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Science – Unveiling Cascade: A $35 Million Leap Towards New Zealand’s Technological Future – Earth Sciences

Source: Earth Sciences New Zealand

New Zealand’s newest and largest supercomputer has produced its first weather forecast.
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Shane Reti was there to celebrate the milestone and to help deliver this first weather forecast at Earth Sciences New Zealand’s office in Auckland.
He says the $35 million investment into Cascade, and its data archive Rapids, signifies a huge investment in New Zealand’s future.
“The Government’s science reforms are about turning world-class research into economic value and resilience faster. With Earth Sciences New Zealand bringing together NIWA and GNS Science, we’ve unified capability across hazards, climate, oceans and the solid Earth. As we integrate MetService, New Zealanders will see more accurate, timely, impact-focused warnings. Investments like Cascade show how advanced technologies – including AI today and quantum tomorrow – grow productivity, lower costs, and keep people safe,” he says.
Earth Sciences New Zealand (formerly NIWA) Transition Chief Executive John Morgan says Cascade is three times more powerful than its supercomputing predecessor, capable of computing speeds of 2.4 petaflops. It would take a human the equivalent of 32 million years to do a similar calculation.
“This represents significant advancements in our science capabilities. Not only can it provide earlier and more frequent forecasts, but it also supports simulations of oceanographic systems, freshwater dynamics, and seismic activity – helping us to model natural hazards, including floods, earthquakes, and droughts. This will be critical for mitigating the impacts of severe events such as Cyclone Gabrielle.
“It can also assess climate change impact, helping us understand our weather under long-term environmental shifts. This level of detail will be crucial. If we can look ahead a few months and say with confidence how the coming season will shape up, we will be able to better plan and protect our people and infrastructure,” said Mr Morgan.
In initial testing, Cascade performed better than expected, including in its energy efficiency. CDC’s datacentre, where the supercomputer is housed, gets its electricity from 100 per cent renewable sources, and its liquid cooling system minimises water use significantly by being a fully closed loop. This ensures the computer’s environmental footprint is as small as possible.
Crown-funded access to Cascade and Rapids mean New Zealand’s entire science sector will benefit from the new supercomputing capability.
“This machine is incredibly impressive, it takes New Zealand’s supercomputing infrastructure to a new level,” says Mr Morgan.
Cascade has been built by Earth Sciences New Zealand’s supercomputing team and vendors Xenon, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, CDC, and it builds on the technology platforms from VAST Data, Versity Software, Spectra Logic, and Altair.
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University Research – Scientists find new cause of high blood pressure – UoA

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

Scientists at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland have discovered a previously unknown cause of high blood pressure.

Researchers at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland have discovered that a small organ, linked to the brain, contributes to high blood pressure, which is expected to improve treatment in the future.

The carotid body in the neck responds to low oxygen by making people breathe harder by stimulating the brain’s ‘fight or flight’ response.  

Using a rat model, the scientists found that the ‘carotid body’ responds to high blood pressure by activating the sympathetic nervous system, similar to a ‘fight or flight’ response. Authors suggest that this may explain why some patients remain at high risk of cardiac events – heart attack and stroke – even when elevated blood pressure is brought down.

See Circulation Research. 

“This is significant because we know that, for a lot of people, lowering their blood pressure doesn’t necessarily reduce their risk of heart attack or stroke,” says Dr Audrys Pauza, lead researcher.  

“That means current medications are not working for all patients and could be treating the wrong culprit.” 

Pauza likens it to trying to slow a speeding car by applying the brake (lowering blood pressure) but not reducing pressure on the accelerator (the carotid body). 

There are currently two medications that reduce activity in the human carotid body, which could be candidates for reducing people’s risk of heart attacks and strokes. But first, scientists need to confirm humans respond in the same way as the rats in this study. 

Professor Julian Paton, director of the University’s Manaaki Manawa, Centre for Heart Research, has already found in earlier studies that the activity of the carotid body is stimulated by the same mechanism in both rats and humans, meaning scientists are hopeful this discovery could help human patients in the future. 

