Stress, poor pay and job insecurity are driving professional chefs away from the hospitality industry in Australia and New Zealand. Tourism is also feeling the impact of the looming skill shortage.
Long lifespans and slow reproduction rates make deep-water sharks and rays as vulnerable to overexploitation as whales once were. We must place them under protection to avoid extinctions.
Peter Thompson, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Calls for the Fair News Digital Bargaining Bill to be fast-tracked are misguided. A better solution would be a straight levy on digital advertising to fund public interest news production.
Understaffing and budget cuts mean prisoners often struggle to complete rehab programmes, even when they want to. ACT’s Parole Amendment Bill risks having the opposite of its intended effect.
Andrew Lorrey, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research; George Hook, Canterbury Museum; Lauren Vargo, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington, and Shaun Eaves, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
An estimated 13 trillion litres of ice has already been lost from glaciers in New Zealand’s Southern Alps since 1978. Several are now approaching extinction.
The coalition has made good on pledges to repeal, reduce or reverse the previous government’s policies. But the real test will be paying for its own policies and staying stable in the process.
Jane Kelsey, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
The recent World Trade Organization conference in Abu Dhabi has again failed to resolve any of the big issues on the table. Power relations rather than rule-based negotiation will fill the void.
Jay Marlowe, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Palestinian families in New Zealand are poised to sponsor relatives trying to flee Gaza. National-led governments have allowed such intakes in past crises – and here’s how it could work now.
Matthew Hall, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Consumer NZ’s case against Z Energy under the Fair Trading Act may be a sign of things to come. But new legislation would be a cleaner way to regulate fossil fuel advertising.
Rather than leave the Treaty principles to parliament and the courts to define, why not embed the essence of the Treaty articles themselves in all laws?
Jennifer Montgomery, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington and Clive Aspin, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Care and protection residences are meant to help children with nowhere else to go. Instead, official reports show those kids are experiencing increased serious physical, sexual or emotional harm.
Education needs to address the big gaps in the knowledge around the menstrual cycles and the impact menstruation has on a wide range of health outcomes.
It’s been 35 years since Aotearoa New Zealand’s first private network brought real competition in the television news market. Yesterday Warner Bros Discovery announced an end to all that.
International pressure on Israel to halt its onslaught in Gaza is mounting. New Zealand has so far chosen to stay on the sidelines, despite allies taking more decisive stands.
Jan Dewar, Auckland University of Technology; Denise Wilson, Auckland University of Technology; Gail Pacheco, Auckland University of Technology, and Lisa Meehan, Auckland University of Technology
Mandates were meant to ensure continuity of public services during the pandemic. But a new study suggests they had limited impact on vaccination rates, while significantly hurting careers and eroding trust.
On the fourth anniversary of New Zealand’s first COVID case it’s clear this is not a normal pandemic. Despite fatigue and indifference, New Zealand must heed the evidence and improve its response.
Potential economic gains are partly driving interest in joining pillar two of AUKUS. The risks and rewards need to be more widely debated before any decision is made.
Nathanael Melia, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The recent Port Hills fires highlight the increasing wildfire risks caused by climate change. Reducing the threat is going to take a shift in strategy, investment and community engagement.
Jane Kelsey, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Power politics and lack of progress on vital issues mean there are low expectations for the World Trade Organization’s ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi next week.
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University