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Scientists at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland have resorted to crowdfunding research that could have material benefits for women’s health.

This May, which is Menstrual Health Awareness Month, University scientists are campaigning to crowdfund research they believe could help save women from dangerous infections.

The microbiologists are investigating the hygiene of reuseable period products, menstrual cups and discs, which have exploded in popularity, but lack safety information.

“We did a literature search at the beginning of this idea and found only four studies that have investigated the formation of biofilms on the menstrual cups,” says Dr Priscila Dauros-Singorenko, a research fellow in Molecular Medicine and Pathology at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

Biofilms are communities of microbes that attach tightly to surfaces and surround themselves with protective substances. They can be more difficult to remove with washing and mild disinfectants than free‑living microbes.

The studies that Dauros-Singorenko and her supervisor, Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles, did find were carried out in conditions unlike those occurring in a vagina.

“That got me thinking about whether we could investigate the safety of these products in conditions that mimic a menstruating vagina,” Wiles says.

The products have grown rapidly in popularity in light of their affordability and sustainability.

Based on industry retail spending data from 2023, New Zealanders spent approximately $79 million on disposable menstrual products.

Dauros‑Singorenko and Wiles were keen to work together on the investigation. However, despite a clear gap in evidence on how to use these products safely, they have struggled to attract research funding over the past 18 months.

Their study aims to independently test how well different microbes can form biofilms on a range of menstrual cups and discs under conditions that closely mimic real use.

The study will focus on organisms known to form biofilms and to be associated with biofilm‑related infections, including bacteria linked to menstrual toxic shock syndrome, urinary tract infections and bacterial vaginosis, as well as yeast that can cause thrush.

They will also test a variety of products currently on the market. The global number of menstrual cups and discs has grown rapidly, yet regulation varies widely.

In New Zealand, these products are not considered medical devices and are subject to very limited safety regulation.

While many established brands provide clear information about materials, manufacturing standards and cleaning instructions, cheaper products sold online often provide little or no safety information.

“We want to know whether material quality, design or price makes a difference when it comes to biofilm formation,” Dauros-Singorenko says.

In the meantime, Dauros-Singorenko recommends women buy reusable menstrual products from well-known brands and follow the care instructions.

The team has launched its crowdfunding campaign during Menstrual Health Awareness Month to support the study.

They note that historically only a small proportion of health research funding is directed toward conditions that primarily affect women outside of cancer.

“In Aotearoa, more than one million people are of menstruating age,” Wiles says.

“Reusable period products are affordable and sustainable, so we want to make sure people can use them with confidence, backed by independent scientific evidence.”

You can contribute here: https://support.auckland.ac.nz/mcr

Survivors of abuse and violence may soon have an effective new therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder which can be delivered by trained health coaches, GPs and other non-psychologists.

Survivors of abuse and violence may soon have an effective new therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) available in Aotearoa New Zealand, thanks to research led by Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

Written exposure therapy has already proven effective in high-quality international research.

“Evidence is positive from randomised trials – whether it’s war trauma, motor vehicle trauma, sexual trauma or violence, all the big ones, the ones that really mess people up,” says lead researcher Professor Bruce Arroll, a part-time GP at the Auckland City Mission.

Written exposure therapy is designed to be delivered by non-psychologists and offers patients an effective treatment outside of specialist services.

Currently, people may have to wait a long time for a specialist appointment and therapy can require a long course of sometimes costly treatment.

Written exposure therapy is a brief intervention that involves five half-hour sessions of writing about a traumatic experience and its impact, with a trained therapist providing feedback and keeping participants on track.

The therapy works by reducing avoidance, which is one of the key mechanisms that keeps PTSD going, says Arroll.

“The way I explain it to people is ‘Think about the thing you least want to write about and that's what you have to write about, if you want to get rid of the PTSD.’

“People with PTSD are trying to avoid the memory, which makes complete sense – but until you stop avoiding it, it will keep haunting you.”

Arroll is now leading a trial at the Auckland City Mission to test whether written exposure therapy is most effective when delivered once or twice a week.

