Science Media Centre NZ

Adapting to NZ's extreme climate futures - Media Briefing - Science Media Centre Top scientists and officials from around the world are gathering in Christchurch, urging action to adapt to cascading risks from climate-fuelled storms, heatwaves, and sea-level rise. The SMC hosted...

Adapting to NZ’s extreme climate futures – Media Briefing

Climate change is hammering NZ's oceans - Expert Reaction - Science Media Centre Ocean life, coastal homes, and kaimoana around our island nation are being impacted by the changing climate, a new report shows. Our Marine Environment 2025, produced by The Ministry for the Environment...

Climate change is hammering NZ’s oceans – Expert Reaction

Hauraki Gulf Bill set to pass - Expert Q&A - Science Media Centre The Hauraki Gulf Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill is due for its third reading in Parliament this week. The Bill extends protections of current marine reserves in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park,...

Hauraki Gulf Bill set to pass – Expert Q&A

High nitrate levels found in rural NZ drinking water - Expert Reaction - Science Media Centre Tens of thousands of rural New Zealanders could be drinking water with harmful nitrate levels, researchers say. The first-ever national rural drinking water survey found 5% of the private bore samples...

High nitrate levels found in rural NZ drinking water – Expert Reaction

Quake-prone buildings redefined - Expert Reaction - Science Media Centre Government changes to the earthquake-prone building system will remove nearly 3000 buildings from the classification. Following the Seismic Risk Management Review, Building and Construction Minister Chris...

Quake-prone buildings redefined – Expert Reaction

Science Media SAVVY Our flagship media training increases confidence and skills to help researchers to engage more effectively with the wider public through broadcast, print and social media. Apply below. We create a…

Last chance to apply for media training in Auckland this year! Applications close Sunday September 28th.
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/science-medi...

Will the world overshoot its climate targets? - Expert Q&A - Science Media Centre We're edging closer to exceeding 1.5°C of warming globally, and scientists will soon gather to understand the implications of missing our climate change targets. The first-ever Overshoot Conference in...

Will the world overshoot its climate targets? – Expert Q&A

Trump's autism and paracetamol comments disputed - Expert Reaction - Science Media Centre US doctors will soon be advised not to prescribe the pain reliever paracetamol to pregnant women, US President Donald Trump said today, citing a unproven link to autism. During the same announcment,...

Trump’s autism and paracetamol comments disputed – Expert Reaction

Changes to childhood vaccine recommendations in the US - Expert Reaction - Science Media Centre The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is meeting to review childhood vaccine recommendations in the US. The committee has already voted to change current guidance on combined measles,...

Changes to childhood vaccine recommendations in the US – Expert Reaction

Repeat head knocks may damage young athletes' brains - Expert Reaction - Science Media Centre Young contact sports players' brains can show signs of damage years before symptoms of long-term brain disease appear, a small US study finds. Researchers found that brain tissues from under-51-year-old...

Repeat head knocks may damage young athletes’ brains – Expert Reaction

Gravitational wave study confirms NZ scientist's black hole theory - Expert Reaction International researchers who studied the merging of two black holes say their new observations match theories developed by Stephen Hawking and NZ scientist Roy Kerr over half a century ago.…

Gravitational wave study confirms NZ scientist’s black hole theory – Expert Reaction
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/09/17/g...

Fishing net ban to protect hoiho - Expert Reaction An emergency set net fishing ban to protect yellow-eyed penguins around the Otago Peninsula begins at 5 pm today. The three-month ban follows a voluntary closure by set-net fishers last week and earl...

Three hoiho were killed in fisheries incidents in the last quarter. An emergency set net fishing ban to protect the rare penguin—the 2024 Bird of the Year—comes into effect at 5 pm today.

Fishing net ban to protect hoiho – Expert Reaction www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/09/16/f...

SAVVY Express Offered at selected conferences, our SAVVY Express programme offers free, 15 minute, one-on-one media training. Apply below. It's an opportunity for researchers to practise communicating about their…

If you're attending Queenstown Research Week this week, make sure to sign up for a free Savvy Express session.

This widely-praised one-on-one training helps researchers practise speaking on-camera in a safe environment – in just 15 minutes.

www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/savvy-expres...

Free monthly talks with the SMC Join us for a monthly webinar where we cover topics like working with the media, communicating your research to the general public, and using social media to promote your research. Register below.…

Tomorrow at 10am: Join us for a free webinar about how researchers can make the most of social media. We'll cover tips on which platforms to use, how to build an audience, with time for audience questions at the end. Register here: www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/monthly-talk...

Free monthly talks with the SMC Join us for a monthly webinar where we cover topics like working with the media, communicating your research to the general public, and using social media to promote your research. Register below.…

Thursday! Social media tips for researchers with Prof Ekant Veer. We'll cover: choosing a platform, finding your audience, and how to do social media for social good. Register here: www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/monthly-talk...

Work with us! Kaimanaaki Pāpāho | Media Advisor – Science Media Centre The Science Media Centre is looking for a media advisor to join our dedicated team working to improve the reach, relevance and accuracy of news media reporting on science and related topics in…

Last chance to apply for our media advisor role! Get your CV in by 5pm today.

www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/06/26/w...

