ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on January 26, 2026.
Samoan playwright found dead in prison, local media report
RNZ Pacific Samoan playwright, author and poet Papali’i Sia Figiel has died in prison, according to local media reports. Local media, citing sources at the country’s main correctional facility in Apia, are reporting that Papali’i, 58, was found dead in her prison cell on Monday. She was being held at Tanumalala Prison, awaiting her next
Kalafi Moala: My view of tyrannical Trump
COMMENTARY: By Kalafi Moala, publisher of Talanoa ‘o Tonga As a journalist based in Tonga, I have chosen mostly to refrain from giving a view of US President Donald Trump, one way or another, as I thought that he would sooner or later get over his incredible childishness and tyrannical behavior, and start doing something
A major overhaul of NZ’s local government is underway – will it really fix what’s broken?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Guy C. Charlton, Associate Professor, University of New England Phil Walter/Getty Images With a general election looming, the largest shake-up of New Zealand’s local government system in three decades sits on the table. New Zealanders are being invited to have their say on the draft policy proposal,
Opposition to moving Australia Day from January 26 is hardening: new research
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lowe, Chair in Contemporary History, Deakin University Australians are deeply divided over whether January 26 is an appropriate day to celebrate Australia Day – and we are no longer debating it as much as doubling down in entrenched camps. Over the past five years, we have
Comfort them or let them tough it out? How parents shape a child’s pain response
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Pate, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, University of Technology Sydney Atlantic Ambience/Pexels It happens in slow motion. Your six-year-old daughter is sprinting across the playground at school drop-off time when her toe catches on uneven ground. She goes down hard. The playground goes silent. She freezes and
Human composting, natural burials, water cremation: greener ways to go when you die
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sandra van der Laan, Professor of Accounting, University of Sydney Photo by DEAD GOOD LEGACIES/Sarah Johnson Photography on Unsplash All of us, sooner or later, will need to make a decision about the final resting place for ourselves or a loved one. But the usual options offered
Practise using bags and lunchboxes: how to build your child’s confidence as they start school
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fiona Boylan, Senior Lecturer, School of Education, Edith Cowan University Wander Women Collective/ Getty Images Starting school is a big moment in a child’s life. It is a time filled with new routines, new people and new places. These changes can also mean it is sometimes a
How this ‘dirtbag’ billionaire chose to do capitalism differently
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wendy Scaife, Adjunct Associate Professor and Director, Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies, Queensland University of Technology Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Few people globally have influenced business, sport, the environment and philanthropy like Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard. Chouinard’s inventive approach across these spheres makes
Curious Kids: in ancient Egypt, what was the Sphinx all about?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Serena Love, Honorary Research Fellow in Archaeology, The University of Queensland Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images In ancient Egypt, what was the Sphinx all about? – Effie, age 8, New Plymouth, New Zealand. One of the most mysterious and iconic monuments of ancient Egypt is
Astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg is 2026 Australian of the Year
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The first Australian to qualify as an astronaut under Australia’s space program, Katherine Bennell-Pegg, is the 2026 Australian of the Year. Bennell-Pegg, 41, who has yet to go to space, graduated from Basic Astronaut Training in 2024 as part of
Gaza peacekeeping deployment – five clear questions Fiji cannot ignore
ANALYSIS: By Jim Sanday The recent announcement by Fiji’s Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs that Fiji will consider contributing troops to a proposed international stabilisation force in Gaza imposes a responsibility on all of us to ask the hard questions before the decision is finalised by Cabinet. At the outset, let’s all be clear
Albanese takes safe course, appointing defence chief Greg Moriarty to replace Kevin Rudd
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has appointed the Secretary of the Defence Department, Greg Moriarty, to be Australia’s new ambassador to Washington, succeeding Kevin Rudd, who leaves the position in March. The highly-respected senior bureaucrat is a safe choice, and his