The goal is a two-arm trial with two groups of 14 patients randomised to either schedule.

So far, around 15 people have formally participated in the research project, with more than 20 others accessing the therapy.

Standard questionnaire-based evaluations have shown significant improvements in participants’ PTSD symptoms.

Participant feedback has also been strongly positive. Comments include: “For the first time, I believe in myself and trust myself and like myself. It's amazing… took 60 years.”

Another participant described changes in their relationship with alcohol: “I can't change anything in the past… I've just got to learn to find better techniques to process it, because it hasn't really been processed, it's only been drowned.”

Patients trust the City Mission as a place where they feel safe, says Eunice Tao, a fourth-year medical student who focused on the research during her honours year.

Tao says that, while reading about participants’ traumatic experiences could be confronting, it was protective to know the intervention was helping people heal, and that Arroll’s supervision was available throughout the process.

Arroll says GPs traditionally try to stay clear of treating PTSD.

GPs are able to screen for PTSD using a brief set of questions but often feel they lack the time and resources to treat it, particularly within 15-minute appointments.

However, PTSD can also complicate the treatment of other conditions.

“We deal with the depression and anxiety that comes with it; but it's pretty hard to fix depression if you've got PTSD,” says Arroll.

Arroll has been training and supervising health coaches and some GPs to offer the therapy in general practices across the country.

With strong evidence and a model designed for primary care, written exposure therapy could help close a treatment gap for PTSD at a time when demand for clinical mental health services frequently outstrips capacity to provide them.

The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has maintained its position as the world’s best performing sovereign wealth fund over the past 20 years, according to rankings compiled by international sovereign wealth fund experts GlobalSWF. 

Average annual returns of 9.93 percent (after costs and before NZ tax) placed the Super Fund well ahead of the average returns generated by both Sovereign Wealth Funds (6.2 percent) and Public Pension Funds (6.8 percent) and second overall to Swedish public pension fund AP7.

The Super Fund also outperformed all other sovereign wealth funds over the past five years and generated the second-highest returns during the past decade.

But Fund manager the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation is striking a cautionary note.

Guardians Co-Chief Investment Officer Brad Dunstan says while the Fund’s commercial mandate and long-term investment horizon are genuine advantages, its success over the past two decades has been underpinned by strong market conditions which are unlikely to be repeated.

“The success of our active management strategies has enabled us to consistently outperform our passive benchmark (the Reference Portfolio). However, we are still an equity-dominant fund and as such a large proportion of our returns over the past 20 years are a result of the continuing outperformance of world equity markets – in particular those in the United States,” says Dunstan.

“One of our key investment beliefs is that prices tend to revert to fair value over time. Of late, we have seen prices across a range of asset classes surge: at some point, those markets will rebalance,” says Dunstan.

Dunstan says the Guardians believes global equities in particular are currently overvalued.

“Other things being equal, high prices for assets means lower future returns – especially over a longer term,” says Dunstan.

“Higher inflation is also likely to negatively affect equity returns in the near future at least.”

Dunstan says carefully managing risk and liquidity were more important than ever in the current environment, but the Guardians would continue to look for opportunities to add value to the portfolio.

“Overall, we remain confident the Fund will continue to generate strong returns in relative terms, but it is hard to see the high absolute numbers of the past few years continuing.”

Queenstown, New Zealand (17 May 2026) Electrify Queenstown 2026 opened today with a sell-out 400-strong crowd, amped to explore Aotearoa's electric future.

Climate Change Minister Hon Simon Watts and New Zealand Climate Foundation chief executive Izzy Fenwick led the programme, which focused on how electrification can lower costs, lower emissions and strengthen resilience for households and business.

Minister Watts says electrification is central to New Zealand's economic and climate future.

“Electrify Queenstown brings together businesses, innovators, investors, and local leaders who are helping drive practical solutions that can reduce costs, improve productivity, strengthen energy resilience, and support emissions reduction,” he says.

“Events like this are important because they help turn ideas and ambition into real-world action.”

