Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Scientists have reversed diabetic heart failure with a genetic therapy in mice and in miniature human hearts made from stem cells.

Scientists have reversed diabetic heart failure with a genetic therapy in mice and a miniature human hearts made from stem cells.

In Aotearoa, New Zealand more than 300,000 people have diabetes and it is estimated that half of these have some form of heart damage which increases the risk of heart failure.

“Diabetes often leads to problems with the heart’s ability to relax properly between beats, known as diastolic dysfunction” says co-lead researcher Associate Professor Kim Mellor, head of Cellular and Molecular Cardiology at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

Together with Professor Lea Delbridge, head of the Cardiac Phenomics Laboratory at the University of Melbourne, Mellor has discovered a process, called ‘glycophagy’, used by cells to break down excess glycogen in heart cells.

In diabetes, this process becomes disrupted, leading to diastolic dysfunction, where the heart becomes stiff and struggles to relax and fill properly. See Nature Cardiovascular Research.

“Before now, it has not been understood how the heart can store and mobilise sugar to create energy,” says Mellor. “The heart needs a lot of energy to pump and we have shown this isn’t working well in the diabetic heart. If we can understand that process, we can treat it.”

The group, which included a large network of international researchers, also found that a protein called GABARAPL1 is key to glycophagy and is deficient in diabetic heart disease.

In diabetic mice, the group successfully trialled using a virus to deliver genes to the heart to boost this key protein, GABARAPL1, and restore the breakdown of glycogen in the heart.

The treatment reduced glycogen buildup and improved heart function, without affecting blood sugar levels or body weight.

“We’ve shown that fixing this energy recycling system in heart cells can reverse the damage caused by diabetes,” says Mellor. “It’s a completely new way of thinking about how to treat diabetic heart disease.”

The genetic therapy also worked in miniature human hearts grown from human stem cells, improving their ability to relax after each beat, a key sign of healthy heart function.

“This discovery could lead to a new class of treatments that target the heart directly, rather than just managing diabetes symptoms,” says Delbridge.

“It is significant to find an intervention that can benefit the heart’s relaxation,” says Mellor. “That’s the way the heart fills with blood and there aren’t many medicines that can improve how the heart fills, rather than how it contracts.”

The researchers plan to explore clinical applications and investigate how sex differences may influence treatment response. Early findings suggest the therapy may be especially effective in female hearts, which show stronger glycophagy responses.

The study was supported by funding from the Health Research Council of New Zealand, the Marsden Fund of New Zealand, the National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia, Diabetes Australia, and the National Institutes of Health (USA).

Read more about animal research at the University of Auckland
http://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/research/about-our-research/openness-in-animal-research.html

Covering period of Thursday 2nd – Monday 6th October – It is no surprise that in the middle of spring we’ve got active, quick moving weather on the cards. There is a stock standard bout of rain passing over the country today (Thursday), with just about everyone seeing some spots. While you won’t be able to dry that washing outside, it’s nothing to write home about. The more interesting weather comes Friday and Saturday. With things moving so quickly at the moment, if you see the sun out there, go grab some rays while you can!

On Friday, periods of rain and showers move from the northwest over the North Island and top of the South Island, brought on by a series of active rain bands associated with a low pressure system. Squally thunderstorms and hail with localised heavy falls are possible for Auckland and Northland in the evening and at night.  

MetService Meteorologist Katie Hillyer says, “Rain will be heavy at times in places in the top half of the North Island, but the speed at which these bands are moving means total rainfall accumulations might struggle to climb. However, we’ll be keeping an eye on shorter, more intense falls.”  

On Saturday, showers spread over the rest of the country as the low-pressure system moves over. “The whole country really becomes a swirling mass of scattered showers,” remarks Hillyer.  

While everyone will be affected by these showers at some point, the places to watch are the top half of the North Island and the Tasman Region on Friday and Saturday, as well as the southeast coast of the South Island on Saturday and into Sunday. These places will see more persistence in the rain and showers, as well as some heavier ones, particularly up north. This isn’t good news for the Black Caps as they get ready to take on Australia again at Bay Oval in Tauranga on Friday night.