“We have found that the carotid body doesn’t just detect low oxygen and promote breathing, it actively causes high blood pressure,” Paton says. “If we can successfully target the carotid body, we may have a lot more success in both bringing blood pressure down and preventing heart attacks and strokes.” 
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Government must front up on plans for Ministries – PSA

Source: PSA

Women, Māori, Pacific Peoples, and disabled people fought hard for a voice in government decision-making; their Ministries must not be taken away by a government struggling with a fiscal hole of its own making, says Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi national secretary, Fleur Fitzsimons.
“From the Ministry of Women, in 1984, through to Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People, in 2022, each of these Ministries has only been established following a long fight by their respective communities for a voice in government.
“These standalone Ministries provide vital free and frank advice to the Government on the impact policies have on groups that can, otherwise, be overlooked.
“It is not good enough for the Government to avoid questions on its plans for these Ministries and try to hide behind the Public Service Commissioner. It is well-known that ACT wants to close them down. David Seymour even said he would like to see the Ministry for Pacific Peoples blown up.
“Along with its gutting of pay equity and clamp-down on the use of te reo Māori in the public sphere, this move is part of this Government's attacks on under-represented New Zealanders. The hardworking staff of these Ministries deserve better than to be used as part of the Government's culture wars.
“These Ministries cost less than 0.1% of the Government's annual budget. That's a tiny fraction of the money this Government has wasted on tax cuts for landlords and the ferry fiasco. The voice of under-represented New Zealanders should not be cut off because the Government is in a fiscal hole of its own making,” says Fitzsimons.
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
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NZ economy: Differences & Challenges – BusinessNZ

Source: BusinessNZ

The BusinessNZ Planning Forecast for the September quarter reports on a divide in the NZ economy, with growth in the rural and regional economy, but a downswing in some large urban sectors including Auckland and Wellington.
BusinessNZ Chief Economist John Pask says the divide is reflected in a range of economic indicators including export sales, employment growth, unemployment rates, house price movements, construction activity and broader business and consumer activity.
Overall, however, international factors continue to influence all aspects of the economy.
“At the international level, the economic outlook remains challenging, although financial markets are becoming so used to pricing in upheavals and geopolitical risk that they are taking those challenges in their stride,” Mr Pask said.
“But for NZ, the challenges remain, and are resulting in low levels of demand and unwillingness to invest.
There are no quick fixes for any of these symptoms, however a good starting point would be to get more certainty in the business environment, and for NZ’s main political parties to reach a greater level of agreement on the issues affecting investment – particularly in much-needed infrastructure – rather than promising to cancel previous decisions whether they are sound or not.”
The BusinessNZ Economic Conditions Index, a measure of NZ’s major economic indicators) sits at 3 for the September 2025 quarter, an improvement of 2 on the previous quarter, and the same as a year ago. (An ECI reading above 0 indicates economic conditions are generally improving; below 0 that economic conditions are generally declining.)
The BusinessNZ Network including BusinessNZ, EMA, Business Central, Business Canterbury and Business South, represents and provides services to thousands of businesses, small and large, throughout New Zealand.
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Greenpeace – Power company ‘vampires’ bleed households dry to fund 1.4 billion dollar shareholder payout

Source: Greenpeace

Greenpeace is labelling the big four power companies ‘vampires’, for an expected record payout of $1.4 billion to their shareholders. Mercury, Contact and Genesis have already announced an increase to their shareholder payouts in their annual results. The final gentailer, Meridian, is expected to confirm its increased shareholder payouts today and bring the total to $1.4 bn.
Stats NZ confirmed electricity prices jumped 4.9% in the June quarter, the steepest rise in over a decade, with prices increasing 10.4% in the year ended June. Consumer NZ found 20% of people have had difficulty paying their power bill in the past year – up from 18% last year.
“Families and businesses are being slammed by record high power bills, all so that the big four power companies can siphon off an expected $1.4 billion for their shareholders,” says Greenpeace Aotearoa campaigner Gen Toop
“This is corporate blood-sucking at its most brutal”.
“Instead of re-investing their revenue into building more clean, cheap renewables that would bring power bills down, these corporate vampires are bleeding households and the economy dry to fund their record shareholder payout. And the Government is just letting them do it.”
This year Contact Energy increased its total payout to $384 million, Mercury paid $202 million despite its profits collapsing to just $1m, and Genesis Energy handed out $157 million, even as it hiked household bills by 7.6% and corporate bills by 10.6%.
Meridian is expected to maintain record payouts after funnelling $462 million to shareholders last year. In 2024, the four firms paid out just over $1.3b in divid

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Consumer NZ – Rising cost of insurance prompts call for action on affordability and climate risks

Source: Consumer NZ

Consumer NZ releases a sobering report that highlights how house insurance is becoming increasingly out of reach for New Zealanders.

