Tough decisions we’ve had to make in order to protect NZ from Covid will pale in comparison to those we must make soon. Sir Peter Gluckman explains. Science has played an essential part in Aotearoa New Zealand’s response to this … Read More
A new Koi Tū rapid evidence brief has synthesised the most up-to-date research on medical masks, cloth masks and N95 respirator masks, and suggests that New Zealand needs improved mask wearing guidelines to best protect ourselves against highly transmissible variants … Read More
Experts are calling on the Ministry of Health to improve its mask wearing guidelines to ensure New Zealanders are protected in the wake of highly transmissible variants of Covid-19. They say current mask practices at the border are suboptimal for … Read More
Last updated 16 September 2021 With the release of the Government’s official COVID-19 tracker app, Dr Andrew Chen has been providing expert commentary on its advantages, disadvantages, how it compares to other apps used internationally, and its implications for privacy. … Read More
Sir Peter Gluckman assesses how the multilateral system has fared during the COVID-19 pandemic in an interview with SciDev.net. Read more.
By Dr Andrew Chen, published in The Conversation on 3 September 2021 From 11:59pm on Tuesday September 7, every person in Aotearoa New Zealand over the age of 12 will be required to keep a record of their whereabouts, either … Read More
-OPINION- Sir Peter Gluckman The Covid-19 pandemic continues to progress in a relatively predictable manner with the evolution of more transmissible variants and countries fighting back with a mix of vaccines and behavioral strategies. The long-term implications of the pandemic … Read More
This article was first published on Mashed Calculus and Differential Potatoes on 22 August 2021. -OPINION- Dr Andrew Chen On 22 August 2021, Minister Chris Hipkins announced that recordkeeping for contact tracing purposes would become mandatory at “busy places and … Read More
This article was first published on Mashed Calculus and Differential Potatoes on 29 August 2021 and has also been republished on NZ Herald and The Spinoff. -OPINION- Dr Andrew Chen We know that contact tracing is a critical part of … Read More
By Dr Andrew Chen, published in The Conversation Fast isolation of infected individuals is key to containing any outbreak of COVID-19, including the Delta variant, and contact tracing is a critical part of this process. Since the first case was … Read More
With Australia’s recent announcement of its plans to re-open its borders, there are now increasing questions around what New Zealand’s response should look like. Sir Peter joined Q+A’s Jack Tame to discuss the critical importance of vaccination in being able … Read More
In an interview with Stuff’s John Anthony, Sir Peter Gluckman shares some thoughts on what is needed to reopen New Zealand’s borders to the rest of the world. See Covid-19: How New Zealand might reconnect with the world after nearly … Read More
Sir Peter Gluckman and Binyam Sisay Mendisu, Programme Officer at the UNESCO–International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa, reflect in an essay on the lessons learned from Covid-19 for the science advisory ecosystem. The essay can be downloaded here, and … Read More
Sir Peter Gluckman President-Elect, International Science Council 24th May 2021 Albert Van Jaarsveld (Director, IIASA), in summarising the joint ISC-IIASA project on the need for mission-led approaches to sustainability, has made a cogent argument for a much more systematic … Read More
It has been one-year since the release of the NZ Covid Tracer app to aid contact tracing efforts during Covid-19 outbreaks. In a piece for Newsroom, Dr Andrew Chen discusses how well the app has been used, how useful it … Read More
Peter Gluckman talks to Sir Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust, in a new episode of INGSA’s Horizon Series. See also: First episode: Proactive science advice & the challenges of democracy, with Roger Pielke Second episode: Values, bias … Read More
The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, appointed by the World Health Organization to provide an independent review of lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, has released its report entitled COVID-19: Make it the Last Pandemic. As ISC President-elect … Read More
Flights have resumed between New Zealand and NSW, but the temporary travel pause may not be the last An article in The Conversation co-authored by Andrew Chen and University of Canterbury professor Michael Plank discusses the challenges of quarantine-free travel between … Read More
In a blog post for the International Science Council, Kristiann Allen discusses the lessons learned about the science-policy-society relationship from the collective global experience of the Covid-19 pandemic, and highlights several key recommendations that can be acted on at national … Read More
In a public lecture hosted by IIASA and the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Sir Peter Gluckman reflects on the findings and recommendations of a joint IIASA-ISC initiative bringing together international expertise to guide recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic towards long-term … Read More
The new report from Koi Tū, Uncertain but inevitable – the expert-policy-political nexus and high-impact risks, exposes gaps in New Zealand’s risk management ecosystem and argues that countries need to rethink how they prepare for and manage high-impact risks. The … Read More
