Wednesday 18th of March 2026 06:46:11 PM
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ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for March 2, 2026

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ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on March 2, 2026.

Booked to travel through the Middle East? Here’s why you shouldn’t cancel your flight
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natasha Heap, Lecturer in Aviation, University of Southern Queensland Travellers are being advised not to cancel their tickets for flights through the Middle East and check with their airlines, as airspace remains closed indefinitely. If travellers cancel a ticket, they may lose some of their consumer rights

Last total lunar eclipse until 2029 is coming tomorrow – don’t miss it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tanya Hill, Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria Research Institute; The University of Melbourne On Tuesday March 3, the Moon will pass directly through Earth’s shadow, creating a total lunar eclipse. Best of all, Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand are in a prime position to watch the show.

After a sports hall in Iran was bombed, witnesses describe chaos and ‘continuous screaming’
By Mahmoud Aslan in Lamerd, southern Iran Dozens of teenage girls were attending their regular training sessions of volleyball, basketball, and gymnastics in the main sports hall in Lamerd, a city near the Persian coast, when a missile slammed into the building at 5pm on Saturday. Additional strikes hit two nearby residential areas and a

Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu issue advisories amid US-Israeli strikes on Iran
RNZ Pacific The governments of Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu have issued advisories for their nationals in the Middle East to remain calm and take the necessary precautions due to US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran. Fiji’s Embassy in Abu Dhabi said Fijian nationals who were not residents of the United Arab Emirates should register with the

Labor down in Newspoll and Redbridge polls, with One Nation still in a clear second position
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne New federal polls from Newspoll and Redbridge have Labor’s primary vote dropping, with One Nation seven or nine points ahead of the Coalition in second place. Labor

AI is already creeping into election campaigns. NZ’s rules aren’t ready
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Lensen, Senior Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington If you’re often on social media, you’ve probably seen it: the deluge of low-quality, artificial intelligence-made material clogging up our feeds. So-called “AI slop” – the Macquarie Dictionary’s Word of the Year

Luxon defends NZ’s position on Iran attacks – same as Australia
RNZ News Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says New Zealand’s stance on the United States and Israeli bombing of Iran mirrors that of Australia. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government supported the United States acting to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. A statement by Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters yesterday “acknowledges” the strikes.

Bad Bunny says reggaeton is Puerto Rican, but it was born in Panama
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Frizzell, PhD Student in Sociology, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Bad Bunny likes to remind the world where he and his music come from. In “EoO,” a song from his 2025 album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” he raps, “‘Tás escuchando música de Puerto

Victory in Gorton and Denton is historic for the Greens – and cataclysmic for Britain’s two-party politics
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Tonge, Professor of Politics, University of Liverpool The Green party’s dramatic capture of Gorton and Denton, supposedly one of Labour’s safest parliamentary constituencies, offers yet more evidence of the fragmentation of British politics. The Green candidate, 34-year-old plumber Hannah Spencer, won 40.69% of the vote, a

How to whistle: the art and history of our shrillest skill
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wendy Hargreaves, Academic in the School of Education and Creative Arts, University of Southern Queensland Whether you whistle or not, you can’t escape whistlers. They’re dog owners, construction workers, day dreamers, concertgoers and annoying sports fans whose shrill makes you wish for earplugs. And there are tradies

Meet the ‘Old Mother Goose’ from NZ’s subtropical prehistoric past
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nic Rawlence, Associate Professor in Ancient DNA, University of Otago During the early to mid Miocene period, 14 to 19 million years ago, a vast lake covered much of what is now Central Otago. Along the shores of Lake Manuherikia, whose remnants are found near present-day St

From high-tech greenhouses to fruit netting: how protected cropping can shield crops from climate extremes
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Bacic, Professor of Plant Biology, La Trobe University For many of us, food is something we buy at a supermarket or order at a cafe. We usually give little thought to the complex systems required to produce and deliver it – until they stop working. It’s

Back at uni? How to help your wellbeing while you study
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew J. Martin, Scientia Professor and Professor of Educational Psychology, UNSW Sydney University can be a time of great opportunities, but it can also be very stressful. Many students need to support themselves financially and may be living away from home. Students are also under constant deadlines

New study finds 6 types of ‘discouraged’ workers in Australia – and why they stop job-hunting
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sora Lee, Lecturer in Ageing and End of Life, La Trobe University When we hear that Australia’s unemployment rate is low, it sounds like good news. The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines an unemployed person as someone who is not working but is actively looking for a

Critics say weak NZ response over US-Israel attacks on Iran a ‘disgrace’
Asia Pacific Report New Zealand’s weak response to the unprovoked and illegal United States and Israel attacks on Iran at the weekend has stirred strong criticism from many quarters. A former New Zealand prime minister, Helen Clark, who also held a top United Nations position for eight years, labelled the government’s response “a disgrace”. “In

Trump and Netanyahu want regime change, but Iran’s regime was built for survival. A long war is now likely
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, Australian National University; The University of Western Australia; Victoria University The joint US–Israel strikes on Iran, which killed the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes on Israel and neighbouring Arab countries have again plunged the

Bipartisan support for US attack on Iran, but Greens says it is ‘abhorrent’
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government has backed the American strike on Iran, while confirming Australia was not given prior warning. Federal cabinet’s national security committee met early Sunday. Although supporting what has been done, the government is emphasising Australia is not a

Pesta Babi – ‘Pig Feast’ . . . a vivid new film exposing Papua’s political ecology
REVIEW: Jubi Media Yasinta Moiwend was startled when, on a quiet morning, a massive ship docked at her village pier in West Papua. The vessel carried hundreds of excavators and was escorted by military forces. It was the first convoy of 2000 heavy machines to arrive in Papua under a National Strategic Project for food

At a glance: US-Israel attack on Iran
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Digital Storytelling Team, The Conversation The US and Israel have launched joint coordinated attacks on Iran, prompting retaliatory strikes from Iran on Israel and US military bases in the region. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader for 36 years, has been killed in the strikes, Iranian state

Neither preemptive nor legal, US-Israeli strikes on Iran have blown up international law
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shannon Brincat, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, University of the Sunshine Coast The joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran represent a further erosion of the international legal order. Under international law, these attacks are neither preemptive nor lawful. Israel and the United States launched Operation Shield

Firearms owners say gun laws overhaul doesn’t go far enough to undo ‘damage’

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A selection of firearms which are now prohibited, on display to media at a 2022 police press conference. RNZ / Ana Tovey

Firearms owners say the government’s overhaul of gun laws doesn’t go far enough to undo the “damage that was done” after the 15 March terror attacks.

A Muslim leader, meanwhile, told MPs to consider public safety over what was convenient for firearms owners.

Parliament’s Justice Committee has been hearing in-person submissions on the country’s new gun regulations, put forward in the Arms Bill.

Many licensed firearms owners expressed concerns the changes don’t go far enough, while the Police Association has criticised the new regulator being set up without sworn officers.

Support ‘with reservations’ from firearms groups

On Monday morning, MPs heard from firearms groups, gun control advocates, and the union representing police.

Much of the submissions from firearms groups focused on their problems with the existing legislation, and whether they thought the new bill would assuage them.

The New Zealand Deerstalkers Association supported the bill, with “some reservations,” feeling it did not go far enough.

“It fails to meaningfully unwind many of the bad policy decisions, the over regulation and the structural failures introduced since 2019, said chief executive Gwyn Thurlow.

“Farmers, land owners, and conservation agencies are calling for more effective game animal control and pest eradication and biodiversity outcomes but successive governments had stigmatised the use of firearms. This has not been resolved by this bill.”

Thurlow felt political fear and media pressure had “constrained” the bill.

“When lawful, fit and proper people exit the system because it has become too difficult, too intrusive, too hostile to engage with, public safety is not improved.”

Zac Dodunski, from the Taranaki branch of the New Zealand Antique and Historical Arms Association said the new legislation was the “first steps” in the right direction, considering the “damage that was done” post-Christchurch.

Fish and Game New Zealand supported the bill, but suggested “practical gaps” could be filled, such as making agency-owned firearms registered to the agency, not the individual employee.

The bill would also keep the firearms registry implemented after the 15 March attacks.

Despite supporting the intent of the bill, the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners (COLFO) said there remained a level of mistrust from firearms owners that information would be kept safe.

“The continued perception that the registry will magically solve gun crime, despite worldwide evidence to the contrary, will continue to be a bureaucratic burden around the New Zealand taxpayer’s neck,” said COLFO’s chair Brad Gallop.

New regulator questioned

The new regulator, without sworn police officers, was also met with concern.

The Police Association’s president Steve Watt said it was appropriate that the governance of the regulator and the enforcer were the same.

“Police being part of the FSA is an extremely important issue for us, as it does provide safety and security for our members, in the sense that there is coherent information sharing, and there is a robust system in place whereby we can share that information and make sure that safety and security is at the forefront,” he said.

“When we consider all the things that can be simplified, firearms isn’t one of them.”

Philippa Yasbek, co-founder of Gun Control NZ, said the bill’s “hostility” towards police involvement in the regulator was risky.

Yasbek said the bill was “not terrible, but it is messy” and anticipated Parliament would have to fix the legislation “many, many times” if the bill was passed in its current state.

But COLFO supported the change, with Gallop calling for a separate legal entity to ensure distinct separation of powers.

He had concerns that the FSA would still be part of police from a budgetary perspective, meaning police could still have influence on the FSA.

“There are still some issues around the bureaucracy that has been created by the FSA that have overly complicated licensed firearms owners to both renew their license and also transact on a day to day basis with the FSA,” he said.

“The issue we have is not with licensed firearms owners’ ability to register their firearms. The issue is the mistrust within the firearms community of the ability of the police at the moment to keep that information safe.”

The process of appointing a chief executive to the FSA was “significant,” Yasbek said, as she felt it was an “unconstitutionally precedented arrangement.”

She called for a merit-based appointment, with the process led by the Public Service Commission, instead of one appointed by the Governor-General.

“The risk cuts both ways, it could be that someone’s appointed who I think is far too close to the gun lobby. Alternatively, governments change, and suddenly it’s someone who’s seen as completely hostile to gun owners.”

Abdur Razzaq from the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand also opposed the method of appointing a chief executive.

“There needs to be a merit-based approach, and when that merit-based approach is bypassed by political appointees, under whatever guise, I don’t think we could accept that.”

Razzaq said the convenience of lawful firearms owners should never come above public safety, and called on the committee to keep the “tangible grief, the lasting grief, the memory, and the legacy” of the 51 people who died in the terror attacks in mind as it considered the bill.

“The bill is not only about making the whole licensing system more efficient, it is not only about making the system more convenient for lawful users, and there are many Muslim licensed gun users. It should also be about, does it make New Zealand safer? We request this last metric be the central argument in your deliberations. That should be the litmus test.”

He told the MPs on the committee the future of the nation’s safety and wellbeing was in their hands.

“You will be accountable,” he said.

What does the bill do?

The bill as introduced would repeal and replace the 1983 Act, introducing new penalties and tougher restrictions for gang members.

Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee had sought a carve out for competitive shooters to access military-style semi-automatic firearms, but failed.

It would also reform the Firearms Safety Authority without sworn police officers, and headed up by its own chief executive, who would report to the firearms minister, instead of the police minister.

At its first reading in December, Labour supported the bill, while the Greens and Te Pāti Māori opposed it.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Actor Awards 2026: See which nominees are taking home a win

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Now, it’s time for the Actors.

The show formerly known as the SAG Awards is taking place, as the last major stop for many nominees before the Oscars on 15 March. The Actor Awards are voted on by members of the Screen Actors Guild, which this year placed Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another ahead of the pack with seven nominations total.

Sinners from director Ryan Coogler scored five nods, with individual recognition for recent BAFTA winner Wunmi Mosaku, along with Michael B. Jordan – who pulled double duty playing twins – and newcomer Miles Caton. The acclaimed vampire-period hybrid film is also nominated for its ensemble as a whole, as well as for best stunt ensemble.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Booked to travel through the Middle East? Here’s why you shouldn’t cancel your flight

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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natasha Heap, Lecturer in Aviation, University of Southern Queensland

Travellers are being advised not to cancel their tickets for flights through the Middle East and check with their airlines, as airspace remains closed indefinitely.

If travellers cancel a ticket, they may lose some of their consumer rights and ability to claim refunds.

The US and Israeli bombing of Iran and the closure of airspace and airports is affecting all global airlines that fly through the region. The closures will have a flow-on effect, leading to significant disruption to the global airline industry that may take weeks to clear.

Tens of thousands of travellers affected

The Middle East is home to three of the world’s largest airlines: Emirates and Etihad, both in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar Airways, based in Qatar.

Over the past 20 years, the region has become the global hub of international aviation. It is not only the three airlines that call the region home that are affected by the current conflict.

Emirates has issued a notice to all passengers advising it has suspended all operations to and from Dubai until 3pm UAE time on March 2.

Passengers booked to travel on or before March 5 have two options: rebook on an alternative flight or request a refund. Etihad has issued similar advice. Qatar is referring travellers to its app.

Other carriers that fly through the region, such as Lufthansa have also issued notices to their passengers.

Virgin Australia and Qantas’ operations are not directly affected by the airspace closure. However, some passengers may be affected if travelling on partner airlines. It is essential for people due to travel to check with their airline.

Travel insurance for cancellations is unlikely to be helpful, because acts of war that disrupt travel are explicitly excluded from coverage.

It could take weeks to clear the backlog of travellers just from the past weekend. US President Donald Trump has said the operations could last for “4 weeks or less”.

Tens of thousands of travellers are stranded in the Middle East waiting for the airspace to reopen so they can continue their journey.

The General Civil Aviation Authority in the UAE announced the UAE government will bear the cost of accommodating all stranded passengers in their country. There are around 20,000 people stranded in the UAE, and many more in other countries across the region.

Plans in place to keep passengers safe

Airlines have been watching the rising tensions in the region very closely. They’re used to dealing with unexpected operational disruptions.

With the major shutdown of Middle Eastern airspace in June 2025 still fresh in people’s minds, the airlines were quick to factor that experience into their decisions this time around.

The current situation is a little different to June 2025. Following US and Israeli bombing of targets in Iran at the weekend, Iran responded with missiles and drones that hit both civilian and military targets in several countries across the region.

Dubai International Airport and Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport were both hit by drone attacks or debris. Both of these airports are for civil use. They are not military assets.

This is not the first time airports in the region have come under attack. In January 2022, Houthi forces in Yemen launched a drone attack on Abu Dhabi’s airport. Three people were killed.

The airline hubs have few alternatives

Some airlines affected by the airspace closure will be able to adjust their schedules and routes to avoid the area to try and lessen the impact both to their passengers and their business profitability.

