ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on January 16, 2026.
World-first social media wargame reveals how AI bots can swing elections
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hammond Pearce, Senior Lecturer, School of Computer Science & Engineering, UNSW Sydney Antoni Shkraba Studio/Pexels On December 14 2025, a terrorist attack occurred at Bondi Beach in Sydney Australia, leaving 15 civilians and one gunman dead. While Australia was still reeling in shock, social media saw the
After Scott Robertson, the All Blacks face a deeper question than who coaches next
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hoani Kristin Smith, Lecturer in Sport Management and Sport Science, Lincoln University, New Zealand Hannah Peters/Getty Images With Scott Robertson’s departure as All Blacks coach, New Zealand Rugby finds itself at a familiar crossroads. Yet, while coaching appointments come and go in elite sport, this moment demands
After decades of decline, this is how unions can rebuild their role in Australian work
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martijn Boersma, Associate Professor, University of Sydney Business School, University of Sydney As recently as the early 1990s, 40% of Australian workers were union members. While there was a slight increase in 2024 – the first in a decade – that membership is now at 13.1%. This
FLNKS sends in late request to join Paris talks on New Caledonia remotely
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk New Caledonia’s pro-independence Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) has put in a late request to join talks on the territory’s future remotely. The meeting, convened by French President Emmanuel Macron, is calling all politicians from the French Pacific territory back to the negotiating table.
Australia needs a canine brain bank to reduce the risk of dog attacks
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul McGreevy, Professor, School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney Milan Krasula/Getty Dog attacks are on the rise in Australia. The most recent data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show dog-related hospital admissions more than doubled in the eight years to 2021. Over 2021–22
5 things to make with mangoes that aren’t smoothies
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Margaret Murray, Senior Lecturer, Nutrition, Swinburne University of Technology Roman Odintsov/Pexels It’s mango season. They’re cheap, delicious, in the shops or you can buy trays at roadside stalls. But what can you actually do with a trayful? Sure, smoothies are great, but what if you want to
In the most cleared state in Australia, Victoria’s native wildlife needs our help after fires
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Victoria has just suffered some of its worst bushfires since the Black Summer fires of 2019–20. Over 400,000 hectares are estimated to have burnt so far, an area more than five
Do Woolworths shoppers want Google AI adding items to buy? We’ll soon find out
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Uri Gal, Professor in Business Information Systems, University of Sydney Woolworths has announced a partnership with Google to incorporate agentic artificial intelligence into its “Olive” chatbot, starting in Australia later this year. Until now, Olive has largely answered questions, resolved problems and directed shoppers to information. Soon,
How adults can use Stranger Things to talk to young people about their mental health
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Goldsmith, Tutor in Mental Health Nursing, Swinburne University of Technology Netflix Beyond its monsters and 1980s nostalgia, Stranger Things resonates because it tells stories of struggles familiar to young people: trauma that lingers, identity that wavers, and friendships that buffer against fear. And by turning inner
One cure for sour feelings about politics − getting people to love their hometowns
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sean Richey, Professor, Georgia State University A young girl holds Old Glory at an Independence Day celebration. SDI Productions/E+ via Getty Images Eileen Higgins won a historic victory in December. She became the first woman ever elected mayor of Miami, as well as its first Democratic mayor
Bondi Beach’s murderous terrorism aftermath – an Aotearoa perspective
COMMENTARY: By Ian Powell On 14 December 2025, a father and son, reportedly linked to the ISIS clerical fascist organisation, committed a murderous attack on innocent participants at a Jewish celebration on Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach. Fifteen were killed and around 40 seriously injured. There is no way this horrific event can be minimised. It
Mixed reactions to shock axing of All Blacks coach Scott Robertson
By Adam Burns, RNZ News reporter There has been mixed reaction in parts of New Zealand’s red-and-black country — Canterbury — following the shock axing of All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. New Zealand Rugby (NZR) confirmed today the 51-year-old known as “Razor” had departed the position two years early following a recent end-of-season review. A
View from The Hill: Sussan Ley wedged by her own troops on Albanese omnibus legislation
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Anthony Albanese’s omnibus bill on hate speech and gun reform is once again exposing Sussan Ley’s lack of authority over her colleagues. Ley on Thursday declared the bill was “pretty unsalvageable”, flagging the Coalition’s expected opposition in next week’s special
One uprising, two stories: how each side is trying frame the uprising in Iran
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University Since the outbreak of the current wave of protests in Iran, two sharply competing narratives have emerged to explain what is unfolding in the streets. For the ruling establishment, the unrest is portrayed as a foreign-engineered plot. They
Caitlin Johnstone: On ‘leftists’ and ‘anarchists’ who cheer for regime change in Iran
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone Is there anything more undignified than “leftists” and “anarchists” who cheer on the fall of empire-targeted governments even as the empire moves war machinery into place? Ooh look at me, I’m sticking it to the man by supporting the same agendas as
