Articles in ‘Community’

Growing medical evidence suggests there may be no completely "safe" level of alcohol consumption. A physician specialising in addiction medicine says alcohol's accepted place in society often masks its significant health risks eLocal Report: Based on reporting by Emma Fenske for The Conversation HERE. · Alcohol's Place In Modern Society · Few substances are as culturally accepted as alcohol. From weddings and sporting events to workplace…

This Community Voice article examines the argument that President Donald Trump is deliberately reframing America's political debate around what he describes as internal ideological threats. Drawing on Truth Social posts, speeches and historical references, the author presents an interpretation of recent political messaging and encourages readers to consider the broader themes being advanced. Community Voice: Based on an opinion article by Fall…

The blue whale has long been considered the largest animal to have ever existed, even dwarfing the biggest known dinosaurs. But now a new species threatens to steal the crown, and upends what we thought we knew about whale evolution. In the Ica valley in Southern Peru, paleontologists discovered 13 vertebrae, four ribs and a hip bone that were absolutely gigantic. They belonged to a previously unknown species of ancient whale that lived about…

Winner of the Franklin Writers Group short story competition: Heather McQuillan from Christchurch · Second place: Laura Pendergrast from Ngaruawahia

A Māori woman has initiated a judicial review against the co-governance body Tūpuna Maunga Authority as first respondent, and Auckland Council as second respondent. It is the second judicial review initiated against the Authority and Council in relation to the Authority’s intention to rid Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s maunga of non-native trees. The first judicial review, undertaken by Auckland couple Warwick and Averil Norman, found both the…

Recently, I spoke at my son’s school Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting. My two topics of concern were: · • Sexuality Education and Gender Ideology in schools · • Vaccination as the only approach to deal with viral outbreaks · See more at https://www.voicemedia.nz/video/it-s-time-to-find-our-voices · The public response has been incredible. Many people are now reaching out for support - parents, grandparents, and those involved in the education…

By elocal Staff Lawrence Anthony, a South African conservationist was a man who abandoned a career in insurance and real estate to play Noah to the world’s most endangered species.. Born and raised in South Africa, in the mid-1990s, he bought one of South Africa’s largest game sanctuaries, the 5,000-acre Thula Thula reserve. He added luxury accommodations and fine dining to attract tourists eager to see wildlife close up. He also lived there. ·…

Local MP Andrew Bayly and his youngest son George recently spent time living with the Dukha people of Mongolia. In this, the second of two articles, George recalls their experience of living and travelling with the Dukha family around their grazing lands. We finally arrived in the Khövsgöl region where our Dukha family were located after five days of travelling overland in 4WD vehicles. Mongolia was once controlled by Russia, so we saw several…

A tree protection group is calling on Tūpuna Maunga Authority to shelve permanently its plans to rid Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s maunga (volcanic cones) of around 2500 exotic trees, saying it would be irresponsible to proceed in the light of severe slip damage recently suffered on several maunga. · Ōwairaka Mt Albert, Maungakiekie One Tree Hill and Ōhinerau Mt Hobson all suffered significant slips during the 27 January deluge. Tellingly, all…

A sophisticated new study has tracked the relationship between early teen social media use and changes in their brains over a three-year period. The novel research found more frequent checking of social media was linked with a greater sensitivity to social rewards, but experts stress the detected brain changes can neither be confirmed as causal or declared harmful from these preliminary findings. Screens have quickly become so pervasive in…