ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on May 27, 2025.
Is it OK to leave device chargers plugged in all the time? An expert explains
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Glen Farivar, Lecturer in Power Electronics, The University of Melbourne YG PhotoArtWorks/Shutterstock How many chargers do you own? We’re surrounded by rechargeable electronic devices – mobile phones, laptops, smart watches, headphones, e-bikes and more. You might have a phone charger plugged in next to your bed without
From strip searches to sexual harassment, Australian policing has long been plagued by sexism
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Cain, Associate Lecturer in Criminology, Deakin University This month, a woman bravely testified in court she was subjected to a “degrading and humiliating experience akin to sexual assault” at the hands of New South Wales Police. The young woman was forced to remove her tampon in
Faces you hear? Dolphin ‘signature whistles’ may transmit more than just identity information
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ekaterina Ovsyanikova, Academic, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland Ekaterina Ovsyanikova Like us humans, many animals rely on social interactions to survive and thrive. As a result, effective communication between individuals is essential. Highly social animals often have more complex communication systems. Think of a
Financial literacy is about more than personal responsibility – wealth and inequality should be part of the new curriculum
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Tatebe, Senior Lecturer Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Arts and Education, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau seb_ra/Getty Images Financial literacy will become a core element of the New Zealand social sciences curriculum for Year 1-10 students from 2027. But what is being proposed presents a
Motarilavoa Hilda Lini – strong, passionate fighter for decolonisation, nuclear-free Pacific
By Stanley Simpson in Suva I am saddened by the death of one of the most inspirational Pacific women and leaders I have worked with — Motarilavoa Hilda Lini of Vanuatu. She was one of the strongest, most committed passionate fighter I know for self-determination, decolonisation, independence, indigenous rights, customary systems and a nuclear-free Pacific.
What makes somebody a narcissist? Mounting evidence suggests links to insecure attachment styles
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Megan Willis, Associate Professor, School of Behavioural and Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University DSerov/Shutterstock Narcissism has become the armchair diagnosis of the decade. Social media is awash with people flinging the label around. Everyone’s ex seems to be a narcissist, some of our parents are under suspicion,
Heart attack or panic attack? Why young men are calling ambulances for unmanaged anxiety
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Krista Fisher, Research Fellow, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock Anxiety affects one in five Australian men at some point in their lives. But the condition remains highly stigmatised, misunderstood and under-diagnosed. Men are around half as likely to be
As Australia’s carbon offset industry grapples with integrity concerns, how can companies genuinely tackle climate change?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Macintosh, Professor and Director of Research, ANU Law School, Australian National University Deemerwha studio/Shutterstock Australia’s largest carbon market player, GreenCollar, has quit the federal government’s voluntary carbon neutral program, Climate Active. More than 100 companies have left the program in the past two years. Climate Active
Boys are more resilient than girls to school setbacks. Here’s how you can help
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew J. Martin, Scientia Professor and Professor of Educational Psychology, UNSW Sydney Monkey Business Images/ Shutterstock As educational psychology researchers, we are very interested in how students deal with setbacks and challenges in their schooling. Research has found resilient students tend to have more positive academic outcomes.
A 1980s cost-of-living crisis gave Australia a thriving arts program – could we do it again?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Izabella Nantsou, Academic in Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Sydney A Railways Union cultural exhibition, September 1985. Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy SEARCH Foundation, CC BY The cost-of-living crisis is hitting the arts hard. Artists struggle to survive on poverty wages
Activists call for Pacific nuclear justice, global unity and victim support
By Te Aniwaniwa Paterson of Te Ao Māori News Eighty years after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the Second World War, the threat of nuclear fallout remains. Last Monday, the UN Human Rights Council issued a formal communication to the Japanese government regarding serious concerns raised by Pacific
Fiji can’t compete with Australia and NZ on teacher salaries, says deputy PM
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific presenter/bulletin editor Fiji cannot compete with Australia and New Zealand to retain its teachers, the man in charge of the country’s finances says. The Fijian education system is facing major challenges as the Sitiveni Rabuka-led coalition struggles to address a teacher shortage. While the education sector receives a significant chunk
Israel’s new aid delivery system for Gaza is sparking outrage. Why is it so problematic?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amra Lee, PhD candidate in Protection of Civilians, Australian National University Some 2.1 million Gazans are facing critical hunger levels, with many at risk of famine following Israel’s 11-week blockade on aid intended to pressure Hamas. According to the United Nations, 57 children have already died from
Asia Pacific Report editor honoured for contribution to Pacific journalism
Pacific Media Watch Asia Pacific Report editor David Robie was honoured with Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) at the weekend by the Governor-General, Dame Cindy Kiro, in an investiture ceremony at Government House Tāmaki Makaurau. He was one of eight recipients for various honours, which included Joycelyn Armstrong, who was presented
Images of Gaza’s starving babies have gone round the world. This is what malnutrition does in the first 1,000 days of life
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nina Sivertsen, Associate Professor, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University A 5-month-old diagnosed with malnutrition being treated at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in Gaza, May 2025. Anadolu/Getty Last week, the United Nations warned more than 14,000 babies would die of malnutrition in 48 hours
Who really benefits from smart tech at home? ‘Optimising’ family life can reinforce gender roles
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Indra Mckie, Postdoctoral Researcher in Collaborative Human-AI Interaction Culture, University of Technology Sydney Ashlifier/Shutterstock Have you heard of the “male technologist” mindset? It may sound familiar, and you may even know such people personally. Design researchers Turkka Keinonen and Nils Ehrenberg have defined the male technologist as
Actually, Gen Z stand to be the biggest winners from the new $3 million super tax
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Coates, Program Director, Housing and Economic Security, Grattan Institute As debate rages about the federal government’s plan to lift the tax on earnings on superannuation balances over A$3 million, it’s worth revisiting why we offer super tax breaks in the first place, and why they need
A not-so-modern epidemic: what 17th-century nuns can teach us about coping with loneliness
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Walker, Associate Professor, School of Historical and Classical Studies, University of Adelaide La Religieuse Tenant La Sainte Croix (The Nun Holds the Cross), Jacques Callot, French,1621–35. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Is loneliness a modern epidemic as we are so often told? Did people in the
Australia’s first machete ban is coming to Victoria. Will it work, or is it just another political quick fix?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samara McPhedran, Principal Research Fellow, Griffith University Following a shopping centre brawl in Melbourne at the weekend, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announced the state will ban the sale of all machetes from Wednesday. In March this year, the Victorian government had already announced that from September 1
The drought is back – we need a new way to help farmers survive tough times
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda Botterill, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Australia in 2025 is living up to Dorothy McKellar’s poetic vision of a country stricken by “drought and flooding rains”. The clean up is underway from the deadly floods in the Hunter and mid-north coast
