Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Response to coronavirus ramps up, PM and Māori leaders agree to meet, and Labour launches their political year at retreat. A pandemic response plan has been triggered by the government around the Wuhan coronavirus. The NZ Herald reports an incident management team has been established, and information is … Read more
Women have been told for years that the hymen is an integral part of sex, especially when it comes to ‘losing your virginity’. Nurse and educator Kathy Lowe says that’s all a lie. The concept of virginity has been around for thousands of years. Rooted in cultural and religious beliefs, virginity has historically dictated whether … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Data breach blunder hits gun buyback, new poll gives National the numbers to govern, and South Island farm sale blocked by ministers. Another problem has hit the gun buyback programme, denting confidence in both the government and the police carrying out the operation. This time it … Read more
Body Mass Index (BMI) is particularly flawed as an indicator of health in children and ethnic minorities. So why do we still use it? In a new comment piece published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, registered dietician Lucy Carey argues that the use of the Body Mass Index in assessing children’s health is both … Read more
Last year saw the largest mumps outbreak in two decades across Auckland. Now a new outbreak suggests the disease may be back on the rise. There’s a new outbreak of the highly contagious viral disease mumps across the Auckland region, with localised clusters of cases diagnosed in Howick, Pakuranga, Auckland Central and Ponsonby. The point … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Dr Brian Ward of soft-tissue repair company Aroa. Dr Paul Callaghan, who inspired Callaghan Innovation, had the idea … Read more
Rates of antidepressant medication dispensing are on the rise among young people, according to a new study published in the New Zealand Medical Journal today. What can this tell us about our prescribing habits and the demographics missing out? According to an article in the New Zealand Medical Journal, the rates of antidepressant dispensing (the … Read more
The reward for being a smoker in the hospitality industry? Extra break time than non-smokers, causing many hospo workers to pick up the bad habit. For years it’s been a running joke in the hospitality industry that in order to get more breaks, young workers should start smoking. But it turns out there’s actually some … Read more
A series of reviews, published today, found little evidence of health benefits from reducing red or processed meat consumption, and already they’re proving highly controversial. NZ experts assess the findings. Existing guidelines tend almost invariably to advise people to curb the red meat component of diets. Following five reviews of “the relationship between meat consumption … Read more
Researchers say the first comprehensive study on the health and wellbeing of trans and non-binary New Zealanders reveals serious health inequities. RNZ digital journalist Murphy reports. Warning: This story discusses suicide, self-harm and sexual violence. In New Zealand, trans and non-binary** people suffer from high or very high psychological distress at rates nine times higher … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: 300 pages worth of health system review delivered, exportable green hydrogen examined, and small hospitality businesses pushed to the brink by Uber Eats. A massive doorstopper of a review has been delivered, into a sector that has been a massive headache for successive governments. The NZ Herald reports … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Cancer sufferers react to govt’s new plan, data shows big increase in land sales for forestry, and a striking warning about NZ’s future of defence. Over the weekend, the government made their major announcement on addressing the cancer treatment model. So with the benefit of a … Read more
More than 600 psychologists in New Zealand have voted to continue the strike they began last month. They say poor pay, long hours, and an institutional lack of respect are causing a mass exodus. A month ago, on the 31st July, 600 APEX psychologists in 16 District Health Boards (DHBs) stopped working overtime. APEX has since … Read more
In the latest episode of On the Rag, Alex Casey sits down with ALRANZ’s Terry Bellamak to bust some common myths about abortion. Since 2015, Terry Bellamak has been the president of the Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand (ALRANZ), a group that advocates for abortion law reform alongside further reproductive rights, including the … Read more
Sources at Middlemore Hospital have expressed concern that two patients may have died after catching the flu when being admitted. As flu season applies pressure to hospital resources around the country, there are concerns two patients may have died after catching influenza at Middlemore Hospital, according to two sources spoken to by the Spinoff. When … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Third Oranga Tamariki inquiry announced, Herald highlights iniquities in health sector, and significant new claims around Operation Burnham. A third inquiry into Oranga Tamariki has been announced, and this one looks like being the most significant. It is being launched by chief ombudsman Peter Boshier, and Radio NZ reports … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Fears for cities with loss of trees, competitive battle looms for Dunedin mayoralty, and teacher strike talks to take place amid new secondary strike action. New Zealand’s urban environments are losing worryingly high numbers of irreplaceable mature trees, reports Charlie Mitchell at Stuff. It comes a decade after … Read more
Whether you’re heading into rabies territory overseas or visiting the measles ward at your local hospital, there’s a shot for that. Without the wonders of modern medicine, many of us would never have reached adulthood. I can already see Darwinists raging against the biomedical machine and insisting that we cull the weak, so I’ve got … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Health minister cleans out underperforming DHB, major Zero Carbon announcement coming today, and scope of cannabis referendum revealed. The entire Waikato District Health Board has been shown the door, with health minister David Clark putting a commissioner in their place. It follows a long run of administrative … Read more
‘All New Zealanders should have equal access to the same standard of treatment’ was the pledge 80 years ago. The data reveal just how far we are from honouring that pledge, explain Carl Shuker and Robin Gauld. Data analysis and assistance by Alexis Wevers, Vincent Carroll and Catherine Gerard. Richard Smith, the irascible, brilliant editor … Read more
Indigenous people have always had ecological perspectives on health, which have only recently entered ‘mainstream’ discourse, and the scope now is planetary health, writes Rebekah Jaung. Good intentions pave the road to inequity in health systems around the world. Whether it’s healthy eating guidelines that would require poor families to spend almost all their income … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Strange political stoush over Pharmac, spy bosses concerned about political interference from overseas, and DOC investing heavily in 1080 alternatives. This story happened earlier in the week, but it’s worth going back to, to cover in depth. Government MPs have blocked a Select Committee inquiry into Pharmac, … Read more
The pain of endometriosis can be utterly debilitating. Susie Ferguson asks why so many women and girls are expected simply to put up with it. It started when I was 14 years old. The first mention of dysmenorrhea in the ream of paper that is my medical records – that was the first time I went … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Poorly paid paramedics call for full government funding, Andrew Little signs off more surveillance warrants, and Christchurch accused links to far-right confirmed. An open letter from a paramedic for the government to fully fund ambulance services has sparked a major wave of reaction. Speaking to Newshub, paramedic Dean Brown said … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Public health pitch in new rental standards, serious concerns raised about Man Up programme, and National puts out new ideas on the environment. A major overhaul in rental standards has been announced, a step towards fulfilling an important campaign promise from the Labour led government. We’ve got … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand, with the interview available as both audio and a transcribed excerpt. This week he talks to Angus Brown from Arepa. There have been … Read more
Five years since they were launched, a proposed overhaul of the Health Star Ratings could see one in five products have their ratings changed. But does it really go far enough? When the Health Star Ratings were launched back in 2014, their intentions were not only noble, but necessary. Packaged foods and processed items were … Read more
There is a lot of confusion out there at the moment about the right way to take the contraceptive pill. Family Planning doctor Beth Messenger gives us the facts. The Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill has been in the news lately with Britain changing its official pill guidelines to reduce the risks of unplanned pregnancies. The … Read more
In a video filmed for a conference the health minister was scheduled to open but then withdrew from, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver implores David Clark to pass a sugar tax. Watch below. Following on from the dressing down he directed at the National Party for failing to attend a sugar tax symposium last year, … Read more