Articles from ‘elocal magazine’

This classic American-style casserole is a great winter warmer to feed the family. It’s hard to believe the mixture of ingredients here, but this was a popular family dish in the 1970s. It’s American – there, this kind of bake is referred to as a “casserole” – and was often made with cream of mushroom or chicken soup instead of a homemade sauce. It was served with plain boiled rice, or you could add in a layer of cooked buttered pasta…

Over four years since it landed on Mars, NASA's Perseverance Rover might have made serious headway in its mission to find signs of ancient microbial life on the planet. Last July, the autonomous exploration vehicle stumbled upon an arrowhead-shaped rock named Cheyava Falls with colorful spots on it, in what might be a river valley carved by water on the Red Planet. NASA's scientists think those spots may have been left behind by microbial…

The Post’s Nikki Macdonald asks whether court-ordered suppressions can realistically hold back global news in an era of instant sharing. Fugitive father Tom Phillips’ death and the recovery of his children were reported by CNN, BBC and the New York Times before New Zealand media received an injunction on specific details. The 2018 murder of Grace Millane saw her killer’s name widely circulated overseas and online despite suppression. “It was…

A new OECD report has found that Finnish teenagers leaving high school have better literacy skills than many university graduates in other countries, including New Zealand. The international study compared adult reading comprehension across 24 countries, with at least 5,000 participants in each. Finnish secondary school leavers scored an average of 288, above the average literacy levels of graduates from New Zealand, Italy, Spain and Ireland.…

Air Fryers are the must have kitchen appliance these days. They cook a multitude of things quickly and with that almost fried taste but are far healthier for you. this receipe combines Chicken thighs and torn focaccia ooked together in the air fryer which produces delicious chicken-fat croutons. The classic Caesar salad always contains Parmesan and croutons. This one does too, but it’s more generously packed with these ingredients and has…

World War I not only toppled empires and redrew borders—it remade the modern world, with few nations feeling the effects as profoundly as Great Britain. The country’s deadliest war—from which 6 percent of its men never returned—accelerated sweeping social, economic and political changes that fractured the rigid British class system and weakened the aristocracy. For centuries, hereditary landowners exercised a near feudal dominance of the…

Acting Prime Minister David Seymour says Labour and the Greens blocked his bid for Parliament to honour Charlie Kirk, the American political commentator, who was assassinated this week. Seymour said Kirk’s death was “the bitter and tragic irony that a person promoting free speech over political violence was subject to political violence,” arguing that it resonated with many New Zealanders. Seymour wanted the House to record a statement…

Large weight swings or weight loss in later life aren’t just physical health risks, they’re tied to fast memory and cognitive decline, a new study has found. It underscores the importance of weight stability for brain health in older adults. As we move through life, we’re told to maintain a healthy weight to address the risk factors for so many conditions, like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. But what effect does losing…

BMW has been one of the forerunners in the roof scooter segment, having been at it since the early 2000s with the C1. For much of the last few years, the concept had been largely forgotten – until BMW unveiled the Vision CE last month. It revived a unique two-wheeler space that does away with helmets. Now, with the emergence of XYTE One, I can confidently say, BMW has got competition. It comes from a certain XYTE Mobility GmbH, a German…

The future of farming is no longer confined to the soil. It is soaring in the skies, led by a fleet of intelligent nano-drones that promise to make agriculture smarter, greener and more resilient. Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, have transformed large-scale farming with high-resolution imagery and real-time data for monitoring crops. They help detect pests, assess water stress and guide precise fertilizer and pesticide spraying. Some…

Scientists have bred the world’s first horses with CRISPR-mediated genomic edits to enhance their muscle power and speed.Credit: Agustin Marcarian/Reuters These horses might look like ordinary horses, but there is something highly unusual about their genomes. They are the first of their species to have their DNA edited using CRISPR–Cas9, a technique that cuts the genome at a specific location to change gene expression and achieve a desired…

The advocacy group Resist Gender Education says the Law Commission’s new Ia Tangata report has “declared open season on girls’ rights.” The report recommends changes to the Human Rights Act that would prevent schools, sports, and public facilities from excluding people of the opposite sex if they identify differently. Spokesperson Fern Hickson argued the changes would erode the purpose of single-sex schools and safe female spaces, saying:…

Kiwifruit aren’t just a nutritious snack. They’re delicious in this sweet and tart pineapple and kiwi relish to pair with smoky prawn tacos A great hack for if you are constipated is to eat a couple of kiwi fruits a day. They are full of fibre and the enzyme actinidin, which helps soften things for many people. The trouble is that it can get quite boring eating plain kiwi every day. These tacos are topped with a delicious sweet and tart…

Te Pāti Māori MP Takuta Ferris sparked cross-party condemnation after posting: “This blows my mind. Indians, Asians, blacks, and Pākehā campaigning to take a Māori seat from Māori.” The remark, aimed at volunteers backing Labour’s candidate in the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election, Peeni Henare, was widely labelled racist, including by Labour’s Willie Jackson. TPM issued an “apology” claiming their members are experiencing trauma, in part, from the…

Not every invention started with a well-thought-out plan. In fact, some of the products that we use in our everyday lives and were created out of accidents, curiosity or even frustration. From a paddock of dying sheep that became a blood thinner to the pharmacist who almost set himself on fire with a stick, history is filled with stories of accidental inventions that changed the world.   In this article we explore 10 discoveries that happened…

NZ First has broken ranks with its coalition partners over digital driver’s licences, warning that digital-only ID systems could become “coercive or insecure.” All six parties in Parliament, including NZ First, supported the Government’s Regulatory Systems (Transport) Amendment Bill last month, which expands the definition of a licence to include both electronic and physical versions. Associate Transport Minister James Meager stressed at the…

This spicy vegetarian pie is a lovely end of the week meal or wholesome weekend lunch for cooler days. Don’t skip the jalapeño drizzle, it’s a firm favourite in my home and good also for jazzing up roasted vegetables and soups.  Ingredients For the bean base - 2 tbsp butter, ghee or oil - 2 onions, finely chopped - 2 red or orange peppers, diced - 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped - 1 tbsp dried oregano - 1 ½ tsp ground cumin - 1 ½…

It is easy to imagine how it could happen. A petrel, flying east from the Indian Ocean at the end of the Austral winter, makes landfall at New Zealand’s southern Codfish Island/Whenua Hou. Tired from its long journey, the petrel seeks refuge in the burrow of a green kākāpō: a critically endangered flightless species that is the world’s fattest parrot. If the seabird intrudes when the kākāpō is primed to breed, the male parrot may attempt to…

As of 1 September, Sweden no longer recommends Covid-19 vaccination for children unless an individual medical assessment finds they are at increased risk of severe disease. Even then, it is only available with a doctor’s prescription. Adults are eligible for a single dose only if they are 75 and older, or belong to defined risk groups. It is a strikingly cautious policy — yet in Sweden, there is no sense of crisis. Public health officials…

A leaked Health NZ strategy paper reveals plans to reduce graduate nurses’ working hours and slash clinical training, prompting warnings from the nurses’ union that the agency is “gaming” the numbers to give the illusion of progress while undermining care standards and pushing new nurses abroad. Minimum working hours for new nurses are being cut from 0.8 to 0.6 full-time equivalent (FTE), meaning three days a week now qualifies as a…