Science Media Centre NZ
Our aim is to promote accurate, evidence-based reporting on science and technology by helping the media work more closely with the scientific community.
The Science Media Centre is New Zealand's only trusted, independent source of information for the media on all issues related to science. Thousands of news stories providing context from and quoting New Zealand researchers have been published as a direct result of our work.
Science Media Centre NZ - Latest News [Page 1]
Controlling M. Bovis In NZ, Four Years On – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 21 July 2021, 9:04 am | Science Media Centre
On 21 July 2017, the bacteria Mycoplasma bovis was first found in New Zealand cattle. A year later, in May 2018, we became the first country in the world to aim to eradicate it. To mark four years since the disease’s discovery in Kiwi cows, the SMC asked ... More >>
The Ethics Of Caring For The Orca Toa – Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 20 July 2021, 12:54 pm | Science Media Centre
An intensive search for the pod of the stranded baby orca – named Toa – has continued daily for the last week-and-a-half. The young orca calf has been cared for around-the-clock by Department of Conservation (DOC) staff and volunteers ... More >>
Frequent Flooding In NZ – Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 20 July 2021, 8:55 am | Science Media Centre
Last weekend’s wild weather provoked severe flooding in the Buller and Marlborough regions – the third major flood event in New Zealand this year. Residents, farmers and authorities face much work ahead to repair and rebuild, and it’s estimated ... More >>
The Hottest Olympics In History – Expert Reaction
Friday, 16 July 2021, 9:32 am | Science Media Centre
When the Olympic Games open in Tokyo next Friday, New Zealand’s largest-ever team of 211 athletes is predicted to face record-breaking temperatures amid the challenge of competing in a global pandemic. The Games will be held without cheering fans in ... More >>
RSV’s Toll On Health Services – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 14 July 2021, 3:48 pm | Science Media Centre
A sharp spike in respiratory syncytial virus – a highly-contagious, flu-like illness – is especially affecting kids and babies, and stretching hospital emergency departments. What are the impacts of this outbreak for New Zealand’s health services now, and ... More >>
Overhaul Of Health Support For Under-fives – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 14 July 2021, 9:50 am | Science Media Centre
The government has signalled a major makeover to a screening and support programme for the earliest years of a child’s life. The Well Child Tamariki Ora health programme provides wellness checkups for families with children from birth to 5 years old, ... More >>
Beef Up The Covid Alert Level System, Say Researchers – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 14 July 2021, 9:29 am | Science Media Centre
New Zealand’s Alert Level system needs an urgent revamp to suit the evolving pandemic, say University of Otago researchers. In a new paper they say the current alert level system was designed for last year’s pandemic context, and failed to promote equity ... More >>
Blueprint To Save Nature By 2050 – Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 13 July 2021, 5:07 pm | Science Media Centre
New global targets to protect nature and biodiversity are proposed in a UN framework, which stresses people and nature can’t be separated. Released overnight, the framework contains actions aiming to achieve harmony between people and nature by 2050. Targets ... More >>
Mandatory Folic Acid In Bread To Reduce Birth Defects – Expert Reaction
Friday, 9 July 2021, 4:41 pm | Science Media Centre
All non-organic bread-making wheat flour in New Zealand will be fortified with folic acid within the next two years. The supplement has been proven to prevent birth defects like spina bifida. Food Safety Minister Ayesha Verrall said more than half of pregnancies ... More >>
Janssen Vaccine Approved For Use - Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 7 July 2021, 4:02 pm | Science Media Centre
New Zealand could soon have two Covid-19 vaccine options, as Medsafe approves the single-dose Janssen vaccine for use in over-18s. Cabinet will now weigh up the options for using the Janssen vaccine, with a decision expected some time ... More >>
Using Comics To Explain Research - Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 7 July 2021, 9:30 am | Science Media Centre
After finishing a study on everyday ableism, a team of researchers at Massey University decided to commission illustrator Toby Morris to present their results as a comic strip. The researchers have now written a paper about the creative ... More >>
Mysterious Pain Disorder May Not Be Only In The Brain - Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 6 July 2021, 12:24 pm | Science Media Centre
A study in mice shows that fibromyalgia – a poorly understood condition that causes ongoing pain and fatigue in an estimated 1 in 40 people worldwide – could be caused by the immune system turning up the dial on pain-sensing nerves. Healthy mice injected ... More >>
The Past And Future Of Bioplastics - Expert Reaction
Friday, 2 July 2021, 10:14 am | Science Media Centre
A leading journal looks at how bioplastics have previously been greenwashed – and how they could help solve the global plastics dilemma. One article in the plastics-focused special issue of Science reviews how early bio-based plastics were neither clean ... More >>
When Will NZ Have Herd Immunity Against Covid-19? – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 30 June 2021, 11:40 am | Science Media Centre
New modelling shows 83 per cent of all New Zealanders need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 before we can safely remove public health restrictions. The estimate is based on data from earlier variants of the virus, so the percentage may need to ... More >>
Half Of NZ Has At Least One Misinformed Belief – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 30 June 2021, 11:38 am | Science Media Centre
A survey from the Classification Office offers a glimpse at how pervasive misinformation is in New Zealand, and how it’s affecting our beliefs. From the nationally representative survey of 2,300 Kiwis, one in two had at least one belief ... More >>
First Stab At Replacing The RMA Announced – Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 29 June 2021, 11:14 am | Science Media Centre
The Government Has Released The First Draft Of One Of The Proposed Laws Meant To Replace The 30-year-old Resource Management Act. The “exposure draft” of the Natural and Built Environments Bill discusses mandatory environmental limits for ... More >>
Problem Plastics To Be Phased Out – Expert Reaction
Sunday, 27 June 2021, 5:17 pm | Science Media Centre
The government has announced problem plastics and some single-use plastics will be phased out, in three stages, by July 2025. The outlawed plastics will include hard-to-recycle food and drink packaging and some single-use plastics, such as produce ... More >>
Alert Level 2 Extended For Wellington – Expert Reaction
Sunday, 27 June 2021, 5:16 pm | Science Media Centre
The Wellington region will remain at alert level 2 until 11.59 pm Tuesday, two days longer than anticipated. The government says there’s a need to see more testing results before any change in alert levels can be made. The rest of New Zealand stays ... More >>
No New Community Cases Detected In Wellington – Expert Reaction
Friday, 25 June 2021, 4:34 pm | Science Media Centre
No cases of Covid-19 have been detected in Wellington so far, but health authorities say the capital is still in the early days of understanding the impact of an infected Sydney man’s visit last weekend. Wastewater testing in the region ... More >>
Understanding The Delta Variant – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 24 June 2021, 12:32 pm | Science Media Centre
Health officials are assuming the Sydney man who visited Wellington over the weekend has the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus. Australian authorities expect his case to be genomically linked to the current Sydney outbreak , where the Delta variant ... More >>
