The Big Q
Questions - Ideas - Scholarship - DebatesProject for Public Interest Media
Politics & Society
What does the future hold for law in a COVID world? ▶
In this webinar hosted by the University of Auckland Law School, four experts discuss the future of law in a COVID world.
Is there a growing standoff between Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean? 🔊
In the Eastern Mediterranean, recent confrontations over the rights to drill natural gas have threatened to reignite conflict between Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus.
Does the Black Lives Matter movement reflect experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand?
In the 1970s African American activism was echoed in New Zealand influencing the creation and activism of both Ngā Tamatoa and the Polynesian Panthers. 50 years later these trends continue with protests across New Zealand sparked by the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and Black Lives Matter has become an issue of national political contention.
What do mass protests mean for the future of Belarus?
With demonstrations ongoing despite government repression, longtime Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko is faced with a rare challenge to his leadership.
Is the risk of white nationalist terrorism in New Zealand increasing?
“Past white nationalist terrorism demonstrates that the greatest risk often comes from individuals on the periphery of organised extremist groups.”
Climate anxiety: What is it and how can we cope?
Climate change is 100% human-caused, so it’s 100% human-solvable. Don’t surrender to anxiety.
Science & Technology
Climate change: How damaging is methane?
Methane is a shorter-lived greenhouse gas – why do we average it out over 100 years? By doing so, do we risk emitting so much in the upcoming decades that we reach climate tipping points?
Can COVID misinformation cost lives? 🔊
Misinformation is rampant about COVID-19 and in some cases, it has caused death, blindness, emergency health issues, and widespread stigma, and social ostracization.
Climate anxiety: What is it and how can we cope?
Climate change is 100% human-caused, so it’s 100% human-solvable. Don’t surrender to anxiety.
How did climate change make the melting of New Zealand’s glaciers ten times more likely?
Glaciers around the world are melting — and for the first time, we can now directly attribute annual ice loss to climate change.
Can you trust political polls?
From now until October 17, Election Day in New Zealand, voters will be getting election poll information from multiple directions. So which ones can be trusted?
How can water help us adapt to survive as the climate changes? ▶
The natural sciences that allow us to understand the environment are at the heart of developing strategies to adapt to, survive, and thrive as climate changes.
Business & Economics
What does the future hold for law in a COVID world? ▶
In this webinar hosted by the University of Auckland Law School, four experts discuss the future of law in a COVID world.
Has the COVID-19 crisis pushed solidarity in the European Union?
Has the COVID-19 crisis pushed solidarity in the European Union? Stefano Riela explores.
How can “dark ships” and “ghost ships” be tracked and apprehended?
In recent months, international media have reported dark ships fishing in North Korean waters.
New Zealand universities: What’s the reality in our rankings?
“The Labour Party promises to make all tertiary education free by 2024; and this is an admirable goal; but unless it is accompanied by a serious re-thinking of the nature, purpose, and funding base of our universities it will only lead to further decline.”
Should Aotearoa have a wealth tax?
The recent announcement by the Green Party of a proposed wealth tax raises many important questions about the taxation system in New Zealand.
What is the fate of the driverless car?
“The only thing clear is that as technology accelerates, the lack of guidelines and clear accountability may chill autonomous driving commercialisation.”
Arts & Culture
Should we be worried about COVID-19 conspiracy theories?
“Polls indicate that the public broadly supports the coalition government’s COVID-19 pandemic response, and public condemnation of conspiracy theories about COVID-19 is easy to find.”
Is the United States haunted by its racist past? 🔊
In recent weeks, the news in the United States has been filled with stories of statues and public spaces being altered or removed. These stories are usually connected with America’s racist past, with a particular eye towards the issue of slavery.
New Zealand universities: What’s the reality in our rankings?
“The Labour Party promises to make all tertiary education free by 2024; and this is an admirable goal; but unless it is accompanied by a serious re-thinking of the nature, purpose, and funding base of our universities it will only lead to further decline.”
What does the future hold for the New Zealand media landscape in a post-COVID world?
New Zealand media faces a conundrum as it tries to create a trustworthy, innovative and sustainable model in the Covid-19 world, while absorbing thousands of job losses.
What does the future hold for liberal arts education? 🔊
Universities are increasingly wanting to appeal to students who look to their study as a training period for future employment. However, this has put traditional liberal arts subjects like philosophy and sociology at risk.
The snake, the hedgehog and the Berlin Wall: How significant is the fall of the wall thirty years on?
Stephen Resch reflects on the fall of the wall thirty years on.