and cumulative changes can be just as harmful as more immediate and observable events, meaning risk management practices need to adapt.
Alan Bollard, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The Cold War was an economic standoff as well as an atomic one. The author of a new book describes the minds behind the great ideological battles on that 20th-century front line.
Kevin Trenberth, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
The BlackRock climate fund is a start, but New Zealand needs a comprehensive approach to tackling its various environmental and economic vulnerabilities to the climate crisis.
A vocal minority is calling for sexuality education to be pulled from schools. But my research shows many parents and young people want and need safe places to discuss relationships and sex.
Nearly everyone agrees the 68-year-old Adoption Act is not fit for purpose. So where is the political will for change, and how much longer do families touched by adoption have to wait?
Jane Horan, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
People from NZ charities and not-for-profits told me volunteers and paid staff can spend months on basic banking processes. But just one ‘golden unicorn’ bank employee can make all the difference.
New Zealand faces “more geostrategic challenges than we have had in decades”, according to the defence minister. A broad defence and security reset aims to prepare the country for what may be ahead.
Mary Breheny, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington and Rosie Gibson, Massey University
Self-help articles and books usually point to the things we can do personally to get a good night’s sleep. But the wider social and economic causes of insomnia deserve more attention.
By including five extinct species in its Bird of the Year competition, Forest & Bird provides a way to mourn what we’ve lost – and also strive to save what remains.
Nicole Satherley, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Andrew Sporle, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau, and Lara Greaves, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Political polls can make for dramatic headlines. But they are a snapshot of when they were taken, not a predictor of election outcomes. Follow these expert tips to make sense of the stats.
The term ‘infanticide’ has specific meanings in a courtroom and is related to the separate defence of ‘insanity’. But legal language is contestable and can be archaic – adding to a jury’s burden.
Lack of effective regulation means the risk of nuclear war is greater than at any time since the end of the Cold War. Other potentially existential military threats remain similarly uncontrolled.
The last of four new Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft has landed, substantially increasing New Zealand’s surveillance – and military – capacity. But how they are best deployed is open to debate.
New Zealand’s marine policies are scattered across multiple laws and regulatory institutions. A dedicated ministry would overcome this fragmentation and help protect vital ecosystems and resources.
New Zealand’s food system – from production to delivery – has been built around efficiency rather than resilience to climate change and natural disasters. But there are solutions.
From commerce to public policy, cuts to New Zealand’s university humanities departments will have repercussions well beyond the so-called ‘ivory towers’.
Having interviewed advisers to past and present prime ministers in Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand, my new research shows how crucial it is to recruit and train staff – before an election.
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University