However, the carriers that call the Middle East home have built their networks and highly profitable businesses using the hub and spoke model. They bring passengers into the hub, which is a transfer point to then fly them onward to their destinations. With the airspace closed, these airlines cannot bring passengers in or fly them out.

It would be nearly impossible for the main carriers in the Middle East to temporarily move their base of operations to another country.

They are large organisations. Emirates currently has a fleet of 261 passenger aircraft in service. Simply finding a place to park all the aeroplanes would be a significant challenge.

Complex systems within systems

Running an airline is like putting together a complex jigsaw puzzle with constantly moving pieces.

Beyond the aircraft, airlines need large teams of pilots and cabin crew, as well as extensive catering, cleaning, refuelling and maintenance operations. These systems are highly integrated and location-specific. This makes it extremely difficult to relocate or replicate them in another country at short notice.

Currently, the Middle Eastern carriers have large numbers of aircraft, crew and passengers stranded at the far reaches of their networks. For all airlines, the safety and security of their passengers and crew is their priority.

When the airspace reopens, airlines will face significant challenges to work through the backlog of stranded passengers. Extra flights and adjustments to schedules will likely be needed.

It remains unclear how long the airspace will be closed. But the airlines will already be working on plans to restore full operations quickly and safely when the time comes.

Will this latest airspace closure reduce demand for travel through the Middle East? It may in the short term. However, people will continue to travel. The Middle Eastern airline hubs are geographically located for global connectivity. The hope is the current military action and regional instability will be short-lived.

– ref. Booked to travel through the Middle East? Here’s why you shouldn’t cancel your flight – https://theconversation.com/booked-to-travel-through-the-middle-east-heres-why-you-shouldnt-cancel-your-flight-277191

Former solider and sex offender Adrien Bell’s volunteer work sparks concern

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Just Zilch. RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham

There are concerns that a former soldier sentenced to home detention for filming young people using a bathroom for six years is now volunteering at a Palmerston North food rescue charity.

Adrien Bell, who also goes by the surname Bennett, has volunteered at Just Zilch since the New Year break.

Just Zilch takes donations from local suppliers, such as supermarkets and cafes, and distributes the food to people in need.

It’s understood other volunteers weren’t initially told of Bell’s history, although some are now aware.

Just Zilch said although it can’t comment on individual volunteers, it’s important to properly address concerns.

Open Justice reported in 2024 that Bell, a former army corporal, was sentenced to 10 months’ home detention after he admitted one charge each of committing an indecent act on a young person and possessing an intimate visual recording, and two charges of making an intimate visual recording.

A court summary said Bell put a hidden camera in a bathroom of a home, capturing images of naked people between 2014 and 2020. One of the victims was a girl aged 11-13, and other victims were in their teens.

Videos of them were found on Bell’s laptop, Open Justice reported.

A Just Zilch volunteer, who RNZ has agreed not to name due to worries they would lose their position at the charity, said Bell hadn’t caused problems with his behaviour there.

But, they felt his presence around vulnerable people – volunteers and people who received food donations – was a concern. They said young people would also volunteer at Just Zilch and work at its Featherston Street location, in central Palmerston North, at the same time as Bell.

The volunteer was told by a fellow charity worker who Bell was and to Google the Open Justice story, which was also published on the RNZ website.

“It was like, ‘Oh my god.’ I knew I had seen that story. I knew when I saw him that I knew him from somewhere, but I couldn’t think where.

“He makes no secret of the fact he’s ex army, but there’s no story as to why he gave up the army.

“Basically every day I do a shift the army comes up in conversation.”

Another former volunteer told RNZ they wouldn’t feel comfortable with Bell’s presence.

In a statement to RNZ, Just Zilch board chairperson Angela Rowan said: “While we’re unable to comment on individual Just Zilch employees or volunteers due to privacy reasons, given the nature of these concerns it is incredibly important to us that they are addressed properly in a way that respects all people involved.

“The safety of our volunteers, employees and clients is a non-negotiable,” she said.

“We balance our obligations to our people with our kaupapa and mission to minimise waste and support food security in our community, while upholding our values of kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, without judgement, and justice.”

RNZ asked about the charity’s policies and procedures for vetting volunteers.

“We have identified ways to improve how we onboard people, and are working with professional advisers to support this mahi,” Rowan said.

Open Justice reported that Bell was no longer working for the army by the time he was sentenced.

He could not be reached for comment.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Death after man’s methadone dose changed

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Andy Dean Photography/ 123rf

Two people had their therapeutic methadone doses changed by Te Whatu Ora against their will, with one man dying of an overdose only six weeks later, according to two separate rulings by the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC).

In one case, a pharmacy mistakenly gave one woman – known as Ms A – nearly double her normal dose because her name was similar to that on another prescription.

In the other case, a man who the report calls Mr A died of “mixed drug toxicity” in September 2021, six weeks after he was rapidly taken off methadone involuntarily by HNZ’s Addiction Services in Bay of Plenty.

The case of Mr A

A had been on methadone as part of opioid substitution treatment for the past 30 years.

But in June 2020, he voluntarily began reducing his dose, with the goal of coming off it completely, as he was finding the conditions of the programme “burdensome”.

Mr A was also a habitual user of cyclizine, an antihistamine known to enhance the effects of opioids, which he took for seasickness while fishing.

At an appointment in November 2020, he was reminded of the need to attend regular appointments despite reducing his methadone use, and “it was noted he would not commit to ongoing attendance”.

In response, the frequency of his appointments was increased to monthly, which commissioner Morag McDowell found in her report to have been “counterproductive”, considering he was already finding the programme “onerous”.

After 10 months of “gradual recession”, the report found, Addiction Services decided he was showing a lack of engagement with the service, as he was failing to attend appointments and decided his prescribed methadone dose “would be withdrawn rapidly unless engagement improved”.

Between 7 August and 14, 2021, Mr A was discharged from the programme involuntarily, and his access to methadone cut off.

Six weeks later, he died from “mixed dose toxicity”, with the drugs in his system including methadone, to which he would have decreased tolerance due to the withdrawal.

The commissioner noted Health New Zealand’s approach seemed “punitive”.

“I am highly critical that Mr A’s treatment was withdrawn involuntarily contrary to accepted standards and practice, at a dangerously rapid rate, and without appropriate discussion of the risks of opioid overdose, management of possible opioid overdose, or how A could re engage with treatment or obtain support from a consumer advocate,” she says.

It recommended Health NZ write an apology to Mr A’s family.

In the report, Health NZ maintained monthly contact was a standard requirement under their protocols, and while in some cases clients could be encouraged to attend meetings by “holding doses”, this would most likely have resulted in a complete withdrawal from methadone rather than a scheduled one, and “the risks and results of undertaking such a strategy may have been the same”.

The commissioner is also critical of the pharmacist involved, who reduced A’s dose on a number of occasions without signoff from Health NZ.

The pharmacy that employed them said it “would not be usual practice to decrease doses of methadone without authorisation from the prescriber”.

The pharmacist claimed Health NZ had signed off on the change, and there were records to prove it, but those could not be produced, and the pharmacist had by now left that pharmacy.

The case of Ms A

In the second case published this week, a woman – known in the report as Ms A – had been receiving methadone as part of opioid substitution treatment since 2009.

In June 2023, Ms A was told by her case manager that due to the fact that she had recently injected some illicit opioids, along with some missed appointments and medical reviews, she should switch to buprenorphine.

When Ms A declined, HNZ began to reduce her dose of methadone, supposedly to reduce her risk of an overdose.

According to the report: “Once the dose reduction began, Ms A and her partner repeatedly told the service that she was not coping well physically or psychologically and that she was at risk of self-harming and of ‘purchasing drugs and overdosing’. Ms A was not offered any physical or psychological support. Limited contact was initiated by the Addiction Service.”

She switched to buprenorphine, but did not tolerate it well, and switched back.

Commissioner McDowell also criticised HNZ for then “delay[ing] optimisation of Ms A’s treatment by requiring her to undergo unnecessary and onerous serum-level testing”.

She recommended HNZ provide a written apology to Ms A.

It has also referred Health NZ Bay of Plenty to the HDC’s director of proceedings to consider whether legal action was warranted, due to the severity of the departures from accepted standards.

Separately, in 2023, a case of mistaken identity saw her pharmacist at Unichem Greerton hand her the wrong prescription – a dose of 90mg of methadone rather than 40mg – because her first name was similar to that of another patient.

The commissioner said the error was caused by a “momentary lapse in attention”, but if Unichem Greerton had had appropriate policies and procedures in place, it would have reduced the risk of such mistakes.

Unichem Greerton, quoted in the report, said it was disappointing that the dispensing error occurred and that it was sorry.

It assured the commissioner that methadone dispensing was “treated with utmost seriousness” and until this event it had maintained an eight-year record of no methadone dispensing errors.

Since the error it had made the following changes:

  • Different patient dosages were now more clearly separated in the controlled drug safe.
  • All pharmacists had discussed the importance of accurately identifying the correct dosage and name selected at the time of giving the dosage, and of taking enough time to do this carefully – even at busy times.
  • Pharmacists had completed a refresher course on opioid substitution therapy.
  • The pharmacy now had a doublecheck process, where a second dispensary staff member must doublecheck the patient against the dose.
  • Notes are put on the files of patients with similar names.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Wāhine Māori acknowledged with awards for cancer research

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Katya Hutton. Supplied / Cancer Society

Three emerging Māori researchers leading innovative projects to improve cancer outcomes for whānau Māori will receive this year’s Māori Cancer Researcher Award.

Their research range from exploring how papakāinga living can strengthen the practice of Rongoā Māori, to developing next-generation immunotherapies with fewer side effects, to enhancing genomic tools that more accurately predict treatment responses for Māori and Pasifika patients.

This is the fifth year for the awards, which are a partnership between Te Kāhui Matepukupuku o Aotearoa (Cancer Society New Zealand) and Hei Āhuru Mōwai Māori Cancer Leadership Aotearoa.

This year, two PhD scholarships and a master’s scholarship have been awarded.

Rongoā Māori practitioner and researcher Robbie Richardson (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Hauiti ki Rata, Te Whanau a Apanui, Ngāti Tuwharetoa) is completing her doctoral research through Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuārangi.

Her work focuses on her whānau’s ancestral home, Mangamāhoe, exploring how papakāinga living and Rongoā Māori practices can help protect whānau and whenua in the face of PFAS contamination from the neighbouring Ohakea Air Force Base – chemicals that persist in the environment for more than 150 years and have been linked to increased cancer risk.

For Richardson, the impact was real not just on her community but within her whānau as her father passed away from cancer a year after residents were first informed of the contamination.

“So there we are with my dad not even 200, 300 meters living from the Ohakea Air Force Base all his 83 years, only having eaten from the land, drank the water from the land, animals such as like chooks and all of that sort of stuff, and all of the vegetation and the crops, that’s all he’s known. He very rarely had takeaways.”

The revelation of PFAS contamination was a shock to community with the Base taking a long time to engage with the papakāinga, she said.

“It’s what they call a forever chemical, so it stays, it moves in water, it doesn’t dissipate in water. So the impact to the whenua is 150 years plus that it will then be able to move out of the so-called red zone.”

Robbie Richardson. Supplied / Cancer Society

Richardson has been practising Rongoā Māori for more than 15 years, among the goals for her research include building evidence for Rongoā Māori within cancer prevention and survivorship frameworks and supporting whānau and hapū health sovereignty in contaminated environments such as at Mangamāhoe.

Her father lived on the papakāinga all his life and Richardson said her research will look into the ways papakāinga living facilitates the expression of rongoā.

“[Rongoā has] been missing since the 1907 Tohunga Suppression Act. So we’ve had this backwards and forwards…. all the medical kind of questions around it, when in fact all it’s simply about is bringing out ease, whatever that might be.”

Ariana Drabble’s (Te Arawa – Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Raukawa – Ngāti Koroki, Ngāti Toa – Ngāti Kimihia) PhD research at the University of Otago Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka will look to tap into and better understand the power and potential of Natural Killer (NK) cells.

“Our immune system can be reprogrammed to destroy cancer cells, but current CAR T cell therapies for blood cancers often fail when tumours evade detection or suppress T cell activity. NK cells have powerful cancer-killing abilities and a safer profile. By combining CAR T cells with CAR-engineered NK cells, we aim to harness their complementary strengths. NK cells can guide and support T cells while reducing factors that shut down immune responses.”

In the last five years, Drabble’s mother, grandmother, an aunt and uncle have all received cancer diagnoses.

“Each diagnosis was not just a moment of grief, but confirmation that this mahi is not simply academic, but it is a commitment to my whānau, my tūpuna and generations to come,” she said.

Katya Hutton (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa, Ngāti Kura) from Waipapa Taumata Rau The University of Auckland is undertaking her Master’s looking at the impact of using Māori genomic information to improve the accuracy of cancer immunotherapy predictions for Māori and Pasifika patients.

Ariana Drabble. Supplied / Cancer Society

Current biomarkers guide treatment decisions and predict treatment responses but rely on global DNA reference databases that lack representation from Indigenous populations. If we don’t take into account the natural variability among underrepresented communities when using DNA reference databases to interpret genomic biomarkers, there is a risk that we lose the precision in our precision health approach.

“This could lead inappropriate care for them,” Hutton said.

“My goal is to accelerate precision care and precision heath research to ensure that every patient in Aotearoa – no matter what age, sex, ethnicity or ancestry – is getting the best care they can get.”

Cancer Society director of research and innovation, Christelle Jolly said the awards empower Māori researchers to pursue the questions that matter most to their communities.

“Each of these projects has the potential to directly improve cancer outcomes for whānau. This is why investing in a strong and supported Māori cancer research workforce matters so much.”

Hei Āhuru Mōwai Tumuaki (chief executive) Anna-Marie Ruhe said the organisation is immensely proud to stand alongside these emerging researchers whose work carries the aspirations of their whānau, hapū, and iwi.

Their projects demonstrate what becomes possible when mātauranga Māori and scientific innovation are supported to flourish, she said.

“These awards are not just an investment in individual researchers – they are an investment in a future where Māori leadership in cancer research is strong, visible and transformative. When Māori are empowered to ask the questions that matter to our communities, we move closer to a health system where whānau Māori can access care, treatments, and solutions that truly work for them.”

As part of the award, each master’s scholarship will last for one year and will comprise:

  • Stipend of $35,000
  • Tuition fees of $10,000

Each PhD scholarship will last for three years and will comprise:

  • Stipend of $40,000 per year
  • Tuition fees of $10,000 per year
  • Tikanga contribution of $10,000 across the course of the award

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Qatar Airways, Emirates flights to Doha and Dubai cancelled amid Iran attacks

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Emirates has cancelled flights through Doha and Dubai. Thierry Monasse

A Qatar Airways 777 and two Emirates A380 planes are stuck in Auckland after the airlines were forced to cancel flights through Doha and Dubai amid the Iran attacks.