-OP-ED TO ACCOMPANY THE RELEASE OF THE LATEST KOI TŪ REPORT ON HIGH-IMPACT RISKS– Sir Peter Gluckman Director of Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures It has been well publicised that public health experts have long predicted a pandemic … Read More
Countries need to rethink how they prepare for and manage high-impact risks, say researchers in a new report which exposes gaps in New Zealand’s risk management ecosystem. The report Uncertain but inevitable – the expert-policy-political nexus and high-impact risks says … Read More
A paper by Matthias Kaiser, Andrew Chen and Peter Gluckman discussing the utility of the Global Health Security Index during the Covid-19 pandemic has been published in Health Research Policy and Systems. Abstract: Background This paper critically discusses the use … Read More
Kristiann Allen and Tatjana Buklijas have written a blog post for the International Public Policy Observatory (IPPO), an initiative that aims to provide research and evidence to assist policy makers in formulating effective strategies to tackle the social, economic and … Read More
Update (6 March 2021): Andrew’s article is now available in html/e-reader format and as a PDF. First posted 2 November 2020 New blog post: Dr Andrew Chen’s write-up on the challenges posed by the fragmentation of QR codes to NZ’s … Read More
-OPINION- Sir Peter Gluckman President-Elect, International Science Council Director, Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, University of Auckland Right from the first appearance of the Covid-19 virus, nationalistic and domestic politics in many countries compromised the global response. From … Read More
-OPINION- Sir Peter Gluckman As the Global Covid Scenarios project gets underway, it is worth reflecting on New Zealand’s current and future strategy in dealing with the pandemic. I have been surprised how many think we can live with elimination … Read More
Media release Wednesday 17 February Two top New Zealand scientists are key members of a new international panel mapping future Covid-19 scenarios. Epidemiologist Professor Sir David Skegg of the University of Otago and Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, the President-elect of … Read More
The content below has been reproduced from a 5 January 2021 post on Andrew Chen’s blog. Watch: Andrew discusses the letter in an interview with 1News Update, 10 February 2021: Read Minister Hipkins’ response to Andrew’s letter News articles on January … Read More
Sir Peter Gluckman Keynote, Special Session at US-Korea Conference 2020: KOFST- KSEA Special Session on Science Diplomacy Thank you for the kind opportunity to speak at this meeting of the UKC. We are living in a world of multiple … Read More
As part of the Frontiers Policy Labs initiative, Sir Peter Gluckman spoke with Prof Jean Claude Burgelman from Free University of Brussels about scientific advice and policymaking in the context of the COVID-19 response, as well as how science diplomacy … Read More
Opening plenary keynote speech, Climate Change + Business Conference 11 November 2020 Dr Anne Bardsley, Deputy Director, Koi Tū Video of Anne’s keynote speech Tēnā koutou katoa I’d like to first introduce Koi Tū briefly for those who don’t know … Read More
INGSA and Koi Tū, through the leadership of Dr Tatjana Buklijas and Kristiann Allen, have been part of the successful bid to participate in the newly established International Public Policy Observatory. Funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council … Read More
We need to make collective decisions to improve the long-term prospects of all New Zealanders in a post-Covid world — but what are the most critical issues we will face, and how can we best address them? The Future is … Read More
New Zealand needs to have tough conversations about how we can make collective decisions to improve the long-term prospects of all New Zealanders, says a new think-tank report. The Future is Now: Exploring the post-pandemic direction for Aotearoa New Zealand … Read More
New Zealand needs to refresh many aspects of its economic strategy including giving greater focus to innovation and the knowledge economy, says a report by some of our leading economists and researchers. They call for investment in Auckland as an … Read More
There is broad consensus that, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, New Zealand should aim to protect its social cohesion and promote our economic, social, cultural and environmental well-being. But how can we achieve these goals? A new Koi Tū … Read More
New article: In an article on The Conversation, Sir Peter Gluckman and Prof Alexander Gillespie discuss a new protocol that may be used in place of WHO’s current model for dealing with border-crossing infectious diseases, which they argue is outdated … Read More
In an essay adapted from the May 2020 piece Reflections on the evidentiary-politics interface, Peter Gluckman and Kristiann Allen discuss Bridging the cultures of science, policy and politics in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Preliminary findings from an exploratory study of the database In February 2020, when many parts of world were taking unprecedented measures to try to control the spread of the SARS CoV-2 coronavirus, INGSA turned to its global community for help … Read More
