The Big Q
Questions – Ideas – Scholarship – Debates
Project for Public Interest Media
The Big Q & Ngā Ara Whetū Multimedia Competition
Reimagining Our World.
What we value in society shapes our behaviour and influences our current and future world. Our aspirations, definitions, and incentives related to “success” and “beauty” affect our work, finances, and time. These incentives and our related actions sometimes have devastating consequences for our well-being, relationships, and planet.
Ngā Ara Whetū and The Big Q want to reimagine what’s possible. What is possible with a different definition of success? A different definition of beauty?
A new vision for our world?
Submit a redefinition to be featured on The Big Q and win prezzy cards up to $500!
Politics & Society
Gaza war: How did Qatar become a leading mediator in the Middle East?
Qatar’s mediation success in Israel-Hamas ceasefire hinges on wealth, neutrality, and global connections, shaping effective conflict resolution strategies.
Should NZ rethink its stance on Japan’s nuclear wastewater?
Examining Japan’s nuclear wastewater release: Legal, scientific concerns raised. New Zealand urged to reconsider stance and stand with Pacific partners.
Can the Pandemic Be Blamed for the Surge in Violence Against Women in India?
COVID lockdowns in India worsened economic abuse against women, creating new forms of control, exploitation, and vulnerability, as revealed in research.
Sustain: What does a new President mean for biodiversity in Guatemala?
Guatemala is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for land and environmental activists. Pauline Herbst speaks with Maya Q’eqchi’ community leader in education Fredy Oxom and anthropologist Callie Vandewiele to find out why a silent indigenous led protest is important for biodiversity.
Is Private Investment the Solution to New Zealand’s Social Service Challenges?
Delve into New Zealand’s social investment strategy, questioning the role of private investors and evaluating the effectiveness of social impact bonds.
The news is fading from sight on big social media platforms – where does that leave journalism?
Read about the risks of news on social media as big tech deprioritizes content, threatening journalism. Can platform payments save the industry?
Science & Technology
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.
Are we heading towards a world without antibiotics?
As antibiotics face resistance, experts discuss origins, consequences, and solutions. Explore the journey from saviors to potential threats in healthcare.
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.
Can the US Lead in AI Regulation Despite Congress Deadlocks?
President Biden’s comprehensive AI executive order leads the way in regulating AI, addressing deepfakes, privacy, innovation, and global leadership while facing challenges.
What’s triggering the Southern Ocean sea ice decline? Over 200 scientists sound the alarm for urgent conservation action.
Scientists from 19 countries reveal the Southern Ocean crisis—declining sea ice, warming oceans, and urgent calls for global conservation action.
Could Common Crops Be the Key to Suppressing Fires?
Explore how low-flammability crops can reshape agriculture, protect farms, and mitigate wildfires, based on research from New Zealand’s Lincoln University.
Business & Economics
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.
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.
Can an Empty House Tax Help Boost Affordable Housing in New Zealand?
Explore the debate over taxing empty homes in New Zealand amid a housing crisis. Discover how an empty house tax could address housing affordability and generate revenue for the government.
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.
Can ‘Degrowth’ Economics Save our Ecosystems?
Unveil the potential inevitability of ‘degrowth’ economics from an ecologist’s perspective, addressing ecological overshoot and sustainable futures.
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
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.
West Papuan campaigners want a ‘green state’. Could it help the planet?
Independence activists want to combine the best parts of liberal democracy with indigenous traditions.
What would a Green Recovery from COVID-19 look like for Aotearoa New Zealand?
To arrest economic downturn, many governments have responded with massive fiscal packages to boost the economy, maintain employment, and stabilise core industries. However, there is deep concern that these economic responses will undermine the goals outlined in the Paris Climate Accords and cause a surge in greenhouse gas emissions.
Why is the UN calling for a gendered approach to climate – and how does Aotearoa stack up?
On November 14th, 2022, COP27 included the conference’s first-ever day devoted to gender. So what is Aotearoa New Zealand doing to address the intersection between climate and gender, and how do we stack up to Sima Bahous’s three asks?
Avoiding climate breakdown depends on protecting Earth’s biodiversity – can the COP15 summit deliver?
COP15 needs to mark a step change in how quickly and how seriously the international community responds to catastrophic nature loss. The focus is expected to be on 30×30, a push to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by the end of this decade.
How does COP27’s loss and damage deal really look to the Global South?
After two weeks of fractious discussions, at the very last minute COP27 came up with an agreement on ‘loss and damage’ – providing financial assistance to poorer nations who are already facing the catastrophic impacts of climate change. But how long will it take for these words to translate into actions?
Why do social ties matter to climate politics?
Policy-makers frequently fail to communicate scientific knowledge about climate change effectively, with the result that targeted groups often reject potentially useful advice. Our research addressed New Zealand dairy farmers’ perceptions of climate conditions and their perceptions of climate science.