Margt

It would be quite amusing if no restaurants earned a star after all that effort and money.

Adopt a kākāpō Kākāpō adoptions are a special way to support the conservation of this taonga species. You can adopt a kākāpō for yourself or as a gift.

Looking for a different gift idea this year? How about a #kakapo adoption? Adoptions are open again until 25th Nov, with postage or email options. These fund a significant proportion of our programme and make a real difference to the #conservation work we do. Thanks! www.doc.govt.nz/our-work/kak...

Hey anyone at #mpi or #biosecuritynz. We do wasp genomics. I reckon I could tell you in about 24 hours if these invasive yellow legged #hornets you have found in Auckland are sisters, or a larger invasion. For free. Hit me up now!

At a time when academics are under sustained right-wing attack, Dr Siouxsie Wiles stood up to the neoliberal regime of university management and won, but it came at a cost. If you can, please consider supporting Siouxsie, one of the most courageous scholars I know.
www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/852...

Researchers say an AI-powered transcription tool used in hospitals invents things no one ever said Whisper is a popular transcription tool powered by artificial intelligence, but it has a major flaw. It makes things up that were never said.

This article is from late 2024 but unlikely that things have improved much since then apnews.com/article/ai-a...

Researchers say an AI-powered transcription tool used in hospitals invents things no one ever said Whisper is a popular transcription tool powered by artificial intelligence, but it has a major flaw. It makes things up that were never said.

This AP news article from late 2024 certainly indicates we should be super cautious apnews.com/article/ai-a...

$5b-plus blowout for eight Roads of National Significance The Government's 17 Roads of National Significance will cost it at least $44 billion – enough to rebuild Dunedin Hospital 23 times over. Marc Daalder reports.

New from me: Just eight of the Government's 17 Roads of National Significance have already seen costs blow out by $5.1 billion - before any shovels are even in the ground.

The full programme would cost $44-$54 billion on the latest numbers.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/23/5...

Wow. Harvard nuking its PhD programs

- Science PhD admissions reduced by more than 75%
- Arts & Humanities reduced by about 60%
- Social Sciences by 50–70%
- History by 60%
- Biology by 75%
- The German department will lose all PhD seats
- Sociology from six PhD students to zero

Fantastic news!

YouTube video by thejuicemedia Honest Government Ad | Visit New Zealand!

The Government of New Zealand has made a new tourism ad and it's surprsingly honest and informative!

If you'd asked me which celebrity would posthumously unveil a list of people she wanted fired into the sun, I would not have guessed Jane Goodall

So sorry to hear this news Sara

Definitely a concern!

How generative AI is really changing education – by outsourcing the production of knowledge to big tech We need to understand what AI means for how knowledge is created.

theconversation.com/how-generati...?

Oh that's tough for you all - a huge transition.

Dutch late night TV has its take

Trump’s allies now control X, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, & TikTok.

They own Fox News, CBS, WaPo, WSJ & NY Post.

They own Sinclair Broadcasting which has 200 tv stations and local news in 100 markets.

“Freedom of speech” is now what Trump and his billionaire pals say it is.

What Scotland’s trawling announcement really means for its marine protected areas In this blog, our Director of Policy and Research, Alec Taylor, reflects on the Scottish Government's trawling announcement this week.

In good ocean news, Scotland is officially banning bottom trawling in 11 marine protected areas starting October 16, in a move welcomed by both environmental groups and the Scottish Fisherman’s Federation. Oceana UK buff.ly/JSOEao3
#ShareGoodNewsToo

Lawyer caught using AI-generated false citations in court case penalised in Australian first Victorian solicitor stripped of his ability to practise as a principal lawyer after acknowledging he did not verify case list

A Victorian solicitor has been stripped of his ability to practise as a principal lawyer after being caught using AI-generated false citations in court case - he has acknowledged he did not verify the case list www.theguardian.com/law/2025/sep...

Pls don't share this with your drunk National voting uncle...

Fab news Sara!

A kākāpō up a tree during the day, in dappled sunlight. Credit: Maddy Whittaker.

Our team have been working hard changing transmitters on all ~90 #kakapo on Whenua Hou, including Vori. Catching kākāpō can be tricky - especially since they often roost up trees. #conservation #parrots Pic: Maddy WhittakerA

my view is that everyone should be able to earn a living wage doing whatever it is they like. if you love working in a bookshop, you should be able to live a comfortable life doing so. if you loving being a barista, the same. and if you want to do more traditional blue collar work, that’s cool too!

South Island Jurassic Park? Peter Jackson backs project to bring back moa Groundbreaking de-extinction project already under way, with a short timeframe revealed.

This is absolute shameful bullshit from all parties concerned. Peter Jackson is being scammed, Colossal are total frauds (5–8 years? Give me a break), and I have no idea what Ngāi Tahu think they’re doing. There are clear and simple reasons why this is impossible. www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/south-isl...

Screen shot of Edmonds cookery book site, showing star biscuits in te reo.

Because of reasons, I've been checking out the Edmonds Cookbook online, and OMG, they have a heap of their recipes available in te reo.

It's happening, whānau. Te reo is becoming part of us, little by little.

edmondscooking.co.nz

NZ’s economy is not underperforming by accident Opinion from Auckland University: The findings of a new IMF report suggest NZ is not just underperforming, but actively backing the wrong kinds of growth.

I appreciate this article so much that I have a feeling that every time I see a mutual repost it I will immediately also repost it again, so you'd better be doing some good quoteskeets folks or everyone will suffer.

More cuts proposed at Ministry for Culture and Heritage The axe is hovering over historians and staff who create digital content used by schools and the public.

If we don't tell our own stories, we forget who we are. These fresh cuts save relatively little fiscally, but will cost us so much. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

My photo collage shows four cylindrical Minoan cups each with a single handle and each decorated with a different polychrome motif, including white spirals, white whorls, white petals, red spots, orange spots, orange bands, and white bands, all painted on a black background. This type of ornamental Minoan pottery is known as Kamares Ware, named after the Kamares Cave on Mount Ida on Crete where this kind of pottery was first found. Kamares Ware vessels were luxury items produced by palace workshops at Phaistos and Knossos on Crete. These four cups were excavated at Phaistos and dated 1800-1700 BC.

Sipping my coffee ☕️ thinking about these marvellous Minoan cups!

So modern-looking it’s incredible to think they were made by Bronze Age potters 3,800 years ago!

Known as Kamares Ware, these luxury ceramics were made in palace workshops. Heraklion Archaeological Museum 📷 by me

#Archaeology 🏺

Every morning I read the news and something else reminds me of Robert Musil saying in 1930s Germany that one of the defining aspects of fascism was the mockery of compassion