“What was done right and what has gone wrong in pandemic responses to date?” Next week, from 14-18 September, the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) and Koi Tū will host a global virtual meeting on the early lessons … Read More
Page last updated 2 September 2020 In the wake of the re-emergence of community transmission of COVID-19 in New Zealand, Dr Andrew Chen has been providing expert commentary in relation to contact tracing and other related issues. *NEW* RNZ – … Read More
New Zealand needs to refresh its broad economic strategy to focus on the weightless economy and the potential of the food sector, as the impact of Covid-19 on our economy hits home. That’s one of the recommendations from Sir Peter … Read More
Below are the notes for Sir Peter Gluckman’s keynote speech at the ANZ-KangaNews New Zealand Capital Markets Forum on 20 August 2020 Download speech in PDF format See also: Media release: Time to refresh NZ’s long-term strategy *NEW* Stuff: Government … Read More
Lockdown highlighted and exacerbated young Māori students’ life on the wrong side of the digital divide says a new report, which provides evidence and recommendations for how the disparities can be addressed. It highlights how iwi used their own resources … Read More
A partnership report by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures has examined how the COVID-19 lockdown has impacted on young Māori students’ educational experiences. Addressing rangatahi education: Challenges after COVID-19 reports on the challenges faced … Read More
Updated 3 July 2020 Thank you to the attendees of today’s Koi Tū webinar on Digital Technologies for Contact Tracing, presented by Dr Andrew Chen. Here are links to the recording and the presentation slides. Webinar information Want to learn … Read More
Three of New Zealand’s most influential and trusted public figures are calling for a conversation now on a cohesive national ‘reconnection strategy’ to re-open New Zealand’s borders. Former Chief Science Adviser to the Prime Minister Sir Peter Gluckman, former Prime … Read More
A new Koi Tū Conversation Paper co-authored by Sir Peter Gluckman, Rt Hon Helen Clark and Rob Fyfe calls for a public conversation on when and how New Zealand can reopen to the world. Download the paper, Re-engaging New Zealand … Read More
International Science Council Webinar Keynote address Sir Peter Gluckman President-Elect of International Science Council Director, Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, University of Auckland June 25 2020 Webinar recording (6’21” to 21’21”) I would like to welcome all those … Read More
Sir Peter Gluckman and Dr Vaughan Turekian, Koi Tū international affiliate and Executive Director of policy and global affairs at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, have written an essay exploring the role of science diplomacy within the … Read More
The fifth discussion paper from the Koi Tū ‘The Future is Now’ Conversation Series, Protecting and Promoting Mental Wellbeing: Beyond COVID-19, focuses on mitigating the threats posed by COVID-19 to the mental wellbeing of New Zealanders – both the already … Read More
“Go early, go hard, go local,” is the message of a group of mental health experts calling on the Government to urgently redesign how it provides services to protect mental wellbeing following Covid-19. In any given year, an estimated 20 … Read More
Sir Peter Gluckman and Dr Anne Bardsley chat with Vincent Heeringa, host of the podcast This Climate Business, about the importance of integrated, long-term planning relating to the environment in post-Covid New Zealand. Listen to the podcast here (34’11”)
Cross-posted from INGSA A new addition to INGSA/Koi Tū’s COVID-19 Video Series that asks a diverse range of experts: How has the world changed and what challenges will we face post-COVID? Prof Dietram A. Scheufele is the Taylor-Bascom Chair in … Read More
Cross-posted from INGSA A new addition to INGSA/Koi Tū’s COVID-19 Video Series that asks a diverse range of experts: How has the world changed and what challenges will we face post-COVID? Dr Leena Srivastava is Deputy Director General – Science … Read More
Environmental sustainability is no longer a ‘nice to have’ – it is now a ‘must have’ that needs to be embedded into decisions about New Zealand’s future, say experts in a new report. The Environment is Now is a new … Read More
The fourth discussion paper in Koi Tū’s The Future is Now Conversations Series, titled The Environment is Now, discusses the centrality of environmental sustainability in decisions about New Zealand’s future. Download the discussion paper here See also: Media release: Environment … Read More
Cross-posted from INGSA The first in INGSA/Koi Tū’s COVID-19 Video Series that asks a diverse range of experts: How has the world changed and what challenges will we face post-COVID? Prof Tolu Oni is an urban health physician and epidemiologist … Read More
-OPINION- Prof Terrence Forrester Director of SODECO (Centre for Solutions for Developing Countries), University of West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica International Affiliate Member, Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures The eruption of this viral (COVID-19) pandemic at the start … Read More
-OPINION- Dr Collin Tukuitonga Associate Member, Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures Introduction The socio-economic circumstances of, and cultural practices among, Pacific communities in Aotearoa/NZ makes some of the measures required to contain or eliminate COVID-19, including contact tracing, … Read More
