– INSIGHT – Dr Anne Bardsley Deputy Director, Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures undertakes many different types of deliberative and participatory engagements with the public on complex issues. This includes using … Read More
– OPINION – Dr Dawnelle Clyne Koi Tū Research Fellow Listen to Dawnelle discuss these issues on RNZ The Panel (from 4′ 13″) Census day is 7 March. By then, all of us would have filled in that questionnaire we … Read More
– OPINION – Sir Peter Gluckman Director, Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures In 2011, after the Christchurch earthquake, the Government asked me to consider the psychological consequences of the earthquake. The report I wrote then is available here. … Read More
Sir Peter Gluckman Director, Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures A few weeks ago, a parliamentary select committee considered a bill that will merge RNZ and TVNZ. This development serves as a reminder that the fourth estate is a … Read More
-INSIGHT- Dr Andrew Chen We’ve heard a lot about algorithms in recent years, whether they’re calculating your insurance premiums, running our traffic lights, or deciding what content to show you on social media platforms. While algorithms have a broader meaning, … Read More
Perinatal mental distress is an under-recognised condition that can have serious consequences for a woman and her baby, and potentially also lead to intergenerational cycles of compromised wellbeing. This evidence brief gives an overview of the state of perinatal mental … Read More
New Zealand men may be impacting the health of their future children through poor health and lifestyle behaviours prior to conception. A new evidence brief by Chloe Wilkinson, Dr Felicia Low and Sir Peter Gluckman at Koi Tū: The Centre … Read More
A significant proportion of New Zealand men may be impacting the health of their future children through poor health and lifestyle behaviours prior to conception. Koi Tū’s latest evidence brief sheds light on how a father’s physical and mental health, … Read More
The evidence is in: children who have a close bond with their parents or primary caregivers are more likely to have improved brain development and be able to thrive than those without such emotional security. Specific policy actions, such as … Read More
Although it has long been acknowledged that children benefit from a strong bond with their parents, the precise ways bonding helps the child – through improved brain development and building specific skills necessary for lifelong wellbeing – are only now … Read More
What could Auckland become within two generations? How do we become a truly global, liveable and sustainable city that is fit for the future? Reimagining Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland: harnessing the region’s potential – a report commissioned by Auckland Unlimited – … Read More
What could Auckland become within two generations? How do we become a truly global, liveable and sustainable city that is fit for the future? Reimagining Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland: harnessing the region’s potential – a report released today by Auckland’s economic … Read More
We can’t ignore the warning signs that social cohesion is under threat in Aotearoa New Zealand, say researchers. A new report Sustaining Aotearoa New Zealand as a cohesive society produced by Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures at the … Read More
A confluence of economic, social, environmental, and technological factors are placing social cohesion in Aotearoa New Zealand under increasing threat. A new Koi Tū report explores this challenge in detail; it discusses why social cohesion is critically important, outlines a … Read More
Executive functions refer to the set of cognitive processes that help us learn, pay attention, control our emotions, and work towards a goal. Having well developed executive functions is highly predictive of lifelong wellbeing, while having impaired executive functions puts … Read More
Research shows how your brain develops before birth and in the first six years of life can have life-long effects on your health and wellbeing. A new evidence brief, Executive functions: A crucial but overlooked factor for lifelong wellbeing, outlines … Read More
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
– 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
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
-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
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
Aotearoa New Zealand must do more to strengthen its long-term societal cohesion says Sir Peter Gluckman New Zealanders’ high compliance with Covid-19 lockdown rules and our collective responses to the Auckland and Christchurch terror attacks demonstrate our societal values and … Read More
Protecting and strengthening societal resilience and cohesion Reflecting on the 18 months since Koi Tū’s launch New Zealanders’ high compliance with Covid-19 lockdown rules and our collective responses to the Auckland and Christchurch terror attacks demonstrate our societal values … Read More
Seven out of eight Kiwi kids exceed recommended recreational screen time guidelines, but what is the significance of those guidelines and how should they be interpreted? A new peer-reviewed evidence brief, Screen time: The effects on children’s emotional, social, and … Read More
In today’s digital world, children are growing up with screens and digital devices pervading almost every aspect of their lives. This is a new phenomenon not even seen in the previous generation. Given that the early years are especially important … 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
Tuesday 18 May 2021 New research shows stress during pregnancy is linked to impaired child brain development and can reinforce the cycle of cumulative intergenerational disadvantage. While sociological factors such as poverty and the wider environment play a large … Read More
The first of Koi Tū’s evidence briefs, this paper analyses and synthesises new research linking a mother’s prenatal mental health to the child’s brain development, and shows how this ties into the problem of intergenerational disadvantage in New Zealand. Children … 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
-INSIGHT- Rochelle Menzies[1] The world has changed significantly in recent decades, meaning contemporary youth are experiencing life in ways never encountered by previous generations. In this fast-changing world, younger generations face a myriad of challenges to their mental wellbeing, … 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
– INSIGHT – Dr Tatjana Buklijas, Associate Director – Academic, Koi Tū As both COVID-19 and climate change have shown us, inadequate policy response in various countries is often caused not by the lack of evidence but by insufficient … 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
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
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
– OPINION – Sir Peter Gluckman, Director of Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures The complex balance of sustaining democracy while governing at a time of public health crisis surely must be one of the foremost issues for many … Read More
In light of worsening mental health among New Zealand youth over the past decade, a new Koi Tū commentary piece is calling for urgent action to better understand the underlying factors and effective strategies for prevention and intervention. Youth mental … Read More
Mental health conditions amongst Aotearoa New Zealand youth have doubled in the past decade with mental health experts describing it as “a silent pandemic of psychological distress.” The psychologists and academics are calling for urgent action to better understand the … 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
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
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
New Zealand’s food and primary industries need to capitalise on our rising international reputation with a long-term food strategy that supports sustainability and can adapt to new technologies and consumer demands, say experts. The future of food and the primary … Read More
The sixth discussion paper from the Koi Tū ‘The Future is Now’ Conversation Series, The Future of Food & The Primary Sector: The Journey to Sustainability, urges New Zealand’s food and primary industries to capitalise on our rising international reputation … 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
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
-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
-OPINION- Colin Gavaghan, Alistair Knott, James Maclaurin, Kristiann Allen, Andrew Chen Last week, RNZ reported that NZ Police had been testing facial identification software from Clearview AI without “the necessary clearance.” Although the trial was seemingly abandoned at an early … 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
-INSIGHT- Matthias Kaiser, Tatjana Buklijas, Kristiann Allen, Anne Bardsley, Cynthia Kiro and Peter Gluckman The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted for many the value of the natural, data and social sciences and of the normative disciplines for good public policies, … 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
– 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
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
– 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 – 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
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
– INSIGHT – Dr Anne Bardsley Deputy Director, Koi Tū: the Centre for Informed Futures Resilience relates to the ability of an organization/country to adapt or transform positively in response to significant transitions or threats to its wellbeing, arising … 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
– 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
– 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