Now in its third year, the award-winning Electrify Queenstown spans three days in New Zealand's tourism capital.

Opening day brought electrification to life for attendees with hands-on Electric Experiences across the basin, including solar home tours, EV travel to Kinloch Wilderness Retreat, Catch a Fish's electric boat trip, and an e-boat and e-bike adventure hosted by Naut, Ride to the Sky and Queenstown Golf Club.

At Queenstown Events Centre, the free How-To Hub and Power Playground ran from 1pm–3pm, with expert advice on solar, batteries, EVs, heating, hot water and finance, alongside test rides and demos of electric technology.

Mat Woods, Chief Executive of Destination Queenstown and Lake Wānaka Tourism, says the scale of interest reflected how quickly the national conversation around electrification is changing.

“Just a few years ago, electrification was often viewed primarily through the lens of emissions reduction. Today, people are increasingly focused on cost savings, resilience, energy security and how households and businesses can take greater control of their energy future.

“Electrify Queenstown is about making those conversations practical and accessible, and there's strong appetite from both the community and industry to explore what's possible.”

The event also featured a significant transport announcement from Christchurch-based company Whoosh, which revealed a consortium of Queenstown business leaders would fund a feasibility study into a potential electric elevated transport network for the district.

The study will investigate whether the autonomous pod-based transport system could help address congestion challenges and support future transport needs across Queenstown.

Powerswitch manager Paul Fuge was also at the lectern, detailing what consumers think about electrification and what will drive uptake, along with Josh Ellison, of Queenstown Electrification Accelerator.

Electrify Queenstown continues Monday (18 May) with its sold-out Business Innovation, Investment & Policy day at the Queenstown Events Centre.

The programme includes keynote presentations from inventor and global electrification expert Dr Saul Griffith, Rewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey, and a major political leaders' debate moderated by Paddy Gower.

On stage will be Deputy Prime Minister Hon David Seymour, Leader of the Opposition Rt Hon Chris Hipkins, Energy Minister Hon Simeon Brown, Assoc. Energy Minister Hon Shane Jones, Green Party leader Chlöe Swarbrick and The Opportunities Party leader Qiulae Wong,

A limited number of tickets remain available for Tuesday's programme – Practical business advice – the 'How To'.

Event details

What: Electrify Queenstown

When: Sunday 17 May – Tuesday 19 May

Where: Queenstown Events Centre and locations across the district

Feature session: The Future of New Zealand's Energy System: A Leaders' Debate, Monday 18 May, 2pm-4.30pm.

GenPro has today (May 18) released its Election 2026 Policy Agenda, calling on all political parties to commit to strengthening general practice as the cornerstone of a high-performing and sustainable health system in New Zealand.

The manifesto sets out a comprehensive package of evidence-based reforms designed to improve patient access, reduce hospital pressure, support the healthcare workforce, and restore financial sustainability to general practice.

“General practice is the foundation of an effective health system,” says GenPro chair Dr Angus Chambers. “When patients can access timely care from a trusted GP, outcomes improve, pressure on hospitals reduces, and public health funding is used more efficiently.”

The policy agenda aligns closely with the Government’s five national health priorities: Access, Timeliness, Quality, Workforce, and Infrastructure. Key recommendations are:

A minimum cumulative 30 percent increase in general practice funding over three years to restore financial sustainability across the sector.
Increased investment in primary care from the current 6% of Vote Health toward international WHO/OECD benchmarks of approximately 14% of total health expenditure.
An improved independent cost pressure adjustment mechanism to prevent real term erosion of practice income.
Separation between the funder and provider of health services  – currently Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand – to ensure impartial allocation of health budget across the sector.
Mandatory consultation with general practice representatives on major health funding and service design decisions.
Workforce initiatives to attract and retain GPs and nurses, including support for recruitment, ownership pathways, and overseas clinician integration.
Increased investment in rural healthcare, after-hours services, digital infrastructure, and clinician support.

Dr Chambers says the manifesto is not simply about supporting one part of the healthcare sector, but about protecting the long-term sustainability of the entire health system.