Work with us! Kaimanaaki Pāpāho | Media Advisor – Science Media Centre The Science Media Centre is looking for a media advisor to join our dedicated team working to improve the reach, relevance and accuracy of news media reporting on science and related topics in…

Do you enjoy distilling complex ideas into easy-to-understand points? What about connecting with talented people, learning new things every day, and finding big science news stories before anyone else? Apply for our media advisor role by 5pm tomorrow: www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/06/26/w...

Work with us! Kaimanaaki Pāpāho | Media Advisor – Science Media Centre The Science Media Centre is looking for a media advisor to join our dedicated team working to improve the reach, relevance and accuracy of news media reporting on science and related topics in…

We're looking for a new media advisor who's keen to help us provide essential plain-langauge context for reporters whenever science is in the headlines.

More info and apply here: www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/06/26/w...

Work with us! Kaimanaaki Pāpāho | Media Advisor – Science Media Centre The Science Media Centre is looking for a media advisor to join our dedicated team working to improve the reach, relevance and accuracy of news media reporting on science and related topics in…

Only a few days left to send in your CV to work with us at the SMC!

Apply by 5pm Thursday: www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/06/26/w...

Work with us! Kaimanaaki Pāpāho | Media Advisor – Science Media Centre The Science Media Centre is looking for a media advisor to join our dedicated team working to improve the reach, relevance and accuracy of news media reporting on science and related topics in…

We're looking for a new media advisor to join our team connecting the worlds of science and journalism. **Apply by Thursday** - more info here: www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/06/26/w...

Work with us! Kaimanaaki Pāpāho | Media Advisor – Science Media Centre The Science Media Centre is looking for a media advisor to join our dedicated team working to improve the reach, relevance and accuracy of news media reporting on science and related topics in…

Want to work with the SMC? We don’t expect perfection in our candidates – if you think you may have what it takes, but don’t meet every point referenced below, please still get in touch!

More info and apply here: www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/06/26/w...

Work with us! Kaimanaaki Pāpāho | Media Advisor – Science Media Centre The Science Media Centre is looking for a media advisor to join our dedicated team working to improve the reach, relevance and accuracy of news media reporting on science and related topics in…

Want to join our team? This role would suit an experienced journalist with a keen interest in how science and research impact the world around us, or an exceptional science communicator with a solid understanding of news media.
More info and apply here: www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/06/26/w...

Work with us! Kaimanaaki Pāpāho | Media Advisor – Science Media Centre The Science Media Centre is looking for a media advisor to join our dedicated team working to improve the reach, relevance and accuracy of news media reporting on science and related topics in…

THE SMC IS HIRING!

We're looking for someone to join our dedicated team working to improve the reach, relevance and accuracy of news media reporting on science and related topics in Aotearoa New Zealand.

More info and apply here: www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/06/26/w...

Inevitable solar storms will be catastrophic for energy supply Exploding transformers and crippling worldwide power outages: NZ's disaster experts say the threat posed by solar storms is comparable to nuclear war

Fox won the Emerging Journalist award for “Inevitable solar storms will be catastrophic for energy supply.”
newsroom.co.nz/2025/01/10/i...

Room for the river: Is it time to re-think how we manage floods? Since the 1950s, the Ngaruroro River in Hawke’s Bay has been steadily and deliberately restricted to a channel half its former width. As the likelihood of extreme flooding increases, is it time to re-...

Kate won this year’s Established Professional category for her In Depth article, “Room for the river,” with designer Hingyi Khong.
www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/i...

Winners of 2025 Science Journalism Awards announced The winners of this year's Science Journalism Awards cover the dark side of solar storms and explore the long-term impacts of human changes to a Hawke's Bay river. Kate Newton of RNZ won this year's...

Congratulations to our winners - Kate Newton of RNZ, and @foxmeyer.bsky.social of @newsroom.co.nz!
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/06/19/w...

World building: The story of kōura Crayfish are the great creators and cleanup crew of their freshwater homes. They burrow into banks, unstick gummy sediment, and deal with anything that ends up dead in the water. Plus, they’re…

SCIENCE JOURNALISM AWARDS FINALIST: Crayfish are the “great creators and cleanup crew” of their freshwater homes, in this @nzgeo.bsky.social piece by Bill Morris which weaves together great photos, human stories, facts and mātauranga. www.nzgeo.com/stories/worl...

Eleven finalists emerge for 2025 Science Journalism Awards From over 60 submissions that included television and audio pieces, interactives, online news stories, and long-form features, we have eleven finalists for the 2025 Science Journalism Awards. Many tha...

Winners will be announced Weds 18th June. Check out the rest of the finalists here: www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/05/15/e...

Inevitable solar storms will be catastrophic for energy supply Exploding transformers and crippling worldwide power outages: NZ's disaster experts say the threat posed by solar storms is comparable to nuclear war

SCIENCE JOURNALISM AWARDS FINALIST: @foxmeyer.bsky.social's article for @newsroom.co.nz is “a great invitation to look beyond the stunning auroras” and focus on mitigating their disruption to electrical grids. newsroom.co.nz/2025/01/10/i...

Eleven finalists emerge for 2025 Science Journalism Awards From over 60 submissions that included television and audio pieces, interactives, online news stories, and long-form features, we have eleven finalists for the 2025 Science Journalism Awards. Many tha...

Winners will be announced Weds 18th June. Check out the rest of the finalists here: www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/05/15/e...