“Auckland Airport is supporting those airlines with aircraft parking and operational assistance while services are paused and airlines work through their plans to resume flying,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

  • Are you a New Zealander in an affected region? Email iWitness@rnz.co.nz

“Airlines will be working to rebook affected travellers,” the Auckland Airport spokesperson said.

“We encourage anyone due to travel through the Middle East in the coming days to check directly with their airline or travel agent for the latest updates.

“Other international flights are operating as scheduled.”

It comes as Dubai’s international airport and its landmark Burj Al Arab hotel sustained damage as overnight Iranian retaliatory attacks spread across the Gulf states and the wider Middle East, reaching beyond US bases and interests.

Dubai is the biggest tourism and trade hub in the Middle East and its airport is one of the world’s busiest travel hubs.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Last total lunar eclipse until 2029 is coming tomorrow – don’t miss it

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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tanya Hill, Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria Research Institute; The University of Melbourne

On Tuesday March 3, the Moon will pass directly through Earth’s shadow, creating a total lunar eclipse. Best of all, Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand are in a prime position to watch the show.

This time, the eclipse even occurs at a reasonable hour – no need to set an alarm and crawl out of bed at a ridiculous time.

On Tuesday evening, a dark shadow will begin to sweep across the bright and round full Moon. Once the Moon becomes fully immersed in shadow, it will take on a reddish glow.

Astronomers call this “totality”. But with the ominous appearance of a red Moon hanging large in the sky, it’s no wonder that throughout history and across cultures it was seen as a portent of evil. In today’s world, the name “blood moon” has readily captured public imagination.

Watching a lunar eclipse is a reminder that we are part of a fascinating universe. No special equipment is needed and it’s usually not hard to find the Moon in the sky. Tomorrow’s eclipse will be our last chance to see a blood moon until 2029, when it will ring in the New Year in the early hours of January 1.

When can I see the lunar eclipse?

Lunar eclipses are leisurely events that take a few hours to unfold.

In this case, it’ll take 75 minutes for the Moon to enter Earth’s shadow – what’s known as the partial eclipse phase. This will be followed by an hour of totality when the Moon turns red, and then another 75 minutes as the Moon emerges out of the shadow and returns to full brightness.

Since Earth’s shadow is so large compared to the Moon, everyone on our planet’s night side experiences a lunar eclipse at exactly the same time. To know when to see the totality, we only need to make adjustments for different time zones.

Across most of Western Australia the eclipse begins with the Moon below the horizon. As the Moon rises it will be partly in shadow, making it hard to spot, especially against the bright twilight sky (noting that the Moon is rising as the Sun is setting).

However, just give it some time and the eclipsed Moon will become easier to see as it climbs higher in the east and twilight gives way to night.

The eclipse will start later in the evening across the rest of Australia, with the Moon in the eastern sky. In New Zealand the eclipse will begin much later at 10:50pm local time. That will provide the best views, as the sky will be well and truly dark, and the Moon will be high in the north.

Why does the Moon turn red?

Against the bright Moon, Earth’s shadow appears black at first. It’s only when the Moon is fully immersed in shadow that the reddish “blood moon” glow becomes apparent.

Complete lunar eclipse seen from Jakarta, Indonesia, early Saturday July 28 2018. Tatan Syuflana/AP

How red the Moon appears depends entirely on the condition of Earth’s atmosphere at the time. The dustier the atmosphere, the less light makes it through, turning the Moon a dark and deep red.

A clearer and more transparent atmosphere allows more sunlight to pass through, bathing the Moon in a bright orange glow.

Only red light makes it through the atmosphere because blue light (which has a shorter wavelength) is scattered away. Known as Rayleigh scattering, it’s the same process that makes the sky blue. Blue light doesn’t pass through the atmosphere towards the Moon, because it has been scattered across the entire sky. No matter where we look in the daytime sky, our eyes will happen upon one of those randomly scattered rays of blue light.

On March 14 2024 Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander experienced a total lunar eclipse from the surface of the Moon. From its perspective, the lander saw a solar eclipse, with Earth blocking out the light of the Sun and bathing the lunar surface in a red glow.

Celestial misalignment

Because the Moon’s orbit is tilted very slightly relative to Earth’s orbit around the Sun, the three objects don’t always align perfectly for us to see a full lunar eclipse.

For the next six lunar eclipses, the Moon will only dip into Earth’s shadow instead of being fully immersed in it.

Penumbral lunar eclipse of August 2027, where the Moon will only cross through the faint penumbral shadow. It will be nearly impossible to see any change in the Moon’s brightness. Wikimedia Commons

In fact, during the three lunar eclipses of 2027, the Moon will only enter Earth’s outer and much fainter penumbral shadow. Technically the Moon will dim slightly, but it’ll be almost impossible to perceive this.

Even better to appreciate all the times when the celestial geometry works and we can be treated with such a marvellous, awe-inspiring evening gazing up at the Moon.

Let’s hope the weather is clear across Australia and New Zealand on eclipse night, because we’ll be waiting almost three years for our next blood moon.

– ref. Last total lunar eclipse until 2029 is coming tomorrow – don’t miss it – https://theconversation.com/last-total-lunar-eclipse-until-2029-is-coming-tomorrow-dont-miss-it-276392

After a sports hall in Iran was bombed, witnesses describe chaos and ‘continuous screaming’

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By Mahmoud Aslan in Lamerd, southern Iran

Dozens of teenage girls were attending their regular training sessions of volleyball, basketball, and gymnastics in the main sports hall in Lamerd, a city near the Persian coast, when a missile slammed into the building at 5pm on Saturday.

Additional strikes hit two nearby residential areas and a hall adjacent to a school, as the US and Israel pounded targets across Iran on the first day of what President Donald Trump declared as a “regime change” war.

According to local officials cited in Iranian state media, the strikes on Lamerd killed at least 18 civilians and wounded scores more.

“Within seconds of the missile strike, the windows shattered into thousands of fragments. Sports equipment, balls, tables, barriers flew through the air. Black smoke filled the space,” Mohammed Saed Khorshedy, a 29-year-old worker at the gym who witnessed the attack, told Drop Site News.

“The smell of gunpowder made breathing almost impossible. The screaming began immediately, layered with the sound of debris collapsing and concrete falling from the ceiling.”

The facility sits on the outskirts of Lamerd, a quiet city in Fars province, near the surrounding Zagros mountain range, giving the natural landscape an uneven, rugged character.

Gym building at crossroads
The rectangular building is at a crossroads connecting the city center to Bandar Assaluyeh, an industrial port and energy hub on the Persian Gulf.

The sports hall was poorly maintained, with deteriorating walls surrounded by a low perimeter fence. A high arched metal roof sat atop a reinforced concrete frame and a rubber floor for volleyball and other sports.

The missile struck the middle of the roof, destroying a large part of the building. The main court, small spectator stands, changing rooms, and coach’s office were all reduced to rubble.

Hossein Gholami, a 50-year-old elementary school teacher, was returning from work when he heard the blast. His 16-year-old daughter, Zahra, was training in the hall.

“I noticed a strange gathering of people at the corner of the street leading to the sports hall,” Gholami told Drop Site.

“The screaming was rising from a distance. A colleague ran toward me, waving his arm, and said in a shaken voice: ‘Zahra, the hall, there has been an explosion.’

“I felt as though the ground had split beneath my feet. Everything around me became hazy,” he said. “I ran immediately, and with every step the columns of black smoke rose higher, while the smell of fire and flames entered my nose with force.”

Scene of horror
When he reached the site, he came upon a scene of horror.

“The continuous screaming of the injured mixed with the sounds of secondary explosions. The ground was covered in debris and shattered glass. It was difficult to move with all the rubble. Ambulances arrived after about twenty minutes, but most of the injured were in critical condition,” he said.

“The smell of blood and burns covered everything…the survivors were injured with fractures and burns from the shrapnel.”

Later, he learned that Zahra was among the dead.

“Every time I close my eyes I see her face, her smile, and I hear the sound of the explosion,” Gholami said.

There has been no public statement by the US or Israeli on the Lamerd strikes.

CENTCOM and the Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

165 killed – many schoolgirls
The bombing of the sports hall in Lamerd came hours after a strike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab, another small city on the Persian Gulf, further east near the Strait of Hormuz, that, according to the state-run IRNA news agency, killed 165 people, many of them schoolgirls.

Neither the US nor Israel claimed that strike. The Israeli military said it was not aware of strikes in the area of Minab; CENTCOM’s spokesperson said they were “looking into” reports.

Another strike hit an adjacent IRGC naval base and the USS Abraham Lincoln is stationed nearby.

The governor of Lamerd said “The United States and the Zionist regime fired missiles at the sports hall while female students were playing inside,” according to the Fars news agency.

As of Sunday morning, the Iranian Red Crescent and state-linked media have reported preliminary casualty figures of more than 200 people killed and more than 740 injured across Iran, though the actual toll is expected to be significantly higher.

Iran launched retaliatory strikes across nine countries in the region: Israel, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with a total of 18 killed, including three US servicemen, according to a tally by Al Jazeera.

Mir Dehdasht, an administrative officer at Azad university whose 15-year-old daughter Rabab Dehdasht was training at the sports hall, was at home when a neighbour knocked on his door to tell him the facility had been attacked.

‘Their voices were deafening’
“I ran immediately toward the place, and when I arrived, I found burning cars and rubble scattered everywhere,” Dehdasht told Drop Site. “The injured were bleeding heavily, some had lost consciousness on the ground, others were screaming without stopping.

“Their voices were deafening.”

He continued: “Blood and dust covered everything, and the rubble blocked quick access to the building. Rescue teams were working with extreme care to bring out the injured athletes and the bodies of the victims.

“The screaming filled everything,” he said. “Robab did not survive the force of the explosion, while others survived but with life-threatening injuries. I felt complete helplessness.”

Farhad Za’eri, a retired Ministry of Health employee, received the news of the strike by phone. His 16-year-old daughter Elahe, was also there.

“I left immediately with some neighbors. The roads were unusually congested and there was a sense of anxiety throughout the neighborhood,” Za’eri told Drop Site. “When we arrived, the rescue teams were already there and they had begun bringing out the bodies one by one.”

“I did not know what I would see,” he continued, “but when I got close to the place where they were bringing out the victims, I felt a heaviness in my chest.

‘Mark of pain’
“Every body that was lifted carried the mark of pain, and the rescue effort was trying to distinguish between those who could still be saved and those whose lives had ended,” he said.

“There were voices from every direction, everyone was trying to understand what had happened. In that moment, everything inside me was silent, and I was waiting for them to tell me about my daughter Elahe.”

Elahe’s body was eventually brought out. “My daughter’s body was completely destroyed. It appears she was directly hit by the strike. The lower part of her body was completely destroyed,” Za’eri said.

“How can a father describe what he feels when he sees his child like this? All my memories of her, her laugh, her training, her dreams, collapsed before my eyes in a single moment.”

This articles was published first by Drop Site News in collaboration with Egab.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Coronial inquiry into death of 10-month-old Manurewa infant Poseidyn Hemopo-Pickering gets underway

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A coronial inquiry into the death of a 10-month-old Manurewa infant is underway in Auckland. 123rf.com

A coronial inquiry into the death of 10-month-old Manurewa infant Poseidyn Hemopo-Pickering is underway in Auckland.

Poseidyn was rushed to Middlemore Hospital and later moved to Starship Children’s Hospital on the evening of 5 September, 2020, after he was found unresponsive at his South Auckland home.

He died hours later.

In the Auckland Coroner’s Court on Monday, Coroner Tracey Fitzgibbon acknowledged the inquiry followed a criminal trial in 2022 where the infant’s father, Anthony Simon Pickering, was acquitted of murdering his son.

“This coronial inquiry was put on hold until the completion of a criminal trial. This can make it very challenging for witnesses and whānau, and I encourage everyone to be mindful of this as we progress through the next few days.”

She said the inquiry was to determine how Hemopo-Pickering died and the circumstances leading up to his death.

“I’m not here to determine civil, criminal, or disciplinary liability.”

Fitzgibbon invited Poseidyn ‘s mother Filoi Huakau to reflect on her son’s life.

“He was gentle, he was soft, he was pure,” Huakau said.

“He’d do this little chuckle at every silly face and noise I made, and had an unforgettable smile that was so contagious and something I choose to cherish every day.

“At just 10 months of age I could feel the love he’d have to give if given the chance to.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu issue advisories amid US-Israeli strikes on Iran

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RNZ Pacific

The governments of Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu have issued advisories for their nationals in the Middle East to remain calm and take the necessary precautions due to US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran.

Fiji’s Embassy in Abu Dhabi said Fijian nationals who were not residents of the United Arab Emirates should register with the embassy as soon as possible amid airspace closures in the Gulf Cooperation Council region.

The embassy said registration would allow them to offer necessary consular support and maintain situational awareness of Fijian nationals in-country.

The Solomon Islands Foreign Affairs Ministry has advised all its nationals not to travel to the region until further notice.

“Solomon Islanders residing in the Gulf Region and Israel are urged to take necessary precautions, remain calm, follow host country authorities, and monitor reliable updates,” the ministry said in a statement.

While the Vanuatu government is advising its nationals and passport holders that the situation “is extremely volatile and unpredictable” and those caught in affected areas should “make immediate arrangements to depart if possible”.

“Stay informed about local conditions and register with the Vanuatu Ministry of Foreign Affairs if you’re planning to travel to affected areas,” the Vanuatu Foreign Ministry said.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Officer accused of kidnapping ex-wife avoids disciplinary action, keeps job

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The IPCA released a summary of a police investigation into the officer, overseen by the authority, on Monday (file photo). hamilton, auckland, station, office, precinct, municipal, new zealand, nz, sign, building, editorial, symbol, logo, city, street

The police watchdog has criticised police for not disciplining an officer who allegedly kidnapped his ex-wife.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) released a summary of a police investigation into the officer, overseen by the authority, on Monday.

The investigation centred on allegations the officer possessed child exploitation material and committed family harm against both his ex-wife and ex-partner.

“The police investigation found there was insufficient evidence to substantiate the allegation that the officer was ever in possession of objectionable material. Additionally, the investigation determined that there was insufficient evidence to charge the officer with assaulting his ex-partner.

“However, the investigation did find that there was sufficient evidence to charge the officer with kidnapping, assaulting and threatening his ex-wife.”

  • Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

    • The incidents occurred over several years while they were married, the IPCA said.

    “The kidnapping related to an occasion in 2015 in which the officer prevented his ex-wife from leaving her bedroom. Police ultimately decided to charge the officer with a threatening act, due to any potential assault charge being time-barred.”

    The IPCA agreed with the police’s decision to charge the officer, but said it “expected disciplinary proceedings to follow”.

