ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on August 25, 2025.
200,000 plus march in Australia to demand Canberra sanctions Israel, ends arms trade
By Pip Hinman and Alex Bainbridge of Green Left More than 200,000 people took the streets across Australia on Saturday in a national day of action demanding that the Labor government sanctions Israel and stops the two-way arms trade. It comes after 300,000 people marched, in driving rain, across Sydney Harbour Bridge on August 3
A ‘scathing’ report on RNZ’s performance obscures the good news – and the challenge of serving many audiences
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Thompson, Associate Professor in Media and Communication, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington The recent internal report on RNZ’s performance, variously described as “scathing” and “blunt” in news coverage, caused considerable debate about the state broadcaster’s performance and priorities – not all of it
The Liberals used to be the party for women – then John Howard came along
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Blair Williams, Lecturer in Australian Politics, Monash University It’s no secret the Liberal Party of Australia has a problem with women. The party has made headlines over the years for its toxic blokey “Big Swinging Dick” culture, underrepresentation of women in the party, and dwindling support from
Matt Robson: The Public’s Kiwibank on the Auction Block
Article by Matt Robson, former Alliance Party and New Zealand Government Cabinet Minister. The Initial vote on Kiwibank in the Labour-Alliance government in 2000 was 16 Labour against to 4 Alliance for. I was there when this was reversed, and in 2001 the 4 insurgent Alliance Ministers – Jim Anderton, Sandra Lee, Laila Harre and
NZ’s Christopher Luxon condemns Israel’s West Bank settlement plan
RNZ News Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is condemning Israel’s E1 settlement plan for the occupied West Bank, despite New Zealand not signing a joint statement on the matter. Twenty-seven countries, including the UK and Australia, have condemned Israel’s plans to build an illegal settlement east of Jerusalem. The countries have said the plan would “make
Officially, the unemployment rate is 4.2%. But that doesn’t count all the hidden workers in Australia
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sora Lee, Lecturer in Ageing and End of Life, La Trobe University Australia’s job market is facing a paradox. Employers across every major sector – from construction to healthcare – report crippling skills shortages. A key measure of skills shortages, the proportion of advertised vacancies filled, shows
AI systems are great at tests. But how do they perform in real life?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Douglas, Lecturer, Monash Bioethics Centre, Monash University Alexander Spatari / Getty Images Earlier this month, when OpenAI released its latest flagship artificial intelligence (AI) system, GPT-5, the company said it was “much smarter across the board” than earlier models. Backing up the claim were high scores
Israel’s attacks on Gaza are putting people with disabilities at extreme risk
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aleta Moriarty, PhD student, economic opportunities for people with autism, The University of Melbourne Recent images of an emaciated Gazan child, Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq, provoked global outrage. Some sought to minimise this harm, attributing it instead to pre-existing conditions or disability. But framing starvation deaths in
Long COVID is more than fatigue. Our new study suggests its impact is similar to a stroke or Parkinson’s
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Hitch, Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, Deakin University elenaleonova/Getty When most people think of COVID now, they picture a short illness like a cold – a few days of fever, sore throat or cough before getting better. But for many, the story doesn’t end there. Long
Yes, vets sometimes prescribe human drugs to pets. But don’t try it at home
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nial Wheate, Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Ayla Verschueren/Unsplash When your dog starts limping or your cat comes down with a sniffle, it’s natural to worry. For many families, pets are more than just animals – and we want them to have a standard of
Treasury has a great cost-benefit calculator for big-spending projects – we just need to use it better
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dennis Wesselbaum, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Otago jax10289/Getty Images What is the true value of a policy project? For governments tasked with improving citizens’ lives while spending taxpayers’ money responsibly, this is no mere academic question. It lies at the heart of good governance.
The triumph of the Oasis reunion: Resilience rules the day as the Gallaghers end their feud
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ramona Alaggia, Professor, Social Work, University of Toronto Noel and Liam Gallagher are seen on the jumbo screen at a recent concert in Edinburgh. (Lee-Anne Goodman) The long-awaited Oasis reunion tour is a rousing success. Since launching in Wales in July, the band has been selling out
How businesses deflect responsibilities for addressing modern slavery in their supply chains
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kam Phung, Assistant Professor of Business & Society, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University Despite growing awareness and legislation aimed at eradicating modern slavery — including forced labour, bonded labour and other extreme forms of human exploitation — efforts to combat the issue remain largely ineffective.
Data that is stored and not used has a carbon footprint. How companies can manage dark data better
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hanlie Smuts, Professor and Head of Department, University of Pretoria In today’s world, huge amounts of data are being created all the time, yet more than half of it is never used. It stays in silos, or isn’t managed, or can’t be accessed because systems change, or
Netanyahu remains unmoved by Israel’s lurch toward pariah status − but at home and abroad, Israelis are suffering the consequences
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Asher Kaufman, Professor of History and Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame Israel’s conduct in Gaza increasingly risks turning the state into a pariah. Whereas world leaders initially rallied around Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre by Hamas militants, the resulting destruction inside the Palestinian enclave
Albanese government to bring forward start of its home deposit guarantee changes
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government is bringing forward by three months to October 1 implementation of its 5% deposit guarantee for all first home buyers purchasing properties up to a specified limit. The universal guarantee was an election promise. The bring-forward, from
Bombs fail to silence West Papuan journalist Victor Mambor
By Alifereti Sakiasi in Suva West Papuan journalist Victor Mambor has vowed not to be silenced despite years of threats, harassment and even a bomb attack on his home. The 51-year-old founder and editor-in-chief of Jubi, West Papua’s leading media outlet, was in Fiji this week, where he spoke exclusively to The Fiji Times about
Is Israel becoming the nightmare prophecy it was meant to escape?
COMMENTARY: By Richard David Hames So here we are, 2025, and Israel has finally achieved what no terrorist group, no hostile neighbour, no antisemitic tyrant ever could: it has become the most dangerous country on earth — for its own people. Not because of rockets or boycotts, but because its government has decided that the
Asia-Pacific activists ready to set sail with largest-ever Gaza aid flotilla
Two New Zealand Palestinians, Rana Hamida and Youssef Sammour, left Auckland today to join the massive new Global Sumud Flotilla determined to break Israel’s starvation blockade of the besieged enclave. Here, two journalists report on the Asia-Pacific stake in the initiative. Ellie Aben in Manila and Sheany Yasuko Lai in Jakarta Asia-Pacific activists are preparing
FLNKS snubs Nouméa constitutional reform talks for New Caledonia
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk A newly established “drafting committee” held its inaugural meeting in Nouméa this week, aiming to translate the Bougival agreement — signed by New Caledonian political parties in Paris last month — into a legal and constitutional form. However, the first sitting of the committee on Thursday
