Asia Pacific: Here is a summary of significant articles published on ForeignAffairs.co.nz on April 29, 2025.
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Reforms – PSA forces changes to restructure of Data & Digital and Pacific Health
Source: PSA The PSA has settled litigation over the planned restructure of two key teams at Health NZ with an agreement to significantly amend planned cuts to roles and structures. The settlement relates to proposed restructures of the Data and Digital and Pacific Health teams at Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora which were subject to […]
MIL-OSI Australia: City takes another step towards smarter waste
Source: South Australia Police Wanneroo Council has appointed Talis Consultants to progress concept and detailed designs for the Neerabup Resource Recovery Precinct. The concept designs will incorporate key infrastructure, including a waste transfer station, community recycling centre and materials recovery facility. Community engagement will form an important part of the design process, with consultation planned […]
MIL-OSI Australia: Mexico
Source: We continue to advise reconsider your need to travel to the states of Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Guanajuato, Sonora, Colima and Chiapas. There are lower levels within some of these locations. See our advice level summary for details. Plan your travel carefully. Don’t travel at night outside major cities. Use major toll roads wherever possible or […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: The Real Culture War
Source: ACT Party The Haps Quiet? MPs are having a break from Parliament and the country is having a break from MPs thanks to a three-week Parliament recess. The Government announced $68.5 million of repayable loans to people building electric vehicle chargers. Free Press readers will be outraged by that, but under ACT’s coalition agreement it has […]
MIL-OSI China: SCO health officials push for deeper coordination toward better future
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News XI’AN, April 28 — Senior health officials from Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries on Monday called for deepening public health collaboration, aiming to build a healthier future for all. Gathering in Xi’an, the capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, health leaders from SCO member states and […]
MIL-OSI Australia: Classrooms under surveillance?
Source: 29 April 2025 International researchers are urging a critical rethink of digital technology in schools, warning that many classroom education tools are collecting student data in ways that could threaten privacy and wellbeing. The team*, including experts from the University of South Australia and the London School of Economics and Political Science, say the […]
MIL-Evening Report: Echidna ancestors lived watery lifestyles like platypuses 100 million years ago – new study
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sue Hand, Professor Emeritus, Palaeontology, UNSW Sydney Mary_May/Shutterstock As the world’s only surviving egg-laying mammals, Australasia’s platypus and four echidna species are among the most extraordinary animals on Earth. They are also very different from each other. The platypus is well adapted for a semi-aquatic lifestyle, spending […]
MIL-Evening Report: ‘I’m always afraid for the future of my family’: why it’s too hard for some refugees to reunite with loved ones
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Anne Kenny, Associate Professor, School of Law, Murdoch University When refugees flee their home country due to war, violence, conflict or persecution, they are often forced to leave behind their families. For more than 30,000 people who have sought asylum in Australia since arriving more than […]
MIL-Evening Report: ‘Do something about it before it gets worse’: young people want government action on gambling reform
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Pitt, Senior Research Fellow – Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University David P. Smith/Shutterstock Do something about it before it gets worse. This was a response from a 16-year-old boy in one of our recent studies when asked what he would say to the prime minister […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Manawatū Tararua Highway open soon
Source: New Zealand Government Minister of Transport Chris Bishop has confirmed the Manawatū Tararua Highway will be opened to traffic from June 2025, restoring an important connection for communities and businesses on both sides of the Tararua Ranges. “The new highway between Ashhurst and Woodville will replace State Highway 3 through the Manawatū Gorge, which […]
MIL-Evening Report: 1 billion years ago, a meteorite struck Scotland and influenced life on Earth
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Kirkland, Professor of Geochronology, Curtin University Stoer Head lighthouse, Scotland. William Gale/Shutterstock We’ve discovered that a meteorite struck northwest Scotland 1 billion years ago, 200 million years later than previously thought. Our results are published today in the journal Geology. This impact now aligns with some […]
MIL-Evening Report: Major survey finds most people use AI regularly at work – but almost half admit to doing so inappropriately
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Gillespie, Professor of Management; Chair in Trust, Melbourne Business School Matheus Bertelli/Pexels Have you ever used ChatGPT to draft a work email? Perhaps to summarise a report, research a topic or analyse data in a spreadsheet? If so, you certainly aren’t alone. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Stats NZ information release: Employment indicators: March 2025
Source: Statistics New Zealand Employment indicators: March 2025 – 29 April 2025 – Employment indicators provide an early indication of changes in the labour market. Key factsChanges in the seasonally adjusted filled jobs for the March 2025 month (compared with the February 2025 month) were: all industries – up 0.2 percent (3,548 jobs) to 2.36 […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Greenpeace – Luxon’s war on nature opens gate for more dairy conversion
Source: Greenpeace Greenpeace Aotearoa is calling out the Luxon Government for “leaving the gate wide open” to more dairy conversion with no plan to protect fresh water from pollution. Temporary rules that restricted the conversion of farmland to intensive dairy were in place until 1 January this year, to allow time for Regional Councils to implement […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Brisbane’s Olympic Boom: Why Thousands of Kiwis Are Making the Move to the Sunshine State
Source: Robert Walters Migration Surge: 42% of New Zealanders are planning to move to Australia, with Brisbane a top destination. Key Motivators for Relocation: Better salaries (48%), improved job prospects (22%), and more affordable living (13%). Brisbane’s Growth: The city was voted Australia’s happiest city in 2024 and is already one of the fastest-growing urban […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: BusinessNZ – Regulatory roadblock to be removed
Source: BusinessNZ Swift action to remove a regulatory roadblock in the way of medical innovation, global events and tourism has been applauded by BusinessNZ. A ‘nonsensical’ ruling by Medsafe effectively prevents major international medical conferences from being held in New Zealand because displaying new products or sharing the latest research with medics in trade shows is […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Fiordland’s Lake Marian Track temporarily closed for construction
Source: Department of Conservation Date: 29 April 2025 Lake Marian Falls and Lake Marian Track are about 30 km from Milford Sound/Piopiotahi on the lower Hollyford Road off State Highway 94. Lake Marian Falls’ new platform will be semi-circular and positioned to allow visitors to enjoy the dramatic waterfalls and water-sculpted rocks, away from the river’s […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Government Cuts – $1b cut in Budget operating allowance ‘unnecessary and damaging’
Source: Better Taxes for a Better Future Campaign The announcement by the Government that it will cut $1b to its Budget operating allowance is unnecessary and damaging, according to the Better Taxes for a Better Future Campaign. “This cut, on top of last year’s mean spirited Budget, is a result of the 2024 tax cuts, […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Events – REPORTERS FACING MULTIPLE CHALLENGES COVERING THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY – AUT
Source: Auckland University of Technology (AUT) The challenges faced by journalists covering the climate emergency will be at the heart of a public symposium at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) next month. The symposium, titled Framing the Emergency: Climate Journalism in Aotearoa New Zealand, will explore how journalists report on the climate crisis, what more […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Leaves of hope; first signs of mistletoe success at Pirongia
Source: Department of Conservation Date: 29 April 2025 Long-term restoration efforts began at Pirongia in the early 2000s, and DOC’s Waikato team has been working with Pirongia Te Aroaro ō Kahu Restoration Society, Te Pahū Landcare, and local iwi to restore the maunga and reintroduce native species. DOC Waikato Biodiversity Ranger Cara Hansen says the mistletoe […]