New Zealand spends about $500m on environmental research each year, but fails to invest systematically in monitoring programmes to track the changing environment.
The 800-page report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch terror attacks ultimately asks New Zealanders to look to themselves to prevent such an atrocity happening again.
The Southern (Antarctic) Ocean is our planet’s primary storage of heat and carbon, and it’s home to extraordinary life forms, from tiny algae and spineless creatures to penguins, seals and whales.
Almost a century ago, New Zealand and Australia were at the forefront of an environmental crisis that forewarned of humanity’s global impact – erosion. It left its mark on culture.
Shane Cronin, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Charges regarding last year’s fatal Whakaari/White Island eruption should not be about blame, but about improving hazard warnings and enforcement, particularly for sites with a history of eruptions.
Shaun Rosier, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The remediation of a quarried landscape usually focuses on ecological restoration. But if we turned mined sites into public spaces, it might change how we think about the environment.
Research reveals a desire by Pacific tourism workers for genuine change once travel starts again, including better wages and conditions and greater local control of operations.
People who value the physical and mental health benefits of exercise are more likely to maintain habits they developed during periods of COVID-19 lockdown.
If the tourism minister is worried about the wider social, economic and environmental impacts of visitors, he’d be better off banning cruise ships, not backpackers.
Jessica C Lai, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington and Jesse Pirini, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Innovation means creating and capturing value from new things. And it’s better for the Kiwi economy if investment in that innovation grows local industries and creates jobs.
Trans and non-binary people often avoid seeing a doctor because they fear discrimination. Health professionals need better training to provide gender-affirming care.
Training restaurants housed inside prison walls and staffed by inmates are reducing recidivism rates and winning praise from diners overseas. Should we try them in New Zealand?
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University