The human face of science funding cuts - Expert Reaction - Science Media Centre Kiwi scientists share how funding cuts have impacted their research and careers, in a new report from the Save Science Coalition. Many of the profiled researchers have been made redundant or have moved...

The human face of science funding cuts – Expert Reaction

Comic. One... two... THREE! [text in red] X Deprecated [line break] One... two... three... GO! [text in red] Deprecated [red curly bracket around top two lines] Too easy to mix up [line break] Three... two... one... GO! [text in green] [check mark] ISO Standard [caption] If I were in charge of ISO, the first thing I’d do would be to standardize the way people count out loud before doing something in sync.

Countdown Standard

xkcd.com/3232/

"Aotearoa New Zealand is fortunate enough to have a fleet of practical, fossil fuel free vehicles available to help us through any potential shortage and further price escalation of transport fuels"

Signed and shared

Open Letter re Fuel Crisis 2026 — Cycling Action Network

You are invited to sign this open letter from Cycling Action Network calling on the government to build emergency bike networks.
www.can.org.nz/open-letter-...

What people get wrong about early life infections The confusing reality behind the timing of childhood pathogen exposure

Icymi- My latest post looks at early childhood infections

There’s some infections you simply can’t avoid

So when’s the best time to get them?!

People tend to think in one of two way - and both are wrong!

#IDSky #Pedsky

Are joint predictive models enough, or do you actually need casual inference?

notstatschat.rbind.io/2026/04/13/a...

Extreme weather scientists warn of impending funding drought 'Some nerd sitting in an office' doesn't seem like exciting research to fund but it's answering urgent questions about severe weather, a climate scientist says.

Just as the impacts of climate change are really starting to bite, AoNZ as a nation is busy 'deprioritising' research funding into it. You can probably tell from some of the quotes how chill I'm feeling about this.

Inequalities in infectious disease dynamics symposium | LSHTM Join us for the Social Inequalities in Infectious Disease Dynamics Symposium at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). The day features a full programme of presentations and invited

Great speakers at this symposium - 22 April 2026 at LSHTM. Join online or in person (email if in person) to hear great talks at the cutting edge of Inequalities in infectious disease dynamics. www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/e...

Oof. We ok with this? Because we do have a choice. Govt balance sheet could absorb the short-term blow to avoid the scarring from those 130,000 humans losing their jobs & the inflation that will amplify the damage. Instead, the Govt says the pain of marginally higher interest rates is worse.

I knew a pub where you could order a large pint, medium pint or "craft" pint. None were pints. It went out of business

Camping on the Abel Tasman 😍

If a human outbreak of HPAI were to occur, what would influence testing behaviour? COVID really shaped behaviour, but people want autonomy to make their own decisions. Need to rebuild trust.
👉 www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...

The government has boxed itself in over fuel saving strategies – but there is a way out Promoting fuel saving measures as vital to energy security would help frame the oil shock as a technical problem to be solved, not a political issue to be fought.

Every effective tool for reducing fuel demand right now (free PT, cycling, EVs, lower speed limits) is a policy the NZ coalition government has spent two years dismantling.

My new piece in The Conversation on why they've gone quiet and how they get out of it.
theconversation.com/the-governme...

The government has boxed itself in over fuel saving strategies – but there is a way out Promoting fuel saving measures as vital to energy security would help frame the oil shock as a technical problem to be solved, not a political issue to be fought.

"Every effective oil-shock response sits in the policy lane the current government has disowned as wasteful, anti-motorist or ideologically driven. Deploying any of them now risks conceding the political point"

theconversation.com/the-governme...

The government has boxed itself in over fuel saving strategies – but there is a way out Promoting fuel saving measures as vital to energy security would help frame the oil shock as a technical problem to be solved, not a political issue to be fought.

"Having built a political brand around the idea that the previous government overreacted during an emergency, the coalition now faces its own crisis. But it has encouraged voters to distrust the kind of rapid, interventionist measures that might be most effective.
theconversation.com/the-governme...

Looking for Long Covid: A Clash of Definition and Study Design Influential studies from the VA St. Louis take a broad view of long Covid. Not every expert agrees with the approach.

A propos nothing, this is a great long read on Al-Aly's Long Covid studies
undark.org/2024/07/25/l...

NZ’s rejection of new WHO pandemic rules makes no real sense World Health Organization regulations are not a threat to national sovereignty, and they apply lessons learned from COVID. So why did NZ opt out?

NZ’s rejection of new WHO pandemic rules makes no real sense - by Sharon McLennan
theconversation.com/nzs-rejectio...

New Covid variant BA.3.2 detected across US, but experts urge vigilance over alarm Strain found in 29 states and Puerto Rico carries spike mutations, but no data shows increased severity

Great reporting by @whatsitlike.me on BA.3.2, a new SARS-CoV-2 variant now detected in 29 states. It has substantial mutations and WHO has it flagged, but no data showing increased severity.

Worth watching, not catastrophizing. @theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

While I'm at it: this report claims 'our priorities are closely aligned with those identified by iwi and Māori organisations (Appendix 3)' but those priorities are in Appendix 4 and are almost exclusively in research areas this report recommends cutting heavily.

is an admission that there is no real interest in Aotearoa having a thriving research sector which can serve our society. There is only an ever-tightening spiral downwards.”

Comments by @lcsnz.bsky.social :
“If the government wants
to invest in technology it should do so. Asserting that the only way to do this is to underfund other research areas to an even greater degree than they already are

What, hang on, they're saying can't study "environmental pheonomena"?? 🤪

GSIDD Transmission Digest: March 2026

1/ GSIDD Transmission Digest: March 2026

ℹ️ The GSIDD Transmission Digest keeps you in the loop on what is happening with GSIDD, from upcoming events to the latest announcements.

🔗: hustling-producer-1761.kit.com/posts/gsidd-...

#IDsky #EpiSky #PublicHealth #OneHealth 🧪

This report is terrible for the environment. NZ massively under-monitors environmental change and this is an issue in a changing climate because we will miss impacts of climate and other global change processes until it's too late to do anything about them.
www.mbie.govt.nz/assets/repor...

This is the content I am here for, gold. (and that is *quite* a waterfall to fall down 😮)

More people requesting ‘unvaccinated’ blood for themselves or their children

I limit myself to one doompost a month but OK we are utterly screwed
www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/mor...

A high-risk bird flu strain is circling the globe. How prepared is NZ? Bird flu is spreading globally and getting closer to New Zealand. Its arrival may be a matter of when, not if – and the risks are significant.

A high-risk bird flu strain is circling the globe. How prepared is NZ?
theconversation.com/a-high-risk-...

Should I get a COVID booster? - Expert Q&A - Science Media Centre Health NZ's latest vaccination advice for health professionals says COVID boosters are no longer needed for most adults aged 30 to 64. However, those eligible for publicly funded healthcare can still...

Should I get a COVID booster? – Expert Q&A

Oh hey, the PMSITAC report is out and the short version is 'let's take money from literally every other area of research in AoNZ to put into tech'. That's the plan. Underfund everything else *even more than it already is* over the next three years. 🧪