Single Big
Eye
“That first lockdown really did give us an
unprecedented opportunity to measure or quantify the effects
of human activity on marine life,” says University of
Auckland marine scientist Associate Professor Craig Radford.
“So we decided to take a look at the response of our
marine organisms in this new, relatively calm
world.”
Noise pollution is known to effect marine life
which use sound to communicate a variety of life-critical
behaviours such as predator alarms or mate selection. Rising
underwater sound has become a significant concern to marine
scientists who have evidence of lethal and sub-lethal
effects on marine life.
The young orca calf has been cared for around-the-clock by Department of Conservation (DOC) staff and volunteers since becoming separated from his mother at Plimmerton, north of Wellington, on Sunday 11 July. It’s reported the cost to taxpayers of looking after Toa is estimated at about $10,000 so far, not accounting for DOC staffing costs. More
Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee has opened an inquiry into the current and future nature, impact, and risks of cryptocurrencies. Dr Duncan Webb, chairperson of the committee said: “This inquiry will give us a good opportunity to further our understanding of this increasingly important topic.”.. More
Microplastics research in Aotearoa New
Zealand originated at the University of
Canterbury.
Less than 5mm (or half a centimetre) in
diameter, microplastics are classed in two categories;
primary microplastics are those designed to be small, like
microbeads or glitter, while secondary microplastics are
formed in the environment as larger plastic items break
down. This can include fibres released from textiles and
clothes during washing.
For Plastic
Free July, we sat down with the University of
Canterbury’s leading microplastics researchers, Professor
Sally Gaw and Dr
Laura Revell, to discuss the impact microplastics can
have and are having on our environment, and what could
Wednesday, 21 July 2021, 1:47 pm
The Council of Financial Regulators (CoFR) – Kaunihera
Kaiwhakarite Ahumoni – has created a new website. You can
view it here.
CoFR
contributes to maximising New Zealand’s sustainable,
economic wellbeing through effective and responsive
regulation of the financial system in New
Zealand.
CoFR is made up of five
agencies:
Te Pūtea Matua – Reserve Bank of New
Zealand,
Te Mana Tatai Hokohoko – Financial
Markets Authority,
Te Komihana Tauhokohoko –
Commerce Commission,
Hīkina Whakatutuki –
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment,
Te
Tai Ōhanga – The Treasury.
The function of
the Council is to facilitate co-operation and co-ordination
between members to support effective and responsive
Tuesday, 20 July 2021, 3:11 pm
Post-event reporting on the 36th America’s Cup (AC36)
has been released today. The reports cover the delivery of
the event by Crown, Council and America’s Cup Event
Limited, economic impacts for Auckland and New Zealand, and
delivery of critical infrastructure.
The reporting
shows that, despite the challenges of COVID-19, a
world-class sporting event was delivered.
The
high-level
Auckland, New Zealand’s Hosting of the 36th
America’s Cup report notes:
· The overall
economic return of AC36 was much lower than forecast. This
was due to the lower-than-expected number of Challengers and
then the subsequent impacts of COVID-19, as well as the