Opinion pieces
Views, reflections and commentary from our academic staff.
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‘Applying for a home felt harder than applying for a job’: NZ private rentals won’t solve need for emergency housing
13 March 2024
The number of people living in emergency housing in Aotearoa New Zealand has grown exponentially over the last eight years – but plans to rely on the private rental sector ignore fundamental realities of renting. -
Other nations are applying sanctions and going to court over Gaza – should NZ join them?
28 February 2024
Despite the carnage, United Nations resolutions and international court rulings, the war in Gaza has the potential to get much worse. -
NZ is bound by international mental health agreements – statistics for Māori show we’re failing to uphold them
19 February 2024
Aotearoa New Zealand ranks among the highest in youth suicide rates among OECD countries – and it is Māori youth at the forefront of this national crisis. -
More than religion: why some of Israel’s staunchest support comes from the Pacific Islands
29 January 2024
One of the most perplexing yet poorly understood aspects of the international diplomatic response to the ongoing Gaza conflict has been the overwhelmingly pro-Israel orientation of Pacific Island states. -
From the Middle East to the South China Sea: NZ’s new government inherits a defence dilemma
23 January 2024
When the previous government released the first ever national security strategy last year, it forecast stormy geopolitical weather ahead. In the brief few months since then, the sky has darkened further still. -
Wanting to ‘move on’ is natural – but women’s pandemic experiences can’t be lost to ‘lockdown amnesia’
10 January 2024
The COVID-19 pandemic was – and continues to be – hugely disruptive and stressful for individuals, communities and countries. Yet many seem desperate to close the chapter entirely, almost as if it had never happened. -
NZ report card 2023: near the top of the class in some areas, room for improvement elsewhere
27 December 2023
End-of-year results aren’t only for school and university students. Countries, too, can be measured for their progress – or lack of it – across numerous categories and subject areas. -
NZ First fears over WHO regulations are misplaced – robust checks and balances already exist
6 December 2023
When the new government lodged an urgent “reservation” against adopting amendments to World Health Organization regulations, it baffled some expert observers but signalled an early win for the NZ First party. -
Nicola Willis warns of fiscal ‘snakes and snails’ – her mini-budget will be a test of NZ’s no-surprises finance rules
4 December 2023
New finance minister Nicola Willis has claimed she was blindsided by the state of the government’s books. Is it possible for an outgoing government to leave what Willis has called “snakes and snails” or is this just normal politicking? -
Restoring ecosystems to boost biodiversity is an urgent priority – our ‘Eco-index’ can guide the way
14 November 2023
Biodiversity continues to decline globally, but nowhere is the loss more pronounced than in Aotearoa New Zealand, which has the highest proportion of threatened indigenous species in the world. We hope our Eco-index initiative will help change the story for nature. -
Fieldwork can be challenging for female scientists. Here are 5 ways to make it better
7 November 2023
Women coastal scientists face multiple barriers to getting into the field for research. -
As the Israel-Gaza crisis worsens and the UN remains impotent, what are NZ’s diplomatic options?
27 October 2023
Global security involves managing a complex combination of law, ethics and politics. No situation exemplifies this more than what is happening now in Israel and Gaza. -
Israel-Gaza crisis: NZ must condemn atrocities but keep pushing for a two-state solution
13 October 2023
The shock Hamas attack on Israel will test the foreign policy positions of whichever parties manage to form a government in New Zealand after Saturday. -
The ‘yes’ campaign is generating the most media and social media content. Yet, it continues to trail in the polls
11 October 2023
With almost a third of votes cast already in postal and pre-poll voting for the Voice to Parliament referendum, the “yes” campaign is ramping up its advertising and media efforts. -
Foreign policy has been missing from NZ’s election campaign – voters deserve answers to these big questions
30 September 2023
Tax cuts, crime, the cost of living, potholes and co-governance … these and various other issues are now familiar to most voters. But there has been one major election area missing the serious debate it needs: foreign policy. -
Ruapehu has had a great ski season – but we need to reimagine the future of NZ’s iconic volcano
27 September 2023
As a former competitive snowboarder and instructor, and later a researcher of snow sports, I’ve been lucky to enjoy ski resorts around the world. But nothing compares to Mount Ruapehu on a good day. -
NZ’s Green Party is ‘filling the void on the left’ as voters grow frustrated with Labour’s centrist shift
27 September 2023
The Green Party has run a strong campaign. With a 14.2% share in the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll, up by 1.9 percentage points since the previous poll, that is more than half the Labour Party’s 26.5%. -
Another day, another roadblock: how should NZ law deal with disruptive climate protests?
15 September 2023
The most recent protest by the Restore Passenger Rail climate protest group, in which a Wellington car dealership was defaced with red paint, is not just the latest in a local movement – it’s part of a global trend. -
Silicon Valley investors want to create a new city – is ‘California Forever’ a utopian dream or just smart business?
8 September 2023
The notion of something like California Forever may appear cutting edge, but it is part of the historical foundations of current planning systems. -
Flood protection based on historical records is flawed – we need a risk model fit for climate change
31 August 2023
Despite countries pouring billions of dollars into “protecting” communities, flood-related disasters are becoming more frequent and are projected to become even more severe as the climate crisis worsens. -
Accident or medical, new research shows we need to treat conditions equally to get people back to work
30 August 2023
The amount of support available after illness or injury can make a significant difference to a person’s life. New Zealanders who have health conditions and injury not covered under the ACC model are disadvantaged. -
Niger’s resource paradox: what should make the country rich has made it a target for predators
28 August 2023
The recent coup underscores a geopolitical rivalry deeply rooted in colonial and neo-colonial legacies and intensified by some western nations’ drive for the control of Niger’s resources. -
Research reveals who’s been hit hardest by global warming in their lifetime - the answer may surprise you
15 August 2023
Our world-first analysis, published today, examines the experience of global warming over the lifetimes of people around the world: young and old, rich and poor. We sought to identify who has perceived warmer temperatures most keenly. -
Out of the shadows: why making NZ’s security threat assessment public for the first time is the right move
11 August 2023
Today’s release of the threat assessment by the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (SIS) is the final piece in a defence and security puzzle that marks a genuine shift towards more open and public discussion of these crucial policy areas. -
NZ’s first national security strategy signals a ‘turning point’
7 August 2023
While some countries, such as the United States and Britain, have had serious national security strategies in place for a long time, for others it takes a shock. -
Call of the huia: how NZ’s bird of the century contest helps us express ‘ecological grief’
2 August 2023
Extending rituals of grief and loss to non-human animals (and our shared habitats) can help us appreciate being part of the natural world, not separate from it. -
Oppenheimer’s warning lives on: laws and treaties are failing to stop a new arms race
28 July 2023
J. Robert Oppenheimer – the great nuclear physicist, “father of the atomic bomb”, and now subject of a blockbuster biopic – always despaired about the nuclear arms race triggered by his creation. -
The future of money is digital – but NZ needs a careful framework to prevent the pitfalls of cryptocurrency
24 July 2023
New Zealand’s central bank is preparing for a future that includes the mainstream use of cryptocurrency. -
Consumers want NZ farmers to comply with regulations – building trust
13 July 2023
Assurance systems such as freshwater monitoring are a cornerstone of New Zealand’s agribusiness. They enable compliance with regulations, product safety and international trade. But these systems face growing challenges. -
Plastic pollution in some NZ lakes is comparable to northern hemisphere lakes
13 July 2023
The level of microplastic pollution in New Zealand lakes is comparable with those in the US or Europe, despite much lower population densities, according to our global analysis of plastic pollution in freshwater lakes and reservoirs.