Consumer NZ’s report reveals that house insurance costs have risen by a staggering 916% since 2000, according to Stats NZ. Consumer calls for urgent action to prevent insurance becoming inaccessible for New Zealanders.

The consumer watchdog is calling on central government to take the lead and work with local government and insurers on a national solution to ensure insurance remains available and affordable. Consumer wants to see the development of a climate adaptation framework, increased oversight of the insurance industry and increased consumer protections.

“Insurance is getting harder to access and the need for it will only grow,” says Rebecca Styles, Consumer investigative team leader and author of the report ‘Will you be able to get home Insurance by 2035?’

“If we don’t act now, it’s entirely possible that many New Zealanders won’t be able to get insurance at all by 2035,” says Styles.

A crisis of cost and access

Among those without cover, more have cancelled or not renewed their house insurance because of cost. Up from 7% in 2022 to 17% in 2025.

“Insurance now ranks as one of New Zealanders’ top four financial concerns, behind housing, food and household debt,” says Styles.  

“Our research shows people are dropping cover or being priced out entirely, and this will only get worse without serious intervention.”

The report includes major concerns with how the market is working, noting:  

low trust in insurers, with dissatisfaction in claims handling and poor communication

a lack of transparency in risk-based pricing, leaving homeowners unclear about what they're paying for

limited ability to shop around, especially in high-risk areas where quotes are hard to get

insurers' profits rebounding, with trans-Tasman companies appearing to be charging New Zealanders more than Australians for equivalent cover.

Consumer is calling for action on five fronts

1. An effective government-led national climate adaptation framework

This framework should identify homes at risk and outline mitigation or retreat options. Nearly three-quarters of New Zealanders agree such a plan is urgently needed.

2. Greater oversight of the insurance industry

The FMA should investigate whether risk-based insurance pricing is being applied fairly.

The Commerce Commission should carry out a market study into competition and consumer choice in the house insurance sector.

3. Improved transparency and claims standards

Insurers should clearly show how risk affects pricing and explain policy and price changes when policies are renewed.

There should be set time frames for settling claims, with consequences for unreasonable delays.

4. Stronger consumer tools and innovation

Improve access to online quotes, comparison tools and risk data for homeowners.

Insurers should incentivise resilience, for example, by rewarding homeowners who take steps to reduce flood risks around their homes.

5. A stronger national safety net

The government should ensure the Natural Hazards Commission is future fit to serve communities facing the challenges of climate change.

“If insurance becomes a luxury only available to a privileged few, the impacts on communities, our economy and society will be severe. We need a plan, and we need to start implementing that plan now.”

The Brian Gaynor Initiatives – Business Writing and Journalism Excellence Award made it possible for Consumer’s investigative team leader Rebecca Styles to pursue this topic.

Read the Full Report: https://consumernz.cmail20.com/t/i-l-firudkl-ijjdkdttjk-j/

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.

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Advocacy – New Zealand challenged to vote for Israel’s suspension in United Nations – PSNA

Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

 

The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa is challenging the New Zealand government to support the move by Türkiye to vote to suspend Israeli membership of the United Nations.

 

Türkiye Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has told the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Riyadh that Israel should be suspended from the crucial meeting of the General Assembly next month, for its ‘genocidal aggression.’

 

PSNA Co-chair, John Minto, says New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters will have to take a stand on this issue.

 

“Cabinet should give him clear instructions to vote against Israeli war crimes and support Palestinian rights.”

 

“Suspension of Israel will have a lot of backing from many countries horrified with the starvation and carnage in Gaza, and they want to do something effective, instead of just recognising Palestine as a state.

 

“Even if the US vetoes such a move in the Security Council, there is a precedent going back to 1974 when South Africa was suspended from the General Assembly because it practiced apartheid.  The General Assembly suspended a member then, and New Zealand should back such a move now.”

