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The New Zealand-wide holiday in October each year commemorates efforts by workers to make eight hours the standard working day. · Achieving 'work-life balance' is still an elusive goal for many of us. But one day a year is enshrined in New Zealand law as a time to relax and to reflect on the efforts made by trade unions to get this balance. · Labour Day became a nationwide holiday in 1900, after Parliament passed the Labour Day Act 1899. This…

When it comes to getting a cold or the flu, there is a commonly held belief that men take it harder than women, exaggerating their symptoms and basically acting like big ol' babies. But is this phenomenon of "man sick" a real thing? We investigate. · These days, it seems like I can't get on a transatlantic flight without getting sick. Blanket and pillow? Sure. Headphones? No thanks I have my own. Pretzels? You bet. RSV? COVID? Bronchitis? Well,…

Generative AI systems need to be fed huge amounts of data, with copyrighted materials often on the menu. Musicians may now have a way to fight back with HarmonyCloak, a system that embeds data into songs that can’t be picked up by human ears but will scramble AI trying to reproduce it. · In order to generate Facebook images that trick your Nan into praising a fake kid who made a giant Jesus out of eggs, AI systems first need to be trained on…

The Women Jurors Act provided for women aged between 25 and 60 to have their names placed on the jury list on the same basis as men – if they so desired. · New Zealand’s first female juror was Elaine Kingsford, who sat on a case at the Auckland Supreme Court on 20 October 1943, having been challenged by defence counsel when her name was first drawn the previous day. Interviewed by a National Film Unit crew, she raised the possibility that one…

Until today, the Pacific has stood as the only region globally without an academy of science, a gap that has left it vulnerable to external activities impacting its vast oceans. · Due to its size, isolation and unique geographical, economic and cultural characteristics, the Pacific is particularly susceptible to these challenges. · Today’s launch of the Pacific Academy of Sciences marks a turning point. · As nations on the frontline of climate…

Ultra-fast fashion sites such as Shein and Temu have surged in popularity in New Zealand and across the globe. · New Zealanders are amongst  the world’s biggest fashion consumers and they are increasingly turning to these online retailers and marketplaces, which offer trendy clothing at incredibly low prices, amid the cost-of-living crisis. · These shopping sites have faced widespread criticism for worker exploitation and the use of…

The Christchurch–Dunedin overnight express, headed by a JA-class locomotive, ran the last scheduled steam-hauled service on New Zealand Railways (NZR), bringing to an end 108 years of regular steam rail operations in this country. · New Zealand’s rail system was predominantly steam-powered from 1863, when the first public railway opened in Christchurch, until the 1950s, when the transition to diesel power gathered momentum. Although NZR…

If aliens are watching Earth, they might be able to detect us from the radio signals we beam to Mars to control our rovers there. Astronomers have now listened in on the nearby TRAPPIST-1 system to check whether aliens are chattering between their own neighboring planets. · Earth has been blasting out incidental radio signals for over a century now, but contrary to what sci-fi says, these are fairly weak and diffuse in space, so they’d be hard…

As if the Line wasn't enough, Saudi Arabia is currently busy constructing yet another amazing skyscraper, named the Mukaab. Taking the form of a supertall cube, new information has been released that details the build progress so far and the sheer scale of the project. · The Mukaab will reach a height of 400 m (1,312 ft) in the Saudi capital Riyadh, but more impressively it will also be just as long and wide, making it so large that, according…

The October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas and subsequent Israeli reprisals have transformed the Gaza Strip into a global arena where transcontinental alliances transcended local clashes between Israel, Palestine and Iran. · From the Middle East, Egypt and Turkey reiterated their claims of mediation.  · The rise of China and India provided counterpoints to former European empires such as France and the United…