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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 30]
The Pressure Of Quarantine On Family Violence – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 1 April 2020, 7:38 pm | Science Media Centre
Support services have raised alarm bells over the lockdown, saying it could spark more cases of family violence in New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said this afternoon that nearly half of the $27 million allocated for NGOs and community ... More >>
Understanding The Evidence Behind Quarantine - Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 1 April 2020, 12:32 pm | Science Media Centre
New Zealand, alongside the rest of the world, is having to make unprecedented policy decisions in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. What's the evidence behind it? The SMC asked experts to comment on the evidence behind taking strict quarantine measures ... More >>
Drug And Alcohol Use Under Quarantine - Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 31 March 2020, 10:53 am | Science Media Centre
The nationwide lockdown raises questions on how New Zealanders will consume both legal and illegal substances during Alert Level 4 restrictions for at least three more weeks. The NZ Drug Foundation has advised regular consumers of alcohol ... More >>
First COVID-19 Death In NZ – Expert Reaction
Sunday, 29 March 2020, 3:42 pm | Science Media Centre
A woman on the West Coast has become the first person in New Zealand to die from COVID-19. The Ministry of Health announced today the woman was in her seventies, and had initially been admitted with what was thought to be influenza complicated ... More >>
COVID-19 And Immunity - Expert Reaction
Friday, 27 March 2020, 1:09 pm | Science Media Centre
People who become infected with COVID-19 have to fight the disease off with their own immune system. However once the virus has been booted out, it's hoped people will gain a natural immunity , like those infected with influenza do. Antibody ... More >>
The COVID-19 Risk For Rural Communities – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 26 March 2020, 4:26 pm | Science Media Centre
Cases of COVID-19 are being recorded in rural areas. Will the thinly-stretched health services be able to cope? Today's Ministry of Health update sees new confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in small towns like Te Anau, as well as Roxburgh, Cromwell, ... More >>
State Of National Emergency Declared - Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 25 March 2020, 4:18 pm | Science Media Centre
The declaration came into effect at 12.21pm and yesterday an Epidemic Notice was issued, which came into effect just after midnight. Both measures provide powers for Government to move the country to Alert Level 4 at 11.59 tonight. It is the second ... More >>
Technology During Lockdown - Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 24 March 2020, 7:52 pm | Science Media Centre
For at least the next four weeks, many Kiwis will rely on technology for work, learning, recreation and socialising. The COVID-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown means people are staying connected through the internet and phone lines - but the network ... More >>
NZ Coronavirus Lockdown – Expert Reaction (updated)
Monday, 23 March 2020, 7:41 pm | Science Media Centre
The country will move to the highest COVID-19 alert level on Wednesday. With 36 new coronavirus cases confirmed today, and two previous cases being treated as community transmission, the Prime Minister has announced an immediate rise to COVID-19 Alert ... More >>
NZ Coronavirus Lockdown – Expert Reaction
Monday, 23 March 2020, 4:09 pm | Science Media Centre
The country will move to the highest COVID-19 alert level on Wednesday. With 36 new coronavirus cases confirmed today, and two previous cases being treated as community transmission, the Prime Minister has announced an immediate rise to COVID-19 Alert ... More >>
New Alert System And Possible Community Transmission – Expert Reaction
Saturday, 21 March 2020, 6:06 pm | Science Media Centre
The Prime Minister has announced a new COVID-19 alert system, while two cases are being investigated for possible community transmission. The Prime Minister says we are currently on alert level two - reduce contact - which means limiting domestic ... More >>
Treatment Of COVID-19 Patients – Expert Q+A
Friday, 20 March 2020, 4:43 pm | Science Media Centre
There are now 20 confirmed coronavirus infections in New Zealand – with 12 of them being announced in the last 24 hours. Social distancing and self-isolation have been much talked about methods to slow the disease’s spread and avoid overwhelming ... More >>
Holding Off The COVID-19 Recession – Expert Reaction
Friday, 20 March 2020, 4:38 pm | Science Media Centre
The government has extended a financial lifeline to businesses, employees, and contractors affected by coronavirus self-isolation. The $12.1 billion package is worth 4% of GDP, making it the largest peacetime economic package seen in modern New Zealand. ... More >>
Possible COVID-19 Treatments – Expert Reaction
Friday, 20 March 2020, 4:37 pm | Science Media Centre
Donald Trump is touting an anti-malaria drug as a possible treatment for COVID-19, but it’s not yet clear how effective it is. A number of other existing drugs are being tested for their effectiveness against coronavirus. If any are found ... More >>
New Border Restrictions To Tackle COVID-19 – Expert Reaction
Sunday, 15 March 2020, 11:09 am | Science Media Centre
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that everyone entering New Zealand from anywhere in the world, excluding the Pacific, will be required to self-isolate for 14 days. Cruise ships will also be banned from coming to New Zealand until at least ... More >>
Alcoholics Anonymous Can Be Effective For Abstinence – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 12 March 2020, 11:20 am | Science Media Centre
More than two in five participants in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) groups will still be sober a year on, according to a new Cochrane review. The review encompasses 27 studies, with a total of more than 10,000 subjects, that compared AA and 12-step ... More >>
Predator Free 2050 Strategy - Expert Reaction
Monday, 9 March 2020, 9:46 am | Science Media Centre
The Department of Conservation has released a strategy to reach Predator Free 2050, along with an action plan through to 2025. The predator-free goal focuses on three groups of mammals: possums, three species of rats, plus stoats, ferrets ... More >>
A New Study Highlights The Role Of Live Poultry Markets In The Spread Of Avian Influenza
Tuesday, 3 March 2020, 9:14 am | Science Media Centre
Since it was identified in 1996, one strain of avian influenza (H5N1) has spread to more than 60 countries with a human fatality rate of 50-60 per cent. A new study shows the virus tended to move between nearby provinces especially where there was ... More >>
Needle Exchanges Have Contributed To Reducing Transmission Of The Disease, New Research Suggests.
Thursday, 27 February 2020, 10:11 am | Science Media Centre
Of more than 1650 people diagnosed with HIV between 1996 and 2018, only 2.9 per cent of cases were in people who use needles for drugs—an average of just one HIV diagnosis per year. New Zealand’s needle exchange programme, established in the ... More >>
Proposed Air Quality Rules - Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 26 February 2020, 5:34 pm | Science Media Centre
Changes to air quality rules could require councils to monitor and respond to air pollution from far finer particles than they currently do. The Ministry for the Environment's consultation document says the proposed PM2.5 measurement would ... More >>