 

Minto says Israel’s original condition in 1948 for joining the UN was that it allowed the 750,000 Palestinians it had expelled from Palestine to create Israel to return home.

 

“Israel won’t even talk about its obligations to let Palestinians return, and certainly never had any intention of allowing them to go home.  Israel should pay a price for that, along with punishment for its genocide.”

 

Minto says the escalation of the Israeli assault on Gaza calls for immediate international action and not even wait until the General Assembly debate last next month.

 

“The Israeli ambassador in Wellington should be told to leave right now, because his government is openly committing war crimes.”

 

“We’ve just seen a famine declared in Gaza City.  Aid is totally insufficient and deliberately so.”

 

“Israel has called up its military reservists for the major assault it’s conducting on Gaza City to drive nearly a million of its inhabitants out.  Israel’s latest dumping ground of choice is South Sudan, even though its government says it doesn’t want to have expelled Palestinians turn up there.”

 

“And we’ve just had the news that Israel has once again killed journalists, who work for international news agencies, such as Reuters, Al Jazeera and NBC.”

 

“Netanyahu says it was a mistake.  Who believes that?”

 

John Minto

Co-Chair PSNA

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Indonesia: Caning of gay men an act of cruelty – Amnesty International

Source: Amnesty International

Responding to today’s caning of two men in the city of Banda Aceh for having consensual same-sex sexual relations, Amnesty International’s Regional Research Director Montse Ferrer said:

“This public flogging of two young men under Aceh’s Islamic Criminal Code for consensual sex is a disturbing act of state-sanctioned discrimination and cruelty. This punishment is a horrifying reminder of the institutionalized stigma and abuse faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in Aceh.  

“Intimate relationships between consenting adults should never be criminalized. Punishments such as flogging are cruel, inhuman and degrading and may amount to torture under international law.

“We call on the Acehnese and Indonesian central government authorities to immediately halt these degrading practices and repeal all discriminatory bylaws that permit such violations. Aceh’s regional autonomy must not come at the expense of human rights.

“Indonesia, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council and a state party to the Convention Against Torture, must align its laws – including in Aceh – with its constitutional commitments to equality and non-discrimination. The criminalization of same-sex conduct and corporal punishment has no place in a just and humane society.”

Background

On 26 August, two men, aged 20 and 21, were publicly flogged 76 times each in the city of Banda Aceh for having consensual same-sex relations.  

The panel of judges at the Banda Aceh Sharia Court earlier found them guilty of violating the Islamic Criminal Code, which forbids consensual same-sex acts.

They were arrested after allegedly engaging in sexual activity in a public restroom at the Taman Sari Park on 16 June.

The defendants, identified as QH and RA, remained in custody during the judicial proceedings, which were held behind closed doors.

Citizen’s arrests are common in Aceh due to the implementation of Sharia law, which allows residents to turn people over to the Sharia police for investigation. Aceh is the only province in Indonesia that criminalizes consensual same-sex acts due to the special autonomy status that has allowed it to apply the Islamic Criminal Code since 2015.

Sharia bylaws have been in force in Aceh since the enactment of the province’s Special Autonomy Law in 2001 and are enforced by Islamic courts.

These laws in some cases provide for up to 200 lashes as punishment for offences including consensual intimacy or sexual activity for unmarried couples, consensual sex outside marriage, same-sex sexual relations, the consumption and sale of alcohol and gambling.

In February, two university students were flogged for having consensual same-sex relations in Banda Aceh.

Under international human rights law all forms of corporal punishment are prohibited as they constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment and can amount to torture. The UN Human Rights Committee and other expert human rights bodies have raised concerns about laws criminalising ‘adultery’ or other consensual sexual relations outside marriage because they violate the right to privacy.

