This year saw massive policy changes in New Zealand’s science sector, with the coalition government changing tack on gene tech regulations, how it manages the natural environment, Māori-led healthcare, and funding for future research.
Aotearoa become one of the last places on Earth to be free of a highly contagious strain of bird flu, our Navy wrecked a ship off the coast of Sāmoa, NZ’s employment court deemed abuse and harassment of researchers a serious health and safety concern, and an independent reckoning of NZ’s own Covid-19 response was made public.
Here are our picks for some of the most significant science stories that made the headlines. Feel free to republish or re-purpose this content.
BIRD FLU AROUND THE WORLD
For years, a highly contagious strain of avian influenza has been going gangbusters around the world, decimating poultry, wild birds, and mammals around the world. The strain, known as H5N1, made headlines this February for arriving in Antarctica for the first time. In March, authorities started detecting that the virus had spilled over into dairy cow herds in the US. Aotearoa remains one of the last places on Earth to be free of this particular strain, but experts and officials have been vociferous about the need to be vigilant for its likely arrival.
In December, the Ministry of Primary Industries confirmed the presence of a different bird flu strain, H7N6, on a commercial egg farm in the Otago region. So far around 160,000 chickens have been culled in an effort to eliminate it. Authorities say there are no food safety issues from the virus and the risk to human health remains low.
More from the SMC: Bird flu arrives in mainland Antarctica – Expert Reaction; Avian influenza in US dairy cows – Expert Reaction; Bird flu arrives in Australia – Expert Reaction; NZ’s wild birds have been safe from severe bird flu so far – Expert Reaction; Avian flu’s spread to remote Antarctic islands – Expert Reaction; What could bird flu mean for our wildlife? – Expert Reaction; Bird flu found on egg farm in Otago – Expert Reaction; What’s the difference between NZ’s bird flu and overseas strains? – Expert Q&A
MANAWANUI SHIPWRECK IN SĀMOA
Over the course of an October weekend, New Zealand naval ship the HMNZS Manawanui ran aground near an island in Sāmoa before sinking. Crew on board had been conducting a reef survey, and all 75 people aboard were successfully rescued.
Sāmoan authorities confirmed the capsized ship was leaking residual oil from three locations, and its physical destruction of coral covered an area roughly half the size of a large rugby pitch. Almost two months later, an interim Court of Inquiry report from the New Zealand Defence Force found the Manawanui grounded and sunk due to human error.
Efforts to clean up the wreck, including the complex and technical process of fuel removal, are ongoing.
More from the SMC: Manawanui sinks off coast of Samoa – Expert Reaction; Court of Inquiry launched into Manawanui sinking – Expert Reaction; Reef damage and small oil leaks from Manawanui wreck – Expert Reaction; Manawanui cleanup resumes – Expert Reaction
Image by Matt Lavin (CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED)
CHANGING TACK ON GENE TECH
At the start of 2024, the new coalition Government clearly signalled its intentions to overhaul regulatory hurdles on developing genetic technology beyond the lab, which have been in place for almost 30 years.
By December, the public learned more about the proposed legislative changes in a draft Bill, which covers different areas of activity such as medicine, food, pest control, agriculture, and climate change.
Throughout the year, we saw regulators also considering new definitions for what qualifies as genetically modified food, and new technological possibilities such as precision fermentation.
More from the SMC: Regulating genetic technologies in Aotearoa – Expert Q&A; EPA says ‘null segregants’ aren’t GMOs – Expert Reaction; “Precision fermentation” and the future of NZ food – Expert Reaction; Gene tech rule changes – Expert Reaction; New definition of GM food proposed – Expert Reaction; Gene Technology Bill introduced to parliament – Expert Reaction
NZ’S ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES DO A 180
The new coalition Government rolled out significant changes to how the country manages its natural environment. It moved forward with its intentions to reverse the ban on oil and gas exploration beyond onshore Taranaki, and it created a new bill aimed at allowing major infrastructure projects to bypass lengthy resource consenting processes. The Fast Track Approvals Bill passed during Parliament’s final sitting days of the year.
In March, the Government announced councils didn’t need to comply with their legal obligations around Significant Natural Areas while it worked to replace the Resource Management Act. Legal experts quickly commented this advice could be unlawful. The next day, the Associate Environment Minister issued another statement, saying councils’ obligations around Significant Natural Areas continued to apply until the Resource Management Act had actually changed.
More from the SMC: Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plans scrapped – Expert Reaction; Oil and gas exploration ban reversal – Expert Q&A; How fast-track consenting might impact the environment and politics – Expert Reaction; Govt signals pause on Significant Natural Areas – Expert Reaction
THE EVIDENCE AROUND PUBERTY BLOCKERS
In November, the Ministry of Health released an evidence brief that concludes there are limitations around the quality of evidence for both the benefits and risks of puberty blockers.
The Ministry directed that the medication for children experiencing gender dysphoria should only be prescribed by a clinician experienced in gender affirming care, and supported by an interprofessional team including mental health support. It also opened public consultation on future guidelines around the medicine, even though a very small percentage of the population uses them.
