ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on October 23, 2025.
Thousands of nurses, teachers and doctors take part in NZ’s ‘mega strike’
RNZ News It is being billed as quite possibly New Zealand’s biggest labour action in more than 40 years. It is the latest in a growing series of strikes and walkoffs this year, but the sheer size of it today means much of New Zealand will come to a halt. Several public sector unions say
ULMWP alleges 15 civilians killed in West Papua military operation
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) claims more than a dozen civilians have been killed in the Papuan highlands, including three men who were allegedly tortured and a woman who was allegedly raped. However, the Indonesian government claims the accusations “baseless”. ULMWP president Benny Wenda said 15
Here’s why a plan to turn private hospital giant Healthscope into a charity is stirring debate
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dale Boccabella, Associate Professor of Taxation Law, UNSW Sydney Back in May, the parent companies of private hospital operator Healthscope fell into receivership, burdened by A$1.6 billion in debt. Since then, Healthscope’s hospitals have been kept open while receivers have worked to find buyers for the business.
Your gluten sensitivity might be something else entirely, new study shows
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Biesiekierski, Associate Professor of Human Nutrition, The University of Melbourne Daisy-Daisy/Getty Social media and lifestyle magazines have turned gluten – a protein in wheat, rye and barley – into a dietary villain. Athletes and celebrities have promoted gluten-free eating as the secret to better health and
Pro-cycling crashes can be bad, but evidence suggests slower bikes aren’t the answer
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dylan Mordaunt, Research Fellow, Faculty of Education, Health, and Psychological Sciences, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images It might seem counter-intuitive in a sport built around speed, but the world governing body for competitive cycling wants to slow elite riders
Most Australians agree there’s a housing crisis. But they differ on what’s causing it – and how to fix it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Spies-Butcher, Associate professor of economy and society, Macquarie University Housing was a key issue during the 2025 federal election. In a campaign fought on the cost of living, rising housing costs – rents, mortgage repayments and house prices – were issues that that all parties had
A tiny fossil suggests bowerbirds once lived in ancient New Zealand – new research
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Steell, Research Fellow in Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge Getty Images Most of our knowledge of New Zealand’s prehistoric bird diversity comes from long-lost species with bones large enough to be studied by eye. But many bird bones are so tiny we can barely see their
A decade of Tarnanthi: how a festival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art creates a new national art history
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Speck, Emerita Professor, Art History and Curatorship, University of Adelaide Installation view: Too Deadly: Ten Years of Tarnanthi, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide. Photo: Saul Steed The Tarnanthi Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art began in 2015. The title of the exhibition
Testosterone levels decline with age, not menopause, despite what you’ve heard
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Davis, Chair of Women’s Health, Monash University MomentoJpeg/Getty Images Social media widely promotes testosterone as an essential part of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT, also known as hormone replacement therapy or HRT) to treat low mood, brain fog and loss of vitality. As a result, some women
There is little evidence AI chatbots are ‘bullying kids’ – but this doesn’t mean these tools are safe
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer in Communication, Deakin University Over the weekend, Education Minister Jason Clare sounded the alarm about “AI chatbots bullying kids”. As he told reporters in a press conference to launch a new anti-bullying review, AI chatbots are now bullying kids […] humiliating them, hurting
In her revenue era: the economics behind Taylor Swift’s 34 versions of The Life of a Showgirl
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Crosby, Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, Macquarie University Taylor Swift’s latest studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, has just enjoyed a second week on top of the Billboard charts, after smashing all-time sales records on its debut. In the United States alone, it sold more
Kia Ora Gaza marks 15th anniversary of Viva Palestina 5 solidarity convoy
Kia Ora Gaza Fifteen years ago today a contingent of six New Zealanders drove three aid-packed ambulances into Gaza as part of the epic international Viva Palestina 5 solidarity convoy of 145 vehicles — to a rock-star reception from locals. The featured PressTV report includes a short interview with Kia Ora Gaza team volunteer Hone
Opposition promises to repeal NZ marine and coastal rights law change
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter New Zealand’s opposition parties have promised to repeal the coalition government’s changes to the Marine and Coastal Area Act (MACA) if re-elected in the face of criticism over “mindsets of colonisation”. While the coalition has pitched the changes as restoring the legislation to its original intent, critics argue
Chris Hedges: Remove curse of Gaza genocide before it becomes the norm
This lecture “Requiem for Gaza” was delivered to a sold out audience at the University of South Australia in Adelaide after journalist Chris Hedges’ appearance was cancelled by the Australian National Press Club. EDWARD SAID MEMORIAL LECTURE: By Chris Hedges Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz
How damaging to the royal family is the scandal surrounding Prince Andrew?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dennis Altman, Vice Chancellor’s Fellow and Professorial Fellow, Institute for Human Security and Social Change, La Trobe University The latest allegations against Prince Andrew, in Virginia Giuffre’s book Nobody’s Girl, and reports that he and his wife, the Duchess of York, maintained contact with Jeffrey Epstein after
Syria’s new leader promised democracy. Then he excluded women from parliamentary elections
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kinda Alsamara, Lecturer in the School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Queensland Women’s political participation is often treated as a measure of a country’s commitment to equality and democracy. Earlier this year, Syria’s new leader, President Ahmed al-Sharaa, described his country as moving in a
White elephant? Hardly – Snowy 2.0 will last 150 years and work with batteries to push out gas
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National University Talbingo reservoir. Thennicke/Wikimedia, CC BY-NC-ND When Snowy 2.0 is in the news, it’s usually about money. The cost of the huge project has gone well beyond the initial A$6 billion estimate and will now cost more than $12 billion.
More whales are getting tangled in fishing gear and shark nets. Here’s what we can do
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olaf Meynecke, Research Fellow in Marine Science and Manager Whales & Climate Program, Griffith University Pacific Whale Foundation, CC BY This year’s whale season offered spectacular encounters with these majestic giants as thousands of whales migrated along Australia’s east coast. But behind the scenes, Australian scientists have
AI heavyweights call for end to ‘superintelligence’ research
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary-Anne Williams, Michael J Crouch Chair in Innovation, School of Management and Governance, UNSW Sydney Flavio Coelho / Getty Images I have worked in AI for more than three decades, including with pioneers such as John McCarthy, who coined the term “artificial intelligence” in 1955. In the
Hunters or collectors? New evidence challenges claim Australia’s First Peoples sent large animals extinct
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mike Archer, Professor, Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, UNSW Sydney Some of the Mammoth Cave megafauna. Peter Schouten from Archer et al., 2023. Tens of thousands of years ago, Australia was still home to enigmatic megafauna – large land animals such as giant marsupial wombats, flightless