    “The officer appeared in court and later completed diversion for the charge. Following the proceedings, police indicated that they would not continue with an employment process for the officer, essentially because the incidents occurred before he became a police officer.

    “We disagreed with police, confirming with them that the kidnapping occurred while the officer was in fact employed by police and that he also acknowledged a criminal offence through the diversion process at the same time.”

    The authority said the officer met with the “employment decisionmaker” to respond to the concerns raised.

    “During the meeting, police concluded that the officer’s actions did not warrant any disciplinary action. The process was formally concluded without the Authority being given an opportunity to comment on the outcome.

    “The Authority subsequently expressed concern to police about the outcome, but acknowledges that ultimately, that is a matter for police as the employer.”

    Assistant Commissioner Tusha Penny said in a statement to RNZ the matter was investigated by police’s National Integrity Unit, independently of the officer’s district.

    “Investigators found no evidence to support the claim of possession of child exploitation material.

    “With regards to the allegations of family harm, the matter was put before police’s Criminal Charging Advisory Panel, and on their recommendation the officer was subsequently charged with a threatening act. He completed diversion for the charge.”

    District staff also sought advice around conducting an employment investigation.

    “The advice received was that because the officer was not employed at the time of the offending, police could not carry out an investigation.

    “A senior member of staff instead had an expectation-setting meeting with the officer.”

    The officer remained employed by police.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Labor down in Newspoll and Redbridge polls, with One Nation still in a clear second position

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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

New federal polls from Newspoll and Redbridge have Labor’s primary vote dropping, with One Nation seven or nine points ahead of the Coalition in second place.

Labor maintains a clear two-party advantage over either One Nation or the Coalition. However, the total vote for the Coalition and One Nation combined increased two points to 47% in both these polls.

There are also two South Australian state polls for the March 21 election. Labor is still dominant in SA.

A national Newspoll, conducted February 23–26 from a sample of 1,237, gave Labor 32% of the primary vote (down one since the previous Newspoll three weeks ago), One Nation 27% (steady), the Coalition 20% (up two), the Greens 11% (down one) and all Others 10% (steady).

With the Coalition still seven points behind One Nation, no two-party estimate was given. Applying 2025 election preference flows would give Labor about a 54–46 lead over the Coalition, a two-point gain for the Coalition.

Anthony Albanese’s net approval slumped five points to -15, with 55% dissatisfied and 40% satisfied. Angus Taylor’s initial net approval was -3 (38% dissatisfied, 35% satisfied), a huge improvement on Sussan Ley’s -39 in her final Newspoll as Liberal leader. Albanese led Taylor as better PM by 45–37 (49–30 vs Ley).

Albanese’s net approval in this Newspoll is his worst since he scored -21 in mid-February 2025. But at the May 2025 election, Labor won a landslide. Here is the graph of Albanese’s net approval in Newspoll with a smoothed line.

Albanese Newspoll ratings.

Redbridge poll

A national Redbridge and Accent Research poll for The Australian Financial Review, conducted February 23–27 from a sample of 1,006, gave Labor 32% of the primary vote (down two since the previous Redbridge poll in late January), One Nation 28% (up two), the Coalition 19% (steady), the Greens 12% (up one) and all Others 9% (down one).

By respondent preferences, Labor led One Nation by 54–46 and the Coalition by 53–47, with Labor’s lead against the Coalition increasing to 54–46 by 2025 election flows, a two-point gain for the Coalition.

Albanese’s net favourability fell three points to -13, Taylor’s improved three points to -1 and Pauline Hanson’s was up one to -2. In a three-way preferred PM question, Albanese had 34% (down three), Hanson 23% (not previously asked) and Taylor 10% (up one vs Ley).

SA DemosAU poll has Labor landslide

It’s less than three weeks until the March 21 South Australian state election. The Poll Bludger reported that a DemosAU poll, conducted January 31 to February 16 from a sample of 1,070, gave Labor 43% of the primary vote (down four since the DemosAU October poll), One Nation 19% (not previously asked), the Liberals 18% (down three), the Greens 12% (down one) and all Others 8% (down 11).

While this poll was recently released, it was taken before the SA Newspoll and YouGov polls that I reported on February 20.

Eleven of the 22 upper house seats will be up for election by statewide proportional representation with preferences. A quota for election is one-twelfth of the vote or 8.3%. Upper house members have eight-year terms, so changes in representation are compared with the 2018 election.

A man stands at a podium and makes a victory fist in front of a crowd.

SA Premier Peter Malinauskas is well ahead as preferred premier. Matt Turner/AAP

In this poll, Labor had 38% of the upper house vote (up one since October), One Nation 21% (up nine), the Liberals 15% (down two), the Greens 11% (steady) and Family First 4% (up one). If these votes occur at the election, Labor would win four seats on raw quotas, One Nation two, the Liberals one and the Greens one. The three remaining seats would probably go to the Liberals, Labor and One Nation.

At the 2022 SA election, Labor won five of the 11 upper house seats up, the Liberals four, the Greens one and One Nation one. This poll suggests a total upper house ignoring defections of ten Labour out of 22 (up one since 2018), six Liberals (down two), four One Nation (up three) and two Greens (steady).

SA Morgan poll has One Nation at 28%

A SA SMS Morgan poll, conducted February 19–23 from a sample of 2,172, gave Labor 35% of the primary vote, One Nation 28%, the Liberals 16.5%, the Greens 11%, independents 6.5% and others 3%. In two-party matchups, Labor led One Nation by 59–41 and the Liberals by 61–39.

This poll has One Nation four points higher than in any other recent SA poll, with One Nation’s next highest 24% in Newspoll. In my discussion of a Victorian SMS Morgan poll that had One Nation first on primaries, I said SMS polls may be prone to having too many motivated respondents.

Labor Premier Peter Malinauskas had a 61–37 approval. Liberal leader Ashton Hurn was at 52–42 approval. Malinauskas led Hurn as better premier by 61–30.5

Tasmanian federal and state redistribution

A draft redistribution has proposed extensive changes to three of Tasmania’s five federal seats, which are also used at state elections. However, The Poll Bludger said the Labor vs Liberal two-party margins in all five seats were little changed.

UK: Greens gain very safe Labour seat at byelection

At the 2024 United Kingdom general election, Labour won over 50% in Gorton and Denton with no other party above 14%. At last Thursday’s byelection for this seat, Labour’s vote was halved, with the Greens winning nearly 41%, 12 points ahead of the far-right Reform, with Labour a further 3.3 points back in third. I covered this for The Poll Bludger.

– ref. Labor down in Newspoll and Redbridge polls, with One Nation still in a clear second position – https://theconversation.com/labor-down-in-newspoll-and-redbridge-polls-with-one-nation-still-in-a-clear-second-position-277081

AI is already creeping into election campaigns. NZ’s rules aren’t ready

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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Lensen, Senior Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

If you’re often on social media, you’ve probably seen it: the deluge of low-quality, artificial intelligence-made material clogging up our feeds.

So-called “AI slop” – the Macquarie Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2025 – is the result of generative AI being used at scale. It now floods the internet’s most visited platforms with often deliberately misleading text, images and video, siphoning clicks away from real news sources and confusing readers.

In New Zealand, AI-generated fake images of January’s tragic landslide at Mount Maunganui were widely shared, misleading people at a time of national disaster.

With a general election later this year, this is likely only the beginning. Already, political parties are toying with this new technology for their campaigns.

Warnings about the risks of AI-driven misinformation have been raised before in New Zealand, but its use is now accelerating – and the rules meant to govern it are struggling to keep up.

Politics in the AI age

On Facebook, bogus news sites have shared deep-fake AI videos purporting to show New Zealand politicians meeting at Waitangi and making policy announcements.

More concerningly, some parties have themselves begun using AI to attack opponents. The National Party has already been criticised for posting AI cartoon images of opposition leaders and for creating AI attack ads in the 2023 campaign.

Other parties hold mixed views on the use of AI in campaigning, potentially creating an unfair playing field in electioneering. While this might look like just another form of free speech in campaigning, the reality is more troubling.

Political attack ads have been around for centuries, but never has it been so cheap and easy to create them. At virtually no cost, and with minimal technical skill, almost anyone can now use AI to produce a smear campaign that would once have required professional illustration.

Even if political parties keep their distance, third-party lobby groups can do the dirty work instead. And foreign actors could use AI to interfere in New Zealand’s electoral process, potentially swaying an election as closely fought as the 2026 campaign is likely to be.

A much deeper problem lies in how AI can potentially distort voters’ perceptions. Research suggests people are more likely to believe someone is guilty of a crime when shown an AI-generated image – even when they know the content is fake.

At a time when trust in politicians is already low, that risks deepening political disengagement. AI also enables far more personalised campaigning: by profiling voters, a candidate can automatically generate messages tailored to their biggest concerns.

Where NZ’s election rules fall short

New Zealand fortunately has laws to govern election campaigns. But those safeguards were written in a very different technological era.

Current law regulates “election advertisements” in any media. The definition is very broad, covering any message that directly or indirectly promotes or opposes a party or candidate. A range of rules apply to all such material.

All election advertisements must include a “promoter’s statement” identifying who is responsible for them. Spending caps apply to producing and publishing these messages in the three months before election day. And any ad that promotes a party or candidate by name must first get their written permission.

Yet few constraints apply to the actual content of election advertisements. There is no obligation to disclose the use of AI in creating the message and there is no general prohibition on publishing misleading – or even outright false – election advertisements.

Instead, a handful of specific controls may apply to some AI generated election advertisements.

In the final three days of the election period, it is an offence to publish a statement you know is false if the aim is to influence how people vote. But this safeguard is weaker now that voting takes place over 12 days.

The law also bans “undue influence” over voters. This mainly covers force or threats, but it also includes using fraud to stop people voting freely.

In theory, this could apply to fake AI messages designed to suppress turnout or mislead voters about how the system works. But the law dates back to the 19th century and has not been used for many years.

How the law could catch up

What can be done? At a minimum, New Zealand should have rules that require election advertisements to disclose the use of AI, so voters can make an informed decision.

Another simple measure would be to extend the “no deliberate lies to influence voters” rule to cover the entire advance voting period.

Elsewhere, New Zealand can look to other countries now being forced to forge AI-focused laws.

The European Union and many US states, for instance, recently passed laws that apply to deepfakes in campaigning.

Closer to home, the Australian Electoral Commission has created a “disinformation register” to combat false claims about how the electoral process works. But this only applies to mechanics of voting processes, not to claims about parties or candidates.

At a time when democracy around the world feels increasingly fragile, protecting the integrity of New Zealand’s elections should be a priority. Free and fair elections depend on transparency, trust and an informed public.

AI is already testing those foundations. Updating the rules will not solve every problem, but doing nothing guarantees the problem will get worse.

– ref. AI is already creeping into election campaigns. NZ’s rules aren’t ready – https://theconversation.com/ai-is-already-creeping-into-election-campaigns-nzs-rules-arent-ready-275688

Split Enz have reunited – two more shows for NZ

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Now the seminal Kiwi band – which includes celebrated song-writing siblings Tim and Neil Finn as well as Eddie Rayner and Noel Crombie – have announced shows for Auckland and Wellington.

The will play at TSB Arena, Wellington on Wednesday, 6 May, followed by Spark Arena in Auckland on Saturday, 9 May.

Formed in New Zealand in 1972 before relocating to Australia three years later, Split Enz last live concert in New Zealand was in 2008.

Presale tickets will go on sale from 3 March with general release on 5 March at noon.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Strong winds disrupt Cook Strait passenger services

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Bluebridge and Interislander in Picton Marlborough sounds RNZ/ Rachel Thomas

Two BlueBridge ferry sailings have been cancelled for passengers due to rough conditions in the Cook Strait.

MetService forecast southerly swells of up to 4m with winds reaching just over 80 km/h.

Strong winds are expected to continue through Tuesday.

BlueBridge sailings from Wellington at 1.30pm on Monday and from Picton at 2pm were affected.

The ferry company was looking to rebook affected customers or add them to standby lists on later sailings. Availability was limited due to “peak season demand”.

KiwiRail was not expecting to cancel is Interislander ferry sailings but some could be delayed.

“While sea conditions may make it a little bumpy at times, cancellations are not expected. The weather conditions are resulting in some delays in departure as we take additional required steps to ensure vehicles are securely loaded for the conditions,” a spokesperson said. Interislander would closely monitor conditions.

No formal weather watches or warnings were in place for the region, MetService’s website showed.

“A southerly flow covers the North Island on Tuesday, while a large high in the Tasman Sea extends over the South Island, its severe weather outlooks said, noting a “strong or gale southeasterly flow” for the offshore Chatham Islands.

Meanwhile, ferry services connecting Eastbourne and Wellington City had been cancelled at least 10am Monday because of the conditions.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Should third party vehicle insurance be compulsory? Why the costs could outweigh the benefits

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Source: Radio New Zealand

123RF

Supporters of compulsory third-party vehicle insurance argue that it will prevent innocent drivers from facing hefty repair bills they can’t afford.

However, recent comments from the transport minister suggest that such a change wouldn’t be happening anytime soon.

Chris Bishop told interest.co.nz that the mandatory third-party vehicle insurance wasn’t considered by the government as part of changes to the driver licensing system.

He also said the gains were not necessarily as high as everyone else thought, given the huge number of New Zealanders already had vehicle insurance.

Automobile Association road safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen said making third-party insurance compulsory was complicated.

He told Nine to Noon it needed very careful consideration as it could add extra costs to both parties.

“When you have something like this, it has the potential to push premiums up for everybody to try and get that coverage,” Thomsen said.

“The last survey that was done in New Zealand looking at this, and it was quite some time ago, we had about 92 percent of drivers having insurance.

“To try and get to 100 percent, probably impossible because even the countries that have compulsory insurance haven’t achieved that.”

Thomsen said an important consideration was the cost of enforcing third-party insurance.

Some of the European countries were getting close to around 98 percent, but there was a catch, he said.

“They have spent a lot in terms of enforcement. They have to have a lot invested in databases that can link up,” Thomsen said.

“Most of the ones that have got that high have camera networks looking at license plates quite extensively. “

Thomsen said just like car registrations or warrant of fitness, while both mandatory, you will never get to 100 percent.

He acknowledged how frustrating it could be to get compensation after a crash with an uninsured driver.

But he said the key question was whether a compulsory system would actually provide more benefits than the costs.

“We don’t think the case has been made for that yet. We would like to see more updated information because most people already have insurance,” Thomsen said.

“We know warrant of fitness, car registrations, those are both mandatory and compulsory and we know not everybody has those. So, we’re never going to be able to get to 100%.

“How much better could it be? I think more information is needed.”

Thomsen also stressed that New Zealand did have a form of compulsory insurance through ACC, which covered the costs of injuries.

