Articles from ‘elocal magazine’

A new Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll shows overwhelming public support for a law to cap annual local council rate hikes, with 64 percent of voters in favour and just 22 percent opposed. Support crossed every political, regional, gender, and age demographic, including a majority of Labour, Green, and Te Pāti Māori voters. Asked whether they supported the government introducing a rates cap law, voters backed the idea by a margin of nearly 3:1. …

As night falls in the rainforests, orangutans climb into the canopy to construct intricate tree nests, displaying remarkable ingenuity. These comfy platforms are carefully engineered beds, providing warmth, comfort, protection from predators, and even reduce mosquito bites. Scientists have long wondered how young orangutans learn to master such complex architecture. Recent findings reveal that they acquire this skill through close observation…

The Government plans to expand police powers to collect and retain information about people in public, but is offering few details, raising concerns about privacy, legality and surveillance overreach. Police Minister Mark Mitchell says new laws are coming to “make the country safer,” but declined to specify what will change or when. Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster has been consulted, but he also declined to provide further details. Some…

A new breath-based sensor from researchers at Penn State could soon offer an easy, pain-free, quick way to diagnose diabetes. The sensor was created through a technique that basically toasts a polymer until it turns into porous graphene. According to the Centers For Disease Control (CDC), out of the 38 million people who have diabetes, about one in five don't even know they have the condition. When it comes to those who have prediabetes, which…

Two brilliant dishes in one, without the hassle of making a separate cheese sauce I love cauliflower cheese, but I don’t always want to make cheese sauce. This is less demanding – plus you get cauliflower cheese and potatoes in one dish. Ingredients - 2 large potatoes - sea salt flakes, for sprinkling - 15g butter - ¼ onion, very finely chopped - 300g cauliflower florets - freshly grated nutmeg - 2 tbsp double cream - 1-2 tbsp milk, if…

Auckland Council is keeping large parts of the Waitākere Ranges closed on the grounds that trampers spread kauri dieback, despite its own commissioned research failing to prove a link. Dr Emily Anderson, a scientist and spokesperson for Walk Tramp Run, told RCR the closures are based on outdated panic and politics, not evidence. “The picture they had back in 2017 was that all the kauri trees were very quickly deteriorating and it looked like…

Another air record has been (unofficially) broken as a prop-driven solar/electric aircraft reached the highest altitude yet for its type. On August 12, 2025, a modified Elektra One reached 31,237 feet (9,521 m) in the skies over Switzerland. Taking off from Sion Airport with SolarStratos founder Raphaël Domjan at the controls, the aircraft registered as HB-SXA conducted a five-hour, nine-minute flight completely under solar power, with a…

A new report from the US Department of Energy is challenging climate orthodoxy, drawing condemnation from activist scientists. However, Professor John Raine argues it brings long-overdue balance to the debate. According to Raine, the report “offers strong and reasoned counterfactuals to the climate catastrophising”, including IPCC assumptions regarding the extent of warming caused by human greenhouse gas emissions. “It is not possible to tell…

Another air record has been (unofficially) broken as a prop-driven solar/electric aircraft reached the highest altitude yet for its type. On August 12, 2025, a modified Elektra One reached 31,237 feet (9,521 m) in the skies over Switzerland. Taking off from Sion Airport with SolarStratos founder Raphaël Domjan at the controls, the aircraft registered as HB-SXA conducted a five-hour, nine-minute flight completely under solar power, with a…

Neither of New Zealand’s major party leaders is particularly popular, and that’s becoming a structural liability, argues former minister Peter Dunne in Newsroom. Christopher Luxon’s support has fallen steadily since becoming Prime Minister and is now the lowest of any PM under MMP. Since the election, Luxon has had only one brief improvement, now erased by ongoing dissatisfaction, including from Auckland business leaders who once backed him.…

These bars are flavoured with rose water, cardamom and anise, and are bound to be popular with a crowd The traditional rich dates and nut filling is complemented with a drizzle of dark chocolate  Ingredients - 250g walnuts - 60g date paste (or 60g pitted medjool dates, finely chopped, plus 1 tbsp sunflower oil) - 140g  chocolate digestive biscuits, broken into fine crumbs (about 9 biscuits) - 100g dark muscovado sugar - ¾ tsp ground…

Most 3D-printed houses we cover are either arranged on one floor or have an upper floor added later using a timber shell. However, this recent example, by Contec Australia, was entirely 3D-printed across both floors in just 18 hours. The project is located in Tapping, Perth, and is the only 3D-printed house we've seen where both floors are actually printed, except for the experimental Kamp C project. This means that the build process is…

If you deal with waves of drowsiness during the day, you might be among the estimated 33% of the population who suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), a common but often unrecognized condition that's linked to a host of increased health risks including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Now, researchers have identified the biological markers of it, bringing targeted treatment within reach. Not surprisingly, EDS is often present in…

Federated Farmers and Beef + Lamb New Zealand say the Environment Select Committee has missed its chance to stop productive farmland being lost to carbon forestry. A proposal to tighten exemptions allowing newly converted land to enter the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) after 4 December 2024 has not addressed the main problem, according to Richard Dawkins, chair of Federated Farmers’ meat and fibre section. “The government had a chance to…

The Gene Technology Bill was meant to come back from the health select committee on 31 July. That got pushed to 22 August, and now again to 10 October. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon insists the delay is not political, just about “getting it right.” But Winston Peters says the issue is “far too complicated for a ten second reply” and has confirmed NZ First is still working through its caveats. The bill would create a new gene tech…

August 25, 1951 was a quiet summer night in Lubbock, Texas. That evening, a handful of scientists from Texas Technical College were hanging out in the backyard of geology professor Dr. W.I. Robinson, drinking tea and chatting about micrometeorites. It was quite the brain trust: chemical engineering professor Dr. A. G. Oberg, physics professor Dr. George and Dr. W. L. Ducker, head of the petroleum-engineering department. Which made the story of…

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has just urged that all children aged 6 - 23 months receive a Covid-19 vaccine, regardless of prior infection, and extended that recommendation to older children deemed high risk. Their guidance directly conflicts with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which recently withdrew broad recommendations to vaccinate healthy children and pregnant women in favour of “shared clinical…

This Greek-style Sunday roast is worth the prep and cooking time for its juicy Mediterranean flavours. Don't chop the herbs too finely, otherwise it will lose its flavour.  It makes the perfect dish for a Sunday, as you can put everything in the oven and let it do the work for you, while you chill out as the house slowly fills with the most amazing aromas. If you cant wait till Sunday, try it tonight! Ingredients - 2 tbsp olive oil - 5…

When you bite into a piece of chocolate, you can taste its distinct fruity, nutty and earthy flavours. Now, scientists have gained fresh insights into how the process of fermenting cocoa beans can affect that flavour profile. In a study published today in Nature Microbiology1, researchers found that pH, temperature and microbial species in the fermentation process all influence how the resulting chocolate tastes. They also replicated the…