ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on December 2, 2025.
NZ is taking aim at feral cats. Are we ready for the ethical and practical implications?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Courtney Addison, Senior Lecturer, School of Science in Society, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images Conservationists have long anticipated the recent announcement that the national effort to eradicate possums, stoats and rats will now include feral cats. But the government’s decision
Copper theft is hitting building sites, street lights – and now phones. How do we stop it?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Terry Goldsworthy, Associate Professor in Criminal Justice and Criminology, Bond University Liz Minchin/The Conversation, CC BY From causing a major phone outage to shutting down street lights across parks, suburbs and roads, copper theft has become a clear public safety risk. Last week, Optus said a phone
Temperatures in a patch of Antarctic moss can vary as much as an entire mountain range
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Krystal Randall, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong Krystal Randall If you were to wander along the parts of Antarctica that are ice-free, you might be surprised to see something soft and luxurious growing right at your feet: deep green
What are small language models and how do they differ from large ones?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lin Tian, Research Fellow, Data Science Institute, University of Technology Sydney Tanmay Gosh/Pexels Microsoft just released its latest small language model that can operate directly on the user’s computer. If you haven’t followed the AI industry closely, you might be asking: what exactly is a small language
Immigration panic comes in waves. Data shows who worries most, and when
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Mayer, Associate Professor, School of History and Politics, University of Adelaide There are several predictable cycles in Australian public opinion, and one of them is the moral panic surrounding immigration. Some readers will remember the immigration panic of the 1990s, which gave rise to Pauline Hanson
Half of women at nightclubs recently faced sexual comments, groping, or forced kissing – new study
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kira Button, PhD Candidate in Psychology, Deakin University Pressmaster/Getty Images A night out should be about friends, dancing and fun. But our new research shows sexual harm is an all-too-common experience. We interviewed 232 nightlife patrons in Geelong, Victoria, and found half the women and almost one
Gold clam invasion in NZ threatens drinking water for millions of people
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Hartland, Adjunct Associate Professor, Lincoln University, New Zealand Michele Melchior, CC BY-ND As a geochemist studying New Zealand’s freshwater systems, I’ve spent years tracking the subtle chemical shifts in our rivers and lakes. But nothing prepared me for the rapid transformation unfolding in the Waikato River
Many super funds are still failing retirees, even as millions prepare to stop work
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natalie Peng, Lecturer in Accounting, The University of Queensland vitaly gariev/Unsplash Too many superannuation funds are still failing to provide sufficient support to retirees, three years after being urged to lift standards, Australia’s top regulators have warned. This failure to prepare comes despite the massive demographic wave
Christmas capers, a creepy clown and war-time stories: what we’re watching in December
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexa Scarlata, Lecturer, Digital Communication, RMIT University Netflix, HBO, AppleTV, Stan, ABC, The Conversation From alien hive minds, to a Fremantle-based crime caper, and a festive heist, this month’s screen picks feature leading characters at their messiest and most spirited. Vince Gilligan’s Plur1bus offers a darkly comic
A ‘forgotten hero’ against Imperial Japan, but the legacy of ‘Bintao’ Vinzons is being revived
COMMENTARY: By David Robie Vinzons is a quiet coastal town in the eastern Philippines province of Camarines Norte in Bicol. With a spread out population of about 45,000. it is known for its rice production, crabs and surfing beaches in the Calaguas Islands. But the town is really famous for one of its sons —
Iran’s president calls for moving its drought-stricken capital amid a worsening water crisis – how Tehran got into water bankruptcy
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Mirchi, Associate Professor of Water Resources Engineering, Oklahoma State University Iranians pray for rain in Tehran on Nov. 14, 2025. The city is experiencing its worst drought in decades. Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images Fall marks the start of Iran’s rainy season, but large parts of
West Papuan liberation fighters risk ‘extermination’ by Indonesia’s high-tech forces
As activist groups around the world observe December 1 — flag-raising “independence” day for West Papua today marking when the Morning Star flag was flown in 1961 for the first time — Kristo Langker reports from the Highlands about how the Indonesian military is raising the stakes. SPECIAL REPORT: By Kristo Langker in Kiwirok, West
Marles confirms Australia is monitoring Chinese ships, announces defence delivery shakeup
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Defence Minister Richard Marles has confirmed Australia is monitoring a flotilla of Chinese Navy ships currently in the Philippine Sea but with its destination unknown. Marles volunteered the information while announcing a shakeup that will establish a new Defence Delivery
Best books of 2025: our experts share their picks
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Ley, Deputy Books + Ideas Editor, The Conversation The end of the year means holiday celebrations, summer breaks … and for us, one important thing: best books lists. We asked 35 expert readers for their favourite picks, ranging from novelists to anthropologists, scientists to criminologists –
What charges does Benjamin Netanyahu face, and what’s at stake if he is granted a pardon?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Burgis-Kasthala, Professor of International Law, La Trobe University Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested a pardon in his long-running corruption trial – a move that has set off alarm bells among his critics that he’s trying to circumvent the rule of law. In a video
View from The Hill: Albanese’s wedding guestlist a mudmap to his inner power sanctum
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Those wanting to chart who’s in the prime minister’s inner sanctum need go no further than the political guests invited to his Saturday wedding. The list of about 60 attendees for The Lodge nuptials of Albanese and Jodie Haydon included
Death and devastation: why a rare equatorial cyclone and other storms have hit southern Asia so hard
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steve Turton, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography, CQUniversity Australia Rezan Soleh/AFP via Getty Images More than 900 people are dead, thousands more missing and millions affected by a band of cyclones and extreme monsoonal weather across southern Asia. Torrential rain has triggered the worst flooding in decades,
