The Bulletin: Muller makes his pitch for the middle

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Todd Muller makes pitch for the middle, further BLM protests take place, and two pieces to illustrate the importance of science in public life. The opposition leader gets precious few chances to try and define themselves in the public eye, and Todd Muller has had … Read more

The Bulletin: New Zealand’s border is now closed

immigration auckland airport arrivals international

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Border closed to all non-NZers with limited exceptions, facing the economic implications of that decision, and new rules on gatherings released. As of midnight last night, the border of New Zealand is closed to those who aren’t permanent residents or citizens, with very limited exceptions. In … Read more

Complex challenge for waste management amid Covid-19 downturn

We’re likely to see a big decrease in the amount of waste produced in New Zealand in the coming months, but the industry is facing a complex situation in responding to Covid-19. Alex Braae reports.  While rubbish might not occupy the thoughts of many during a pandemic, plans are currently being made to keep the … Read more

The Bulletin: Strong warnings amid Covid-19 gathering guidelines

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: New guidelines on gatherings and social distancing announced, OCR slashed ahead of fiscal stimulus, and Air NZ facing crushing losses. Gatherings of 500 or more people have been banned in the latest round of measures aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19. It has meant the … Read more

The Bulletin: Minister tells dumpers they need to pay more

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Minister proposes big jump in dumping levy, Reserve Bank declines to loosen LVRs, and timeline slips out on major Porirua redevelopment programme. With the volume of rubbish being dumped continuing to increase, the government is planning to put a much higher levy in place, reports Anan … Read more

Beyond Fox River: Huge disasters still likely from old dumps

A massive cleanup effort has saved the West Coast from total disaster, after flooding broke open an old dump next to the Fox River. But have we actually learned anything from it? This piece was first published on Radio NZ. While the first phase in Operation Tidy Fox draws to a close this Sunday, there are still … Read more

The Bulletin: Greens push policy to rumbling party

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Greens push policy at restive annual conference, police alarm Ihumātao protectors by showing rifles, and two major stories about dodgy historic rubbish dumps. The Green Party have held their annual conference over the weekend, and it heralded both policy drives, and organisational blows. We’ll start with … Read more

The Bulletin: Teachers call mega-strike for day before Budget

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Every teacher in the country to strike together, concerns over funding-starved Māori sector, and two big stories on the rubbish beat from the weekend. The timing couldn’t be more stark. The day before the government delivers their first ‘wellbeing budget’, every primary and secondary school teacher in … Read more

Taking on single-use culture, one takeaway coffee at a time

Wellington-based startup Again Again has big plans for the way you do takeaways.  Have you got a keep cup? Oh you do? Neat. Where is it? Oh you don’t know? Probably at home? Maybe at work? Maybe in the car? So not with you when you went to get your takeaway flat white this morning, … Read more

The Bulletin: Primary teachers, government at a stalemate

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Another teacher strike looms after offer rejected, Crusaders sources say PM’s office is pressuring for name change, and warnings sounded over prescription drug. Negotiations between the NZEI and the government have hit another roadblock, with primary teachers overwhelmingly rejecting the offered deal. In a release, they said the … Read more

Single use plastic is piling up. Is pyrolysis the answer?

With global angst mounting about the buildup of plastic ending up in landfills and the environment, chemists and materials scientists are considering pyrolysis as an option. But how does it work? And is it really a solution?  For decades, putting used plastic into recycling bins was considered a convenient way to get rid of rubbish, … Read more

How asbestos ‘compost heaps’ could be the natural answer to a toxic problem

A team of researchers at Unitec believes it has come up with a biological way of breaking down asbestos and making soil safe again. Renovation shows like The Block are unwittingly lifting the veil on a problem many homeowners thought was a long lost toxic issue of the past. “All the nice red roofs on … Read more

The Bulletin: New Zealand is drowning in trash

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Spate of stories show rubbish problem is increasing, Don Brash Waitangi invite sparks boycott call, and bees struggling to get enough to eat.   We’re not the tidy Kiwis we like to think we are. A range of recent stories show problems in waste management are mounting in … Read more

Forget sharks: this is the real injury risk at New Zealand’s beaches

While your chances of being attacked by a shark are tiny, the risks of an injury from beach litter and marine debris are surprisingly high – and growing every year. Our beaches are our summer playgrounds, yet beach litter and marine debris injures one-fifth of beach users, particularly children and older people. Our research, published … Read more

Parakore: how Māori business is embracing the zero waste movement

Our landfills are approaching capacity and our country is lacking the necessary infrastructure to support reuse, recycle and composting programmes. Two Māori businesses are helping create waste solutions by championing product stewardship.  Whether you are reading this from your computer at your desk, or your phone on-the-go, stop and look around your immediate space. What … Read more

The Bulletin: Where to now for striking nurses?

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Where to now for striking nurses? 1080 dumped in a National Park, and former National MP brought in to justice reform group.  The nurses strike has come and gone without any serious reported incidents, but it is unclear what will happen from here. Nurses who spoke to Newstalk … Read more

The Bulletin: Green members bottle MPs over water exports

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Green Party members furious at ministerial decision, China’s rubbish ban starts to bite, and what was really in that letter signed by Auckland councillors? Green Party members are outraged at a ministerial decision to allow a Chinese water bottling and exporting company to expand, reports Stuff. The … Read more

Is this the end of the road for the humble plastic bag?

Our two supermarket chains have agreed to get rid of plastic bags by the end of this year. Does this mean the end of the seemingly humble plastic bag? Rebecca Stevenson caught up with Wellington City Council’s Roderick Boys to find out why we need to say goodbye to them, for good. Plastic bags were … Read more