The third discussion paper in Koi Tū’s The Future is Now Conversations Series, titled New Zealand’s place in the world: the implications of COVID-19, discusses how New Zealand can leverage its high international standing and hopefully COVID-19-free status for economic … Read More
New Zealand needs to leverage its safe, strong reputation and unique position for its economic advantage, say experts in a new paper that examines the effect of the pandemic on our international standing. New Zealand’s place in the world: the … Read More
– OPINION – Why might having too many options for digital contact tracing registers present challenges, asks Koi Tū Research Fellow Dr Andrew Chen. As New Zealanders are venturing out of their homes into wider public and private realms this … Read More
– INSIGHT – Sir Peter Gluckman Chair, INGSA The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the interface between science and political decision making into sharp focus. The media and public in many countries are being confronted daily not only by a wide … Read More
The second discussion paper of the Koi Tū: The Future is Now Series, titled He Oranga Hou: Social cohesion in a post-COVID world, examines the critical issue of how New Zealand’s strong national unity during lockdown will become increasingly tested … Read More
Top social scientists say New Zealand’s strong national unity during lockdown – reflected in a proliferation of teddy bears in windows and Anzac Day poppies on front lawns – is now under threat as grim new economic realities and prolonged … Read More
Dr Tatjana Buklijas talked to Croatian Catholic weekly Glas Koncila about a broad range of issues related to Covid-19, including the value of historical pandemics in understanding and confronting Covid-19, the various ways by which epidemics have changed history, and … Read More
– OPINION – Rochelle Menzies Research Fellow, Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures He aha te mea nui o te Ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata. What is the most important thing in the world? It is … Read More
Sir Peter Gluckman appeared as independent expert witness at the Epidemic Response Committee of the New Zealand Parliament. His opening remarks can be downloaded here, and the full video and Hansard transcript are available on the NZ Parliament website. … Read More
New Zealand has recently shifted to Alert Level 3, and the Ministry of Health has plans to introduce a digital contact tracing app to help limit the spread of Covid-19. What are some of the considerations that need to be … Read More
In an article for The Conversation, Dr Chris Tyler (UCL) and Sir Peter Gluckman discuss the reasons why governments were not better prepared for the Covid-19 pandemic, and the importance of risk registers in helping confront future crises. Read the … Read More
– OPINION – Sir Peter Gluckman Director: Koi Tū: the Centre for Informed Futures We have managed though an early and very effective lockdown to get almost absolute control of COVID-19 spread in New Zealand. But we must be prepared … Read More
How should New Zealand move forward towards the post-pandemic future, and what are the key areas that we should focus on? Sir Peter Gluckman discusses these issues on Rebuilding Paradise with Paul Henry.
For an unrushed, in-depth discussion of the issues arising in the wake of Covid-19, have a listen to Sir Peter Gluckman’s interview with entrepreneur Robett Hollis (1 h 22 min; livestreamed 22 April).
In an OpEd for the Dominion Post, Sir Peter Gluckman writes about sustaining social cohesion and public trust in the context of the existential threat posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Read the article here.
Sir Peter Gluckman talks to Newstalk ZB’s Weekend Collective about New Zealand’s Alert Levels, our preparedness for future crises, and Covid-19 vaccine access.
Dr Andrew Chen talked to Newsroom’s Marc Daalder about the proposal to distribute Bluetooth-enabled cards (‘CovidCards’) to all New Zealanders to assist with contact tracing efforts. Read the article here.
The Covid-19 crisis presents multiple, complex and ongoing challenges for New Zealand. But it also provides an opportunity to consider our place in the world, and how we operate as a country and cooperate in future, according to a discussion … Read More
Exiting level 4 lockdown and moving to level 2+ can happen relatively quickly if monitoring and tracing are in place, and the Covid-19 testing capacity and speed of results is sufficient, according to leading New Zealand scientists. Sir Peter Gluckman … Read More
Koi Tū has released its discussion paper, titled The Future Is Now: Implications of COVID-19 for New Zealand, which focuses on the long-term challenges and opportunities posed by this hugely disruptive crisis, and how New Zealand’s future can be shaped … Read More
– OPINION – A new proposal for digital contact tracing has unique strengths, writes Koi Tū Research Fellow Dr Andrew Chen. Another week has passed, with a lot of activity in the digital contact tracing space. The Prime Minister … Read More
Sir Peter Gluckman offers some thoughts on mandatory quarantine and its importance in suppressing COVID-19 infections in New Zealand. Read Collette Devlin’s report at stuff.co.nz.