He said while Australia had compulsory third-party insurance, it was only for injuries, which was the same as ACC here.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Tyres slashed on three ambulances during Manukau break-in

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Source: Radio New Zealand

St John district operations manager Andy Everiss said the action was highly disrespectful. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Police are searching for a group of people who slashed the tyres of ambulances in South Auckland this weekend.

They said the offenders broke into a gated yard at Hato Hone St John’s Manukau Station on Saturday night, puncturing five tyres across three ambulances.

“These are destructive actions, and consequences of actions such as this can put people’s lives at risk,” Senior Sergeant Roelof Burger said.

“As the vehicles are inoperable for a period of time, this impacts St John’s ability to respond to those who are in need of medical attention within our community.”

But St John district operations manager Andy Everiss said the action was highly disrespectful.

“Thankfully, this incident did not severely impact our emergency ambulance response, and we remain available to respond in an emergency,” he said.

Police are seeking CCTV or dashcam footage from the nearby Plunket Ave and Wiri Station Road to help identify the people responsible.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

The Detail: Net fishing is in, then out again as National Party does a backflip

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A ring net fishing boat in Northland. Seafood NZ 

National has announced that, if re-elected, it would ban ring-net fishing in some areas of the Hauraki Gulf, but the policy they’ve promised to reverse was their own

The battle has been long – fish versus fishing.

Now, the fight over the future of the Hauraki Gulf has erupted again, this time over politics, promises and what policy critics call a backflip.

Nine months out from the election, the National Party has pledged to ban the controversial practice of ring-netting in 12 high protection zones and to review rules around bottom trawling corridors. Currently, two high-protection zones can be accessed by five commercial fishers.

Announced by conservation minister Tama Potaka, the new policy pushes against a decision his own government made last year and comes as a “confusing” blow to Seafood New Zealand.

“The health of our oceans and the sustainability of our fisheries resources are absolutely critical to us,” Seafood New Zealand chief executive Lisa Futschek tells ‘The Detail’. “Without that, we don’t have businesses, we don’t create jobs and we don’t supply healthy protein to Kiwis,

“We work really hard on these credentials, but the policy reversal… I really do question whether it is about sustainability.”

She says the five fishers allowed to fish in the two high-protection areas “run small family businesses, they have been fishing in the area for decades, it’s really low impact, they have small boats… and their nets are hand set and hauled”.

“It’s hard to argue this is a sustainability measure,” Futschek says. “It’s really unfortunate, because these ring-net fishers were caught in what are now high-protection areas, lines were drawn, their operations weren’t considered and it really is unfair.”

“The exceptions that the government made were just transitions for these guys, so they could adapt their businesses and prepare for some time in the future, when those exceptions were no longer allowed.

“The fact that the National caucus has decided to roll those back early – or certainly they are electioneering on that promise – is really confusing to us, because it isn’t about sustainability and we would like to understand what it is really about.”

Newsroom senior business journalist Andrew Bevin, who is covering the story, tells ‘The Detail’ the policy backflip is a surprise move by the National Party.

“It’s not often you see someone campaigning to undo their own decision as an election policy,” says Bevin, whose story ran under the headline ‘Fisheries emerges as unlikely election battleground’.

“To come out with a fisheries policy nine months before the election tells you that this is something we are going to have a real discussion about this year.”

He says National has opted to campaign for this new policy, because the current situation is “just so unpopular”.

“It’s become a poster child of what has been seen as an anti-environmental agenda from the coalition and this perceived favouring of industry over fishing rights for the public – recreational fishermen, who are cut out of these high protection areas.”

Environmental groups, scientists and recreational fishers have long been vocal that the Gulf is under pressure like never before.

They point to declining biodiversity, stressed fish stocks and seabeds scarred by trawling, but Futschek argues that commercial fishers are being unfairly painted as ocean villains when, in their view, they’re among the most regulated fishers in the world.

“To say that the commercial fishing industry is responsible for the decline in biodiversity and ecosystems in the Gulf is simply wrong,” she says. “Putting the blame at our feet is completely unfair and I reject that.”

She says quotas, monitoring and strict rules already govern what they can catch – and further bans could cripple businesses, coastal jobs and food supply chains.

She believes the current setup works.

“New Zealand can be hugely proud of a quota-management system that has seen our stocks revive, has seen us fishing sustainably, has seen us the envy of the world, really, in terms of the way we manage our fishery.”

She says the seafood industry is adapting – trialling new gear, reducing seabed impact, investing in sustainability – but trust, she admits, is harder to rebuild than a fish stock.

That may be the real battle here. Not just fish versus fishing – but credibility versus suspicion.

Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.

You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Tyres slashes on three ambulanceduring Manukau break-in

By -

Source: Radio New Zealand

St John district operations manager Andy Everiss said the action was highly disrespectful. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Police are searching for a group of people who slashed the tyres of ambulances in South Auckland this weekend.

They said the offenders broke into a gated yard at Hato Hone St John’s Manukau Station on Saturday night, puncturing five tyres across three ambulances.

“These are destructive actions, and consequences of actions such as this can put people’s lives at risk,” Senior Sergeant Roelof Burger said.

“As the vehicles are inoperable for a period of time, this impacts St John’s ability to respond to those who are in need of medical attention within our community.”

But St John district operations manager Andy Everiss said the action was highly disrespectful.

“Thankfully, this incident did not severely impact our emergency ambulance response, and we remain available to respond in an emergency,” he said.

Police are seeking CCTV or dashcam footage from the nearby Plunket Ave and Wiri Station Road to help identify the people responsible.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Luxon defends NZ’s position on Iran attacks – same as Australia

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RNZ News

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says New Zealand’s stance on the United States and Israeli bombing of Iran mirrors that of Australia.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government supported the United States acting to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.

A statement by Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters yesterday “acknowledges” the strikes.

Asked on RNZ’s Morning Report whether New Zealand supported the attacks, Luxon repeatedly refused to say the word, but said it condemned the Iranian regime as evil and as having claimed countless lives.

“We think Iran has been repressing its own people. We think it’s been arming proxies and terrorist organisations. We think it has been developing its ballistic and nuclear programmes and years of diplomacy hasn’t actually paid any fruits,” he said.

“We understand fully why the Americans and Israelis have undertaken the independent action that they have taken to make sure Iran can’t threaten people.”

Pressed on whether the strikes were legally right, Luxon said it would be up to the US and Israel to explain the legal basis for their attacks.

NZ should back international rules
Former Prime Minister Helen Cark has called the government’s stance a “disgrace” and says New Zealand should support a rules-based international order.

Luxon said what was disgraceful was the repressive Iranian regime which had killed thousands of its own people who had taken to the streets calling for freedoms.

“Iran has been a destabilising force. It has supported armed proxies throughout the region. It has seen tens of thousands of people murdered by own government, who were asking for freedom and rights.”

Australia and Canada have openly supported the strikes on Iran.

In a statement on Sunday, Luxon and Foreign Affairs Minister and Winston Peters said New Zealand had consistently condemned Iran’s nuclear programme and its “destabilising activities” in the region and “acknowledged” the strikes.

“Iran has, for decades, defied the will and expectations of the international community. The legitimacy of a government rests on the support of its people. The Iranian regime has long since lost that support,” they said.

Former NZ prime minister Helen Clark at opposition Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins’ state of the nation speech last week. Image: RNZ/Marika Khabazi

“In this context, we acknowledge that the actions taken overnight by the US and Israel were designed to prevent Iran from continuing to threaten international peace and security.”

Luxon and Peters condemned in the “strongest terms Iran’s indiscriminate retaliatory attacks” on neighbouring states.

The statement also said “we call for a resumption of negotiations and adherence to international law.”

Call out illegal strike
Clark told Morning Report said the statement was a disgrace.

“What was wrong with it was it didn’t call out the illegal strike against Iran in the middle of diplomatic negotiations “which were going quite well and further talks were scheduled,” she said.

“The whole point of international law is to put rules around when force is legitimate.”

“A strike is justified if there is an imminent threat of attack, which clearly there was not.”

She said the initial strikes by the US and Israel violated international law.

“The New Zealand government seems only interested in the Iranian retaliation and not looking at the reason for the retaliation, which was the attack by the United States and Israel,” she said.

“I think it’s consistent with a steady drift in New Zealand foreign policy to realign strongly with the United States, which at this particular time seems even more questionable as a strategy.”

“We’re not putting a stake in the ground in defence of the international rule of law.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

NZ share market falls in first trading since US-Israel strikes on Iran

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The benchmark NZX50 fell 1 percent in early trading, or 145 points. RNZ / Angus Dreaver

The New Zealand share market has opened sharply lower following the latest conflict in the Middle East.

The benchmark NZX50 opened down 1 percent, before extending its losses to be down 1.3 percent mid-morning.

Market heavyweights Auckland Airport, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, and Infratil led the market down.

The New Zealand dollar, along with the Australian dollar, was also weaker as investors looked to reduce their global risk exposure.

The Kiwi fell 0.8 percent to be 59.5 cents against the United States dollar, while the Australian dollar fell more than 1 percent against the US dollar in early trade.

Investors tend to sell riskier assets during times of geopolitical volatility, with money diverted to safe haven investments like bonds.

Oil prices are also expected to rise when international trading resumes.

In an early morning note, BNZ senior interest rate strategist Stuart Ritson said financial markets began the week “facing heightened uncertainty”.

“The scale of the attacks, and Iran’s response, has exceeded expectations, pointing to further demand for safe-haven assets and upward pressure on oil prices,” he said.

“With President Trump calling for regime change and signalling the risk of a protracted conflict, the range of potential outcomes has widened, and will likely weigh on risk-sensitive assets.”

Oil prices had already moved higher prior to the attacks, Ritson said.

Brent crude – the global benchmark for oil – closed more than 2 percent higher at US$72.50 per barrel ahead of the attacks, and prices were expected to rise sharply.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

The Detail: Net fishing is in, then out again

By -

Source: Radio New Zealand

A ring net fishing boat in Northland. Seafood NZ 

National has announced that, if re-elected, it would ban ring-net fishing in some areas of the Hauraki Gulf, but the policy they’ve promised to reverse was their own

The battle has been long – fish versus fishing.

Now, the fight over the future of the Hauraki Gulf has erupted again, this time over politics, promises and what policy critics call a backflip.

Nine months out from the election, the National Party has pledged to ban the controversial practice of ring-netting in 12 high protection zones and to review rules around bottom trawling corridors. Currently, two high-protection zones can be accessed by five commercial fishers.

Announced by conservation minister Tama Potaka, the new policy pushes against a decision his own government made last year and comes as a “confusing” blow to Seafood New Zealand.

“The health of our oceans and the sustainability of our fisheries resources are absolutely critical to us,” Seafood New Zealand chief executive Lisa Futschek tells ‘The Detail’. “Without that, we don’t have businesses, we don’t create jobs and we don’t supply healthy protein to Kiwis,

“We work really hard on these credentials, but the policy reversal… I really do question whether it is about sustainability.”

She says the five fishers allowed to fish in the two high-protection areas “run small family businesses, they have been fishing in the area for decades, it’s really low impact, they have small boats… and their nets are hand set and hauled”.

“It’s hard to argue this is a sustainability measure,” Futschek says. “It’s really unfortunate, because these ring-net fishers were caught in what are now high-protection areas, lines were drawn, their operations weren’t considered and it really is unfair.”

“The exceptions that the government made were just transitions for these guys, so they could adapt their businesses and prepare for some time in the future, when those exceptions were no longer allowed.

“The fact that the National caucus has decided to roll those back early – or certainly they are electioneering on that promise – is really confusing to us, because it isn’t about sustainability and we would like to understand what it is really about.”

Newsroom senior business journalist Andrew Bevin, who is covering the story, tells ‘The Detail’ the policy backflip is a surprise move by the National Party.

“It’s not often you see someone campaigning to undo their own decision as an election policy,” says Bevin, whose story ran under the headline ‘Fisheries emerges as unlikely election battleground’.

“To come out with a fisheries policy nine months before the election tells you that this is something we are going to have a real discussion about this year.”

He says National has opted to campaign for this new policy, because the current situation is “just so unpopular”.

“It’s become a poster child of what has been seen as an anti-environmental agenda from the coalition and this perceived favouring of industry over fishing rights for the public – recreational fishermen, who are cut out of these high protection areas.”

Environmental groups, scientists and recreational fishers have long been vocal that the Gulf is under pressure like never before.

They point to declining biodiversity, stressed fish stocks and seabeds scarred by trawling, but Futschek argues that commercial fishers are being unfairly painted as ocean villains when, in their view, they’re among the most regulated fishers in the world.

“To say that the commercial fishing industry is responsible for the decline in biodiversity and ecosystems in the Gulf is simply wrong,” she says. “Putting the blame at our feet is completely unfair and I reject that.”

She says quotas, monitoring and strict rules already govern what they can catch – and further bans could cripple businesses, coastal jobs and food supply chains.

She believes the current setup works.

“New Zealand can be hugely proud of a quota-management system that has seen our stocks revive, has seen us fishing sustainably, has seen us the envy of the world, really, in terms of the way we manage our fishery.”

She says the seafood industry is adapting – trialling new gear, reducing seabed impact, investing in sustainability – but trust, she admits, is harder to rebuild than a fish stock.

That may be the real battle here. Not just fish versus fishing – but credibility versus suspicion.

Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.

You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Major through road in Lower Hutt closes for next nine months

By -

Source: Radio New Zealand

The works have already drawn the ire of local residents. Pretoria Gordon

A major through road in Lower Hutt will be closed for the next nine months as part of a series of road works in Hutt City.

From 2 March until December 2026, the intersection between Queens Dr and High St will be closed while the existing roundabout is converted to a traffic lighted intersection as part of the new Melling Interchange.

The works are part of the Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi project, formerly known as RiverLink.

“During the closure period, we will be relocating underground services like power, water, gas, and fibre; installing new drainage and stormwater systems; new footpaths, traffic islands, new signage and road markings to direct road users around the upgraded layout once we’ve replaced the existing roundabout with traffic lights,” the group said in January.

It said it expected these works to be among the most disruptive of those being undertaken as part of the Melling Interchange.

“We’re acutely aware of not only the impact it’ll have on how people move around the area, but of the cumulative impact of all the work going on around the Melling area and CBD.

“The only other way we could make the necessary changes to the intersection would involve 18 to 24 months of stop/go traffic management, weekend and night closures, and ultimately, a less safe environment for you to drive through and for our crews to work in. This closure will allow us to get far more work done in a much shorter period.”

The $1.5 billion Te Awa Kairangi project will include flood protection and river restoration work, urban revitalisation, and improvement to road and rail infrastructure, as well as new cycleways and pathways. It is not expected to be completed until some time in 2031.

