Academic Insights – Election 2026
Get evidence-based perspectives and expert academic analysis on the key policy issues shaping Aotearoa ahead of the General Election.
Media releases
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03 Nov 2026
Māori leaving prison have ‘no housing, nowhere to go’
Māori leaving prison are being released into the community with no housing and nowhere to go, and have told public healt...
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28 Oct 2026
How a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ attitude supports an illicit tobacco market
Adopting a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ approach to illicit tobacco enables people to avoid thinking about where cheap smokes...
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23 Oct 2026
Targeted funding needed for GPs to manage rising levels of diabetes
Researchers say more funding is needed for general practices which serve patients with high needs, after their study of...
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22 Oct 2026
Schrödinger’s Penguin: one species, two contrasting outcomes
A new University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka study reveals two vastly different life courses for one of Aotearoa New...
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20 Oct 2026
Alcohol guidelines need updating – study reveals
Aotearoa New Zealand’s low-risk drinking guidelines from 2011 are outdated and no longer reflect what is known about the...
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20 Oct 2026
Writer 2026 winners named
A periodontist – and now award-winning writer. Associate Professor Tino Mercado of the Department of Oral Sciences in Ot...
Undergraduate news (Te Aka Tauira)
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29 Oct 2026
SIX60 Scholarships announced for 2027
The line up for 2027’s SIX60 Scholarship has been announced.
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20 Oct 2026
The business of AI
Love it or loathe it, AI is changing how businesses operate, and tauira will need to know what to expect – and what is e...
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13 Oct 2026
Te Reo Māori exerts gravitational pull
If third-year Physics and Māori Studies tauira Rachel Eckhold (Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu) could go anywhere in space and surv...
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30 Sep 2026
Otago students have spirit
University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka students have been celebrated for their sportsmanship, leadership and unity a...
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29 Sep 2026
From athletes to the arts – celebrating Otago’s students
A University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka student who has excelled in basketball and athletics has won the top sports...
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28 Sep 2026
Exchange experience unlike anything else
Izzy Fyfe turned stepping outside her comfort zone into one of the most rewarding chapters of her university journey.
Postgraduate news (Te Pānui Tāura)
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12 Nov 2026
Considering cuddles this World Prematurity Day
Donna Smith has both personal and professional experience navigating the hardship and rewards associated with caring for...
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10 Nov 2026
Sciences staff celebrated in biennial awards
Celebrating the people and work of Sciences was the focus of the 2026 Sciences Divisional Awards ceremony held last week...
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09 Nov 2026
Lifelong learning from Africa to Aotearoa
With more than 18 years’ experience in histology, Lesley Bloomberg's commitment to learning motivated him to pursue furt...
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28 Oct 2026
Data to sink your teeth into
When the dental data of Dunedin Study participants was delivered to the Department of Mathematics and Statistics on a se...
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20 Oct 2026
The business of AI
Love it or loathe it, AI is changing how businesses operate, and tauira will need to know what to expect – and what is e...
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16 Oct 2026
Physiotherapy putting pēpi first
Undeterred by Covid-19, staff from Otago’s School of Physiotherapy joined with the Little Miracles Trust in 2020 to esta...
Staff news
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13 Nov 2026
Fifty years of photographer’s work celebrated in exhibition
Major works of renowned New Zealand photographer Adrienne Martyn will soon be on display at the Hocken Collections Uare...
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12 Nov 2026
Considering cuddles this World Prematurity Day
Donna Smith has both personal and professional experience navigating the hardship and rewards associated with caring for...
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12 Nov 2026
Economics student wins 2026 Sir Frank Holmes Prize
When Max Stiven heard he’d been awarded the 2026 Sir Frank Holmes Prize for being the top economics undergraduate studen...
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11 Nov 2026
Saving New Zealand’s marine species from an invader
New Zealand is a global hotspot for bryozoan diversity – but what are bryozoans and are they important?
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10 Nov 2026
Sciences staff celebrated in biennial awards
Celebrating the people and work of Sciences was the focus of the 2026 Sciences Divisional Awards ceremony held last week...
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09 Nov 2026
Lifelong learning from Africa to Aotearoa
With more than 18 years’ experience in histology, Lesley Bloomberg's commitment to learning motivated him to pursue furt...
Alumni news
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10 Nov 2026
Ka mua, ka muri: 100 Years of Music
Music has a book! Acclaimed author Dr Ian Chapman generously created a book packed with photos and reflections, to celeb...
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10 Nov 2026
Award-winning forester sees the future in timber
Working with a large network of people and facing new challenges and opportunities each day are highlights of forestry a...
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10 Nov 2026
48 Hour Flash Fiction Competition 2026 Winner
The challenge: write a story of up to 750 words over a weekend based on a set of prompts that we release at the start of...
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29 Oct 2026
Taking an Otago education to Major League Baseball
After studying at Dunedin’s Bayfield High School, Otago was always front and centre for alumnus Andy Pohl, but after a s...
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20 Oct 2026
Helping pharmacy graduates on the road to success
Otago alumnus Peter Shenoda (BPharm, 2010) is incredibly pleased that the internship programme at his pharmacies has a p...
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14 Oct 2026
Balancing career goals and community commitment
Balancing a career in international trade with his passion for coaching rugby league, Justin aims to keep learning and g...
30 with the VC
More podcasts-
11 Nov 2026
30 with the VC | Associate Professor Mei Peng on smell, super-tasters, and the complexities of what we eat
The importance of smell and the complex decision-making model that determines what we eat, when and why.
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04 Nov 2026
30 with the VC | Professor Louise Parr-Brownlie
Neuroscientist Professor Louise Parr-Brownlie talks Parkinson’s disease, healthy brains, and the importance of mātaurang...
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28 Oct 2026
30 with the VC | Dr Fairleigh Gilmour
Dr Fairleigh Gilmour on why she believes everyone should have access to education.
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21 Oct 2026
30 with the VC | Associate Professor Dennis Wesselbaum
A “recovering politician and a current economist” talk all about the economy, inflation and key issues in the upcoming g...
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14 Oct 2026
30 with the VC | Professor Peter Dearden
What is a genome? What would it make for Aotearoa New Zealand to become predator-free?
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07 Oct 2026
30 with the VC | Professor Moana Theodore
What does a day in the life of a Dunedin Study Member look like?