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New Zealand’s primary exports are forecast to hit a record $60 billion by 30 June 2025. This represents a 12 percent jump from last year’s $53.3 billion. · MPI Director-General Ray Smith called the result a “blockbuster year.” · Dairy alone is projected to deliver $27 billion in exports, up 16 percent from $23.3 billion, while horticulture is expected to rise 19 percent to $8.4 billion, nearly half of which comes from kiwifruit. Sheep, beef…

Baby-farmer Daniel Cooper hanged · 16 June 1923 · A generation after the hanging of the infamous Minnie Dean (see 12 August), the murder trial of Daniel and Martha Cooper revealed that ‘baby farming’ and illegal abortion were still regarded as solutions to the problem of unwanted children in New Zealand. · After watching the Coopers for some time, police arrested Daniel in December 1922 for performing an abortion. The discovery of a baby’s body…

A new report from the Maxim Institute argues that New Zealand’s End of Life Choice Act is giving patients an illusion of autonomy rather than true choice. · The report, Interrogating Choice, warns that euthanasia is easier to access than good end-of-life care, making it less a choice than a consequence of systemic neglect. · “Euthanasia is fully funded. Palliative care is not,” writes researcher Maryanne Spurdle. In many parts of New Zealand,…

Lemon and mustard pork escalopes accompanied by parsnips roasted with apples and greens. Escalopes are cuts of lean meat, beaten flat for swift cooking. Fry them in a very hot pan; they don't take long and you want as much colour on them as possible, it adds to the flavour. The swiftest way to shred any leafy greens is to stack the leaves on top of each other and roll them into a tight cigar shape. Then slice them widthways, as finely as you…

Twelve years after accidentally throwing away a hard drive holding 8,000 Bitcoins, now worth nearly €649 million (approx. $1.5 billion NZD), Welsh IT worker James Howells is giving up the hunt. · But his story isn’t over: it’s now the subject of a documentary series. · In 2013, when Bitcoin was still niche, Howells discarded the drive during an office clean-out in Newport, Wales. · As Bitcoin’s value skyrocketed, the device’s worth grew from…

Royal Enfield made a ruckus at the 2023 EICMA trade show with its electric Him-E adventure motorcycle concept. Nearly two years on, we're finally getting a glimpse of what the brand's been cooking up with this recipe, as a test mule has been spied up in the mountains of Ladakh, India. · Motoring media outlet Rushlane spotted the electric bike at a hotel in the rugged northern Indian union territory. Unlike the early concept it previously showed…

Dental implants look the part, but by design they can't replace actual teeth. Now scientists have developed an innovative new implant that "grows" into the gum and fuses with existing nerves to mimic the form and function of a real tooth. What's more, they're easier and gentler to put in place, with no bone drilling required. · Tufts University's School of Dental Medicine and School of Medicine researchers have developed what they call a…

Since World War I, unmanned aircraft have evolved to serve a variety of military uses—from gunnery training to stealth surveillance to targeted killings. · The 1895 invention of the radio transmitter and receiver by Italian engineer Guglielmo Marconi sparked an engineering race for uses of the revolutionary new technology—including radio waves to guide aircraft. · “The dream of pilotless aircraft was already alive in the imagination of…

We all know vegetables are good for us, but they aren’t created equal. While they’re all a source of fibre – something the majority of us should be eating more of – as well as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, these compounds are less concentrated in some varieties. · That said, all vegetables are nutritious, says Rhiannon Lambert, a nutritionist, the founder of the top Harley Street clinic Rhitrition and the author of The Science of…

Cremation accounts for 80 percent of New Zealand deaths, largely due to its lower cost compared to burial. However, Fergus Wheeler, spokesperson for Death Without Debt, said in an interview that the current system forces families to go through a funeral director to obtain a second doctor’s sign-off required for cremation. · Wheeler argues this step could legally be handled directly between medical professionals. “The cloud already exists, it…