But the works have already drawn the ire of local residents who have reported roadworks to date have caused gridlock and long delays.

It comes as commuters have been venting their frustration about a suite of works causing long delays.

There have been reports that the traffic sometimes backs up the off-ramps and causes delays on the motorway.

Some say their commute times have tripled, hitting set after set of road works.

But others say the problems are worth bearing for the improvements the work will bring.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Live: US-Israeli strikes on Iran could last ‘weeks’, 48 Iranian leaders and 3 US soldiers killed

By -

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow the latest with our live blog above

Israel and the US have begun a fresh waves of strikes on Iran, targetting the Iranian leadership, its air defences and its ballistic missile capabilities.

The US military says it has sunk nine Iranian warships and is “going after the rest” in attacks which US President Donald Trump says have killed 48 top Iranian leaders – including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Three US service members have also been killed and five seriously injured.

Trump said he envisages the conflict could last four weeks.

The attacks have sparked warnings about KiwiSaver, fuel and inflation in New Zealand.

Major Middle Eastern airports have been shut and regional gateways including Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi were closed.

MFAT is advising New Zealanders in affected areas to shelter in place and leave when it is possible to do so.ces and its ballistic missile capabilities.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the attacks on Saturday, which US President Donald Trump said were aimed at overturning Tehran’s government.

Follow the latest with our live blog at the top of the page

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Bad Bunny says reggaeton is Puerto Rican, but it was born in Panama

By -

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Frizzell, PhD Student in Sociology, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Bad Bunny likes to remind the world where he and his music come from.

In “EoO,” a song from his 2025 album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” he raps, “‘Tás escuchando música de Puerto Rico” (“You’re listening to music from Puerto Rico”). Similarly, in the album’s second track, “VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR,” he announces that both he and reggaeton were born in Puerto Rico: “Aquí nací yo y el reggaetón, pa’ que sepa’.”

Puerto Rican artists like Bad Bunny certainly helped popularize the genre. But they didn’t create it.

In my own research of Latin America, I’ve explored how reggaeton comes from the small Central American nation of Panama, where the sound emerged from a swirl of sonic influences that included Spanish conquistadors, Caribbean immigrants and American colonizers.

English and Spanish collide

Understanding reggaeton requires understanding the intermingling of cultures and languages that Panama experienced over a relatively short period of time.

After Panama gained its independence from Spain in 1821, it became part of Gran Colombia, which, at its peak, included modern-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama.

Throughout the 19th century, Panama experienced population growth and mass industrialization, and waves of Afro Caribbean immigrants arrived in northern Panama in search of economic opportunities. Since they came from former British colonies, many of them spoke English. Meanwhile, the many Afro Panamanians already living in the country, whose descendants had been trafficked as slaves, spoke Spanish.

These linguistic distinctions resulted in two primary groups of Black people in Panama: Spanish-speaking Afro Panamanians and English-speaking West Indians. They worked alongside one another on construction projects, such as the trans-Isthmus railroad, in the mid-19th century. But with their different languages, colonial histories and cultures, they didn’t always get along.

In 1903, Panama separated from Gran Colombia, becoming the independent nation we know today. The U.S. had supported Panama’s independence for strategic reasons: It wanted to build and control the Panama Canal to secure influence over maritime trade and military movement in the Western Hemisphere. While Gran Colombia had rebuffed earlier U.S. overtures, leaders of the newly independent Panama were more receptive to American interests.

Jim Crow is imported to the Canal Zone

Police brutality, exploitation and intra-racial and interracial tensions also served as scaffolding for reggaeton.

During the canal’s construction, the U.S. operated and controlled the Panama Canal Zone, a 553 square-mile (1,432 square-kilometer) parcel of land encompassing the canal. Up to 60,000 people lived there while the canal was being built, with residents segregated by race into “gold roll” and “silver roll” workers. Gold roll workers were usually white. Silver roll workers were Black, and they were tasked with the most dangerous jobs.

The Canal Zone’s white residents were far more likely to have access to health services and have proper sanitation; Afro Panamanian and immigrant workers from Barbados, the Antilles, Jamaica and other Caribbean countries were much more likely to be exposed to – and die from – malaria.

West Indians and Afro Panamanians also experienced police brutality. Black women, in particular, were harassed by white police officers, who often accused them of sex work.

While both West Indians and Afro Panamanians were subjected to segregation and police brutality, the Americans running the Canal Zone tended to treat the English-speaking West Indians better. Meanwhile, children born and raised in the Canal Zone were only taught English in schools, which Afro Panamanians resented.

These tensions led to the rise of “panameñismo,” a movement that sought to preserve and promote Spanish language and culture in Panama. This movement culminated in the passing of restrictive immigration laws targeted at West Indians and stripping second-generation West Indians of their citizenship.

Despite these anti-West Indian policies, many Jamaican, Barbadian and Antillean immigrants who had already built a life in Panama remained in the country even after the canal was completed in 1914.

Black-and-white photo of a huge metal gate with tiny workers either posing or working from the wooden scaffolding.
Laborers work from scaffolding during the construction of the gates of Gatun Locks at the Panama Canal, c. 1914. Detroit Publishing Company/Library of Congress via Getty Images

Reggae with a Spanish twist

In the 1960s and 1970s, Jamaicans introduced three subgenres of reggae – mento, ska and dancehall – to Panama.

The lyrics were in English and Jamaican Patois, an English-based creole language. But it didn’t take long for an offshoot of reggae, “reggae en español,” to emerge. By the end of the 1970s, reggae en español had become popular in Panama and had spread throughout Latin America. Similarly, the nascent genre of hip-hop was gaining steam in the U.S. and eventually made its way to Panama, where an American presence had remained since the completion of the canal. It wasn’t until 1979 that the Canal Zone was abolished, and Panama did not have ownership over the canal until 2000.

It was out of this diverse mix of musical and linguistic influences that reggaeton was born, a genre that features the looping drum pattern – called “dembow riddim” – of Jamaican dancehall, the tropical vibe of reggae and a mixture of rapping and singing. Like reggae and hip-hop, reggaeton lyrics often emphasize Black solidarity and speak out against racial oppression and police violence.

The Panamanian artist Renato is credited with releasing the first reggaeton song, titled, “El D.E.N.I.,” in 1985.

The D.E.N.I. – an acronym for the Departamento Nacional de Investigaciones, or National Department of Investigations – was a tool of repression for Panama’s military dictatorship under Omar Torrijos in the 1970s and later under Manuel Noriega in the 1980s. The secret police force became entangled in drug trafficking and political corruption.

In ‘El D.E.N.I.,’ Renato denounces police brutality and racism.

In the song, Renato assumes the role of a racist police officer, the kind he encountered after relocating from the Canal Zone to Rio Abajo, an impoverished neighborhood in Panama City:

Con mi cara albina, te puedo golpear …

(With my albino face, I can hit you …)

Te voy a enseñar

(I am going to teach you)

Que a la justicia no se puede burlar

(That you cannot make fun of the justice system)

After its release, the track became a protest anthem against Panama’s military government.

While Renato’s popularity was growing in Panama, early Panamanian reggaeton artists and producers like El General were collaborating with Jamaican and American artists in New York City, where the underground dancehall and “hip-hop en español” scene thrived.

Even though El General primarily produced music, one of his tracks, “No Mas Guerra,” channeled the fighting spirit of original reggaeton, calling for Latin American communities to come together to end violence and wars.

A sanitized version of reggaeton goes mainstream

Despite not being responsible for its creation, Puerto Rico is where the genre went mainstream – largely thanks to the popular Puerto Rican artist Daddy Yankee.

Daddy Yankee’s music spread, in part, thanks to American brands like Kellogg’s and Reebok, whose ads featuring his songs were broadcast to American audiences. Few of his tracks contained the social justice themes that characterized early reggaeton.

Meanwhile, Tego Calderon, a Black Puerto Rican reggaeton artist, struggled to find a buyer for his 2003 debut album, “El Abayarde,” after being told he was too ugly for a musical career – a remark rooted in the anti-Blackness that’s pervasive in Puerto Rico.

Calderon’s experience in the industry and as a Black Puerto Rican dictated how he viewed the genre and created his music. Like Calderon, Renato and other Black reggaeton artists have spoken out against racism in reggaeton.

Man with afro wearing sunglasses and a red baseball jersey gestures while rapping into a microphone.
Reggaeton artist Tego Calderon performs at the BMG Music Showcase at Billboard Live in Miami Beach in 2003. Rodrigo Varela/WireImage via Getty Images

Bringing reggaeton back to its roots

Though he may have the genre’s history slightly wrong, Bad Bunny’s own tracks return to reggaeton’s social justice roots.

Performed during the Super Bowl halftime show by Ricky Martin, Bad Bunny’s “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii” describes the history of U.S. colonialism in Hawaii and Puerto Rico, pointing out how local communities have been forced out by gentrifiers:

Quieren quitarme el río y también la playa

(They want to take the river and the beach away from me)

Quieren al barrio mío y que tus hijos se vayan

(They want my neighborhood and for your kids to leave)

And while the early-2000s reggaeton popularized by Daddy Yankee, Tego Calderon and Don Omar contained elements of misogyny and homophobia, Bad Bunny’s tracks “Yo Perreo Sola” and “YO VISTO ASÍ” build on feminist reggaeton anthems like Ivy Queen’s “Yo Quiero Bailar.”

Reggaeton was born out of a call for freedom, equality and justice. So I find it fitting that Bad Bunny is creating music that speaks to all types of people from all over the world.

– ref. Bad Bunny says reggaeton is Puerto Rican, but it was born in Panama – https://theconversation.com/bad-bunny-says-reggaeton-is-puerto-rican-but-it-was-born-in-panama-276347

Victory in Gorton and Denton is historic for the Greens – and cataclysmic for Britain’s two-party politics

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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Tonge, Professor of Politics, University of Liverpool

The Green party’s dramatic capture of Gorton and Denton, supposedly one of Labour’s safest parliamentary constituencies, offers yet more evidence of the fragmentation of British politics.

The Green candidate, 34-year-old plumber Hannah Spencer, won 40.69% of the vote, a notable 12 points ahead of Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin (28.73%). Labour candidate Angeliki Stogia came third, with 25.44% of the vote.

In terms of size of majority toppled, this was the sixth-worst byelection defeat ever for Labour. Gorton had been Labour for more than 90 years. In what is now Greater Manchester, Labour has had to defend 20 seats at byelections since the second world war, and has been successful in 16 cases.

Although Labour might dismiss a byelection defeat as a mid-term blip, this is a government which has failed to enjoy a honeymoon period, led by a prime minister who has plumbed new depths in popularity ratings. It is also worth noting that turnout on Thursday was identical to that at the general election.

For Keir Starmer, it was a truly awful result. But Labour really lost this byelection over a month ago, when its national executive committee (NEC) blocked the candidature of Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester and believed by many to be the one person who might have held the seat for the party.

Starmer spoke against Burnham standing and his view held sway at that NEC meeting by eight votes to one. The one vote in favour of Burnham standing came from a Manchester MP, Lucy Powell, who was elected Labour’s deputy leader last year after being mysteriously sacked from the cabinet by Starmer.

The prime minister had good reasons for his stance. An early exit by Burnham from the mayoralty would trigger a difficult byelection across the region. But the overarching reason for blockage appeared to be Starmer’s personal political security.

Popular among Labour members and perhaps the one rival to Starmer around which the parliamentary party could coalesce, Burnham might have offered a potential leadership challenge. He is also highly popular in Greater Manchester, averaging two-thirds of the vote in the three mayoralty contests he has fought. The newly elected Green MP Spencer trailed Burnham by a huge 375,000 votes in the most recent mayoral election in 2024.

Labour candidate Angeliki Stogia with Labour Party Deputy Leader Lucy Powell and MP Andrew Western
A terrible night for the Labour party, including candidate Angeliki Stogia (C) with deputy leader Lucy Powell (R) and MP Andrew Western (L). Adam Vaughan/EPA-EFE

Clearly, this poor result increases the pressure on the prime minister, but two things remain in his favour. First, Labour MPs may find it difficult to unite behind a clear challenger. Entry barriers are high; 80 MPs need to support the person prepared to raise their head above the parapet. Second, the economy is showing signs of improvement, which might eventually stem the flow to the Greens on the left. On the right, the exodus towards Reform may be slowed by the decline in net migration.

Yet things will get worse before they might get better for Labour. The Scottish parliament, Welsh senedd and English local elections are a mere 69 days away, and offer a bleak vista of large seat losses. Labour’s control of the senedd seems sure to end and the party has to defend the bulk of council seats being contested.

The end of two-party politics?

The Gorton and Denton result confirmed the death of old loyalties in British politics. Given the existence of four-party politics in Scotland and Wales and the electoral significance of the Liberal Democrats in England, the two-party duopoly has long been gone, perhaps never to return. Politics has never been as fragmented across parties.

For the first time in England, Labour finds itself challenged by a significant party of the left, while Reform on the right challenges both Labour and the Conservatives.

That the right vote is splintered offers some succour to Labour. An even split between Reform and the Conservatives could allow Labour to win again at the next general election, with an even more pitifully low percentage share of the vote than the one in 2024 which nonetheless yielded two-thirds of the Westminster seats.

This fragmentation may widen voter choice, but not all is healthy. This was at times a toxic byelection. The Greens argued it was possible to be jointly concerned with Gaza and Gorton. They were, however, accused of sectarianism, for example by by issuing Urdu-language leaflets and a campaign video showing Starmer greeting the Indian prime minister, Hindu nationalist Modi, to appeal to Muslim voters.

Reform, on the other hand, has been accused of racism in targeting the white vote and showing scant regard for the large Muslim minority within the constituency. Its candidate, former academic Matt Goodwin, was already controversial for his views questioning whether non-white people born in the UK could be classed as British.

Meanwhile, the first-past-the-post voting system struggles to deal with the reality of modern multiparty politics, with abject disproportionality between vote shares and levels of representation. But that fragmentation increasingly seems permanent.

– ref. Victory in Gorton and Denton is historic for the Greens – and cataclysmic for Britain’s two-party politics – https://theconversation.com/victory-in-gorton-and-denton-is-historic-for-the-greens-and-cataclysmic-for-britains-two-party-politics-277001

Tall Blacks beat Guam to boost World Cup hopes

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Reuben Te Rangi of New Zealand. David Rowland/www.photosport.nz

The Tall Blacks have beaten hosts Guam 99-67 to go two-from-two in their second window of qualifiers for next year’s World Cup in Qatar.

Reuben Te Rangi started the game with the Tall Blacks first five points, before Jack Andrew scored four of his own.

New Zealand’s up and in defensive scheme seemed to be doing the job as Guam struggled to put points on the board early.

