The former finance minister starts as vice-chancellor of Otago University in July. But such appointments call for more robust debate about the perceived independence of our tertiary institutions.
The coalition is increasingly using parliamentary urgency, cutting the public service and fast-tracking legislation – all of which risks upsetting the equilibrium between government and the governed.
Ocean warming seems the main driver of Antarctica’s sea-ice loss. But as satellites show, the change is not universal and sea ice persists in East Antarctica and the Weddell Sea.