The Big Q
Questions - Ideas - Scholarship - DebatesProject for Public Interest Media
Politics & Society
Has AUKUS diminished the non-nuclear security strategy of New Zealand?
Despite claims that a new strategic alliance between Australia, the UK, and US had marginalised New Zealand, there are indications this development could bolster the significance of Wellington’s non-nuclear stance in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
How can Aotearoa apply what we have learnt from COVID to other challenges?
New Zealand’s Covid response has been praised for being led by research, expertise and evidence. Let’s use the same approach for all the big challenges we face, writes Jim Metson.
How should Aotearoa respond to the Taiwan-China flashpoint?
The political temperature is rising in the South China Sea, and its effects will be felt in the South Pacific before long.
Is it the end of the American century?
By Stephen Hoadley This ‘evidence’ of US unreliability, weakness and failure is partial, out of context, and lacking in historical perspective. Fifty years ago, as I began my teaching career at the University of Auckland, the United States began withdrawing its forces...
Does the death penalty have a future in the United States? 🔊
In the United States, state executions have declined with concerns over human rights. Twenty-two states have abolished the death penalty, but the federal government under Donald Trump resumed executions, and the increase in its use was quite significant.
My body, my choice? Not this time
Mike Lee argues that the rights of other people to remain free from harm overrides freedom of choice.
Science & Technology
Could space junk prevent future space exploration?
There’s too much junk in space and a real need to know where it is moving, to protect important spacecraft and satellites, writes Laura Pirovano.
How is human-driven noise affecting whale migration patterns?
Mathematical modelling reveals that human-driven noise in our oceans is affecting marine life, particularly whales, confusing their annual migrations.
How can New Zealand reach 100% renewable energy?
Renewable energy sources currently supply around 40% of total energy demand in New Zealand. Increasing this share is critical to reducing the current level of greenhouse gas emissions to meet our international obligations.
How can nature-based forests help combat climate change?
The use of ‘permanent’ plantations of pine trees solely to build up carbon offsets is solving one harm with another, writes Dame Anne Salmond. There is an alternative.
Can viewing art reduce stress?
By Paul Panckhurst There's evidence that looking at paintings can reduce stress and anxiety. A researcher wants to know if this phenomenon can help surgery patients heal. Pablo Picasso once said, "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” The artist...
What role did big data play in New Zealand’s covid response and how can AI be applied to address other local and global challenges? ▶
We have seen the critical role that big data has played in the pandemic, from detecting outbreaks to identifying new variants. This discussion will look at the potential for big data to play a key role in tackling problems in a range of other areas, as well as exploring some of the challenges associated with the growing use of big data.
Business & Economics
Who controls the global economy in this COVID world?
Low interest rates and COVID-19 mean governments, not central banks, now control the world’s key economic levers.
Why are global food prices higher today than for most of modern history?
Global food prices shot up nearly 33% in September 2021 compared with the same period the year before.
Pandora Papers: how do people avoid paying tax?
The Pandora Papers show how the tax industry uses ‘special purpose vehicles’ to avoid stamp duty – despite repeated legislation to prevent this.
What are the causes behind Britain’s energy crisis?
Soaring gas prices have exposed longstanding vulnerabilities in Britain’s energy system. A radical overhaul is long overdue.
What could a post-COVID workplace look like?
The collective experiences of workers pre and post-pandemic offer five lessons for organisations to reimagine workplaces and practices.
The future of work and COVID – be wary of the Emperor’s new clothes?
How will New Zealanders ‘work’ in 2040 and beyond? How do we make sense in the present day of the societal, economic and environmental pressures that will impact work in the future?
Arts & Culture
What happens when you invert the history of the First World War?
It is only by unmasking the myriad local and global transformations occasioned between 1914 and 1918 that we can truly understand this conflict as a total global war and a total global tragedy.
How did America’s youth get the right to vote?
In an extract from her new book “Let Us Vote: Youth Voting Rights and the 26th Amendment,” Jennifer Frost outlines the path towards youth voting rights in the United States.
Can viewing art reduce stress?
By Paul Panckhurst There's evidence that looking at paintings can reduce stress and anxiety. A researcher wants to know if this phenomenon can help surgery patients heal. Pablo Picasso once said, "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” The artist...
Why did QAnon become so widespread? 🔊
Conspiracy theories have marked American politics throughout the nation’s history. The most recent popular conspiracy centres around a shadowy figure who posts online under the pseudonym Q.
When will New Zealand stop honouring this genocidal dictator?
Absent-mindedly paying tribute to murderous Turkish dictator Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is a stain on this country’s integrity. It’s time we did something about it, writes Maria Armoudian.
The atom splitter: What is Ernest Rutherford’s legacy?
It’s the 150th anniversary of the birth of New Zealand’s most celebrated scientist, Ernest Rutherford. Richard Easther acknowledges the man who brought us the insight that our world is made of atoms.