ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on January 1, 2026.
What are your new year’s reading resolutions? 6 dedicated readers share theirs
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jo Case, Senior Deputy Books + Ideas Editor, The Conversation Annija/Pexels When we think about new year’s resolutions, we often think about changing our habits or new setting goals around food, exercise and work. But why not take our reading seriously too? Social media reading platforms often
Focus apps claim to improve your productivity. Do they actually work?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dwain Allan, Lecturer, School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury Pomodoro Cat/Forest/Focus Friend/Focus To-Do It’s hardly a revelation that we’re living in an era of distraction and smartphone addiction. Our phones interrupt us, hijack our attention, and tempt us into scrolling. Even when we aren’t
Cabinet papers 2005: WorkChoices, Afghanistan and climate change take centre stage
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lee, Associate Professor of History, UNSW Sydney Today, the National Archives of Australia (NAA) released a key selection of records of the Australian Cabinet and its National Security Committee from 2005. The election in October 2004 had given the Howard government a commanding majority in the
If you get lost in the bush, can you really survive by drinking your own pee?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Barton, Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University Brook Attakorn/Getty TV adventurer Bear Grylls has built a global reputation through his often unconventional and sometimes extreme survival feats to stay hydrated. He has squeezed moisture from elephant dung, sipped the contents of camel intestines,
Are you a hellraiser mite or a knobbled weevil? Take the quiz and vote for NZ’s Bug of the Year
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Connal McLean, PhD Candidate in Zoology, University of Otago The black tunnelweb spider. Samuel Purdie, CC BY-NC The New Zealand velvet worm’s reign as Bug of the Year is coming to an end, with voting now open for the 2026 competition. This year, 21 nominees are vying
Worker exploitation can hide in plain sight. Here’s how to ensure an ethical summer holiday
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Naduni Madhavika, Doctoral Researcher, Social Sustainability in Tourism, University of Tasmania If they haven’t already, many Australians will soon head off for summer holidays. But behind every smooth check-in, cocktail or airport gate smile is one of more than an estimated 270 million tourism workers – about
Inside scoop: the 2,500-year history of ice-cream
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Garritt C. Van Dyk, Senior Lecturer in History, University of Waikato Alison Pang/Unsplash We all scream for ice-cream, especially as temperatures soar in the summer. Ancient civilisations had the same desire for a cold, sweet treat to cope with heat waves. There are plenty of contenders claiming