The winds will be picking up as well from tomorrow (Friday), but while strong, they are not outside our usual ‘spring weather’. Though, you would be wiser to grab a rain jacket and wellies than an umbrella. The strong winds will turn right around the clock as the low moves over the country, so all windows will be getting a good leak test.  

Temperatures will rise at first, bringing some warm double-digit minimums tomorrow night, before dropping again over the weekend, with a few frosts to areas in the South Island.

This is the sort of dynamic situation where it’s hard to pin down where the heavy showers will form. This plays a big role in what you’ll experience, so we advise people to keep up to date with the latest information.  

“Word to the wise, with quick moving showery situations such as this, it's best to stick to the written forecasts for the most accurate picture” suggests Hillyer.

To end the school holidays and start back, we see the shortest of breaks in the wet weather before the next weather system arrives later on Monday. Unfortunately, the weather isn’t playing ball for this last weekend of school break, but we managed to get all sorts of weather these holidays! Supposedly Mark Twain said, “In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside 24 hours”, which really sums it up.  

Please keep up to date with the most current information from MetService at MetService – Te Ratonga Tirorangi: https://www.metservice.com/national

Open letter to UniSaver Board members 2025 from University Workers for Palestine, dated Thursday, October 2, 2025, 10am.

Tēnā koutou katoa,

University Workers for Palestine has been trying for over a year to get UniSaver, the preferred superannuation provider for most universities, to divest from Israel and companies complicit in occupation and genocide, and develop a BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) policy. We've had no response from them. So we're drawing a line in the sand. This open letter makes clear that if they don't respond in an ethical, meaningful way, university communities will support a campaign to sever ties with them and take our, and our employers', contributions elsewhere.

If you work at a New Zealand university, please sign on, and share with other university workers (and we also invite others, including our students, alumni and former colleagues, to sign in solidarity). We will be sending this letter to UniSaver at the start of November.

In solidarity, University Workers for Palestine (Uni4pal)

*******

To the UniSaver Board,

We are writing to you to demand that you divest immediately from all holdings that are complicit in the genocide of Palestinians. In August of last year, you received an open letter with 400 signatures pointing out some of the worst investments (like Elbit Systems and Palantir Technologies) and asking you to develop a divestment policy. You never bothered to contact letter signatories and you have apparently done nothing to change UniSaver investments.

A year has passed, a year in which genocide has accelerated; many thousands of Palestinians, including our university colleagues, have been killed during this time, in what has been described as a scholasticide.

We are writing to you now to reiterate our call for you to divest and develop a divestment policy to prevent future investments in companies that are complicit in genocide and apartheid. To repeat from our letter a year ago (with the addition of point 4), we demand that UniSaver Limited:

1. Take immediate steps to review its portfolios and to terminate its holdings in entities which make it, and us as members of UniSaver, complicit in the crimes of the Israeli state,
2. Outline a clear plan for divestment where immediate termination is not possible, and
3. Develop policy measures to ensure its financial and investment strategies are in keeping with the internationally recognised BDS framework.
4. Update the Responsible Investment Policy to require the investment manager to divest from companies found to be complicit in the genocide of Palestinians.

If you don’t withdraw our funds from genocide, we, the undersigned, will support a campaign to get universities in Aotearoa New Zealand to sever ties with you. We will not accept our retirement funds fuelling the genocide of Palestinians.We expect to hear a response from the Unisaver board by the end of November.

About University Workers for Palestine

We are a collective of university workers from institutions across Aotearoa in active support of a Free Palestine. We are organising to oppose the occupation, apartheid, scholasticide, and genocide in Gaza, and to act in solidarity with Palestine. This has included a call for Unisaver, the university supported superannuation scheme, to divest from entities that are invested in and benefit from the illegal military occupation of Palestinian territories, as well as the genocidal war on Gaza. In July 2024 an open letter written by UW4P collected over 400 signatures.

