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RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
Media Council upholds complaint against RNZ over inaccurate Rocket Lab report
Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski The NZ Media Council has upheld a complaint by Rocket Lab Ltd against Radio New Zealand (RNZ), ruling that a May 2025 article inaccurately linked the aerospace company to Ukraine's war effort, breaching journalistic standards of accuracy, fairness, and balance. The article, titled "Rocket Lab-launched satellites to help Ukraine in war against Russia," claimed that satellites launched by Rocket Lab for Japanese company iQPS would be used to support Ukraine's military intelligence. Rocket Lab strongly refuted this, stating the claim was false and damaging, and that neither they nor iQPS had any involvement in supplying military capabilities to Ukraine. Rocket Lab's complaint highlighted that RNZ relied solely on a single source and failed to seek comment from Rocket Lab, iQPS, or the New Zealand Space Agency before publication. iQPS had publicly denied providing data to foreign entities weeks earlier, a statement RNZ overlooked. Rocket Lab said the article's implication of involvement in military operations could have serious reputational and commercial consequences. RNZ retracted the article within five hours of receiving the complaint on 22 May and later issued an apology. However, Rocket Lab argued that the apology was only added after repeated requests and that RNZ's efforts to notify content-sharing partners were inadequate. The article remained live on NewstalkZB's website for eight days until Rocket Lab intervened directly. The Media Council acknowledged RNZ's swift removal of the article, however, despite this, there was no immediate acknowledgement of error in the original take down notice or apology and the Council found the original reporting to be a serious breach of Principle (1) - Accuracy, Fairness and Balance. The Council noted that the article lacked basic verification and failed to meet the standards expected of responsible journalism. While RNZ's take-down notice was a rare and significant step, the Council concluded that the seriousness of the error means that the article still warranted being found to be in breach. The full Media Council ruling can be found here: Media Council - Rocket Lab against Radio New Zealand .
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- RNZ News
Families call for AI, robotics education in New Zealand schools
A growing number of Chinese families are enrolling their children in out-of-school robotics and artificial intelligence programs, believing that fluency in these technologies is essential for the next generation. Many are also calling on New Zealand's education system to incorporate these subjects into the national curriculum, arguing that early exposure is key to preparing students for a rapidly evolving, technology-driven job market. Pauline Cleaver, acting deputy secretary of Te Poutāhū Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education, said the government's 2025 budget included targeted investment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. The Creative Imagination Laboratory (CILab), a robotics and programming institute based in Auckland, has reported a sharp rise in enrollment among Asian students since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. "When we founded the institute in 2016, we started with just a dozen children," said Hannah Nie, the institute's director. "Today, we teach around 300 students." Young students learn technology, science and engineering through hands-on experiences by building a robot. Photo: RNZ / Yiting Lin Nie said approximately 80 percent of CILab's students were of Asian heritage, though interest from families of Middle Eastern, Russian and European backgrounds had grown steadily in recent years. She also noted a shift in age demographics, with younger children increasingly drawn to programming and robotics. "Students from intermediate schools and colleges used to make up about 80 percent of our enrollment," she said. "But after Covid, we saw a surge in primary school students joining our programs. They've since become our largest group." Nie said the shift reflected a broader awareness among parents about the importance of early tech education. "Many Asian families are beginning to realize that robotics and programming are essential skills their children will need to navigate the future," she said. James Wang, founder and instructor at iBot Academy NZ Photo: RNZ / Yiting Lin James Wang, founder and instructor at iBot Academy NZ, a home-based robotics and programming school in Auckland, has observed a similar trend. A former software engineer and lecturer in the Faculty of Information Technology at the Beijing University of Technology in China, Wang launched the academy with his wife in 2015. Wang now runs three courses focused on robotics competitions, robot construction and the C programming language. He said the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence had fueled growing demand for robotics education among Chinese families in Auckland. Wang called on New Zealand's school system to increase investment in STEM education, arguing that it was essential for preparing the next generation. "I know some schools do offer engineering classes," he said. "But what they're teaching are skills like carpentry and ironwork," he said. "It's outdated. It doesn't meet the needs of modern society. "Technological knowledge is incredibly important now - it's foundational," he said. "If students have that base, they can pick up other related subjects much more easily." Students learn to build robots at a home-based robotics and programming school on Auckland's North Shore. Photo: RNZ / Yiting Lin Selina Chen, whose son attends Botany Downs Secondary College and is enrolled in the CILab robotics program agreed. She said understanding technology and learning how to work with robots would be a crucial skill for the next generation. "In the future, robots and AI will be everywhere." she said. "Even if children don't become engineers, they still need to understand how these [systems] work and how to use them," she said. "It's like how we all had to learn to use computers or smartphones." Chen also wanted more comprehensive instruction in robotics to be introduced in schools. "[My son's school] does have classes on AI and robotics. They call them technology classes," she said. "But, as far as I know, they don't go very deep, [it's] just very basic. "I would like to see primary or secondary school include robots or AI as [part of] basic education," she said. "Technology is moving so fast [and] it's important for children to start understanding it at their earliest age." Ling Zhao, who enrolled her eight-year-old son in a robotics program, said it would be ideal if robotics and artificial intelligence were embedded into the primary school curriculum, though she acknowledged that teaching resources remained limited. "The teaching resources are probably limited, especially since this is such a new area," she said. "That's why we chose to come here [to an out-of-school robotics program]." Ho Seok Ahn, senior lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering and Design at the University of Auckland Photo: RNZ / Yiting Lin To encourage more school students to engage with robotics, artificial intelligence and engineering, Ho Seok Ahn, a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering and Design at the University of Auckland, has led national teams of young talent