The Big Q
Questions - Ideas - Scholarship - DebatesProject for Public Interest Media
Politics & Society
Brexit Deal: What happens next?
Brexit is closing in but how did we get here and what will happen next?
What is free speech? â–¶
Banned books, defamation suits, de-platformed public figures, alt-righters without a venue: is there a crisis of free speech in New Zealand? And what exactly is free speech: a necessary guarantee of democracy or a misused threat to the common good?
Can bots shift public opinion?
Even a few bots can shift public opinion in big ways according to new research from Tauhid Zaman.
What are the key lessons from the US Midterms?
With the midterms now over, Scott Lucas discusses six key issues facing the US and what they mean for the country’s uncertain future.
What do the US midterm results mean for international relations? 🔊
Last week the US held their midterm elections with the Democrats regaining control of the House of Representatives while the Republicans retained control of the Senate. But what does the outcome of these elections mean for international relations?
Why does the migrant caravan exist? And how did it come to be?
Why does the migrant caravan exist? And how did it come to be? Jerry Flores explores.
Science & Technology
Is it possible to eradicate malaria?
A vaccine that could block mosquitoes from transmitting malaria has emerged. Jonathan Lovell and Wei-Chiao Huang investigate.
Do animals feel fear?
Afraid of lions by moonlight and raptors by day, animals will behave in dramatic ways as Cassie Fruend explains.
How do animals use magnetic fields to navigate?
Birds, bees, whales, and turtles all use the Earth’s magnetic field to guide their behaviour. Now scientists have learned much more about how. Maria Armoudian speaks with Andres Vidal-Gadea about what has been discovered.Â
Climate catastrophe: what is happening to life on Earth? 🔊
With bird colony collapses and crop failures occurring more frequently, what is happening to life on Earth and how can we address the changes for long-term sustainability?
Frequently asked questions about climate change and the IPCC special report
Last month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a Special Report on the impacts of 1.5°C global warming above pre-industrial levels. Tra Dinh explores some of the questions that arose out of this.
Is our obsession with electric mobility driving an increase in lead poisoning?
The popularity of electric vehicles in New Zealand is increasing every year, but Is our obsession with electric mobility driving an increase in lead poisoning?
Business & Economics
Could a meat tax save thousands of lives every year?
Marco Springmann explores the benefits of implementing a tax on meat.
Clean green beef no longer on our menu? How feedlots are changing the face of the New Zealand agri-food system
Madeline Shelling outlines how feedlots have changed the face of the New Zealand agri-food system.
Could Auckland’s urban sprawl affect food security?
Is Auckland’s food security under threat from urban sprawl? Alexander Louis explores.
Has the internet led to economic growth?
The internet has done a lot, but so far little for economic growth as Chris Doucouliagos and Tom Stanley explain.
Is climate change the cause of rising world hunger?
World hunger has risen for three straight years, and climate change is a cause according to Jessica Eise and Kenneth Foster.
How wholesome is your local wholefoods store?
How wholesome is your local wholefoods store? Morgan Renata investigates.
Arts & Culture
Broken survivors: With them through hell
The thousands of New Zealand men who fought in the First World War went through hell. And right beside them was another fighting force. Anna Rogers explores the story of New Zealand’s medical services in WWI.
125 years of women’s suffrage: A small country leading the world?
Raewyn Dalziel, Emeritus Professor of History, celebrates a moment when New Zealand was at the forefront of world-leading reform.
Artists, Israel, and BDS: To play or not to play?
Sam Smith spoke with Mark LeVine about the impact of the BDS movement and the ongoing issue facing musicians on whether or not they should perform in Israel.
Is protecting heritage a human right?
Is protecting heritage a human right? George Nicholas looks into the responsibilities and concerns about the political, ethical and social dimensions of archaeological research and heritage management.
Was the slave trade ever really abolished?
Slavery was never abolished – it affects millions, and you may be funding it as Catherine Armstrong explains.
Remembering Chile’s 9/11: What happened, and how do we know?
On September 11 1973, Chilean president Salvador Allende was toppled destroying the longest standing democracy in Latin America. How much do we know now about what really happened in Chile in what is considered the ‘Other 9/11’?Â