The world’s best chance of preventing the next pandemic lies in a global treaty. But deep divisions over funding and the sharing of vaccines and treatments have so far prevented an agreement.
The government has proposed raising the international visitor levy to $100. But first New Zealand needs a clear strategy about who it’s trying to attract, and in what numbers.
Even the big oil companies are predicting global demand will decline within decades. With investment in oil exploration projected to decline too, New Zealand should be putting its energy elsewhere.
Analysis of 111 calls suggests most responses to calls from people in mental health distress could be led by social service providers without the need for police.
Claudia Rozas, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
A ministerial working group is charged with identifying what knowledge matters in secondary school English. But we need a national conversation about what that means in a modern, multicultural society.
Simon Davies, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Clare-Ann Fortune, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Karen Salmon, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington e Linda Fatialofa, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Evidence shows the links between punishment, discipline and behaviour change are weak at best. Good rehabilitation has a therapeutic focus – but this is less popular with politicians and the public.
Earth’s climate system is connected across hemispheres. When the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation weakens and Europe cools, warming in New Zealand and southern mid-latitudes accelerates.
David Jefferson, University of Canterbury; Jesse Pirini, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington e Jessica C Lai, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The newly signed global Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge might improve the patent system, but is unlikely to improve protection of Indigenous knowledge itself.
Recruiters are now routinely using AI to automate the screening of CVs and interview videos. But human bias already exists in the AI data – and it can even be heightened by the algorithm.
Finding a balance between sometimes contradictory definitions of the role of universities will be the first challenge for the University Advisory Group.
Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin can use more power than countries such as Finland. The emergence of eco-friendly alternatives provides hope, and a few concerns, for crypto users.
Brian Diettrich, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
After an eight-year hiatus due to COVID, ‘FestPAC’ is back. With its unique combination of song, dance, history and politics, this year’s festival in Hawai'i is more relevant than ever.
Alan Brent, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington e Catherine Iorns, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The major benefit of agrivoltaics is that solar panels shelter crops and animals from the heat, while providing more warmth at night. Soils also retain more moisture and some crops grow better.
Marek Tesar, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Research consistently shows access to early childhood education can effect literacy, schooling and life in general. Its relative absence in a budget supposedly focused on education is baffling.
Martin Brook, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Shane Jones’ draft mining strategy is politically divisive. But New Zealand must face the practical and ethical implications of its own reliance on the critical minerals extracted elsewhere.
Adding vitamin and mineral supplements to the diet of pregnant women with antenatal depression not only reduced their symptoms and improved their functioning – it also benefitted their infants.
In Labor circles there is increasing an expectation a reshuffle as parliamentary sitting have become tenuous with intense focus on Immigration Minister Andrew Giles.
Timothy Welch, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Anna Matheson, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Craig Elliffe, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Dennis Wesselbaum, University of Otago; Hiran Thabrew, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Julia Talbot-Jones, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington e Mark Barrow, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Finance minister Nicola Willis made good on two promises with her first budget – tax cuts and no surprises. But the belt tightening required to do that will have longer-term consequences.
Public submissions close this week on a bill restoring citizenship to some Samoan immigrants. But despite prime ministerial apologies over the 1970s dawn raids, immigration law is largely unchanged.
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University