Interviews – Dr Andrew Chen

Last updated 11 October 2022 With the release of My Vaccine Pass, the official record of vaccination status in New Zealand, Dr Andrew Chen has been providing expert commentary on its use and potential privacy implications. Andrew has also been … Read More

Why you should keep your contact tracing app

This article was first published on Newsroom on 30 March 2022. Dr Andrew Chen The Prime Minister has announced that QR code scanning, and display of QR codes by businesses, is no longer required. Before that announcement, we were seeing … Read More

Technology, contact tracing, and Delta

This article was first published on Mashed Calculus and Differential Potatoes on 6 November 2021. -OPINION- Dr Andrew Chen Earlier this week I presented to some government officials about technology for contact tracing from an outside perspective. I’m not in … Read More

Covid-19 aerosol and the cigarette smoke analogy

– OPINION – Professor Stephen Goldson, Koi Tū Associate member Dr Joel Rindelaub, School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland   In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic masks were not thought to be effective in preventing transmission. Initially, … Read More

Media release: Urgent rethink on migration policies needed

Aotearoa New Zealand needs to urgently rethink its migration policies to give immigrants, employers and industry sectors clarity as Covid-19 continues to affect international mobility and migration. Migration and demography expert, Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley, says it is naive to … Read More

Covid-19, (im)mobility and migration

-OPINION- [1] Professor Paul Spoonley, Koi Tū Associate member   Peter Gluckman noted, in a recent opinion piece, that the policy responses across the globe to the pandemic have “not been consistent or coherent”. This is nowhere more apparent than … Read More

Beyond science, there are hard decisions ahead

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

Improving mask use to reduce COVID-19 transmission

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

Covid-19, climate change and public decision making

-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

On mandatory recordkeeping for contact tracing

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

What’s wrong with Bluetooth Tracing?

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

Interview – Re-opening NZ’s borders

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

Interview – Reconnecting New Zealand with the world

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

Lessons from our Covid tracing app

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

The Conversation: the trans-Tasman bubble

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

Media release: Rethink needed about how Governments manage risk

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

The diplomatic challenges of Covid

-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

Beyond elimination

-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

Future scenarios for the Covid-19 pandemic

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

Open letter: Data use protections for NZ COVID Tracer

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

Policy Labs conversations

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

Successful bid – International Public Policy Observatory

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

Media release: Exploring NZ’s post-pandemic direction

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

First report of the INGSA Evidence-to-Policy Tracker

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

Covid-19 and beyond: Contextualising our decision making

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

Addressing rangatahi education: Challenges after COVID-19

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

Koi Tū webinar: Digital technology for contact tracing

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

Re-engaging New Zealand with the world

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

Rebooting science diplomacy in the context of COVID-19

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

Protecting and promoting mental wellbeing: Beyond COVID-19

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

Interview – This Climate Business

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”)

The Environment is Now

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

Challenges of contact tracing in Pacific communities

-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

On Fragmentation of Digital Contact Tracing Registers

– 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

Reflections on the evidentiary-politics interface

– 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

He Oranga Hou: Social cohesion in a post-COVID world

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

Interview – Glas Koncila (Croatia)

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

Reflections on our path ahead

– 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

Interview – Rebuilding Paradise with Paul Henry

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.

Interview with Robett Hollis

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).  

Interview – Newstalk ZB

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.

Interview – Use of CovidCards in NZ

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.  

Digital giants enter digital contact tracing

– 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

Interview – comments on mandatory quarantine

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.

Koi Tū’s role in the response to COVID-19

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

Observations on surveillance

– 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

Opinion – science advice and global crises

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.

Interviews – Contact tracing in NZ

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

Hard decisions in digital contact tracing

– 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

Interview – COVID-19 and the weather

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.

Interviews – contact tracing & COVID-19

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).

How epidemics change us

– 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

Social cohesion at a time of social distancing?

– 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

COVID-19 and the weather

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

The trade-offs for digital data and contact tracing

– 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

INGSA database on science advice & COVID-19

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

Interviews – Breakfast & Seven Sharp, TVNZ1

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.  

Koi Tū, the virus and the future

– 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

Expert commentary on COVID-19

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