MIL Email Publisher (NZ)

Responding to reports that more than 500 people are feared dead after two boats carrying mostly Rohingya refugees capsized off the coast of Myanmar, Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher Joe Freeman said:

“These reports are a heartbreaking reminder of the increasingly desperate choices facing many Rohingya today. People do not risk their lives at sea unless the alternatives are even more unbearable. Decades of persecution, statelessness, conflict and severe humanitarian hardship have left many with nowhere safe to turn.

“These sea journeys are always perilous, but the fact that they are happening during the monsoon season when sailing conditions are rougher than normal further highlights the risks people are willing to take to escape the dire conditions in both the Bangladesh refugee camps and in the Rohingya homeland in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

“In Bangladesh, Rohingya families lack aid, education and proper shelter, while also facing forced recruitment by armed groups there and kidnapping for ransom by criminal gangs, trends that Amnesty International has documented through past interviews with parents and young people. In Myanmar, most of Rakhine State is now under the control of the Arakan Army, which Amnesty International and others have accused of using the Rohingya for forced labour reinforcing the apartheid-like conditions created by the Myanmar military.

“Therefore it is not surprising that these tragedies at sea continue to happen, and they only emphasize the need for durable solutions both in Bangladesh and in Myanmar. Governments across the region must strengthen search-and-rescue efforts, ensure timely access to protection for those seeking safety and work together to end the cycle of neglect that continues to put Rohingya lives at risk.”

“This should also send a message to the Bangladesh authorities and the international community to prevent repatriation. Conditions in Rakhine State are not viable for safe and dignified returns as people continue to flee the place the Bangladesh government wants to forcefully repatriate them to.”

Background

More than 500 people, believed to be predominantly Rohingya refugees, are feared to have died after two boats reportedly disappeared or sank off Myanmar’s coast in late June and early July.

According to UN agencies, the vessels left Rakhine State carrying people fleeing conflict, persecution and worsening humanitarian conditions, including some who had travelled from refugee camps in Bangladesh.

The reported incidents come amid dangerous monsoon-season sea conditions and highlight the continued risks faced by Rohingya who undertake perilous journeys in search of safety.

“One of the best transitions both the exercise industry and the public have made together over the last two decades has been moving from 'exercise for looks' to 'exercise for health',”

“Your body isn't a trend,”

“Exercise should never be about chasing the latest social media ideal. It should be about improving your health…”

From worrying about “runner's waist” to avoiding the gym for fear of getting “bulky”, the latest wave of social media fitness trends is encouraging young women to question some of the healthiest forms of exercise.

Exercise New Zealand says the growing popularity of appearance-driven fitness advice on platforms like TikTok and Instagram is undoing years of progress in helping people view exercise as something to improve their health, not simply the way they look.

ExerciseNZ Chief Executive Richard Beddie says one of the biggest achievements over the past two decades has been changing the conversation around why people choose to be active.

“One of the best transitions both the exercise industry and the public have made together over the last two decades has been moving from 'exercise for looks' to 'exercise for health',” says Beddie.

“For the vast majority of New Zealanders that's still the case today. Health and mental wellbeing are consistently the two most common reasons people exercise. But these latest social media crazes buck that trend, often driven by online influencers with little or no formal training in exercise, health or wellbeing.”

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One of the newest trends, dubbed “runner's waist”, claims that regular running will create a wider, boxier waist because of visible oblique muscles. Another, “cortisol face”, suggests that everyday exercise causes facial puffiness through elevated stress hormones. At the same time, the long-standing myth that women who lift weights will become “too bulky” continues to discourage many from strength training.

ExerciseNZ says these claims are not supported by scientific evidence.

Recent research highlighted in Healthline has debunked the “runner's waist” myth, showing that while running activates the core, it does not provide the heavy resistance needed to significantly increase the size of the oblique muscles. Instead, running develops endurance, cardiovascular health and core stability, not a wider waist.