Property values in Aotearoa New Zealand edged up by 0.1% in September, breaking a run of five consecutive monthly falls, according to Cotality NZ’s latest hedonic Home Value Index (HVI).

The national median value now sits at $810,141.

Cotality NZ Chief Property Economist, Kelvin Davidson, said that September’s slight rise is consistent with lower mortgage rates as well as early tentative signs of an economic turnaround and an upward trend in property sales volumes.

“That said, September’s rise in values was clearly marginal, and it’s far too early to conclude that this marks the start of a new, sustained lift.”

“After all, the stock of available listings – while falling – remains relatively high, and caution continues to pervade the market.”

He said September’s small rise needs to be viewed in the context of a cumulative -1.6% drop over the five months from April to August.

“On top of that, even though some economic measures – including filled jobs – are looking encouraging, others are less positive.”

“In short, we’re not on solid economic ground just yet.”

“Of course, there’s always two sides to the housing market coin, and it’s a good time to be a buyer, provided they can get the finance. In particular, first home buyers remain a strong presence in the market and mortgaged multiple property owners have returned in greater numbers too.”

Across the main centres, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington dipped by -0.4% in September, with Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland also down (-0.2%). Kirikiriroa Hamilton was flat in September, with Ōtepoti Dunedin rising by 0.3%, Ōtautahi Christchurch lifting by 0.6%, and Tauranga recording a more substantial 1.3% increase.

Index results for September 2025	Change in dwelling values
	Month	Quarter	Annual	From peak	Median value
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland	-0.2%	-1.6%	-1.4%	-22.6%	$1,053,397
Kirikiriroa Hamilton	0.0%	-0.8%	1.1%	-11.8%	$752,817
Tauranga	1.3%	1.2%	2.0%	-15.5%	$921,574
Te-Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington*	-0.4%	-0.8%	-2.1%	-25.1%	$794,353
Ōtautahi Christchurch	0.6%	0.4%	3.2%	-4.3%	$693,680
Ōtepoti Dunedin	0.3%	0.0%	-0.3%	-11.5%	$597,767
Aotearoa New Zealand	0.1%	-0.7%	-0.2%	-17.3%	$810,141

Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s various sub-markets were patchy in September, with Waitakere rising by 0.3%, Rodney by 0.2%, and Franklin sneaking up 0.1%. But Papakura edged down by -0.1%, as did Auckland City, while Manukau (-0.4%) and North Shore (-0.6%) recorded larger falls.

The -0.2% drop recorded in September across Tāmaki Makaurau as a whole reflected the fact that the largest sub-markets were the weakest – almost 70% of dwellings in the super-city are in Auckland City, Manukau, or North Shore.

Compared to the previous peak, the falls across Tāmaki Makaurau continue to range from -20% down to -24%.

“The stock of available listings across the super-city has been gradually declining this year, potentially lessening buyers’ pricing power to a degree. But several economic sentiment indicators or surveys for Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland remain subdued, and this cautious mood is clearly pervading the property market too,” Mr Davidson noted.

Region	Change in dwelling values
	Month	Quarter	Annual	From peak	Median value
Rodney	0.2%	-0.7%	-0.6%	-20.0%	$1,202,450
Te Raki Paewhenua North Shore	-0.6%	-1.6%	-1.5%	-20.0%	$1,234,665
Waitakere	0.3%	-0.9%	-0.3%	-24.2%	$924,512
Auckland City	-0.1%	-2.0%	-1.5%	-23.2%	$1,140,687
Manukau	-0.4%	-2.0%	-2.2%	-24.4%	$960,506
Papakura	-0.1%	-1.0%	-1.3%	-23.3%	$829,554
Franklin	0.1%	-1.4%	-0.1%	-21.9%	$960,579
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland	-0.2%	-1.6%	-1.4%	-22.6%	$1,053,397

Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington

The wider Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington area remained soft in September, with only Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta Upper Hutt managing to record a rise (0.5%) in property values.

