Science Media Centre

The Government has released this year’s Budget, with $250 million earmarked for science and innovation initiatives. This page will be updated with any new announcements and expert reaction. Finance Minister Steven Joyce delivered his first budget today: the National-led Government’s ninth budget. The Science and Innovation sector will receive $255.6 million of investments over the […]

As the world responds to a Trump presidency – experts are already turning their thoughts to what that could mean for science, especially health and climate change. During his campaign, Donald Trump said he would repeal President Obama’s Affordable Care Act and reinforced his stance as a climate sceptic. The Washington Post reported that the […]

New Zealand has some fine science and environment reporters reporting for print, television and radio. Based all over the country, from Auckland to Wellington to Christchurch, they help to ensure that New Zealanders are kept up to date with science and environment issues both here and abroad. The Science Media Centre approached some of them, […]

It is difficult to work out how much sugar is added to food and drinks, and therefore excess sugar is difficult to avoid despite being harmful to health, according to a report from the Royal Society. Released today, the factsheet summarises evidence on the role of sugar in health, especially in relation to diseases such […]

New Zealanders are pretty unaware of the state of their country, according to a new poll that has ranked New Zealand as the worst developed nation in an ‘Index of Ignorance’. The Ipsos MORI Perils of Perception survey highlights how wrong the public across 33 countries are about some key issues and features of the […]

Climate change threatens to unravel the last 50 years of health gains, but also presents an opportunity to boost global health, say the authors of a new report. The comments come from the 2015 Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change, a group formed to map out the impacts of climate change, and the necessary […]

New evidence indicates that increasing dietary fibre intake, especially grains, could lower the risk of developing diabetes. The research has shown that consuming more than 26 grams of dietary fibre a day could decrease your risk of developing diabetes by 18 per cent compared with having less than 19 grams a day. Dietary fibre could primarily help people […]

US and South African scientists question whether we can overcome an unhealthy diet through exercise alone. In an editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the experts say they believe excess sugar and carbohydrates – not a lack of exercise – lie behind the surge in obesity. Our colleagues at the Australian and UK SMCs have […]

Slumping in front of the box can bump up a person’s risk of diabetes, according to a new study published today. The study, published in the journal Diabetologia, looked at how long people spent sitting each day – including at the office as well as at home – and suggests that for every hour spent watching TV, […]

According to a new study published in the British Medical Journal eating a Mediterranean diet might help extend your lifespan. The diet, which has been consistently linked with health benefits including reduced mortality and a lower risk of heart disease, appears to be associated with longer telomere length – a marker for slower ageing. The […]