OPINION: As the escalating US-Israel war on Iran drives a global fuel supply crisis, New Zealand is eyeing two major – and very different – projects aimed at bolstering its long-term energy security. Read more⬇️

OPINION: In recent years, there has been no shortage of warnings about the fragility of New Zealand’s largely imported fuel supply. Now, motorists are seeing the cost of that vulnerability at the pump. Across the country, petrol has surpassed $3.30 a litre on average. Read more⬇️

Do you know what you need to know about meningitis? 🤔 Otago Professor Peter McIntyre shares his expertise 💬 Read here⬇️

A new University of Otago initiative aims to improve food safety in Aotearoa. Just launched, the Food Safety Culture Lab is a multidisciplinary research group that focuses on human behaviours in the food industry that can lead to foodborne illnesses. Read more⬇️

OPINION: In the aftermath of another summer of weather disasters, there were headlines about a “growing gap” between recovery efforts and preparation for climate change impacts. Read more⬇️

Evidence on the benefits of exercise for cancer patients has been too hard to ignore for University of Otago, Christchurch cancer researcher Associate Professor Marg Currie. Marg is part of a team looking to pilot individualised exercise programmes as an integral part of cancer care. Read more⬇️

With more people visiting Aotearoa’s mountains, safety information on "snow conditions and avalanche danger" is a must. Thanks to an Otago research grant, a new mapping system is underway to manage avalanche risk. Read more⬇️

A study led by one of our Wellington researchers, Dr Claire Henry, has found medicinal cannabis may help people with endometriosis, reducing pain while improving sleep and anxiety. Participants in the study were prescribed CBD oil alone or with dried cannabis flower. Read more⬇️

OPINION: Each time another study about human-driven species extinction hits the news in Aotearoa New Zealand, a familiar pattern unfolds in online comment sections. Read more⬇️

Otago alumnus Dr Will Flavell has been shaping education and community ❤️ Since completing his Doctor of Education in 2020, and being named a Fulbright Scholar in 2022, Will has recently taken on the role of principal at the new Māori charter school, Te Kāpehu Whetū – Tāmaki 🏫 Listen here 🎧⬇️

OPINION: A second Royal Commission of Inquiry into New Zealand’s experience and handling of the COVID pandemic released its substantial report today, running to several volumes and hundreds of pages. Read more⬇️

A controlled-release ketamine created by Otago researchers has the potential to help 100,000 Kiwis. Professor Paul Glue and Douglas Pharmaceuticals are working to produce a slow-release ketamine tablet for patients with treatment-resistant depression 💊 Read more⬇️

OPINION: Anyone tuning into political debates about the recently introduced English Language Bill might be led to think New Zealand’s most widely spoken tongue is endangered. Read more⬇️

When Dr. Richard Köhler brought a fossil fish to Otago's Geology Department, key location details were missing. But a visit from his son changed everything - the family donated his field notebooks to the department, revealing the missing clues needed to study the fossil 🔎 Read more ⬇️

OPINION: Irritability is one of the most common and distressing problems teenagers and their families face. Its main symptom is an excessive reaction to negative emotional stimuli, resulting in temper outbursts and severe irritable mood. Read more⬇️

Researchers from the University of Otago, Te Papa, and the University of Cambridge (UK) have identified a rare fossil goose species from Central Otago deposits 🪿 Read more ⬇️

E-biking delivers wellbeing gains, new University of Otago, Wellington research shows. Researchers explored how using e-bikes impacted 26 Māori and Pacific participants who took part in the HIKO e-bike pilot programme in Wainuiomata in 2023. Read more⬇️

OPINION: If you’re often on social media, you’ve probably seen it: the deluge of low-quality, artificial intelligence-made material clogging up our feeds. So-called “AI slop” – the Macquarie Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2025 – is the result of generative AI being used at scale. Read more ⬇️

The new Centre for Oceanography will hold its inaugural symposium on 16-17 March, expanding national research capacity and developing the next generation of oceanographers. The event will bring together researchers and students to discuss the future of oceanographic research in NZ. Read more⬇️

OPINION: The government’s plan to empower police to “issue move-on orders as a tool to deal with disorderly behaviour in public places” will effectively apply to people as young as 14 who are experiencing homelessness and who “obstruct” access to businesses, beg or sleep rough. Read more⬇️

OPINION: Universities play a crucial role in achieving gender equality, but persistent disparities in leadership, pay and research opportunities continue to shape women’s careers in academia. Read more⬇️

An Otago study says NZ faces a severe shortage of neurologists. This comes after an increase in demand for the diagnosis and treatment of conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and stroke in NZ, research from our Wellington campus found. Read more⬇️ shorturl.at/XrEhx

Here's a #HigherEducationPostcard of @universityofotago.bsky.social, also called Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka in Māori If you like this image, please repost it - remember, BlueSky has #NoAlgorithm

OPINION: For interest groups and lobbyists, face-to-face time with political decision-makers is the most valuable kind of access there is. As one New Zealand politician once put it (speaking anonymously to lobbying researchers), “politics is so much about relationships”. Read more⬇️

OPINION: Another summer of extreme weather has destroyed and damaged homes, cut off communities and, in the most tragic cases, left families mourning their loved ones. It reminds us that New Zealand is one of the most natural-hazard-exposed countries on Earth. Read more⬇️