Keanu Rasmussen entered the game, knocking down a corner three ball to score his first points as a Tall Black as the visitors extended their lead.

New Zealand’s defensive intensity continued to cause troubles for the Guam players, as the Tall Blacks continued to make baskets with regularity, opening up a 20-point lead halfway through the second quarter.

Guamanian guard, Takumi Simon, was doing everything he could to keep his side in the hunt, finishing the first half with 13 points, but it was the Tall Blacks who’d take a 51-34 lead into half time.

The Tall Blacks didn’t take long to get back into their work at the start of the second half, with Andrew continuing to lead the way down low, taking his tally to 16 points with another putback half-way through the third quarter.

Britt started to get going with six the the third, while the Tall Blacks continued to extend their lead to 19 points.

It was more of the same in the fourth quarter, as New Zealand continued to tack on points and further their lead.

Andrew finished with 20 points while Te Rangi had 15 and Rasmussen 14.

Flavell was happy with the team’s performance.

“We watched the Australian game the other day, so we came in with full respect for this Guam team,” Flavell said.

“For us it was all about our defensive mindset, two guys in particular, Simon and Freeman. We really obviously concentrated on those two in particular and tried to keep them quiet. For the most part I thought we did a pretty good job. Simon got going in the second half but for the most part, really happy with our team’s performance on the defensive end.”

Flavell also very happy with the way the team’s new additions.

“Jack Andrew, Sam Timmins, Kruz Perrott-Hunt and Jackson Ball – they just arrived the other day. I said to them, you’re gonna make mistakes, we’re going to be somewhat rusty here and there on the offensive end.

“But they came straight in and added to our side. For us, that’s our identity.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Kiwi driver Scott McLaughlin second at Indycar Grand Prix of St Petersburg

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Source: Radio New Zealand

picture id=”4JSEOEB_AFP__20260228__2263973903__v2__HighRes__NttIndycarSeriesFirestoneGrandPrixOfStPeters_jpg” crop=”16×10″ layout=”full”] Scott McLaughlin was runner-up at the Indycar Grand Prix in St Petersburg.

Kiwi polesitter Scott McLaughlin has clawed his way onto the podium at the Indycar season opener in the United States, but was ultimately defeated by Spain’s Alex Palou.

Four-time defending champion Palou took the victory defeating the New Zealand driver by 12.49 seconds on the St Petersburg street circuit. Christian Lundgaard finished third.

Palou was leading on 59 of 100 laps. With six laps to go McLaughlin’s overtaking skills saw him move up the field in the battle for second with Lundgaard.

McLaughlin was more than pleased with the “good start” for the season, but conceded he’d hoped for more after qualifying at the front of the grid.

McLaughlin secured pole for the season opener at St Petersburg. DAVID JENSEN

“Look, Alex was super fast, but you know I think it’s just a mixed bag on what tyre you start on,” he told SkySport.

“Maybe we come back here again and maybe you start on reds, and you just get them out of the way.

“We made the passes we needed to make at the right times, and I thought we maximised our day which is what we needed to do.”

Fellow Kiwi Sir Scott Dixon had a weekend to forget, crashing out in the opening practice when he hit the wall. And in a further setback in today’s Grand Prix he lost a tyre on lap 40 and took no further part in the race.

New Zealand’s Marcus Armstrong was 11th after starting seventh on the grid.

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Winds could see Cook Strait ferry services cancelled

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Bluebridge and Interislander in Picton Marlborough sounds RNZ/ Rachel Thomas

The Bluebridge Cook Straight ferry service is indicating strong southerlies could cause delays and cancellations on Monday and Tuesday.

It says strong winds and large swells are expected, and customers would be notified of any disruption.

“A southerly weather system is forecast for Cook Strait on Monday and Tuesday, bringing strong winds and large swells. The worst of the conditions are forecast for Monday afternoon and may result in delays or possible cancellations.”

RNZ has contacted KiwiRail to ask if Interislander services will also be affected.

No formal weather watches or warnings were in place for the region, MetService’s website showed.

“A southerly flow covers the North Island on Tuesday, while a large high in the Tasman Sea extends over the South Island, its severe weather outlooks said, noting a “strong or gale southeasterly flow” for the offshore Chatham Islands.

Meanwhile, ferry services connecting Eastbourne and Wellington City have been cancelled at least 10am Monday because of the conditions.

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Christopher Luxon won’t say if NZ supports US strikes on Iran

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has told Morning Report the Iranian regime is an evil one and has been a destabilising force in the Middle East.

But he would not be drawn on whether the government supports the strikes by the United States and Israel against Tehran.

Asked by presenter Corin Dann whether New Zealand supported the attacks on Iran, Luxon said it condemned the Iranian regime as evil and as having claimed countless lives.

“We understand fully why the Americans and the Israelis have undertaken the independent action that they’ve taken.

“Our position is the same as the Australian position.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday the government supported the United States acting to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.

Pressed on whether the strikes were legally right, Luxon said it would be up to the US and Israel to explain the legal basis for their attacks the attack.

Former Prime Minister Helen Cark has called the government’s stance a disgrace and says New Zealand should support a rules-based international order.

Luxon said what was disgraceful was the repressive Iranian regime which had killed thousands of its own people who had taken to the streets calling for freedoms.

“Iran has been a destabilising force. It has supported armed proxies throughout the region. It has seen tens of thousands of people murdered by own government, who were asking for freedom and rights.”

In a statement on Sunday, Luxon and Foreign Affairs Minister and Winston Peters said New Zealand had consistently condemned Iran’s nuclear programme and its “destabilising activities” in the region and “acknolwedged” the strikes.

“Iran has, for decades, defied the will and expectations of the international community. The legitimacy of a government rests on the support of its people. The Iranian regime has long since lost that support,” they said.

Helen Clark at Chris Hipkins’ state of the nation speech last week. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

“In this context, we acknowledge that the actions taken overnight by the US and Israel were designed to prevent Iran from continuing to threaten international peace and security.”

Luxon and Peters condemned in the “strongest terms Iran’s indiscriminate retaliatory attacks” on neighbouring states.

The statement also said “we call for a resumption of negotiations and adherence to international law.”

Clark told Morning Report said the statement was a disgrace.

“What was wrong with it was it didn’t call out the illegal strike against Iran in the middle of diplomatic negotiations “which were going quite well and further talks were scheduled”.

“The whole point of international law is to put rules around when force is legitimate,” she said.

“A strike is justified if there is an imminent threat of attack, which clearly there was not.”

She said the initial strikes by the US and Israel violated international law.

“The New Zealand government seems only interested in the Iranian retaliation and not looking at the reason for the retaliation, which was the attack by the United States and Israel,” she said.

“I think it’s consistent with a steady drift in New Zealand foreign policy to realign strongly with the United States, which at this particular time seems even more questionable as a strategy.”

“We’re not putting a stake in the ground in defence of the international rule of law.”

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How to whistle: the art and history of our shrillest skill

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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wendy Hargreaves, Academic in the School of Education and Creative Arts, University of Southern Queensland

Whether you whistle or not, you can’t escape whistlers. They’re dog owners, construction workers, day dreamers, concertgoers and annoying sports fans whose shrill makes you wish for earplugs.

And there are tradies – Snow White’s pesky disciples who think whistling while you work makes chores fun. (Disclaimer: It didn’t work for my taxes.)

Admittedly, whistling can be useful for silencing noisy crowds and hailing taxis New York-style, but be mindful of the social rules. You can whistle admiringly at a flashy car, but you’ll be fined up to 750 euros for sexual harassment if you wolf whistle at women publicly in France.

Whistlers in history

Whistling is a common human skill. For centuries, shepherds and goat herders used whistling to summon livestock and direct dogs to steer the herds. The whistling sound can travel ten times further than shouting, which makes it ideal for long distance communication in rural areas.

Long ago, remote communities in Turkey and Mexico developed a whistled version of their spoken languages for communicating across the countryside. As linguist Julien Meyer explains, each syllable of a word translated to a whistled melody, allowing neighbours to talk across vast distances. Whistled languages are still in use today in places like La Gomera in the Canary Islands.

an image of George W. Johnson
George W. Johnson. Wikimedia Commons

Whistling featured prominently in the development of the recording industry. Historian Tim Brooks recounts how Thomas Edison’s 1877 invention, the phonograph, drew public curiosity but the sound quality of recorded voice was too weak to show off the machine’s potential.

Shrill whistling, however, could be reproduced perfectly, which likely sustained public interest through the phonograph’s early modifications. Brooks traced the transformation of George W. Johnson from a whistling street performer at a ferry terminal to New York recording artist at the birth of the recording industry.

Decades later, whistling continued leaving musical marks in the industry. Notable examples include Roger Whittaker’s intricate The Mexican Whistler, Otis Redding’s layback ending to The Dock of the Bay, Bobby McFerrin’s cheerful Don’t Worry, Be Happy, and Maroon 5’s distinctive opening to Moves Like Jagger.

Today, there’s even a market for complete whistling albums like from Molly Lewis. But few recordings are as memorable as the 1966 Spaghetti Western theme song The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. It made whistling iconic for showdowns.

How whistling works

Whistling is produced when small pockets of air spinning at your lips interact with spaces in your mouth. Puckering your lips and whistling with fingers use the same principles.

Musical sound is produced when something, such as a guitar string, vibrates. Vibrations create pressure in the air which moves outwards in waves. When we whistle, the air itself becomes the vibrator. What happens next makes it audible.

Different spaces affect a sound wave’s energy as it passes through. Some cavities dampen the energy, while others excite it by swirling around making the cavern itself vibrate or resonate. That’s what makes whistling louder.

An illustration of different ways of whistling with the fingers
There’s more than one way to make yourself heard – an illustration from Le Monde Illustré (1893) proves finger-whistling is all about technique. Le Monde illustré/Wikimedia Commons

To experience the power of resonance, try singing in a bathroom with lots of towels, then remove the towels and sing again. The extra ring you’ll hear is the effect of resonance.

Whistling works by fine-tuning the speed of your breath with the size, shape and tension in your lips and tongue so the space rings.

Learning to whistle

Unfortunately, knowing the physics doesn’t make whistling easier. Learning requires coordinating your senses with how you move your body. You create a learning loop where your brain connects your mouth and breath movement with what you hear, feel and see when you whistle.

Simply put, you use trial and error to figure which actions help amplify the sound and which don’t.

Whistlers aren’t born. They’re made. If you find whistling hard, then you’ll need to practice isolating and moving all the parts in an epic Gollum-like quest for the precious ring.

Ann Rutherford, Red Skelton, and Diana Lewis in the American film Whistling in Dixie (1942)
Remember to pucker your lips like Ann Rutherford, Red Skelton, and Diana Lewis in Whistling in Dixie (1942). Wikimedia Commons

Top tips for whistling pucker-style:

  • find a quiet room

  • wet your whistle – water on your lips helps

  • push your lips forward to make a small, firm hole; a mirror can help you see what you’re doing

  • breathe out with a steady air stream

  • listen to the sound and experiment with your tongue tip position (forward, backwards, higher, lower), lips shape (tightened, relaxed, wider, pushed forward, pulled sideways), and breath stream (faster, slower) – you should hear subtle changes, even if it just sounds like wind

  • play around until you find one position where the sound seems louder than others

  • make micro adjustments in the position to find which movements increase the ring

  • repeat all steps daily so your brain learns to find your whistle automatically and tune it.

Failing that, take up singing. It’s easier and you won’t look like you’re kissing a ghost.

– ref. How to whistle: the art and history of our shrillest skill – https://theconversation.com/how-to-whistle-the-art-and-history-of-our-shrillest-skill-275560

Health workers vote to ratify new collective agreement with Health NZ

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Source: Radio New Zealand

File photo. RNZ / Peter de Graaf

More than 3500 health workers have voted to ratify a new collective agreement with Health New Zealand after a drawn out 18-month bargaining process.

Mental health nurses and assistants are included in the agreement, which will give them a 2.5 percent pay rise and an $800 lump sum payment each.

The agreement was reached after 18 months of bargaining between the Health New Zealand and the Public Service Association.

Public Service Association national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said it was a step in the right direction for their workers, but more funding was needed to address problems in the health system.

Health New Zealand’s initial offers were far too low and it took strike action to get a fair offer, Fitzsimons said.

More funding was needed to fix deeper problems in the health system, she said.

“All political parties must commit to a properly funded public health system that ensures safe staffing levels, and delivers quality are for all New Zealanders.”

The collective agreement covering 12,000 allied health workers was also ratified last Tuesday.

Voting will soon be held on a third health agreement for policy, advisory, knowledge and specialist workers.

Health NZ has been contacted for comment.

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‘Ens…ification’ blamed as Kiwis feel down about internet

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Sixty percent of Kiwis use AI weekly, but 68 percent are ‘very or extremely concerned’ about it being used to produce harmful content. File photo. 123rf

Fewer and fewer New Zealanders are feeling positive about the internet, despite many spending hours online per day.

A study by Internet NZ has found that only 72 percent of Kiwis think the positives of the internet outweigh the negatives, despite nearly half spending four or more hours online a day.

InternetNZ chief executive Vivien Maidaborn said that figure had been slowly declining from 90 percent in 2019.

“The concern is potentially increasing because of what’s now being called the ‘enshittification’ of the internet by the big players who are really prioritising profit over user experience.”

Maidaborn said the research showed the increasingly complex relationship people have with the internet.

“Love it or hate it, we’re all using the internet a great deal… it’s become so integral to our day to day. But that doesn’t mean it’s something we enjoy engaging with.”

Attitude towards AI

The research also found kiwis were feeling increasingly confident in using artificial intelligence, but concerned about its potential to produce harmful content.

It found 60 percent of Kiwis used AI weekly, but 68 percent were ‘very or extremely concerned’ about it being used to produce harmful content.

AI could amplify some of the worst parts of the internet, Maidaborn said.

“Scamming phishing, targeting of particular groups with harm. All of those things can happen way faster than human speed with AI.”

The findings reflected the pace at which AI has grown in the past few years, Maidaborn said.

“In a very short time, we’ve gone from most people having a very limited understanding of what AI is and what it can do, to it being in use every day in almost every household.”

AI also brought opportunity, but more policy guidance was needed from the government so that people were not using unregulated tools, Maidaborn said.

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2026 Taite Music Prize finalists announced

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Marlon Williams, Geneva AM, Tom Scott and Jazmine Mary are among 10 finalists for the 2026 Taite Music Prize.

The award, named in honour of late Dylan Taite, one of Aotearoa’s respected music journalists, recognises outstanding independent New Zealand albums released in the past year.

The award will be presented on Wednesday, 29 April at the International Convention Centre, Auckland, at the same time as the NZ On Air Outstanding Music Journalism Award, IMNZ Classic Record and the Independent Spirit Award.

