Please read these responses!

“She explained how much Covid could hurt her & how vulnerable it felt to be unable to wear a mask to protect herself. She was a perfect example of why other people need to wear masks even if they don’t personally think Covid will hurt them” If you want to honour Alice Wong’s memory, please mask up

As a reward for supporting @siouxsiew.bsky.social I've donated 6 signed copies of #TheCovidResponse. And if you want to know how important Siouxsie's case was for academic freedom in Aotearoa, I've written a piece for the NZSR on what I think it means: ojs.victoria.ac.nz/nzsr/article...

At a time when academics are under sustained right-wing attack, Dr Siouxsie Wiles stood up to the neoliberal regime of university management and won, but it came at a cost. If you can, please consider supporting Siouxsie, one of the most courageous scholars I know. www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/852...

New, old, percolating writing about pain, suffering and stigma pinchesofpain.com/2025/10/17/y...

Big shakeup for NZ’s research funding – Expert Reaction

Another way government austerity is failing healthcare and the NZ people. Underfunded Te Whatu Ora / Health NZ is cutting access to the Cochrane Library, a gold standard source of information to support health decision-making. NZers use it 246 times per day. #nzpol tinyurl.com/3jya8hkd

“Children have a human right to a quality education that equips them for effective participation in a strong democracy — not one that simply shapes them into cogs for the economic machine.” — Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn.

This doesn’t surprise me. I know so many around me going down with illnesses! Wear a mask people. I reckon this is why I haven’t gotten sick

“We will no longer be tasked with local service design and delivery. Instead, our job will be to ‘engage’ and ’advise’. These changes take us from active partners to passive recipients.” — Louisa Wall on changes to Pae Ora law.

Kia ora Wellington based friends 😊 I’m posting to let you know about a research project I have underway with Octavia Calder Dawe, Eva Neely (both from the School of Health at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington) and Carmen Timu-Parata (NZ Breastfeeding Alliance). (1/3)

The Kāpiti Coast has its own writers' festival on 9-10 August - check it out!

Wow -- I didn't realize we've been added to Spotify, too! If that's how you roll, here's the link: open.spotify.com/show/0s6hEHu... * Audio distribution for indies like us takes a while and it's a crapshoot with major retailers. Corporate publishers get the real access, priority lane, tools, etc.

tl;dr — this EO co-opts the language of open science to implement a system of political control wherein presidential appointees are given broad latitude to designate any number of reasonable scientific activities and inferences as scientific misconduct, and to penalize those involved accordingly.

"Both #LongCovid and #MECFS are under-recognised, not because they are rare, but because clinicians lack the tools and training to adequately detect the systemic dysfunction they reflect" @drannanz.bsky.social on how New Zealand’s Long Covid blind spot has now reached crisis levels #pwME 🇳🇿

"I don't know anyone with Long Covid" "It's a liberal disease" "It's the vaccine" We've all heard the excuses. The truth is more than 400 million people are suffering from Long Covid, and the stigma and denial associated with the condition makes it hard for people to realize they have it:

Good reporting from the spinoff, making an important point: specific language like "people with a cervix" is good for everyone. Not every woman - or cis woman - has the same body parts or needs the same type of care. Being specific about the bodies we talk about is good.

Governments like to boast that “data-driven” policies are the best way to make fair, efficient decisions. They collect statistics, set targets and adjust strategies to suit 🧪🧵

A tricky thing about modern society is that no one has any idea when they don’t die. Like, the number of lives saved by controlling air pollution in America is probably over 200,000 per year, but the number of people who think their life was saved by controlling air pollution is zero.

Out this week @cogscisociety.bsky.social! @samhforbes.bsky.social & I ”urge extreme caution in the use of LLMs in classrooms lest we further normalize: pupils losing their privacy, reducing contact between learner and educator, deskilling teachers & polluting the environment” doi.org/10.1111/cogs...

The government disposed of all the gynae doctors in Whakatane. It pays travel costs for people who want to give birth, but those who don’t want to give birth have to find their own way to get where they can get the health care they need. #nzpol #abortion 1/3

It's one month until submission time for the Special Issue of @herdjournal.bsky.social on benefits and challenges of integrating lived experience in higher education teaching, which Snita Ahir-Knight and I are co-guest editing. Submissions due 25th April!!!

I'll take this chance to share what Snita Ahir-Knight are up to again 😊 I'm delighted to be co-guest editing a Special Issue of @herdjournal.bsky.social with Snita. With the Special Issue we will curate a range of perspectives on integrating lived experience in teaching.

