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RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Documents show alleged ties between NZ First and tobacco giant
New Zealand First should be stripped of the tobacco and vaping portfolio, according to an advocacy group set up to keep kids off nicotine. The call comes after RNZ published documents alleging close ties between tobacco giant Philip Morris and New Zealand First. Guyon Espiner broke the story, and spoke to Melissa Chan-Green. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Toxic algae bloom lingers off Australia, killing marine life
By Laura Chung for AFP South Australian authorities hoped the bloom would disperse, but it has spread across the region. File photo. Photo: 123RF A vast toxic algae bloom has sparked growing concern in Australia as it lingers off the south coast, killing hundreds of marine species and disrupting fisheries. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unlocked federal funds this week to cope with the Karenia mikimotoi algae as it persists four months after first appearing. South Australia's government said it was holding an emergency meeting Tuesday to be briefed by scientists on the phenomenon. The algae, which damages the gills of fish and suffocates them, stretched across 4400 square kilometres when it was first spotted in mid-March, according to the state government. While South Australian authorities hoped the bloom would disperse, it has instead spread across the region, the latest government update said. A marine heatwave in the area had "largely abated", it said, but remained in some deeper waters. Beaches on wildlife-rich tourist draws such as Kangaroo Island, Yorke Peninsula and Fleurieu Peninsula have been littered with the marine carcasses of sharks, rays, crabs and octopuses. "It's hard to overstate the extreme severity of the algal-bloom environmental crisis in South Australia," said marine ecologist Adriana Verges from University of New South Wales. "We are talking about extensive mortality of nearly 500 different marine species, including key habitat-forming sponges and other invertebrates, as well as fish. It's completely devastating." Karenia mikimotoi has been detected around the world, including in waters off Japan, Norway, the United States and China, since the 1930s and disrupted local tourism and fishery industries, causing millions of dollars worth of damage. Ian Mitchell, who manages a fish market in Adelaide, said some people had not caught anything since April. "It's the worst I've ever seen it," he told national broadcaster ABC. "I'm speaking to fishermen on a daily basis, and I've got fishermen in tears on the phone." The federal government announced on Monday A$14 million in financial assistance to impacted fisheries, clean-up efforts and research into preparedness. The prime minister said a "whole range of issues" had led to the event, including nutrient-rich floodwater runoff and above-average ocean temperatures. Historically fishing and aquaculture industries can take years to recover from these algae blooms, said Australian Marine Conservation Society chief executive Paul Gamblin. "It's an enormous red flashing warning that climate change has arrived off Australia and it is having enormous impacts," he told AFP. South Australia has not previously experienced a toxic algae bloom of this scale or duration. Local authorities have urged beachgoers to avoid swimming in water that is discoloured or foamy, warning that it can irritate the skin and affect breathing. Climate change has led to an increase in the frequency and duration of marine heatwaves across Australia, which significantly affects marine ecosystems. - AFP
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Four-day work week reduces burnout and improves job satisfaction
Paula O'Kane, from Otago University's business school, says global research shows work structures need a rethink. Photo: Dave Bull Working a four day week reduces burnout and improves job satisfaction, a new study has found. The research out of Boston College in the United States tested the effect of reducing employees hours to a four-day week with no reduction in pay. The study held six-month trials reducing the working hours for 2896 employees across 141 organisations in Australia, Canada, New Zealand , the UK, Ireland and the USA. The outcomes of the trials were then compared with 12 control companies that did not transition to the shorter work week. The researchers found that employees with a reduction of eight hours or more per work week self-reported experiencing larger reductions in burnout and improvements in job satisfaction and mental health, as compared with those at companies that maintained a five-day work week. A small change in physical health was also seen, but the researchers said they expected this was less significant because changes in physical health take time to manifest. Paula O'Kane, from Otago University's business school, said it was good to see growing evidence that reductions in working hours could significantly impact well-being, reduce burnout and improve job satisfaction. "While the study centred on a four-day week, the broader implication is clear: flexible and potentially individualised working arrangements can deliver similar benefits," she said. O'Kane said research globally was showing that work structures needed a rethink. "Traditionally, time spent working is used as a proxy for productivity, when in fact better rested and healthier people can be more productive in less time," she said. "Moving forward it would be really good to think about output based measures of production and productivity - making sure that we understand what it is we want our employees to do in a week rather than how much time we want them to spend at work," O'Kane said. She said the traditional 9-5 did not work for everyone and there was a growing body of evidence that non-traditional models of working were in fact working better for people. She said it was also already clear that the younger generation would be demanding more flexibility. "If we look at the students that are coming through university and looking at how they operate their lives, they are going to want flexibility," she said. "We can see it already, they're not going to accept the traditional structures." She said organisations would have to start thinking about organising work structures differently if they wanted to keep attracting top talent in the future. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
