Behind the smiles and the scenic backdrops there are serious issues on the table when Scott Morrison and Jacinda Ardern meet in Queenstown this weekend.
Ritesh Shah, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Palestinian children are resilient, but even they have been tested by the pandemic and now more military conflict. Securing their right to a safe education should be a priority.
Samoa’s constitutional crisis has caught the world’s attention, but diplomatic rhetoric may not be enough to support the country’s democratically elected government.
Jennifer Curtin, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; David Hall, Auckland University of Technology; Michael Fletcher, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington, dan Nina Ives, Auckland University of Technology
By under-promising and over-delivering, Grant Robertson has pulled off a budget that displeases the fewest people.
New research shows that people who suffer from mental disorders earlier in life were more likely to subsequent develop physical diseases, age faster, and also die earlier than those who did not.
Sam Crawley, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Vested interests have lobbied against climate policy worldwide, but that’s only one reason for the slow political response. While most people want climate action, they rank other issues as more urgent.
About half of New Zealand’s Māori, Pasifika and Asian populations reported experiencing more racism and discrimination since the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to about a third of European New Zealanders.
Natural gas may still be cheaper than electricity in some cases, but the price of gas is likely to rise if New Zealand follows the Climate Change Commission’s advice to shift to electrification.
Jane Kelsey, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
More countries, including a post-Brexit UK, are looking at joining the CPTPP free trade agreement. But the secrecy around negotiations makes serious analysis virtually impossible.
Kevin Burns, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
A colony-building fern that grows in treetops on Lord Howe Island has adopted a lifestyle similar to social insects, turning our understanding of the evolution of biological complexity on its head.
Mark Harvey, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Investment in the arts is also an investment in economic growth, health and well-being – but arts practitioners won’t be holding their breath at budget time.
Kiwi are often moved between fragmented populations to limit inbreeding, but without sufficient genetic screening, this risks doing more harm than good.
If the proposed public sector wage freeze is aimed at improving the lot of lower paid workers, there are better alternatives the government should consider.
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University