Independent Analysis and Reportage
Source: Radio New Zealand The pension only covers the basics. (File photo) 123rf As the cost of living climbs and Trump’s war on Iran drives fuel costs sky-high, how are Kiwis coping? What are they doing without? How are they saving money? An RNZ series examines the ways it’s impacting different groups. The increasing cost…
Source: Radio New Zealand The pension only covers the basics. (File photo) 123rf The increasing cost of living is hurting most, but those on fixed incomes have even less room to move with some forced to forego coffee and meat. Petrol and oil prices have crept exponentially higher after the war in Iran, while statistics…
Source: Radio New Zealand Alcohol can feel deeply entwined in our lives. A beer or glass of wine while catching up with friends. A cocktail at the end of a hard day. A round of toasts at a party. It’s hard to believe that such seemingly innocent behaviour reduces our immunity to infectious disease and…
Source: Radio New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford reveal a $131 million education package. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone School leaders say the government is better to spend up on teacher development rather than workbooks if it wants to improve kids’ reading, writing and maths. Education Minister Erica Stanford on Monday…
Source: Radio New Zealand A Dunedin blind woman is turning trash into treasure while supporting animals in need. Psychotherapist Megan Turnbull began losing her vision because of tumours on her retinas and was blind by the time she was three. What started as a hobby about a decade ago has become a weekly donation of…
Source: Radio New Zealand Say everyone had a best friend who was always available, never judgmental, totally on the same page about everything and needed nothing in return. Wouldn’t that solve the loneliness so many people are facing? No, experts say. In fact, having a best friend like that might make things much worse. This…
Source: Radio New Zealand As a child, filmmaker Brooke Darrow remembers going to a funeral for somebody who’d died on a motorbike, then finding it “incredibly confusing” when her dad and brothers continued to ride their bikes around the paddocks like nothing had happened. To better understand the “allure” of motorbike riding, she made the…
Source: Radio New Zealand Recent reports about second-hand sales booming are probably met with gleaming eyes from potential sellers looking for an extra buck in a cost-of-living crisis. TradeMe’s circular economy report earlier this year estimated, on average, each person has 19 items to sell, with an estimated value of $1300 per person. It highlighted…
Source: Radio New Zealand Australia’s latest government Budget has prompted some strong reactions. 123rf A recent headline in The Australian newspaper declared: Budget increases New Zealand’s appeal as a tax haven. It said, with no capital gains tax, no stamp duty or land tax, and the opportunity to negatively gear, business owners and property investors…
Source: Radio New Zealand In some cases average scores in the subjects edged up, but in others they dropped lower by statistically insignificant amounts. RNZ / Marika Khabazi The first national results show new English and maths curriculums have had little effect on children’s achievement so far. In some cases average scores edged up, but…
Source: Radio New Zealand Manufacturer Taylorson denied that its sleeping pods represented an “inherent or widespread danger” and said they were safe to use. Supplied An expert is calling for a ban on padded sleeping pods for infants as a coroner finds a baby’s death was partly due to one. A five-month-old boy died in…
Source: Radio New Zealand Professor Bev Lawton holding an HVP swab Charlie Dreaver Health experts in New Zealand say that cervical cancer is not only preventable, we have the ability to eliminate it once and for all. On average, about 175 New Zealanders are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year and about 55 people die…