The COVID-19 pandemic shows how critical it is for governments to plan and think long term. While it’s natural for most people to focus on the short-term and surviving COVID-19, we must not lose sight of the importance of longer-term … Read More
– OPINION – Professor David R Penman Director, David Penman & Associates Professor Stephen L Goldson FRSNZ Affiliate member, Koi Tū Principal Scientist, AgResearch and Professor, Bio-Protection Research Centre, Lincoln University Between us, having spent 100 years on pest … Read More
In an opinion piece for ResearchProfessional News, Sir Peter Gluckman writes about the immense challenge COVID-19 has posed to evidence-informed policymaking, and the need for science advice systems to adapt to address this and other global crises.
An international science advice network has launched a global Covid-19 policymaking tracker to keep track of how evidence is informing policy interventions by various governments across the world. Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures – a think tank and … Read More
RNZ’s Phil Pennington reports on Sir Peter Gluckman comments on the status of contact tracing in New Zealand to combat COVID-19. Other interviews: Keeping Covid-19 under control: What NZ can learn from other countries – 4 April – 1 NEWS … Read More
– OPINION – The concept of digital contract tracing raises tough questions that require hard decisions, writes Koi Tū Research Fellow Dr Andrew Chen. Since we discussed contact tracing in the media over the past week, our Centre has … Read More
– OPINION – Rochelle Menzies Research fellow, Koi Tū: the Centre for Informed Futures New Zealand is in a crisis, which is affecting the entire population, but will hit Māori particularly hard. What are the current systems for engaging … Read More
Sir Peter Gluckman emphasises to RNZ the importance of rapid contact tracing in helping to limit the spread of COVID-19. Read his full comments here.
Dr Felicia Low spoke to NZ Herald’s Jamie Morton about Koi Tū’s new initiative to collate the emerging literature exploring the relationship between COVID-19 transmission and the weather. You can read the article here.
Dr Andrew Chen has expanded on the themes raised in his article, The trade-offs for digital data and contact tracing, in interviews with NZ Herald’s Jamie Morton (1 April) and RNZ Morning Report’s Susie Ferguson (2 April).
An article from the Times Higher Education on the lack of reliance on expertise in confronting the Covid-19 pandemic features comments from Sir Peter Gluckman. Read the article here.
An excerpt of a longer manuscript currently under preparation – INSIGHT – Prof Matthias Kaiser, Koi Tū International affiliate member Dr Tatjana Buklijas, Associate Director – Teaching, Koi Tū Introduction Mathematical models have occupied unusually prominent place in the … Read More
– OPINION – Dr Tatjana Buklijas Associate Director – Teaching, Koi Tū: the Centre for Informed Futures As governments around the world try to contain the pandemic of Covid-19, they often draw on experiences of past epidemics. The swift and … Read More
– OPINION – Kristiann Allen Associate Director, Policy and International Engagement, Koi Tū: the Centre for Informed Futures We are living in an extraordinary time. The pandemic now gripping the planet – massive and urgent in itself – is … Read More
– OPINION – Prof Stephen Goldson FRSNZ ONZM Affiliate member, Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures Bio-Protection Research Centre, Lincoln University and AgResearch Like every New Zealander (and visitor), because of the Covid-19 pandemic, I now am in … Read More
There is a lot of interest in whether COVID-19 transmission is affected by temperature, and in particular what will happen as New Zealand enters autumn and then winter. The available data are of course limited and largely ecological in nature, … Read More
– OPINION – Dr Andrew Chen Research Fellow, Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures Contact tracing is one of the most powerful tools in containing the spread of an infectious agent like SARS-CoV-2 (the pathogen that causes COVID-19). … Read More
The International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) has launched a new database of resources on the effective utilisation of evidence into policy and practice with respect to COVID-19. INGSA Chair Sir Peter Gluckman explained to Times Higher Education the … Read More
Sir Peter emphasises to Seven Sharp reporter Tim Wilson, and Breakfast’s John Campbell, the importance of adhering to level 4 restrictions, including social distancing, to slow down the rise of COVID-19 cases in New Zealand.
– INSIGHT – Sir Peter Gluckman Director, Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into stark focus the interaction between science, experts, society, policy making and politics. Across the world this interaction is playing out … Read More
HINA, the government-owned national news agency of Croatia, has sought expert commentary from Dr Tatjana Buklijas about how COVID-19 compares to historic epidemics, and what we can learn from pandemic histories. The interview has been published by several news outlets … Read More