News

A new ministry sets out to improve services and accessibility for New Zealanders living with disabilities

Guest Author • Nov 05, 2021

• Disabilities,
• New Zealand stories

Susanna Trnka, University of Auckland and Luca Muir, University of Auckland   The recent announcement of a new Ministry for Disabled People is a watershed moment for people living with disabilities in Aotearoa New Zealand. It comes none too soon, as COVID-19 has affected disability communities badly. Lockdown, particularly at levels 3 and 4, has put many disabled people … Read More

Intersex children in New Zealand are routinely undergoing unnecessary surgery – that needs to change

Guest Author • Oct 27, 2021

• gender,
• intersex,
• New Zealand stories

Claire Breen, University of Waikato and Katrina Roen, University of Waikato   Until very recently, people with intersex variations have often been unseen, stigmatised and routinely discriminated against. Intersex Awareness Day (October 26) is therefore an opportunity to examine how much progress has been made and how far we still have to go. It’s estimated 1.7 to 4% … Read More

Long read: reflections of a volcanologist as a science organisation faces charges in the wake of the 2019 Whakaari eruption

Guest Author • Oct 27, 2021

• New Zealand stories,
• Risk,
• Volcanoes

Ben Kennedy, University of Canterbury   This week, a case review hearing sought to set a trial date – now likely in 2023 – for 13 organisations and individuals facing charges in the wake of the Whakaari White Island eruption of December 9 2019. The volcano erupted while 47 people were on the island, leaving 22 dead and survivors … Read More

The critically endangered Māui dolphin is a conservation priority – we shouldn’t let uncertainty stop action to save it

Guest Author • Oct 21, 2021

• conservation,
• dolphins,
• fisheries,
• New Zealand stories,
• toxoplasmosis,
• wildlife

Rochelle Constantine, University of Auckland and Wendi Roe, Massey University   The world’s rarest marine dolphin, Māui, is found only along the west coast of the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. Based on our surveys over the last two summers, during which we collected small tissue samples for DNA analysis, we estimate there are currently only 54 … Read More

Humans are driving animals and plants to the edge. But are we really heading into a mass extinction?

Guest Author • Oct 15, 2021

• extinction,
• New Zealand stories

Michael Hannah, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington   It is now common to refer to the current biodiversity crisis as the sixth mass extinction. But is this true? Are we in the middle of an event on the same scale as the five ancient mass extinctions Earth has experienced? Humans are indeed driving animals and plants to … Read More

Why it’s time to treat medicinal cannabis as an alternative therapy, not a pharmaceutical

Guest Author • Oct 15, 2021

• cannabinoids,
• CBD,
• New Zealand stories

Marta Rychert, Massey University; Chris Wilkins, Massey University, and Vinuli Withanarachchie, Massey University   The recent approval of two domestically produced cannabidiol (CBD) oil products – non-intoxicating cannabis compounds – may have provided new optimism to patients on cannabis prescriptions. Slow progress with product approvals had meant some patients had feared they would need to turn to the … Read More

Children live online more than ever – we need better definitions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ screen time

Guest Author • Oct 11, 2021

• children,
• gaming,
• New Zealand stories,
• screentime

Kathryn MacCallum, University of Canterbury and Cheryl Brown, University of Canterbury   The pandemic has fundamentally altered every part of our lives, not least the time we spend on digital devices. For young people in particular, the blurred line between recreational and educational screen time presents new challenges we are only beginning to appreciate. Even before COVID, there were concerns … Read More

Putting Aotearoa on the map: New Zealand has changed its name before, why not again?

Guest Author • Oct 11, 2021

• naming,
• New Zealand stories,
• te reo Maori

Claire Breen, University of Waikato; Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato; Robert Joseph, University of Waikato, and Valmaine Toki, University of Waikato   Our names are a critical part of our identity. They are a personal and social anchor tying us to our families, our culture, our history and place in the world. For Māori, a name is intrinsic to, and … Read More

Why New Zealanders are vulnerable to genetic discrimination in health and life insurance

Guest Author • Sep 28, 2021

• genetic testing,
• genetics,
• insurance,
• New Zealand stories

Jane Tiller, Monash University and Andrew Shelling, University of Auckland   Genetic testing is increasingly used as part of routine healthcare to determine a patient’s risk for some conditions, including certain cancers. But insurers can use genetic test results to refuse cover or increase premiums. This is called genetic discrimination — the use of someone’s genetic information to treat them … Read More

The earthquake that rattled Melbourne was among Australia’s biggest in half a century, but rock records reveal far mightier ones

Guest Author • Sep 23, 2021

• Australia,
• earthquakes,
• tectonic plates

Mark Quigley, The University of Melbourne and Januka Attanayake, The University of Melbourne   An earthquake that struck near Melbourne today is one of the largest in Australia since instrumental seismic records began. However, the geological record of ground-breaking fault ruptures tells us much larger earthquakes have occurred across the continent. Some of these earthquakes would have been witnessed … Read More