Earthquakes, the pandemic and floods – cycles of emotions

– 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

Deepening our democracy

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

The Algorithm Charter

-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: An under-recognised concern

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

Media release: Healthy fathers have healthy children

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

Sustaining Aotearoa New Zealand as a cohesive society

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

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

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

Media release: Time to strengthen societal cohesion

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

Transitions, transformations and tradeoffs

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

Media release: How does screen time affect children?

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

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

Achieving equitable mental wellbeing for Māori and Pasifika youth

-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

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

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

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

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

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 facial recognition, police, and regulation of new technologies

-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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Societal resilience – unpacking the black box

– 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

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

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