The other main sub-markets all fell, with those declines ranging from -0.2% in Wellington City down to -0.9% in Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt.

The falls from peak remain significant across the region too, ranging from around -23% in Kāpiti Coast and Porirua, to -26% in Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt.

“Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington is another area where the stock of available listings has drifted lower this year. But the market still remains in favour of buyers, with plenty of choice out there. The subdued state of the Wellington economy and muted confidence both remain a factor in its sluggish housing market too.”

Region	Change in dwelling values
	Month	Quarter	Annual	From peak	Median value
Kāpiti Coast	-0.7%	-2.3%	-1.0%	-22.9%	$806,309
Porirua	-0.7%	-1.1%	0.4%	-22.6%	$740,315
Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta Upper Hutt	0.5%	-0.2%	-2.5%	-24.1%	$711,007
Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt	-0.9%	-1.7%	-1.2%	-26.0%	$688,110
Wellington City	-0.2%	-0.5%	-2.9%	-25.5%	$886,513
Te-Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington	-0.4%	-0.8%	-2.1%	-25.1%	$794,353

Regional results

Moving away from the main centres, there’s a growing body of evidence that the two-speed economy – with provincial areas outperforming on the back of strong agricultural returns – might be starting to filter into the property market too.

Indeed, apart from a drop in values in Rotorua and small dip in Whangārei, many other provincial towns and cities rose in September – including Ngāmotu New Plymouth (0.7%), Waihōpai Invercargill (0.8%), and Tairāwhiti Gisborne (2.5%).

In both Ngāmotu New Plymouth and Waihōpai Invercargill, property values are at least 3% above this time last year too.

“We shouldn’t get carried away with any flow-on effects from the farming upturn into the provincial property markets, given there’s still a degree of uncertainty across the wider economy. But September nevertheless showed a pretty clear urban-rural property market divergence, which we’ll keep a close eye on.”

Region	Change in dwelling values
	Month	Quarter	Annual	From peak	Median value
Whangārei	-0.2%	-1.2%	1.9%	-19.1%	$714,790
Ahuriri Napier	0.1%	-1.1%	1.6%	-18.8%	$721,464
Te Papaioea Palmerston North	0.6%	0.1%	-0.5%	-18.7%	$610,365
Heretaunga Hastings	0.1%	-0.3%	2.5%	-17.5%	$720,952
Tairāwhiti Gisborne	2.5%	1.0%	0.0%	-16.4%	$607,863
Whanganui	0.6%	-1.6%	-0.9%	-13.9%	$481,819
Rotorua	-1.1%	-1.3%	0.6%	-13.3%	$640,417
Whakatū Nelson	0.5%	0.1%	-1.3%	-13.0%	$726,813
Tāhuna Queenstown	0.1%	0.0%	-0.8%	-6.1%	$1,712,545
Ngāmotu New Plymouth	0.7%	0.4%	3.0%	-5.3%	$707,965
Waihōpai Invercargill	0.8%	1.6%	5.0%	At peak	$520,639

Property market outlook

Looking ahead, Mr Davidson noted: “It now seems pretty likely the official cash rate will go below the previously-expected trough of 2.5%, as the Reserve Bank tries to shore up the economy and reduce spare capacity – hence lowering the chances that inflation undershoots the 1-3% target range sometime down the track.”

“This also suggests that mortgage rates could have a bit further to fall yet, especially for floating or short-term fixed loans. With around 45% of existing mortgages either floating or fixed and set to reprice within the next six months, those borrowers will be feeling a little happier.”

“For now, property values remain pretty subdued. But provincial areas seem to be turning a corner, and there does seem to be growing scope for values to start rising more consistently in 2026, albeit a fresh boom seems unlikely – especially with the economy and labour market only set to recover slowly.”

“The recent rise in the physical supply of property relative to population, as well as the lurking restraint of debt to income ratio limits for mortgage lending are other reasons for caution about house price growth over the medium term”, Davidson concluded.

