Increasing plastic pollution in southern hemisphere oceans adds a deadly threat to albatrosses, already among the world’s most imperiled seabirds with 73% of species threatened with extinction.
The rapid increase in the number of infections is the most obvious reason why new variants of the virus have been emerging recently. Case numbers doubled in just two months at the end of 2020.
Concrete spillway from Lake Benmore Dam in Otago, New Zealand.
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Investment in renewable electricity needs bipartisan political support and some bold decisions if New Zealand is to meet its future energy commitments.
Instead of wage subsidy and business loan schemes, allowing households, workers and employers to borrow against future income could be more efficient and equitable in the long run.
Research measuring how water flows between living kauri trees and a leafless stump adds evidence that trees use their underground root systems to support each other.
Michael Plank, University of Canterbury; Shaun Hendy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau, and Siouxsie Wiles, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
The highly infectious nature of the COVID-19 variant, and the fact the infections have no clear link to the border, leaves the worrying possibility of a more widespread community outbreak.
New research finds Australians and New Zealanders show high levels of trust in political leaders and in science. This in part explains the strong compliance with successful pandemic measures.
Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi after being told to leave parliament’s debating chamber on February 9 for not wearing a tie.
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Gavin Brown, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Training New Zealand students to be better at tests would probably improve their performance. But, as Finland has shown, there are better (if more expensive) alternatives.
Michael Plank, University of Canterbury and Shaun Hendy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
A new study argues for selective border relaxations. But with COVID-19 more prevalent now than at almost any point in the past, the risk would be substantial.
Interim findings from the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response paint a bleak picture of global failure. If things don’t improve, a future pandemic could be truly catastrophic.
Young fish need to find food to grow, but avoid being eaten themselves. That dance for survival is linked to moonlight, which has implications for fisheries management everywhere.
Multiple borders have always existed in Aotearoa New Zealand. We just weren’t as aware of them before the pandemic started locking down communities.
New Zealand artist Lorde (performing here in Germany) is one of several signatories to an open letter to industry leaders about stopping sexual abuse and discrimination.
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Musical and vocational training must move beyond making students ready for work — they must also be empowered to deal with an industry overdue for reform.
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University