Likewise, medical experts out of Ohio State Wexner Medical Center say “cortisol face” is not a recognised medical condition. While rare disorders that cause abnormally high cortisol levels can change facial appearance, everyday exercise and normal life stress do not create the dramatic facial changes portrayed across TikTok and Instagram.

The belief that women will become “bulky” simply by lifting weights is another persistent misconception. Research also consistently shows that building substantial muscle mass requires years of progressive resistance training, carefully managed nutrition and, in many cases, favourable genetics. For most women, strength training develops strength, bone density, confidence and functional fitness, not an exaggerated physique.

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Beddie says the greatest concern isn't the trends themselves, it's the impact they're having on how young women think about themselves. “We've gone from celebrating what our bodies can do to worrying about whether our waistline or face fits the latest TikTok trend. That's a step backwards.” He further adds;

“The irony is that social media is making people fear the very activities that improve their health. Running, strength training and regular physical activity reduce the risk of chronic disease, improve mental wellbeing, build confidence”

ExerciseNZ is encouraging New Zealanders, particularly young women, to be cautious about taking health advice from social media personalities whose content is designed to generate clicks rather than provide evidence-based guidance.

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“Your body isn't a trend,” says Beddie.

“Exercise should never be about chasing the latest social media ideal. It should be about improving your health, building confidence, feeling strong and giving yourself the best chance of living a long, healthy life. That's something no viral trend should ever take away.”

Social media can be a great source of motivation, but it shouldn't replace qualified advice. If you're starting a new exercise programme or feeling confused by conflicting information online, talk to someone registered with the NZ Register of Exercise Professional (REPs) – who operate a searchable database @ www.reps.org.nz. They'll help you build a plan based on your body, your goals and the science, not whatever happens to be trending that week.

Researchers at the University of Auckland are investigating whether zoning reform can advance educational equity, using Auckland as a case study.

New research from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland will examine whether zoning reforms can improve educational equity.

The study, funded by a Spencer Foundation Racial Equity Research Grant, will focus on migration patterns following 2016 upzoning changes, which saw Auckland rezone three-quarters of its residential land for medium- and high-density housing.

The project will build on preliminary research indicating that the 2016 reforms enabled low-income households to move to higher socio-economic neighbourhoods.

Principal investigators Dr Sam Stemper and Associate Professor Ryan Greenaway-McGrevy say the grant will enable data-intensive research linking zoning to residential mobility and children’s access to educational opportunities.

“Auckland’s 2016 zoning reform created a rare large-scale experiment that allows us to study how housing markets shape access to neighbourhoods and schools,” says Stemper.

“While upzoning is often discussed as a tool to improve housing affordability, its potential impact on educational equity has received much less attention.”

Zoning regulations, says Greenaway-McGrevy, often reinforce disparities by limiting high-income neighbourhoods to expensive detached homes, effectively excluding lower-income families.

“Removing such barriers through upzoning to allow more affordable housing types like townhouses or apartments offers a potential tool to improve educational access.”

Until Auckland's zoning reforms, no city had upzoned enough residential land to allow researchers to test whether large-scale zoning changes could meaningfully influence educational opportunities.

The research team, which also includes Business School doctoral candidate Jia Liu, will use comprehensive data and quantitative geospatial analysis to track family migration patterns and assess whether school-aged young people gained access to higher-performing schools.

Imperans Q2 Report, State of Workplace Drug Use from TDDA

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, 16 July 2026 – Cocaine use is on the rise across New Zealand workplaces. That’s a key finding of the latest Imperans Report, a quarterly analysis of drug use in the workplace prepared by The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA), New Zealand’s largest workplace drug testing provider.

The Imperans report empowers New Zealand employers to engage in proactive workplace risk management, it provides them with an analysis of drug and alcohol usage trends, combining results from across the country.

Growing cocaine use is not the only workplace concern. Among all positive results across New Zealand, compared with year-on-year (YoY) substance detections are as follows.