Beyond humbled for #KindnessInScience & @tepunahamatatini.bsky.social to feature in @nature.com Careers with @climateadam.bsky.social. For more see @aisrayne.bsky.social et al. in @naturehumbehav.bsky.social here: bit.ly/3XpnD8V 🎨 @jobailey.bsky.social

"many people want to move on from the early pandemic years, and there is a temptation to minimise Covid's threat now the emergency response has passed. But it deserves a proportionate response that draws on the rich evidence we now have.....l"

If you support your library having Pride events and inclusive titles in their collection TELL THEM. If you appreciate the all gender toilets or the generally safe space they provide tell them that too. Don’t let the Destiny faithful be them only voices your library hears.

I'm delighted to be co-guest editing a Special Issue of @herdjournal.bsky.social with Snita Ahir-Knight. The Special Issue will focus on the benefits and challenges of integrating lived experience in higher education teaching. Full paper submissions are due 25 April 2025. (1/4)

“A democracy based on respect, rather than contempt for ordinary people…would restore hope and decency to public life in New Zealand.” Yes please, when will that be available? Great read from Newsroom today👇 newsroom.co.nz/2025/02/01/h...

This part?? This is why sometimes research doesn’t make immediate sense to people looking at a list of projects but can still lead to important discoveries

Relevant to my previous skeet… I get that people want COVID to be a thing of the past, but it’s not and everyday is impacting on the lives of our most vulnerable while disabling other. Why we can’t just accept that and make all this a priority to protect each other I will never understand.

A few thoughts from me on #GovtGPT newsroom.co.nz/2024/10/16/a...

“We are concerned that the science of masks and respirators appears to have been misunderstood, and misinformation unwittingly perpetuated, by some of the very highest-level government advisors” ⬇️ #WearAMask #CovidIsntOver #LongCovid www.bmj.com/content/386/...

More on the “don’t do sick” crowd - including how we’re frequently expected to hide our disabilities so as not to inconvenience others. Never forget that it’s ok to set (and hold) boundaries. Never apologize for being sick! www.disabledginger.com/p/we-dont-do...

🚨We are still looking for participants for our survey on piloting practices in psychology! We want to make sure we get a good spread across sub-disciplines so please feel free to pass this on to your networks #psychology #metascience #openscience #phdsky

Through a short exploration of two advertising campaigns for Strepsils and Difflam, I'm calling for wider thought about how we set expectations for our behaviour when we're unwell with an infectious illness. pinchesofpain.com/2024/08/02/w...

I love my @pepperraccoon.bsky.social pin 😍🐝💮 get your own pepperraccoon.com/products/man...

genAI apologists co-opting disability language infuriates me. Mentioning accessibility is not a magic wand to wave over bad takes to validate them!! 😡

It particularly drives me mad when they claim AI allows disabled people into the industry...a large % of the arts industry (like me) ARE disabled, and work as freelance creatives in large part because we aren't accommodated in 'regular' work environments. AI is taking away our only available income.

Wellington NZ friends. I am doing a very fun (and BRAND-NEW) talk on Friday morning in the city. 🧪There will be science....but I'll be gentle 🎟️Tickets are FREE 🥞Breakfast is provided 🎨Audience will be full of excellent, creative humans For details & to register: creativemornings.com/talks/laurie...

Heads-up covid-safe Aotearoa friends: Friday, 3 May Covid Safe Showcase: "Join us in celebrating creativity and talent while staying safe!" h/t + ty @seawall.bsky.social Link: www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/covid-safe...

A new review of Long Covid in Aotearoa. Thank you so much to everyone who worked on this important review. #LongCovid #LongCovidAwareness

Just a friendly reminder in this season of covid that should you get covid you should rest as much as is humanly possible. You should move slower than a sloth. You aren't lazy, or indolent, you're practicing self-care. time.com/6215346/covi...

New Zealand’s slapdash new government has no vision – only a plan to take us backwards https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/24/new-zealand-new-coalition-government-national-nz-first-act

Yay universal fees-free prescriptions released 128 pharmacist FTEs nationwide from fees admin to focus on healthcare & new services. Let's not go back! V proud of my part in the research #kikorangi #NoToPrescriptionFees #FeesFreePrescriptions4All www.prescriptionaccessinitiative.org/_files/ugd/1...

Doh! I’ve only just realised @gwenlindseyisaac.bsky.social & team have made a fab website for Ms. Information. It’s got the trailer, details of screenings, links to all the reviews/media mentions, & some lovely little vids of people’s reactions after seeing it. Check it out! msinformationmovie.com

Sneaking in here to post my Guardian column that I filed at midnight last night. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/14/new-zealand-didnt-want-to-lurch-to-the-right-it-just-wanted-change-it-doesnt-know-what-its-in-for

On Friday, my Honours students presented their amazing final projects. This article is one of them, written by Dr Dunning, who is a former GP and is now studying science communication. Worth a read on this post-election day. www.nzdoctor.co.nz/article/opin...

Hello Bluesky friends, trying out this thing.