More from the SMC: Review of evidence for puberty blockers and hormone treatment in youth – Expert Reaction; Puberty blocker prescribing rates in NZ – Expert Reaction; Careful approach to puberty blockers – Expert Reaction
HARASSMENT OF RESEARCHERS DEEMED A SERIOUS HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUE
In July, New Zealand’s employment court came out on the side of Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles, in her case against employer the University of Auckland. The microbiologist alleged the university failed to protect her from a “tsunami of threats” she received for her public commentary on the Covid-19 pandemic. The court found the university breached its contractual obligations to protect Associate Professor Wiles’ health and safety in the wake of harassment she experienced as a result of her work. The university has denied unjustifiably disadvantaging Wiles, breaching their agreement or its statutory obligations. It said it had also acted in good faith towards her.
Experts said the case is an important one for organisations where staff are in the public eye or engaging with media. They said the judgment clarifies that employers have a health and safety duty to take all reasonable steps to protect their employees from harm, including mental and physical harm posed by third parties.
More from the SMC: Wiles v. University of Auckland Employment Court judgment released – Expert Reaction
MĀORI HEALTH INITIATIVES UNDER FIRE
In February, the new coalition government quickly scrapped the newly formed Māori Health Authority, passing all three readings to disestablish it over the course of two days. The Authority was established less than two years prior in an effort to improve the health and wellbeing of whānau Māori and address inequity in the health system. Its closure has been deeply unpopular amongst the health workforce and Māori health advocates.
Health researchers also voiced their opposition to the removal of ethnicity as a marker of need in healthcare.
More from the SMC: Māori Health Authority to be disestablished – Expert Reaction; Avoidable deaths in NZ linked more with ethnicity and deprivation than with local health system performance; ‘Ethnicity is an evidence-based marker of need’, public health physicians say
SCIENCE SECTOR UNCERTAINTY AND FUNDING SLASHES
The coalition Government scrapped the previous Labour Government’s initiative to reform Aotearoa’s science sector, known as Te Ara Paerangi Future Pathways. In March, new science reform efforts were announced, which were meant to advise the Government on how the science and university sectors can boost NZ’s economy. Two reports from the science sector advisory group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, were expected in the second half of 2024 but have yet to be published.
While scientists waited for word of the reforms, the Budget was called “worse than a nothing burger for science” by one expert, and the National Science Challenges ran to the end of their life cycle, with nothing replacing them so far. Almost all of universities and Crown Research Institutes laid off staff in efforts to pay the bills and meet the Government’s 7% savings target.
In December, the Science, Innovation and Technology Minister cut funding for humanities and social science projects from the prestigious and highly competitive Marsden Fund, which supports fundamental “blue skies” research. The areas that have been cut include research in subjects like nursing, law, and archaeology. With humanities and social sciences removed, many Māori-led research projects will no longer be funded. Researchers across disciplines voiced unequivocal opposition to the move.
More from the SMC: New advisory groups for universities and science sector – Expert Reaction; Budget 2024 and the future of NZ’s science sector – Expert Reaction; Govt cuts humanities and social science funding – Expert Reaction; Marsden Fund cuts will disproportionately affect Māori researchers – Expert Reaction
THE WORLD COMES TOGETHER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT… WITH MIXED RESULTS
Apia. Baku. Busan. These are just some of the international locations where policymakers and negotiators have met to work out how countries can collaborate to improve the state of the environment.
Pacific and NZ researchers launched a massive climate report at the start of the 29th UN Climate Change Conference, or COP29, in Azerbaijan. The report said a range of climate adaptation strategies are already being employed across the Pacific region. By the end of the so-called “finance COP,” wealthy countries committed to spend more than NZ$500 billion annually by 2035 to help poorer countries cope with the impacts of climate change. However, experts said the financial commitment fell far below what developing countries need to adapt and shift to a low-carbon economy.
Weeks later in South Korea, countries negotiating a global treaty to curb plastic pollution failed to reach an agreement after a week of talks.
More from the SMC: Greenhouse gases are ocean pollution, international court rules – Expert Reaction; NZ’s record-breaking ocean temperatures – Expert Reaction; Commonwealth Ocean Declaration – Expert Reaction; What to expect from COP29 – Expert Reaction; Major Pacific climate report launched at COP29 – Media Briefing; Global plastic waste to double by 2050, study says – Expert Reaction; Climate finance commitments triple at close of COP29 – Expert Reaction; Final negotiations for a global plastics treaty – Expert Reaction; Negotiators fail to agree on a global plastics treaty – Expert Reaction; Five global crises are inextricably linked – Expert Reaction
AN INDEPENDENT RECKONING INTO NZ’S COVID-19 RESPONSE
In November, the Royal Commission of Inquiry into lessons learned from NZ’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic released the first phase of its findings. It found the country’s early use of lockdowns and other restrictions helped prevent widespread COVID-19 infection until most of the population was vaccinated and the virus had become less deadly. Aotearoa also had one of the lowest rates of COVID-19 deaths per capita when compared to other OECD countries. The use of compulsion was one of the most controversial aspects of the COVID-19 response, the report found, but it concluded it was reasonable to bring in some targeted vaccine requirements based on information available at the time.
More from the SMC: COVID-19 tests no longer free in NZ – Expert Reaction; The Royal Commission on COVID-19 Lessons Learned – SMC Media Briefing; Learning from NZ’s response to Covid-19 – Expert Reaction