In the heart of Ōtautahi Christchurch, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha| University of Canterbury (UC) offers its students boundless opportunities for education, exploration and recreation. Since its founding in 1873, UC maintains its vision as a modern university – a place of learning grounded in a shared history, which values differences and inclusive research and tertiary education. It consists of seven faculties: Arts, Business, Education, Engineering, Health, Law, and Science.
Ranked first in the 2022 THE Impact Rankings for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, and among the top 50 universities globally overall, UC is committed to contributing to the United Nations’ SDGs through its research and education practices and institutional operations.
UC offers unmatched research facilities including field stations in Cass, Kawatiri Westport, Harihari, the sub-Antarctic Snares Islands, Nigeria, and Antarctica as well as New Zealand’s premier astronomical research facility Ōtehīwai Mount John Observatory, near Takapō Tekapo; famous for its clear southern skies.
Several batches of palm kernel product imported for dairy farms contained certain chemicals above a safe limit – and there’s an ethical quandary in supporting an industry linked with deforestation.
Plant breeders must now engage with kaitiaki if special relationships with a plant have been asserted. But Māori have no say on the introduction of exotic plants that could become invasive.
The biotech sector uses climate change as an urgent argument for more funding and fewer regulatory hurdles. But the urgency of climate change raises the risk of superficial claims and actions.
The government is currently examining refugee settlement and integration strategies – our research suggests encouraging entrepreneurship would make a tangible difference.
Despite claims that lowering speed limits will harm the economy, evidence suggests journey times are hardly affected. And beyond reducing the road toll, there are health and climate benefits, too.
Establishing the age of K'gari (Fraser Island) confirms it emerged before the reef, despite the climate being suitable for coral growth long before then.
What happens when you owe more on your mortgage than your house is worth? Negative equity is a growing concern for some homeowners, but how real are the risks?
Sports sponsorship is the main way children are exposed to alcohol marketing. It increases their risk of drinking at earlier ages, drinking more once they start and drinking more hazardously.
Dairy farming accounts for a quarter of New Zealand’s total emissions. Fermentation technology could help cut agricultural emissions, while also restoring water and ecological quality.
Despite a reported 6,500% global increase in doctors recommending mental health apps to patients, research suggests they can never substitute for traditional person-to-person care.
Media and investment experts have long touted the ‘Halloween effect’. New data shows there might be truth to these long-held beliefs, showing money flows can follow predictable seasonal patterns.
Dividing students into classroom streams has been the status quo for decades. So why have New Zealand’s two largest teachers’ unions taken the unprecedented step of announcing plans to phase it out?
Convicted rapist Jayden Meyer was given a nine months home detention, sparking protests and an appeal from crown prosecutors. But the sentence is in line with the law. Is it time for change?
Accusations of being a ‘useless Māori’ or seeing life through a ‘vanilla lens’ might sound mean-spirited and hurtful. But behind the political sloganeering lie deeper questions about Māori identity.
Michael Plank, University of Canterbury and David Welch, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
The decision to remove the testing requirement for international arrivals seems shortsighted. All outbreaks in Aotearoa have been caused by new variants coming across the border.
If the All Blacks again fail to fire against Australia in the first Bledisloe Test, perhaps the game’s administrators should take advice from another group of experts entirely.
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori is a time to celebrate Aotearoa’s Indigenous language. But we also need to acknowledge the limits of literal translation and pay attention to the deeper meanings of words.
Over the 70 years of her reign, Queen Elizabeth II has been part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s living history, touching everything from the role of women to the Treaty of Waitangi.