For more property news and insights, visit www.cotality.com/nz/insights

Note to Editors:

The Cotality Hedonic Home Value Index (HVI) is calculated using a hedonic regression methodology that addresses the issue of compositional bias associated with median price and other measures. In simple terms, the index is calculated using recent sales data combined with information about the attributes of individual properties such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, land area and geographical context of the dwelling.

A review of New Zealand’s biggest mobile phone service providers found it’s not as easy as it should be to make informed decisions about your phone plan and provider.

(ref. https://www.consumer.org.nz/articles/it-s-getting-harder-to-tell-which-mobile-plan-you-should-be-on )

Each year, in partnership with the Commerce Commission, Consumer NZ reviews how well New Zealand’s biggest telecommunications providers (Spark, 2degrees and One NZ) empower their customers to choose the best phone plan for their needs.  

Nick Gelling, product test writer at Consumer, says this is the first time since the review began in 2022 that there’s been no improvements across the board.

“Usually, we see gradual positive progress in each review. But in 2025, Spark ended an initiative we were excited about last year, 2degrees moved to a new app that’s significantly less helpful than the old one and One NZ hasn’t made any changes at all.”  

“Your telecommunications provider knows how much data you use and how much you spend. You deserve to have easy and clear access to that information, too, so you can switch plans or providers to get the best deal for your specific needs.”

Telecommunications commissioner Tristan Gilbertson says, “it's disappointing that the historic leader, 2degrees, has fallen to the bottom of the pack, and Spark is planning to move away from its right-planning initiative, which we praised last year.

“This highlights the value of independent testing because it keeps an eye on the changes  providers are making and the impact this is having on Kiwi consumers. It helps let us know whether competition is working or whether we need to take steps to protect consumer interests.”

Data without direction

2degrees recently completed a migration to a new app to unify its mobile, broadband and electricity customers, but, says Gelling, the new app experience has taken a step back.

“Usage data is now only available in a daily view, instead of the monthly view that was previously offered. Spend data also used to be presented as a chart – now it’s just a list of transactions,” he says.

“These changes feel like a step in the wrong direction – knowing how much you’re spending or using over time is much more useful when choosing a plan than knowing what you’re spending on any given day.”  

Upgrades undone

Spark paused its annual summaries “for review” in February.

“We were impressed by Spark’s ‘Made For You Review’ last year,” says Gelling. “It included a personalised recommendation that advised customers to either stay on their current plan or switch to another one that better suited their usage patterns. It felt like the future had arrived.

“New summaries are expected to roll out this month, but without the ‘right-plan’ recommendation. Honestly, it’s a wasted opportunity. Right-planning should be the norm by now.  

“In another backward step, the new summaries don’t actually include historical information. Instead, they encourage customers to follow a link to find their details.”

Consumers on hold

Even though Consumer’s review found One NZ still has the most comprehensive annual summary email (which notably includes details of other plans), the app continues to only show its customers the latest 2-3 months of their history.

As Gelling explains, “One NZ customers are unfairly limited to viewing stats by the season. They have to assess their usage with blinkers on.  

“One NZ's excellent annual summary shows it's collecting really useful information. We’d like to see that communicated in the customer app, too.”

We want clearer signals

Consumer surveying has revealed that more New Zealanders than ever are finding annual summaries helpful in reviewing their mobile phone plans.  

“Despite seeing progress over the last few years of review, we're disappointed to see providers removing useful features and stalling on promising innovations like right planning,” says Gelling.  

“Telecommunication companies know exactly what their customers use and spend. They shouldn't make it difficult for consumers to access this information.”

Commissioner Gilbertson adds “We hope this is a one-off dip by providers, but we're concerned enough to think it’s time for us to issue guidelines to industry. We plan to do that in the coming weeks so that requirements in this area are clear.”

Notes

The Mobile Retail Service Provider Transparency Review is a partnership between Consumer NZ and the Commerce Commission.

About Consumer

Consumer NZ is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to championing and empowering consumers in Aotearoa. Consumer NZ has a reputation for being fair, impartial and providing comprehensive consumer information and advice.