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Education Events – Keynote speakers announced for 30th ICDE World Conference 2025 in Wellington this November

Source: Open Polytechnic

An exciting lineup of distinguished keynote speakers will share their insights and expertise at the upcoming International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) conference, including leaders of the world’s largest universities, a renowned Māori academic, an international AI expert, and a programme specialist leading transformative education.
Te Kuratini Tuwhera o Aotearoa Open Polytechnic of New Zealand and Te Kunenga Ki Pūrehuroa Massey University will co-host the conference in Wellington at the Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre, from 10 to 13 November, at which hundreds of international and domestic delegates are expected.
Open Polytechnic Executive Director of Learning Design and Development, and current ICDE President Dr Mark Nichols, says each keynote will bring a unique perspective to the conference and exciting conference program. They include: 
– Dr Paul J. LeBlanc, Leader of Matter and Space, an AI and Education startup and previous President of Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), an online mega-university. Dr LeBlanc is recognised as one of USA’s most innovative educators. Under his 20-year leadership as former President of SNHU, the university grew from 2,800 to over 250,000 students to become the largest non-profit online higher education provider in the USA. 
– Professor Puleng LenkaBula, Vice Chancellor of the University of South Africa (UNISA). Professor LenkaBula has won multiple international and national teaching awards and now leads South Africa’s largest university by enrolment (370,000 students per year). 
– Professor Danny Liu, Professor of Educational Technologies in the DVC Education Portfolio at the University of Sydney. Professor Liu is known internationally for his work on Generative Artificial Intelligence in higher education, and is the developer of Cogniti, an AI application widely used by students. 
– Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Porou, Tūhourangi), is a Professor at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, and CEO of Ngā Āhuatanga O Te Kai Ltd, The Kai Research Institute. Professor Smith is an internationally renowned and highly awarded researcher, scholar and writer known for her work on Decolonising Methodologies, Kaupapa Māori and Mana Wahine and Māori Education.
– Dr Faryal Khan, Programme Specialist leading Transformative Education at the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and the Office for UN Coordination for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCO Bangkok). Dr Khan brings an international perspective on education reform. 
Open Polytechnic, New Zealand’s specialist provider of online and distance learning is a long-standing institutional member of ICDE. The last time an ICDE conference was held in New Zealand was in 1950.
Dr Nichols, says, “ICDE’s roots go back to 1938, and it has been generously hosted by the Norwegian government since 1988. It has members from over 90 countries, including the world’s largest open and distance learning institutions – some with millions of enrolments each year.”
“ICDE is committed to advancing inclusive, scalable, and sustainable education and it is a pleasure to be able to bring members from this global movement to Wellington in November.”
“Our focus t

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Auckland News – Rail crossing upgrades must accommodate freight growth

Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

Road freight industry group Transporting New Zealand has welcomed construction work getting underway this week to replace Auckland level crossings with overbridges , but says ensuring adequate freight routes in Takanini may require further investment.
The Takanini and Glen Innes projects will see eight level crossings removed and replaced by three new grade-separated road bridges and three new pedestrian access bridges. Two crossings in Takanini – Spartan Road and Manuroa Road – will be closed completely.
Transporting New Zealand Chief Executive Dom Kalasih says that the upgrades will help prepare the transport network for the City Rail Link and future increases in rail services.
“From 2030 onwards the increased frequency of train services could mean barrier arms at level crossings on the Southern Line are lowered every 2-3 minutes. That would have been a nightmare for commuters and freight customers trying to move goods out of the key Takanini industrial area. Overbridge replacements are the right outcome.”
Kalasih welcomed the Government and Auckland Council jointly funding the first three years of construction, noting that it’s been three years since Transporting New Zealand submitted on the Takanini level crossing closure plans.
Kalasih says that replacing eight level crossings with three road bridges will take some adjustment and is encouraging Auckland Council to ensure the city’s booming freight task is being accounted for in its planning.
“Takanini is projected to grow by 5,900 dwellings, 12,300 jobs and 13,900 people between 2018 to 2048. Auckland’s freight task (measured by kilometres travelled) is projected to grow around 80% over the same time period.
“This demonstrates the need for additional freight routes, not fewer, to future-proof the network,” Kalasih says.
“Transporting New Zealand has made a request to Auckland Transport for any freight impact and congestion analysis undertaken since the 2023 Takanini level crossing closure detailed business case, and I look forward to reviewing the data.”
Kalasih is also encouraging AT to communicate with affected businesses during the construction period.
“This is an important industrial area supporting a huge number of jobs. Transporting New Zealand is always happy to assist with sharing communications and facilitating project updates to local businesses, as we did during the initial level crossing closure consultation.”
About Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand
Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is the peak national membership association representing the road freight transport industry. Our members operate urban, rural and inter- regional commercial freight transport services throughout the country.