“For too long, general practice has been expected to absorb rising costs and growing patient demand without adequate investment,” he says. “If we want affordable, accessible healthcare for New Zealanders, we must strengthen the frontline of the system.”

Changes are required to restore general practice – a New Zealand Medical Students' Association survey foundthat only 14% of students are interested in becoming GPs; experienced GPs are no longer recommending the specialty to trainee doctors; and general practices are struggling to recruit enough doctors as nine out of 10 are increasing patient fees to stay afloat.

Dr Chambers added that continuity of care and independent community-based practices remain essential to achieving better patient outcomes.

“Patients value ongoing relationships with their GP. Continuity of care saves lives, reduces hospital admissions, and improves the quality of healthcare delivery. This must remain central to future policy decisions.”

GenPro is urging all political parties contesting the November election to adopt policies that prioritise frontline primary healthcare and ensure New Zealanders continue to have access to affordable, high-quality general practice care.

“Investing in general practice is the most effective way to improve health outcomes while controlling costs across the wider system,” Dr Chambers says. “This is not just a sector issue — it is a national priority.”

May 15 2026 – Donald Trump leaves Beijing declaring success after two days of high-level talks with Xi Jinping, but the absence of concrete detail from the summit between the leaders of the world's two largest economies is where investors should focus their attention, according to Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group.

“The headlines sound reassuring, but the substance underneath them remains remarkably thin.

“Markets heard promises of stronger ties, major purchases and stabilised relations. What they did NOT hear was, perhaps, far more important.”

Trump claimed China would buy 200 Boeing aircraft, alongside significant increases in purchases of US agricultural goods and energy exports. Yet no formal agreement has been released publicly by Beijing, no timetable has emerged, and no financial framework has been disclosed.

“Global investors are being asked to price optimism without documentation,” notes the deVere CEO.

“Aviation orders, agricultural commitments, and trade pledges only matter if there's enforceable detail attached to them. Right now, there's very little of that.”

US-China trade exceeded $575 billion last year despite years of tariffs, export controls and strategic hostility.

China remains central to global manufacturing supply chains, while the US remains one of China's most important export destinations. Financial markets have been desperate for signs that tensions between Washington and Beijing are easing in a meaningful way.

Nigel Green argues the summit delivered optics rather than resolution.

“Unfortunately, there was no serious public breakthrough on tariffs, semiconductors, export controls, rare earth minerals or industrial subsidies,” he says.

“Those are the core disputes shaping the economic relationship. None of them disappeared because the language between the two leaders softened.”

Rare earths remain among the most strategically sensitive issues.

China controls roughly 70% of global rare earth production and close to 90% of processing capacity. Those materials are essential for semiconductors, EVs, military systems, aerospace manufacturing and advanced tech infrastructure.

Yet despite months of pressure from US industry groups and mounting concern over supply-chain vulnerabilities, the summit produced no detailed framework around future access or export guarantees.

“Rare earths sit at the centre of the global industrial race,” explains Nigel Green. “Washington wanted stability. Markets wanted visibility. Neither emerged from Beijing.”

Semiconductors represent another major silence.

The US continues restrictions on advanced AI chip exports to China, while Beijing accelerates efforts to build domestic alternatives and reduce reliance on American tech.

The deVere chief executive says the omission carries enormous implications for investors globally.

“AI has become one of the most powerful investment themes in the world economy,” he says.

“But the infrastructure behind AI is increasingly shaped by geopolitical confrontation. The summit offered no indication that either side is prepared to retreat.”

Taiwan also remained unresolved beneath the diplomatic theatre.

Xi Jinping reportedly reiterated Beijing's hardline position during private discussions, while Trump avoided major public escalation. Markets interpreted the restraint positively, but Nigel Green warns the underlying tensions remain acute.

“Taiwan is one of the single biggest geopolitical risk factors facing global markets. Any deterioration would instantly hit semiconductors, shipping routes, defence spending, commodity prices and global equities.”

The summit also failed to produce meaningful clarity around the future of tariffs imposed during the original US-China trade war.

