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Read published opinion and first-person commentary from Otago experts as they share their research-informed views on the issues that matter most.

Expert analysis

E=mc2 on whiteboard thumbnail

13 Aug 2026

NZ wants a high‑tech future. Its proposed physics curriculum may make that harder


Commentary: New Zealand is placing big bets on science and technology, with plans to boost high-tech research funding by...

Baby thumbnail

11 Aug 2026

NZ First says population trends are at a ‘crisis point’. The reality is not that simple


Commentary: NZ First’s announcement of a policy to encourage New Zealanders to have more babies was made with dramatic u...

a broken road with yellow line down the middle

10 Aug 2026

Money alone won’t secure NZ’s infrastructure


Commentary: Pouring billions into infrastructure can’t prevent disaster if NZ keeps waiting for assets to break.

New Zealand's parliament in black and white

08 Aug 2026

MMP needs fixing, not ditching


Commentary: Dr Michael Swanson argues Christopher Luxon’s call for an MMP referendum sidesteps critical electoral repair...

phone with social media apps

29 Jul 2026

The jury’s out on social media bans. Here’s a better idea NZ can borrow from Australia


Commentary: Protecting young people from the harms they can experience online is clearly important. But with so much foc...

teacher in a classroom

24 Jul 2026

Teachers and doctors are losing the ability to self‑regulate. What are the risks?


Commentary: Until recently, New Zealand legislation has recognised teachers, doctors and nurses as self-regulating profe...

Women holding hands in scrubs thumbnail

13 Jul 2026

Cultural safety in healthcare is not ‘ideological’ – it is saving lives


Commentary: Introduced under urgency this month, the government’s latest proposed law change would increase the health m...

Hand on thermostat thumbnail image

26 May 2026

The Winter Energy Payment is buying less warmth each year – could there be a better long‑term fix?


Commentary: As New Zealand enters the colder months of the year, more than a million Kiwis have begun receiving their go...

woman sleeping

07 Apr 2026

Almost 200,000 New Zealanders are now living with long COVID – where is the government plan?


Commentary: A high prevalence of long COVID is perhaps the starkest reminder that the pandemic is far from over.

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