Marlon Williams will tour NZ in 2026 before taking a break for a ‘wee while’.

Supplied

I’m educated and a fan of science, so why do I follow superstitions?

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Source: Radio New Zealand

As kids, many of us are told that if we go outside with wet hair, we’ll catch a cold. And as adults, we might spend an extra few minutes drying our hair before stepping out.

Many tall buildings in Anglo countries don’t label the 13th floor, while buildings in East Asia often skip floor four.

If a player I barrack for is having a winning streak, and a commentator mentions it, I might feel like the player is “jinxed” and their winning streak will end.

We can be quite creative in how we assemble information, in ways that are totally incompatible with science.

Unsplash

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Meet the ‘Old Mother Goose’ from NZ’s subtropical prehistoric past

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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nic Rawlence, Associate Professor in Ancient DNA, University of Otago

During the early to mid Miocene period, 14 to 19 million years ago, a vast lake covered much of what is now Central Otago.

Along the shores of Lake Manuherikia, whose remnants are found near present-day St Bathans, lived crocodilians, turtles, and bowerbirds, as well as early relatives of bats, moa and kiwi, and a rich diversity of waterfowl such as ducks and swans.

This lost ecosystem is known today from the famous St Bathans fossil deposits, which preserve one of the world’s richest records of the Miocene and offer a rare window into Aotearoa’s warmer, more subtropical ancient past.

Our newly published research adds another waterfowl species to this remarkable menagerie. It also sheds important new light on the origins of New Zealand’s recently extinct giant, flightless geese of the genus Cnemiornis.

NZ’s long-lost waterfowl

Spanning 5,600 square kilometres, Lake Manuherikia was ten times the size of New Zealand’s Lake Taupo. It was a dynamic habitat that supported a diverse range of waterfowl, including five stiff-tailed ducks, one swan, two shelducks, one dabbling duck and our new goose.

While many of these waterfowl are incredibly common in the fossil deposits around St Bathans, others, including the largest species, are quite rare.

Our team reexamined the remains of all the bones previously identified as belonging to geese. We then compared them with other large waterfowl bones from the deposits and a broad collection of comparative bird skeletons housed in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

We determined that the bones included an undescribed species the size of a small goose.

We named our new bird the St Bathans goose Meterchen luti, as a play on the nursery rhyme “Old Mother Goose”. In our case, an ancient goose rises up out of the mud of the fossil deposit. Meterchen means “mother goose” in ancient Greek, while luti is Latin for “of the mud”.

The ancient lake mud around St Bathans, Otago, is a rich source of fossils that give palaeontologists unique insights into Zealandia’s past biodiversity. Alan Tennyson/Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, CC BY-NC-SA

With ten unique species of waterfowl now described from the fossil deposits, across a range of sizes, Lake Manuherikia was clearly a very productive and dynamic lake system, supporting a large and complex ecosystem.

Not as ancient as first thought

Our St Bathans goose is only based on fragmentary remains but there is enough preserved to show that it is not a close relative of the giant flightless Cnemiornis geese, nor their Australian cousin, the Cape Barren goose Cereopsis novaehollandiae.

An artist’s impression of the St Bathans goose that once lived in New Zealand. Sasha Votyakova/Te Papa Tongarewa, CC BY-NC-SA

Recent genetic research is showing the evolutionary origin of New Zealand’s birds is more dynamic than previously thought, with influxes from Australia, South America, the Northern Hemisphere and places unknown.

Throughout geological history, many birds arrived in Zealandia, the now-mostly submerged continent that includes New Zealand. But the ancestors of some of our large birds only arrived here surprisingly recently – in the past 4-5 million years – including takahē, the Eyles or Forbes’ harrier and the giant Haast’s eagle.

An earlier theory argued that the St Bathans goose represented the direct ancestors of giant flightless Cnemiornis geese, implying this lineage had been present in Zealandia for at least 14 million years.

However, this conflicts with genetic evidence suggesting the ancestors of Cnemiornis arrived from Australia only 7 million years ago, which proponents of the earlier theory discarded.

Our reassessment, based on a much broader set of comparative bird skeletons, rather than single exemplars, does not support the earlier-arrival hypothesis and instead supports the later arrival.

Turnover and transformation

Increasingly, our multidisciplinary research is showing that there have been considerable levels of biological turnover throughout Zealandia’s history.

While the ancestors of the St Bathans goose no doubt arrived in Zealandia earlier than 14 million years ago, no descendants survived, with the ancestors of the giant Cnemiornis geese colonising much more recently, only for their descendants to go extinct shortly after human arrival due over-hunting and predation.

Artist’s impression of an extinct giant flightless New Zealand goose in its open habitat. Paul Martinson/Te Papa Tongarewa, CC BY-NC-SA

The relatively recent evolution of the giant flightless Cnemiornis geese offers another striking example of the rapid morphological change that can occur within a short timespan on islands, where evolution can run rampant. At one metre tall and weighing up to 18kg, these were the largest geese in the world.

By using all the scientific tools in the toolbox, we can reconstruct how the dynamic geological, climatic and human history of Zealandia has shaped the evolution of Aotearoa’s fauna in ever more detail.

Each new discovery is a reminder that the story of New Zealand’s birds – and of Zealandia itself – is very much still being written.

– ref. Meet the ‘Old Mother Goose’ from NZ’s subtropical prehistoric past – https://theconversation.com/meet-the-old-mother-goose-from-nzs-subtropical-prehistoric-past-271722

From high-tech greenhouses to fruit netting: how protected cropping can shield crops from climate extremes

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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Bacic, Professor of Plant Biology, La Trobe University

For many of us, food is something we buy at a supermarket or order at a cafe. We usually give little thought to the complex systems required to produce and deliver it – until they stop working.

It’s not common to think of Australia as a place at risk of food insecurity. It has vast tracts of fertile land and the capacity to feed its population many times over. Around 70% is exported.

But the searing southeast heat and widespread northern flooding this summer demonstrate the very real risks to food production. Temperature extremes, heatwaves, droughts, floods and shifting seasonal patterns are worsening as the climate changes.

People can seek refuge indoors. But the plants and animals we rely on for food have no such protection. In response, some orchardists and farmers are taking up an approach known as protected cropping, where crops are shielded from threats. As South Australian persimmon and avocado grower Craig Burne told the ABC:

without misting and netting in place, I don’t think we’d successfully grow either of these crops in this climate any more

As climate change intensifies, protected cropping could better safeguard some crops. Overseas, nations such as the Netherlands have taken up protected cropping to drastically boost fruit and vegetable exports. But it’s early days in Australia. To grow, the sector will have to overcome barriers to growth.

Protected cropping methods such as this polytunnel at Stepping Stone Farm in NSW can extend growing seasons and shield crops from some threats. Mick Tsikas/AAP

What defines protected cropping?

Protection is broadly defined. It can range from low-tech solutions such as shade houses and netting to medium-technology polytunnels (hoop-shaped plastic covers) through to highly sophisticated automated glasshouses.

Countries facing land constraints such as the Netherlands have been the most enthusiastic in taking up this approach. Guided by the principle of “twice the food using half the resources”, Netherlands farmers have turned to high-tech glasshouses.

The result has been remarkable: a country with extremely limited agricultural land has become a top exporter of fruit and vegetables.

Emerging in Australia

In Australia, protected cropping is gaining popularity off a small base. In 2023, around 14,000 hectares of fruit and vegetable crops were growing under some form of protection. That’s around 17% of the total area.

Most of this area relies on low-tech systems, however. Just over two-thirds (68%) of all protected cropping areas relies on low-tech shade houses or netting, mainly in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Medium-tech systems such as polytunnels and polyhouses account for about 30% of the total. These systems are found mainly in Tasmania, northern Queensland and Western Australia.

High-tech glasshouses account for only 2% of the total. These are primarily found near bigger cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

To date, farmers have relied on protected cropping for high-value crops such as tomatoes, capsicums, cucumbers, berries, leafy greens and more expensive tree crops.

In 2022, Australia’s protected cropping industry was worth an estimated A$100 million to farmers. Demand for workers in the sector is growing at 5% a year, and around 10,000 people worked in the industry as of 2022.

Protected cropping has been used on import-reliant Christmas Island to boost self-sufficiency. Bianca De Marchi

Real benefits – at a cost

For farmers, protected cropping offers clear advantages across low-, medium- and high-tech approaches.

These methods can create an environment favourable to year-round plant growth, improving the consistency and quality of yields. By controlling factors such as temperature, plant nutrition, humidity, light and pests, protected cropping reduces production risks and increases crop yield and quality.

For farmers, being able to control their environment in a predictable way is particularly valuable in an uncertain climate. Protecting crops means less (but not zero) risk from extreme weather. Other benefits include more efficient use of land, water, fertiliser and energy.

Crops can also be cultivated closer to markets. This improves food freshness, lowers transport emissions and strengthens domestic food security.

For exporters, produce grown in protected systems is more likely to meet stringent biosecurity and quality standards of overseas buyers.

Innovation is essential to unlock these benefits at scale. Advances in plant breeding, sensors, automation, data analytics, controlled supply of nutrients, lighting systems and biological controls for pests and plant diseases can significantly boost farm production, profits and sustainability.

A high-tech greenhouse using LED lighting, hydroponics and automated sensors to optimise crop growth. Red and blue LED lights reduce energy use while maintaining high yields and crop quality. Anthony D’Agatha/La Trobe University, CC BY-NC-ND

What’s stopping protected cropping?

Australia’s farmers are highly exposed to extreme weather events and the changing water cycle. Protected cropping would seem to be a logical way to control some of these risks.

To date, protected cropping hasn’t achieved scale in Australia. That’s because the horticulture industry is dominated by small businesses with limited capacity to invest in new systems.

High-tech protected cropping systems offer the best results, but the cost is enough to put off many farmers. Finding and keeping skilled workers is another challenge.

Scaling up won’t just happen

Protected cropping is an excellent solution. But it’s out of reach for many farmers who would benefit.

In nations such as Sweden and the Netherlands, governments have worked to encourage uptake of protected cropping and boost exports of fruit and vegetables, through world-class research and innovation precincts.

Australia’s federal and state governments could accelerate uptake by setting targets to expand protected cropping areas, encourage adoption through policy levers, investing in joint infrastructure and incentives to cut installation costs.

A good start could be to focus on areas where high-value crops are grown in unprotected environments and work to create regional clusters of expertise, shared infrastructure and skilled jobs.

Governments can’t do it without buy in from industry bodies, researchers and farmers. Translating innovation from laboratory to field is never easy. But it can – and arguably must – be done, as Australia’s farmers face a very uncertain climate.

Protected cropping is not a silver bullet. Polytunnels can’t protect against floods, for instance. But other countries have successfully used these methods to boost yields, safeguard local food production and create new higher wage jobs. It could do the same here.

– ref. From high-tech greenhouses to fruit netting: how protected cropping can shield crops from climate extremes – https://theconversation.com/from-high-tech-greenhouses-to-fruit-netting-how-protected-cropping-can-shield-crops-from-climate-extremes-272162

Back at uni? How to help your wellbeing while you study

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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew J. Martin, Scientia Professor and Professor of Educational Psychology, UNSW Sydney

University can be a time of great opportunities, but it can also be very stressful. Many students need to support themselves financially and may be living away from home. Students are also under constant deadlines and, if in their final years, need to prepare for life and work after uni.

My colleagues and I research how students can succeed and thrive in their studies.

So, as classes begin for semester one, how can you be proactive about your wellbeing and find a healthy balance between work, study and friends?

Academic and personal wellbeing

There are two interconnected parts of life that are particularly challenged at university. These are academic wellbeing and personal wellbeing.

Academic wellbeing is about your learning and achievement, and how motivated and engaged you are with your studies. Personal wellbeing is about your mental health, self-esteem, life satisfaction and sense of meaning and purpose.

This is where “buoyancy” – sometimes called everyday resilience – comes in. Buoyancy is students’ ability to bounce back from challenges, difficulties and setbacks. It helps them navigate the ups and downs of university life, from competing deadlines, to exam stress and the demands of paid work.

In our research, we have identified psychological and interpersonal ways to help students maintain their academic and personal wellbeing. We call them “the 6 Cs of buoyancy”.

1. Confidence

We have found students who believe in themselves to do what they set out to do tend to respond well to difficulty. Boosting self-belief, or confidence, involves two important things.

  • Focus on the positives: recognise what knowledge and skills you already have. Avoid negative thinking traps. For example, give yourself credit for positive results instead of thinking the “lecturer went easy on me”.

  • Develop a broader view of success: view success not just in terms of marks, but also in terms of learning new things and personal improvement. This helps you recognise more of the things you do well, so you receive confidence-boosters more often.

2. Control

Our research shows students who feel as though they are “in the driver’s seat” are not as easily affected by adversity. There are two helpful ways you can feel in control.

  • Focus on the three things in your control: these are effort (how hard you try), strategy (the way you try) and attitude (what you think of yourself and the challenge).

  • Seek out feedback: this is information or ideas about how to navigate a challenge or improve next time. You can get this from teachers, a student advisor or trusted peers.

3. Commitment

Staying focused on your goals can help you persist through tough times. There are two ways to support this.

  • Set clear goals and a plan for meeting them: so you know what you’re doing, why, and how to do it.

  • Seek support: remember there are people who can help you if you are unsure about something, such as academic staff and student support services.

4. Coordination

Having a clear plan also helps you to navigate your way through challenges. There are two ways to do this:

  • Look ahead: what challenges are on the horizon? Are there assignment deadlines on the same day? Be proactive and get onto them early so you finish them by the due date.

  • Have a timetable: make a realistic and achievable weekly timetable so you can balance the different things you need and want to do.

5. Composure

Academic anxiety typically involves worrying excessively about poor results, performance in an upcoming test or presentation, meeting deadlines and getting on top of difficult coursework. Managing your academic anxiety is an important part of maintaining academic and personal wellbeing.

  • Have stress management and relaxation strategies: find strategies that work for you. This may be meditation, exercise, reading or connecting with nature.

  • Make lifestyle adjustments: create healthy habits, such as an improved diet, less alcohol, more sleep or staying off social media channels that “wind you up”.

6. Connection

A sense of belonging is a buffer against stress. Good relationships are also a protective factor in tough times.

  • Get more involved: participate in classes, labs and tutorials. Say “yes” to social opportunities such as a coffee after a lecture. Look for a university club or society you can join. Go into uni a little more than being online.

  • Keep in touch: socialise with good friends from school or other parts of life outside of uni.

What if I am struggling?

The 6 Cs are helpful for navigating day-to-day challenges at university. But it is important to reach out to a mental health professional on or off campus if you need more support.

If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

– ref. Back at uni? How to help your wellbeing while you study – https://theconversation.com/back-at-uni-how-to-help-your-wellbeing-while-you-study-276854

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