First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

Kava chameleons

A drink that is a revered part of Pacific culture is under threat from US-grown crops and heady new mixes.

Word blender

What happens to identity when our language becomes a hybrid? The answer lies with the people.

Overwhelming evidence

For the head of the inquiry into abuse in care, doing justice to the survivors' stories fully vindicates the six-year process.

'Just be Māori, all day, every day'

In calling iwi to a hui in January, the Kiingitanga leader sent a powerful message to the new government. Aaron Smale looks at the legacy of the truck driver who ascended the throne.

Charting success

In the second coming of charter schools, Act leader David Seymour plans a much bigger roll-out. But what evidence is there that they do any better than state schools?

Seeds of hope

A team of botanists is saving one of our most threatened orchids and reintroducing it into the wild.

The Clinton factor

Kamala Harris is battling a double whammy of racism and sexism in her presidential quest.

Stuff & nonsense

The gutsy woman who took on ownership of media company Stuff for $1 scoffs at the idea that she's a mogul.

Pop goes the union

It's a wee, thin piece of plastic, barely a centimetre long, but it's as good as a whole new referendum to reaffirm that the Brexit spirit is alive and in grumbling good health.

Delusions of grandeur

In life, and therefore in politics, when things become difficult at home we tend to look at problems elsewhere, either for distraction or reassurance.

A virtuoso on display

Artand music combine across the centuries ina new album from Somi Kim.

Cold, hard facts

In his latest documentary, Patrick Gower examines climate change and its repercussions.

The selfish giant

Violin great Maxim Vengerov was a child prodigy in Siberia. Now, he is coming to NZ to play the instrument's greatest concerto.

Kindred souls

A love for the sound of British Northern soul leads to an unlikely alliance in this big-hearted novel.

Hungry for history

Irish chefs are taking the best of the country's traditional ingredients and giving them a top-class 21st-century spin.

Tummy tracking

Auckland researchers have helped develop a non-invasive technique to investigate gastric problems.

Waters of life

Renowned environmental activist Mike Joy's eventful life is laid out in this smartly written memoir.

Out with the old

One of the best ways to get more economic growth is by narrowing inequality, says UK economist and author Daniel Susskind

A whakapapa of trauma

Ministers have referenced the 28th Māori Battalion in the government's military-style academy for youth offenders. But that legacy has seen many of the soldiers' mokopuna abused in state care.

Goodbye, boy genius

Russell Brown, a close observer of Martin Phillipps and his band The Chills across decades, looks back at his musical life and times.