The Latest Breaking News from Aotearoa

Tell us: has your love of New Zealand birds turned you against cat ownership?

We’d like to hear from New Zealanders whose concern for native birdlife has made them reconsider the future of cats in Aotearoa

The Guardian - AU · Aug 9, 2023

Curriculum changes must tackle the lifelong consequences of NZ’s alarming literacy and numeracy declines

Literacy and numeracy are under the spotlight as Aotearoa New Zealand grapples with how to improve student performance in these basic skills.

The Conversation · Jul 20, 2023

NZ music schools under threat: we need a better measure of their worth than money

Funding for the arts and tertiary education in Aotearoa New Zealand has long been insufficient. Run the two together, as is happening this year, and we find ourselves at a precarious junction.

The Conversation · Jul 11, 2023

For some workers, low-paying jobs might be more of a dead end than a stepping stone

The most recent rise in Aotearoa New Zealand’s minimum wage has again put the spotlight on low-wage jobs and the established belief that low wages are a starting point for workers who are quickly able to transition into higher-paid employment. But our research found the situation is not so straightforward.…

The Conversation · Apr 26, 2023

New lessons about old wars: keeping the complex story of Anzac Day relevant in the 21st century

What happened on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey 108 years ago has shocked and shaped Aotearoa New Zealand ever since. The challenge in the 21st century, then, is how best to give contemporary relevance to such an epochal event.

The Conversation · Apr 24, 2023

NZ farmers worry about 'carbon leakage' if they have to pay for emissions, but they could benefit from playing the long game

The recent report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) underscores the urgency of emissions reductions. For Aotearoa New Zealand, where 50% of emissions come from agriculture in the form of methane and nitrous oxide, this means the primary sector must be part of the response.

The Conversation · Apr 11, 2023

Strikes, protests and collective action: how fighting a cost-of-living crisis wasn’t always about tightening your own belt

Most people today are coping with the rising cost of living individually: cost cutting, looking for a better paid job, taking on “side hustles”, and so on. But not so long ago, many workers globally and in Aotearoa New Zealand approached the same problem in far more collective ways.

The Conversation · Apr 10, 2023

Children have a basic understanding of poverty – a more equal society means talking to them about it

Rates of child poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand remain stubbornly high, despite the issue being the focus of considerable political attention while Jacinda Ardern was prime minister.

The Conversation · Apr 4, 2023

Does public safety trump free speech? History suggests there is a case for banning anti-trans activist Posie Parker from NZ

The impending arrival of Kelly-Jean Keen-Minshull – aka Posie Parker – has put the spotlight on the tension between free speech and protecting vulnerable communities. In particular, it raises questions about Immigration New Zealand’s role in limiting who can visit and speak in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Conversation · Mar 21, 2023

We planted pine in response to Cyclone Bola – with devastating consequences. It is now time to invest in natives

During Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle the poor management of exotic plantations – primarily pine – has again led to extensive damage in Tairāwhiti. Critical public infrastructure destroyed; highly productive agricultural and horticultural land washed away or buried; houses, fences and sheds knocked over; people’s lives and dreams upended; people dead.

The Conversation · Feb 21, 2023