Average US tariffs on many Chinese goods remain significantly above pre-2018 levels, while Beijing has maintained retaliatory measures across multiple sectors. Global manufacturers have spent years restructuring supply chains around the uncertainty.

Nigel Green says businesses were hoping for a clearer direction.

“Corporate leaders wanted evidence of a longer-term framework for economic engagement,” he says.

“Instead, they received broad political language designed to calm sentiment without addressing the structural fractures underneath.”

He also points to the contradictions inside the economic announcements themselves.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer spoke about large future agricultural purchases from China, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested some key commodity arrangements had already effectively been settled under earlier agreements.

“Mixed messaging creates more uncertainty, not less,” concludes Nigel Green.

“Washington and Beijing may have lowered the temperature publicly, but the unresolved economic conflict beneath the surface remains very much alive.”

deVere Group is one of the world's largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients.  It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA – Once again, the Israeli regime has started its propaganda engine as the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) sails towards Gaza. The timing is not accidental; it is part of their playbook of depraved tactics to justify another crime and potential deadly force—the same playbook that has allowed them to operate their apartheid regime for nearly 80 years and carry out genocide and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people.

Israeli regime-controlled media like N12 are falsely claiming our international, independent, and humanitarian mission to break Israel's illegal siege of Gaza is violent and affiliated with governments and political parties. This predictable playbook mirrors past language used to justify Israel's slaughter of 10 humanitarians onboard the Mavi Marmara.

We are calling out the New Zealand government to do everything in their power to protect the New Zealanders onboard the flotilla. Their names are Hāhona Ormsby, Mousa Taher, and Julien Blondel.

We are calling this out before they act: no government or leader can claim they didn’t know.

The Script is Obvious. Here is How They Are Doing It:

• The “Violent” Lie: They are telling the world we are “more violent than predecessors.” This is a fabrication designed to give their commandos a “green light” to use lethal force against unarmed civilians. They want to claim self-defense after they attack us in international waters.
• The “Terrorist” Scapegoat: Whenever the Israeli regime wants to commit a crime, they shout “Hamas” to excuse their violence and war crimes. By “examining connections” to “terror groups” in the news, they are trying to strip peaceful, nonviolent volunteers of their status as doctors, journalists, humanitarians and activists, attempting to rebrand a civilian-led flotilla into a military target.
• The Victim Blaming: Israel is gaslighting the world by framing Shayetet 13, a lethal elite commando unit responsible for leading the Al-Shifa Hospital massacre, as the “victim” of slow-moving boats full of doctors and human rights defenders. This is a calculated setup by the Israeli regime, with facilitation from complicit and participating countries. It is a physical and logical absurdity to claim “self-defense” while committing state-sponsored piracy and crimes against humanity in international waters. You cannot “defend” yourself by launching a violent kidnapping against a legal humanitarian mission. The only “threat” here is that we might actually succeed in breaking the siege and opening up a humanitarian corridor.

A Blunt Warning to the Occupying Forces and States:

We have already placed the international community on formal notice. If you think you can hide behind “following orders” or “security estimates,” you are wrong.

To the Commandos: We are documenting everything in real-time. If you board these ships, kidnap or harm our participants in any way, your faces and your actions will be evidence in international courts and prosecuted.
To the Politicians: Arrest warrants have already been issued in Spain, Italy, and Türkiye for 37 high-ranking officials. We are not just sailing to deliver aid; we are sailing to expose the complicity that makes our sail a necessity.
To the World: The blockade isn't a “security measure,” it’s a tool of genocide, occupation and ethnic cleansing. Any country that helps stop this aid is an accomplice to Israel's crimes.

The participants of GSF are unarmed, non-violent humanitarians, doctors, journalists and volunteers. We affirm our purpose is to open a humanitarian corridor and reach the shores of Gaza with aid and work alongside the Palestinian people in their pursuit of freedom and collective liberation. We remain steadfast and will continue sailing in international waters with both aid and the law on our side.

The world is watching. The playbook is exposed. We call on the world to act.