to represent New Zealand at the International Robot Olympiad since 2016. Ahn said artificial intelligence was no longer confined to engineering, but had expanded into fields such as business, medicine, commerce and marketing, making it a critical area of knowledge for all generations, especially young people. "Especially for the young generation, [understanding artificial intelligence] is more important," he said. "It's very related to their future goals, including jobs or major. "If they don't have any understanding or skills on AI, it's probably much difficult for them to get jobs in the future." Young students learn technology, science and engineering through hands-on experiences by building a robot. Photo: RNZ / Yiting Lin Ahn agreed that New Zealand schools should invest more in integrating artificial intelligence into the curriculum but acknowledged that it would not be an easy undertaking. "A lot of New Zealand schools have already prepared some traditional, skill-based facilities and teaching materials," he said. "But in this area, we have really rapid changes which require regular upgrades to facilities and teaching materials," he said. "For schools, they may realize that they need to adopt the latest skill sets and teaching materials for their students," he said. "But it's very related to budget and policy." Ahn said teacher capacity presented another challenge for schools. "We have very qualified, smart and well-educated teachers at school," he said. "But they should be trained in new technologies, which might be another burden on schools." Kiwibots, the New Zealand robotics charitable trust, has spent more than 15 years organizing competitions, educational initiatives and outreach programs designed to inspire young New Zealanders through hands-on STEM learning. Over the past two years, the organization has taken 27 teams to the United States to represent New Zealand at the VEX World Championships, bringing home a total of 10 world titles. Michelle Hazeleger-Mollard, national operations manager of Kiwibots Photo: Supplied Michelle Hazeleger-Mollard, national operations manager for the trust, said student participation in Kiwibots programs had increased by roughly 10 percent each year, with particularly strong interest in courses that incorporate artificial intelligence and advanced technologies. Hazeleger-Mollard said teachers at New Zealand schools were eager to introduce students to artificial intelligence and robotics, but limited funding for equipment and facilities remained an obstacle. "Teachers are keen," she said. "But funding is limited. "Whilst all the resources are free, schools still need funding to get the gear to start," she said. "That is hard when their budgets are super limited. Cleaver said STEM education was compulsory for all students from Year 1 through Year 10. In Years 11 to 13, schools might offer more specialized STEM subjects, depending on staffing, available resources and student demand, she said. The Girl Power team from College Street School in Palmerston North gets ready for the Kiwibots Nationals. Photo: Supplied Cleaver said the Ministry of Education had partnered with STEM-focused organizations and was funding more than 70 community-based specialist education providers to support science, technology and mathematics learning outside traditional classroom settings. She said the government's 2025 budget also included targeted investment in STEM education, including $39.9 million for science and pūtaiao resource kits for students in Years 0 through 8, which will be available beginning in 2026. Cleaver said a refreshed curriculum - incorporating existing, new and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, generative AI, computational thinking, digital outcome design, and digital safety and security - would be released in draft form later this year. Schools will be invited to review and begin adopting the framework, with full implementation required by 2027. "We recognize the growing importance of AI and digital technologies in students' futures," she said. "As part of the refresh of the technology learning area in the New Zealand curriculum, students will explore understanding, knowledge and practice across a range of technologies."
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Cyclones linked to surge in cardiovascular disease, study finds
Photo: 123rf Researchers have found that cardiovascular hospitalisations rise after tropical cyclones. Researchers at Monash University in Melbourne and Otago University assessed hospital data from Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam from 2000-19, as well as recorded data from 124 cyclones. They found hospitalisations for cardiovascular disease (CVD) tend to rise, with this rate peaking at 2 months after the event, and the increase lingered up to 6 months after a tropical cyclone. The team also looked at variables, including sex, age, socioeconomic status and geographic location. Results showed a statistically significant and prolonged association between cyclones and CVD hospitalisation for people of all sexes aged 20-59. The team also evaluated six different types of CVD based on hospital diagnostic codes - heart failure, ischemic heart disease, hypertensive heart disease, heart rhythm disturbances, peripheral vascular diseases and stroke. Ischemic heart diseases and stroke were the two most common subsets of cyclone-associated CVD, and the latter was especially common in males of all ages. Areas with higher levels of socioeconomic deprivation had higher rates of cyclone-associated CVD hospitalisations, but the opposite was the case in areas with stronger socioeconomic advantages. "The study demonstrates that, as well as directly causing immediate deaths and injuries, extreme climate events can have important indirect health impacts over following months," said Professor Simon Hales, an epidemiologist at the University of Otago and one of the study's authors. "These delayed, indirect health impacts are due to infrastructure damage and disruption to livelihoods in the aftermath of major storms. "It is important to understand these health effects and mechanisms in more detail in order to design adaptive responses, as well as to motivate climate mitigation measures. "Cyclones, storms and heavy rainfall events are projected to become more frequent, unless stronger efforts are made to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases," he said. Associate Professor George Laking - executive board member of OraTaiao, the New Zealand Climate and Health Council - said similar work was done after Cyclone Gabrielle for populations in Tai Rāwhiti and Hawke's Bay. "We weren't able to detect that signal in our own project. I think that is explained by the smaller populations we studied. "In this report, there is a higher level of uncertainty in the New Zealand country-specific data. I think this represents our overall smaller population. "Interestingly, the strongest signal in New Zealand was for the north of the South Island, not so strong for the East Coast North Island regions we studied." Laking said he had waited for this study, showing the adverse interaction of cyclones and cardiovascular health. "Under climate change, we have to expect an increased incidence and severity of adverse weather events. That is a consequence of the greater amount of energy and water in the atmosphere. "These incredibly destructive events are adverse for human health in all sorts of ways." Laking said climate change had been identified as the No.1 risk to human health this century. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
