The Big Q
Questions – Ideas – Scholarship – Debates
Project for Public Interest Media
Politics & Society
Sustain: What are the future of cities in a climate crisis?
Brisbane City Flood 2013. Photo by ShepsSnaps, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 With over half the global population living in urban centres, a number which is projected to rise to around two-thirds by 2050, the relationship between cities and the climate crisis is...
Who are today’s climate activists? Dispelling three big myths on Earth Day.
It’s easy to get caught up in the myths about climate activism, particularly in today’s polarized political environment. On Earth Day 2024, let’s explore the truth about three of the big myths being told about climate activism and the climate movement today.
AUKUS Pillar 2: Is non-nuclear membership possible for New Zealand?
“Pillar two” proposes non-nuclear membership to the AUKUS security partnership. Would the delineation be meaningful in practice?
What are donor-advised funds and how are they turning the US culture wars into charity?
DAFs channel huge amounts of cash to ‘culture war’ groups – anonymously. Why do people get tax breaks for using them?
From Gallipoli to Gaza: Should the Anzacs be remembered as a ‘coming of age’ story or as a lesson for the future?
The question of why New Zealand soldiers ended up on Turkish beaches in April 1915 is typically not part of Anzac Day commemorations. What lessons do these silences hold?
Seizing Russian state assets to rebuild Ukraine: Will it prolong the war, or end it?
As Canada leads in seizing Russian state assets for Ukraine’s rebuilding, questions arise about its impact on war’s end and global diplomacy.
Science & Technology
Planet + People vs Plastics
On Earth Day 2024, Ngā Ara Whetū partnered with Te Aka Mātauranga Matepukupuku, the Centre for Cancer Research, to discuss the ubiquitous presence of plastics in our environment, and the impact they are having to the land, sea, air, animals, and on our own health and well-being.
Is the Ocean the Key to New Zealand’s Climate Change Battle?
New Zealand explores ocean strategies for carbon neutrality, considering kelp farms, coastal wetlands, and marine carbon removal for climate goals and risks
Could one small step for supply chains mean one giant leap toward sustainable space exploration?
Without proactive leadership on environmental sustainability, the New Zealand space industry risks losing competitive advantage in a global space market with increasingly environmentally conscious customers. Shedding light on supply chains is the first step.
How can Australians learn to live better with fire? Lessons for the World.
Discover the latest on bushfires: risk assessment, community resilience, innovative solutions, and the changing language surrounding fires in our evolving climate.
Sustain: How can nature guide our remedies for climate change driven flooding?
Maria Armoudian discusses nature-based solutions to flooding with Gary Brierley and Tim Welch.
The Scholars’ Circle: Could a push to “deep listening” help promote biodiversity?
The Scholar’ Circle discuss the book The Sound of Nature by Karen Bakker, then talks about the meaning of Thanksgiving in the contemporary relationship between the United States and Indigenous people.
Business & Economics
What are donor-advised funds and how are they turning the US culture wars into charity?
DAFs channel huge amounts of cash to ‘culture war’ groups – anonymously. Why do people get tax breaks for using them?
Can tourism thrive without the environment picking up the bill?
Discover the dilemmas of New Zealand’s resurging tourism industry, balancing economic benefits with environmental and cultural preservation for a sustainable future.
Is Uber-style surge pricing the answer to Auckland’s congestion nightmare?
Can Uber-style surge pricing ease Auckland’s traffic chaos and save millions in congestion costs? Tim Hazledine from the University of Auckland explains.
Is It Time for New Zealand to Join the Global Right-to-Repair Movement?
Explore the call for a “Right to Repair” in New Zealand to combat disposable products, software locks, and copyright hurdles affecting consumers and the environment.
Will the Clean Car Discount’s Reversal Shift the Gear on SUV and Ute Sales in NZ?
Explore the potential impact of New Zealand’s Clean Car Discount reversal on SUV and ute sales, road safety, and emissions reduction. Insights from Timothy Welch, University of Auckland.
