Guest Author • May 03, 2021 •
Carrie Leonetti, University of Auckland By helping identify perpetrators and the remains of victims, forensic DNA analysis holds enormous power to solve crimes. It also has enormous implications for privacy and fairness. But with science and society changing at such a pace, the law can struggle to keep up. It is now 25 years since New Zealand’s Criminal … Read More
Guest Author • May 14, 2020 •
Nik Green Governments around the world have restricted the activities of their citizens in the fight against COVID-19 under various laws and powers. Over the past couple of weeks, the legality of the restrictions New Zealand has put in place has been questioned by law professors Claudia Geiringer and Andrew Geddis, and the … Read More
Guest Author • May 27, 2019 •
John Zerilli, University of Otago and Colin Gavaghan, University of Otago New Zealand is a leader in government use of artificial intelligence (AI). It is part of a global network of countries that use predictive algorithms in government decision making, for anything from the optimal scheduling of public hospital beds to whether an offender should … Read More
Guest Author • Apr 25, 2018 •
James A. T. Lancaster, The University of Queensland This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. The term “evidence” has a fascinating linguistic and social history – and it’s a good reminder that even today the truth of scientific evidence depends on it being presented in a convincing way. As recent climate … Read More
Guest Author • Apr 17, 2018 •
Laura Y. Cabrera, Michigan State University and Jennifer Carter-Johnson, Michigan State University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Mr. B loves Johnny Cash, except when he doesn’t. Mr. X has watched his doctors morph into Italian chefs right before his eyes. The link between the two? … Read More
Jean Balchin • Jan 17, 2018 •
‘Every journalist who is not too stupid or too full of himself to notice what is going on knows that what he does is morally indefensible.’ This is the opening line of Janet Malcolm’s sharp, analytical book The Journalist and the Murderer. Published in 1983, the book still challenges journalists these days. Malcolm is a cunning, insightful journalist. Read More
Grant Jacobs • Nov 21, 2017 •
What if we could fix a kid’s genetic disease, cure them for their lifetime? What if we make that for all of their children, forever? Or enhance humans to be genetically better? What’s your opinion of gene editing and enhancement? A survey asked what people thought. Participants gave a green light for adult gene therapy. They were cautious … Read More
Guest Author • Sep 22, 2017 •
By Ruth Walker, University of Waikato and Liezl van Zyl, University of Waikato Starting a family through surrogacy is fraught with stresses and uncertainties. For heterosexual couples it is often the last resort after a history of disappointment and even tragedy. Gay couples remain subject to discrimination and stigma when it comes to planning a … Read More
Guest Author • Mar 29, 2017 •
By Erin O’Donnell, University of Melbourne and Julia Talbot-Jones, Australian National University In the space of a week, the world has gained three notable new legal persons: the Whanganui River in New Zealand, and the Ganga and Yamuna Rivers in India. In New Zealand, the government passed legislation that recognised the Whanganui River catchment … Read More
Laura Goodall • Jun 08, 2016 •
Talented Māori professionals behind Indigenous disabilities research, space flight and a fitness-focused health initiative are finalists for the 2016 Matariki Awards. The inaugural annual event, which celebrates extraordinary Māori talent across a broad range of fields and industries, is presented by Māori Television and Te Puni Kōkiri and pays homage to the seven stars of Matariki with seven award categories. One is the Te … Read More