Troy Baisden

Conference splash screen "State of Science 2025" - the event is at Royal Society Te Aparangi in Thorndon, Wellington. Logo shows a road cone wearing a labcoat, with hands in pockets.

We hope to see you tomorrow at our conference and awards, in person in Wellington. If you can't make it, we'll have some limited streaming including the opening session and awards. Check the webpage for details.

scientists.org.nz/nzas-confere...

Mediawatch: Angst over EVs blows up in headlines EV uptake boomed with incentives in place, but this week, the government made traditional cars cheaper instead.

"The most interesting thing about these stories is that there were stories about EV fires that contained ... no EV fire."

Te Pūnaha Matatini Principal Investigator @troybaisden.bsky.social spoke to Mediawatch about recent media coverage of electric vehicles → www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa... 🧪

The spreading of stories about EV fires on both social and mainstream media caught my attention as a growing trashfire of misinformation, and one I was happy to comment on ... in part by saying does seem seriously overblown given the lack of any fires caused by EVs in NZ as yet. (3/3)

It is bad enough that the government can claim no impact on emissions from massively weakening the clean car targets affecting imports. (2/3)

Mediawatch: Angst about EVs blows up in the headlines EV uptake boomed with incentives in place, but this week the government made traditional cars cheaper instead. And have reports of EVs on fire sparked safety fears fuelled by bad information?

A cocktail of stories in recent weeks has made me deeply concerned our information ecosystem around electric vehicles (EVs) as a pathway to emissions reduction has been undergoing "rapid disassembly."

This RNZ Mediawatch piece is a great compendium. (14 min)

(1/3)

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

(Not sure why tagging @kirstyjohnston.bsky.social didn’t work earlier but trying again 👋)

There are volumes to talk about here if we might hope to restore a cost-effective energy system that also addresses climate change.

This is such a good summary of where we are now, lurching closer to a decision that would be nutty and regrettable given the fabulous options we keep ruling out and pathways we keep putting into reverse.

On his Monday RNZ spot I wondered if the PMs repeated reliance on this talking point was something he even believed.

The fuel of ‘last resort’: How imported gas became New Zealand’s first choice It's expensive, vulnerable to price shocks and terrible for the planet. So why are we importing gas?

Excellent summary of our energy and climate chaos out this morning from Kirsty Johnson. It should be played with the PMs talking point: that the oil and gas exploration ban is the main problem with the electricity market.

That’s what I have to call insanely false.

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Your thoughts on the highlights?

YouTube video by New Zealand Association of Scientists Parliament Oral Questions 10 and 11 on 13 Nov 2025

Nice to see Research, Science, Innovation and Technology getting a little airtime with two oral questions, and subsequent supplementary exchanges, in Parliament today. There are some extreme snippets on socials but here is full session (7 min). youtu.be/s2rz84uo2JQ

Just not the Māori ones coz we no longer have a marsden panel to apply too......

Perhaps there’s more motivation from other providers when you ask for it bundled with electricity and whatnot?

Could changes to our nation climate change policy do more to undermine integrity and transparency of our commitments?

environment.govt.nz/news/governm...

(1/2)

Just for starters:

1) ETS can lose consistency with our international commitments defined in the NDC.

2) Climate Change Commission no longer provides advice on emission reduction plans (ERPs).

3) Climate Change Commission will no longer run consultations on Emissions Budgets.

(2/2)

Could changes to our nation climate change policy do more to undermine integrity and transparency of our commitments?

environment.govt.nz/news/governm...

(1/2)

Exciting day today. Not only is it Halloween, but my crowdfunding campaign is also live! Please support me by making a pledge and/or sharing on all your socials and with your friends, family, and colleagues. Thanks to everyone offering rewards. You rock! www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/852...

Top scientist calls out woeful funding arrangements A recent government science funding announcement hasn't impressed one of the country's top scientists, who says the country's best researchers are being driven overseas.

Now also on RNZ! A personal perspect on how the #BatshitBudget for science undermines and drives away the top science talent that helps us build a great nation. www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

Top scientist calls out woeful funding arrangements A recent government science funding announcement hasn't impressed one of the country's top scientists, who says the country's best researchers are being driven overseas.

Now also on RNZ! A personal perspect on how the #BatshitBudget for science undermines and drives away the top science talent that helps us build a great nation. www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

It’s open after 24 hours!

Quick reminder - the NZAS 2025 conference is happening on 26 November in Pōneke, more information at this link. We will be talking about our 2025 survey of NZ scientists, the Save Science Coalition, priorities for public good science, and more!

NZ's new methane target:

Represents doing nothing if historic efficiency gains continue, and assumes new mitigations won't work.

Worse, our farmers need to realise it cedes the future of the paperwork they complain about to places like Brussels instead of Wellington.

14 years ago Paul Callaghan gave this talk. It leaned in to the idea of making Aotearoa New Zealand a place where talented people wanted to live. Our government is hell bent on doing the opposite.
@nzscientists.bsky.social
#NZPOL

Winston Peters speaking to void in a nearly empty UN chamber.

Embarrassing? The good news is the grand potential for no one to notice NZ.

Ah… @scot_scientist …

That’s unfortunate but probably doesn’t mean what you think it means. What was your handle on Twitter?

Great stuff - raises a few questions but it’s really a shame this analysis hasn’t been more visible and accessible. (It matches my intuition.)

Britain, Australia and Canada Recognize a Palestinian State

So, NZ? www.nytimes.com/2025/09/21/w...