NZ’s always-on culture has stretched the 8-hour workday – should the law contain a right to disconnect?
Discover the evolving landscape of work-life balance in New Zealand, as the “right to disconnect” gains prominence in the digital era.
Arts & Culture
Is “Now and Then” really a Beatles song?
Discover the AI-driven revival of the Beatles’ “Now and Then,” exploring its technology, historical context, and its impact on the legendary band’s legacy.
Can NZ step up and address Earth system decline?
The Government of Aotearoa New Zealand has a unique opportunity to demonstrate leadership and action by changing its laws to conform with the laws of nature, writes Klaus Bosselmann. Can NZ step up and help lead?
Will AI Become the Arbiter of Music Copyright Infringement?
Musicologist Dr. Patrick Savage examines the effectiveness of algorithms in detecting music plagiarism and their role in copyright infringement cases.
The fall into the abyss
In April 1909, two waves of massacres shook the province of Adana, located in the southern Anatolia region of modern-day Turkey, killing more than 20,000 Armenians and 2,000 Muslims.
Does AI work by exploiting our unwaged labour?
Fabio Morreale exposes the exploitation of AI training through our interactions, raising ethical concerns and advocating for change.
Who are you calling a Nazi?
While it is all too easy and comfortable to indulge in our Nazi fascination to demonise our enemies, maybe we should still the media chaos just for a moment and reflect. Who are you calling a Nazi? And why?
Ngā Ara Whetū
Rod’s Big Q: What’s the new business model in a world with climate change?
Rod McNaughton is a professor of entrepreneurship and academic director of the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Drawing on his experience developing entrepreneurial ecosystems and helping start-ups launch and grow, Rod collaborates across the...
JR’S BIG Q: HOW CAN WE LIVE MORE LIGHTLY ON THE EARTH?
JR Rowland is an Earth scientist with research interests in geothermal energy and mineral resources, earthquakes and volcanoes. She is the Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Science. JR is a structural geologist passionate about tectonic-magmatic-hydrologic interactions,...
Rethinking Our Economy: The Case for a Circular Approach
Ngā Ara Whetū directors Saeid Baroutian and Maria Armoudian talked about a move to a circular economy with The Packaging Forum CEO Rob Langford, head of sustainability at Te Whatu Ora Waitematā Larisa Thathiah.
Niki Harre’s Big Q: How can we better cooperate and protect the natural world?
Niki Harre is the Head of School for Psychology in the Faculty of Science and is a director for Ngā Ara Whetū. She is a community psychologist with research interests in sustainable organisation, core human values, religion, and political activism. She coordinates a...
Jacqueline Beggs’ Big Q: How do we maintain NZ’s unique biodiversity?
Jacqueline Beggs is an ecologist and a committed advocate for Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique biodiversity, here is her Big Q.
Saeid Baroutian’s Big Q: How do we transform our economy?
Saeid is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering. He is the Director of Innovation at Ngā Ara Whetū Centre for Climate Change, Biodiversity and Society and the Director of Circular Innovations (CIRCUIT) Research Centre at the...
Can the economy go round? The Ngā Ara Whetū Podcast talks circular economy.
Can New Zealand become a circular economy? Can we change from a throwaway economy to one that reuses resources? And what does that mean for business?
Are we doing enough? Ngā Ara Whetū’s reaction to the 6th IPCC report
The government is focusing on “bread and butter” issues but there will be less food for everyone if we do not tackle to climate crisis, argues Ngā Ara Whetū.
We’re building harder, hotter cities: Should we instead protect and grow urban green spaces?
Housing intensification in Hamilton. PCE, CC BY-SA Timothy Welch, University of Auckland Recent extreme weather events have provided a foretaste of how supercharged storms might threaten our future. So the release today of a new report from the Parliamentary...
What do you mean we are running out of sand?
Although the importance of water as a resource is well accepted, fewer people know that sand is the second most consumed resource globally.