Massey is a true “University of New Zealand”, with three North Island campuses at Auckland, Manawatū and Wellington and more than 32,000 students studying either on one of the campuses or by distance learning from throughout the world. Set up as an agricultural college in 1927 it is now a comprehensive university with qualifications in humanities and social sciences, business, creative arts, health and sciences.
Global plastics production is set to double by 2040. The upcoming UN meeting is a chance for New Zealand to stake a stronger position on a proposed treaty to reign in plastic pollution.
Conservation efforts can result in conflict between different interest groups, but outcomes could improve if we allowed a greater degree of public participation, beyond mere consultation.
As Fiji did after 2016’s catastrophic cyclone, Tonga will likely face challenges with building materials and costs, and low levels of technical expertise. But these can be overcome.
The pathway for foreign doctors to practise in New Zealand is neither easy nor very fair, meaning an over-stretched health system is missing out on valuable expertise.
What should climate scientists do in the face of ever rising emissions? They could continue providing more evidence, join climate activists – or stop work in protest against government inaction.
Like it or not, many Pākehā New Zealanders are the beneficiaries of a colonial settlement system based on dispossession and alienation. How can the past and present be reconciled honestly?
Most people continue using their car because it’s convenient, but few consider the full cost of depreciation and maintenance. Carbon dioxide emissions rarely factor in people’s choice of transport.
Once a broad political church, the National Party has become a house divided against itself. New leader Christopher Luxon faces huge challenges uniting both the party and its wider congregation.
National Party interim leader Dr Shane Reti, flanked by colleagues, prepares to announce Judith Collins has been removed as party leader.
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New Zealand’s National MPs are set to elect their fifth leader in just four years to take on Jacinda Ardern’s government. What “habits of the unsuccessful” should they avoid in their next leader?
Representative democracies require functional governments but they also need strong oppositions. At the moment, New Zealand has one of these things but not the other.
New Zealanders are increasingly concerned about the state of the environment, but
many don’t feel a strong enough connection to nature to become involved in conservation projects.
New Zealand is already using self-screening kits for bowel cancer. Giving women the opportunity to self-test for cervical cancer at home will improve equity and lift participation.
Managing the competing demands of a pandemic inevitably erodes Jacinda Ardern’s political brand – but changes to Labour’s leadership rules don’t necessarily signal the end of an era.
New Zealand has announced a more ambitious pledge to cut emissions, but the commitment relies on buying credits from offshore. There is no system for doing this yet, or for ensuring genuine cuts.
A recent survey reveals only limited employee support for workplace vaccine mandates, underlining how challenging the policy will be for lawmakers and employers.
Māui dolphins are at risk of extinction. With a marine mammal sanctuary in place since 2008, the risk from fisheries is now largely under control. It’s time to take other threats more seriously.
Dealing with what have been called ‘wicked’ and ‘adaptive’ problems is a huge challenge for political leaders. A ‘clumsy’ response can be inevitable – and even desirable.
A statistically designed random sampling scheme, based on as few as 100 people, would give a very high probability of detecting if there are any COVID-19 cases and highlight at-risk hotspots.