ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on November 6, 2025.
New dates for French minister Moutchou’s visit to New Caledonia
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Newly appointed French Minister for Overseas Naïma Moutchou has now rescheduled her first visit to New Caledonia, which was postponed last week due to urgent budget talks in Paris. In the latest version of her schedule for next week, Moutchou now has earmarked the date November
Young people are increasingly being killed or injured on e-bikes. It’s time for governments to act
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor and Principal Fellow in Urban Risk and Resilience, The University of Melbourne In the span of just a few days, two children were killed in separate e-bike crashes in Queensland — one on the Sunshine Coast and another on the Gold Coast. Not
We studied 217 tropical cyclones globally to see how people died. Our findings might surprise you
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wenzhong Huang, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University Tropical Cyclone Ita off the shore of Queensland, Australia, 2014. NASA/NOAA via NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory/Flickr, CC BY Tropical cyclones – also known as hurricanes, typhoons or storms, depending on their location and
Even in a simple game, our brains keep score – and those scores shape every choice we make
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denise Moerel, Research Fellow in Cognitive Neuroscience, Western Sydney University Malte Mueller/Getty Images There’s an optimal strategy for winning multiple rounds of rock, paper, scissors: be as random and unpredictable as possible. Don’t pay attention to what happened in the last round. However, that’s easier said than
We studied 217 tropical cyclones globally to see how people died. Our findings might suprise you
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wenzhong Huang, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University Tropical Cyclone Ita off the shore of Queensland, Australia, 2014. NASA/NOAA via NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory/Flickr, CC BY Tropical cyclones – also known as hurricanes, typhoons or storms, depending on their location and
AI can help the government spend billions better. But humans have to be in charge
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marta Andhov, Associate Professor, Law School & Business School, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images The New Zealand government spends about NZ$51.5 billion each year – around 20% of GDP – on goods, services and infrastructure from third-party suppliers. It’s a lot, but how that
Taking prescription opioids for too long can be harmful. Here’s how to cut back and stop
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aili Langford, Pharmacist, Lecturer, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, Sydney Pharmacy School, The University of Sydney, University of Sydney Maskot/Getty Images Opioids, such as oxycodone, morphine, codeine, tramadol and fentanyl, are commonly prescribed to manage pain. You might be given a prescription when experiencing pain, or after surgery
How the plastics industry shifted responsibility for recycling onto you, the consumer
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Baker, Senior lecturer in Strategy, University of Adelaide Australia’s recycling system has been lurching from one crisis to another for decades. Soft-plastic schemes are collapsing, kerbside contamination is on the rise, and states are still struggling to coordinate a coherent national approach. But the deeper problem
Hundreds of genes act differently in the brains of men and women
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Graves, Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Vice Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University GettyImages Tek Image / Science Photo Library via Getty Images Differences between men and women in intelligence and behaviour have been proposed and disputed for decades. Now, a growing body of scientific evidence shows
Boys are still in the grip of crippling masculine stereotypes: 6 findings from a new survey
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Flood, Professor of Sociology, Queensland University of Technology Rigid norms of manhood, based in manly confidence and toughness, emotional stoicism, disdain for femininity, and dog-eat-dog banter, are influential among boys and young men in Australia. Between one quarter and one half of boys and young men
Peanut allergies have dropped dramatically in the US. Is that likely to happen in Australia?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Koplin, Evidence and Translation Lead, National Allergy Centre of Excellence; Chief Investigator, Centre of Food Allergy Research; Associate Professor and Group Leader, Childhood Allergy & Epidemiology Group, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland Charles Wollertz/Getty Images A new study published in the journal Pediatrics
Porn not ‘inherently harmful’, says first inquiry of its kind in Australia
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giselle Woodley, Lecturer and Research Fellow, Edith Cowan University The New South Wales parliament recently released a report exploring the impacts of pornography on people’s mental, emotional and physical health. It’s the first state-based inquiry of its kind, and rejects knee-jerk simplifications in favour of nuanced findings.
Making a stand against the global assault on press freedom
COMMENTARY: By Kasun Ubayasiri We are gathered here to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) National Media Section usually campaigns for journalists’ rights and industrial agency in Australia — but today, we join hands with the IFJ — International Federation of Journalists, the
‘Divest from genocide’ call by NZ university workers to UniSaver
Asia Pacific Report More than 700 academics have this week sent an open letter demanding the university retirement savings scheme UniSaver immediately divest from companies directly linked to Israel and genocide. This latest letter, organised by University Workers for Palestine (UW4P), has been signed by 715 people – almost double the number of 400 staff
Democratic election wins send Trump – and Republicans – a message: Americans blame them for government shutdown
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Wolpe, Non-resident Senior Fellow, United States Study Centre, University of Sydney One year and a day after Donald Trump won a second term as president – and on the 35th day of the US government shutdown, which has tied a record for the longest in history
Where’s nature positive? Australia must ensure environment reforms work to restore what’s been lost
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emille Boulot, Lecturer of Law, University of Tasmania Kai Wing Yiu/Getty For decades, conservation was focused on stemming how much nature was being lost. But a new era of nature positive environmental policy is taking hold worldwide, shifting from preventing further harm to restoring what’s been lost.
Could a ‘grey swan’ event bring down the AI revolution? Here are 3 risks we should be preparing for
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cameron Shackell, Sessional Academic, School of Information Systems, Queensland University of Technology James Lauritz/Getty The term “black swan” refers to a shocking event on nobody’s radar until it actually happens. This has become a byword in risk analysis since a book called The Black Swan by Nassim
Should police reveal a suspect’s racial identity and immigration status in serious crimes?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tamar Hopkins, Honorary fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of Melbourne British prosecutors have charged a 32-year-old British national with 10 counts of attempted murder in the mass stabbing attack that occurred on a train travelling from Doncaster to London on Saturday night. Another