A simple blood test for bowel cancer? It could be a "lifesaver." The University of Otago is backing a groundbreaking project to develop a blood-based test for bowel cancer. The project is led by Dr Jordon Lima, who received the 2025 Otago Health Sciences Māori Postdoctoral Fellowship. Read more⬇️

OPINION: The government’s announcement this week that it would move ahead with plans for a new facility to import liquefied natural gas (LNG), potentially as early as next year, was framed as a way to shore up energy security. Read more⬇️

Ngā mihi nui to Otago ecologist Professor Priscilla Wehi, who has been made a fellow of the British Ecological Society. Read more⬇️

OPINION: Until recently, Aotearoa New Zealand led global tobacco control innovation. Evidence-based policies, including sustained tobacco excise tax increases, saw large reductions in smoking rates, which will save thousands of lives. Read more⬇️

OPINION: Imagine investing in a premium Central Otago vineyard, or owning a slice of prime Wellington commercial property, all without needing millions in upfront capital. Through asset “tokenisation”, this is becoming a reality. Read more⬇️

OPINION: Beneath Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf lies one of the least measured oceans on Earth – a vast, dark cavity roughly twice the volume of the North Sea. Read more⬇️

Otago nutritionist call for dietary fibre to be officially recognised internationally as an essential nutrient🥦🤔 Co-author Associate Professor Andrew Reynolds says increasing our dietary fibre intake would have greater health benefits than increasing any other essential nutrients. Read more⬇️

OPINION: Did NZ's sweeping health reforms deliver on their promise? 3 years on, the verdict is mixed⬇️

Our researchers Tadhg Ryan-Charleton, Dave Maré, Dean Hyslop, Amelia Blamey worked with Conor O’Kane from the @universityofotago.bsky.social, who contributed qualitative and subject-specific expertise to the evaluation. A perspective Deloitte NZ (a RDTI stakeholder). www.deloitte.com/nz/en/servic...

University of Otago will be entering a 10-year partnership to improve brain health research and treatment🧠🧐 Department of Anatomy Professor Louise Parr-Brownlie, who is co-leading the initiative, says neurological and mental health disorders are leading causes of disability and mortality globally⬇️

Anatomy tauira Shontay Simpson and Esmé Hewitt have won awards at the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society Symposium. Shontay was "shocked" to win best poster presentation. "I was still so excited that Esmé had been called out as best oral presenter that my brain went blank..."⬇️

The New Zealand velvet worm's reign as Bug of the Year is coming to an end, with voting now open for the 2026 competition🪲 Check out this year's nominees in an article from Otago Zoology PhD Candidate Connal McLean and Ecology PhD Candidate Jacqueline Theis⬇️

- potentially could reduce the number of colonoscopies needed More here at the @universityofotago.bsky.social press release www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroo... 2/2

NZ is facing a moment of reckoning in its foreign policy, writes Professor Robert Patman in The Conversation: theconversation.com/as-trump-rew...

Huge congratulations to Otago's Professor Christopher Jackson, who has been named one of OncoDaily’s 100 Most Influential People in Oncology in the world for 2025. Christopher is a leading medical oncologist and cancer policy expert and a strong advocate for evidence-based, humane cancer care.

Since graduating with First Class Honours in French and Economics from Otago, Amanda Ellis's career has taken her worldwide ✈️🌎 Now a globally-recognised leader in sustainable development and international relations, Amanda shared her success story with us on Otago's iOU Podcast! Listen here 🎧⬇️

Older New Zealanders in residential care have inadequate access to vision and hearing tests, new Otago research has found. These findings highlight significant inequities in access to care that can profoundly impact quality of life, lead author Dr Francesc March de Ribot says.

Three Otago researchers have each received $1.16 million fellowships to support their research and science careers!🔬👏 Dr Matthias Fellner, Dr John Kerr, and Associate Professor Matthew McNeil are among 12 researches who have been awarded Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowships🥳 Read more here👇

Blocking reproduction increases lifespan in many different species, a new Otago-led study has found 🤯 Using data from mammals, researchers found ongoing hormonal contraception and permanent surgical sterilisation saw increased life expectancy, though the cause may differ between sexes.

A huge congratulations to the 32 Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka kaimahi taking on the title of Professor in 2026! 🎉👏 These promotions reflect each individual's outstanding contributions to research, teaching, and service to the University and Ōtepoti community as a whole. Read the full list ⬇️

OPINION: 8 reasons the government should not introduce oral nicotine pouches to NZ ⬇️

Professor Ceridwen Fraser has crafted a very special addition to the Department of Marine Science's new digs 🤩 She's created this beautiful stained glass piece celebrating Otago's unique marine life, now on display in the foyer of the Geology Museum in the Quad building 🌊🦭 📸 Gerard O'Brien

Early detection of prostate cancer could soon be simplified, thanks to an initiative led by Dr Jim Smith (Te Ātiawa) 👏 He has received funding to create a targeted DNA methylation-based blood test, which he hopes will lead to earlier detection, accurate diagnoses, and improved patient outcomes.

Science says your skin loves vitamin C🍊 New research from Otago shows a strong link between diet and skin health. Eating foods high in vitamin C every day (such as two SunGold kiwifruit) can boost collagen, skin thickness and cell renewal in just eight weeks. Read more here⬇️

Can you treat disease without medication or surgery?🤔 Otago researchers are pioneering non-invasive ways to treat the brain and body. From smart patches to sound waves that target the brain, these breakthroughs could transform care across Aotearoa.🩻 Read more here⬇️