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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]
What’s Next For COVID Vaccines In NZ? – Expert Q&A
Friday, 21 March 2025, 11:55 am | Science Media Centre
As we head into winter illness season, the SMC asked experts for the latest on our COVID vaccines. An updated vaccine targeting new COVID variants became available in January. Dr Lisa Connor, head of the Connor laboratory and programme leader of ... More >>
Antarctic Sea Ice Levels Have Been At Record Lows For The Last Three Years, A Global Report Shows
Thursday, 20 March 2025, 11:56 am | Science Media Centre
The World Meteorological Organisation's State of the Global Climate 2024 report highlights record glacier loss, extreme temperatures, unprecedented CO levels, and accelerating sea level rise. Experts react. More >>
Mental Health Screening “Critical” For Chronic Pain Treatment – Expert Reaction
Monday, 10 March 2025, 11:24 am | Science Media Centre
The research team looked at 376 studies comprising almost 350,000 people with chronic pain around the world. Those most likely to have depression and anxiety are women, younger people, and people with a certain kind of chronic pain where there is no ... More >>
Manawanui Fuel Removal Operation Completed – Expert Reaction
Friday, 7 March 2025, 5:21 pm | Science Media Centre
Over 320,000 litres of diesel fuel mixed with seawater have been removed and from this, just over 300,000 litres of usable diesel fuel have been extracted. Another 45,000 litres of liquid including waste oils and diesel fuel/seawater have also been ... More >>
City Fires Likely To Increase With Climate Change – Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 4 March 2025, 5:42 pm | Science Media Centre
As air temperatures get hotter with climate change, urban fires will get more common, with New Zealand seeing over 40% more city fires by 2100 with unmitigated warming of over 4°C, according to new overseas research. More >>
Carbon Capture And Storage In Aotearoa – Expert Q+A
Friday, 28 February 2025, 12:08 pm | Science Media Centre
The SMC asked local experts to provide background information on the research behind carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS). More >>
NZ’s Breast Cancer Rates Are Some Of World’s Highest – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 26 February 2025, 1:43 pm | Science Media Centre
A new study of 185 countries reveals that New Zealand and Australia have some of the highest breast cancer diagnosis rates globally, at about 1 in every 1,000 females. However, death rates from the disease are among the lowest and are declining by 2.1% ... More >>
Government Plans To Double Mineral Exports By 2035 – Expert Reaction
Monday, 3 February 2025, 10:41 am | Science Media Centre
The announcement also included the release of the final critical minerals list with 37 minerals including gold and coal. More >>
New Aotearoa Climate Goals Announced – Expert Reaction
Friday, 31 January 2025, 1:13 pm | Science Media Centre
This new contribution would reduce NZ's emissions to around 40 million tonnes CO2-equivalent per year by 2035. Nations participating in the Paris Agreement (recently excepting the US) are due to submit their greenhouse gas reduction targets by February. More >>
What To Expect From NZ’s New Climate Goals – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 30 January 2025, 5:34 pm | Science Media Centre
Participating nations are due to submit their next Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by February. This is a responsibility under the Paris Agreement, from which the US has recently withdrawn. More >>
Reforms To NZ’s Science Sector – Expert Reaction
Friday, 24 January 2025, 4:21 pm | Science Media Centre
A new Prime Minister’s Science, Innovation and Technology Advisory Council will provide strategic direction and identify economic opportunities, while a new agency, Invest New Zealand, will focus on foreign direct investment. More >>
Kiwis Have High Trust In Science, Study Finds – Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 21 January 2025, 3:50 pm | Science Media Centre
Most people in Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas also believe that scientists should play a greater role in society and policymaking, and that scientists should talk about science with the public. More >>
Beyond BMI: How Should We Be Diagnosing Obesity? – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 15 January 2025, 2:09 pm | Science Media Centre
The global Commission on Clinical Obesity recommends focusing on measures of body fat, in addition to BMI, to avoid people being misdiagnosed. The Science Media Centre asked third-party NZ experts to comment. More >>
Carbon-storing Construction Materials – Expert Reaction
Friday, 10 January 2025, 10:02 am | Science Media Centre
The amount of CO2 storage needed worldwide is daunting and so storage in building materials deserves to be on the table alongside approaches like geological storage, further forestry planting, and other nature-based solutions, says Associate Professor ... More >>
NIWA’s Annual Climate Summary For 2024 – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 8 January 2025, 1:36 pm | Science Media Centre
Of New Zealand’s 10 warmest years on record, eight have occurred since 2013. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have continued to rise, exceeding 420 parts per million (ppm) at NIWA’s monitoring station near Wellington in 2024. More >>
Meth Use Skyrockets – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 12 December 2024, 6:14 pm | Science Media Centre
“The latest findings of increasing meth use in New Zealand (+108%) are consistent with the previous quarter of wastewater testing results (+31%) and our own recent NZ Drugs Trends Survey (NZDTS) results which showed declining prices for meth (-36%) ... More >>
What To Know Before Becoming A New Greyhound Owner – Expert Q&A
Thursday, 12 December 2024, 6:09 pm | Science Media Centre
“Greyhounds can make a great companion for the whole family. Like any breed of dog, each greyhound is an individual with a unique personality. As with all dogs, their behaviour is impacted by a combination of genetics, early life experiences, ... More >>
New Food Standards For Lab-grown Meat – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 12 December 2024, 5:38 pm | Science Media Centre
Instead of going through the process of approving each new cell-cultured food individually as a novel food, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) proposes to establish clear standards that any cell-cultured food must comply with. More >>
Climate Commission Says Aim For Carbon-negative – Expert Reaction
Friday, 6 December 2024, 3:43 pm | Science Media Centre
The Commission says the current greenhouse gas targets are realistic and achievable, and that a loftier goal on both carbon and methane is also warranted. The Science Media Centre asked experts to comment. More >>
Govt Cuts Humanities And Social Science Funding - Expert Reaction
Thursday, 5 December 2024, 5:15 pm | Science Media Centre
The areas that have been cut include research in subjects like nursing, law, and archaeology. More >>
