Right now, many people around the world are looking at New Zealand and Australia’s responses to COVID-19, and wishing they lived here.

Of course, it helps that we have big “moats” around our countries. But on both sides of the Tasman, we’ve been lucky to have good people giving clear, evidence-based advice – and politicians who heeded those experts in time.

Here at The Conversation, our COVID-19 authors have often also been key advisers to the New Zealand and Australian governments: people like University of Otago professors Michael Baker and Nick Wilson, UNSW Professor Raina MacIntyre and Monash University Professor Allen Cheng, to name just a few.

As editors, we’ve seen authors putting in long days in research labs, hospitals or teaching online from home, often while juggling kids, before writing into the night for The Conversation. Like us, they believe knowledge needs to be shared freely and in plain English, with as many people as possible.

That’s what The Conversation was created to do as a not-for-profit publisher. And thanks to our Creative Commons model of publishing, everything we do can be republished for free by other media worldwide.

This COVID-19 pandemic has shown just how essential our university and research sectors are. Knowledge is powerful, and can save lives. So to all our authors – not just the public health experts, but everyone who’s worked with us in recent months, on everything from COVID-19 to climate change and more – thank you.

The Conversation only exists because of the generous support of our New Zealand and Australian university and strategic partners and you, our readers. If you can, please consider giving a voluntary donation. (Please note: donations are in Australian dollars, but will all be used to support our joint New Zealand and Australian team.)

Thanks for reading; we hope you enjoy these latest New Zealand stories and a selection from The Conversation’s international editions.