Nau mai haere mai – and welcome to your newsletter.

Over the past eight years, the demand for emergency housing has been rising steeply. Last week, the coalition government announced plans to require emergency housing applicants to show they have made “a reasonable effort” to secure a home in the private rental sector before being approved for assistance. The government also plans to cut back on the length of emergency housing grants.

But new research from Jessica Terruhn and Francis L Collins suggests the private rental sector is not a solution to New Zealand needs.

In a survey of renters, the authors heard stories of discrimination and instability, illustrating how the power balance between renters and landlords is weighted in favour of the latter.

“What was clear was that the government’s proposals don’t take into account the realities of households or the way the private rental sector itself is a key contributor to housing precarity and inequalities,” the authors write.

With the government also looking to drop the eviction notice period from 90 to 42 days in some cases, the situation is only going to get more dire for people who struggle to find a healthy and safe place to live.

There is plenty more to read here and on our homepage, including a look at the first 100 days of tax policy from the National-ACT-NZ First coalition by tax experts Lisa Marriott and Jonathan Barrett.

Many thanks for reading – until next week, mā te wā.

Debrin Foxcroft

Deputy New Zealand Editor

‘Applying for a home felt harder than applying for a job’: NZ private rentals won’t solve need for emergency housing

Jessica Terruhn, University of Waikato; Francis L Collins, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

Renters face all types of housing discrimination, new research has found. This needs to be taken into consideration when it comes to relying on the private sector to help with emergency housing.

Strange rock formations beneath the Pacific Ocean could change our understanding of the early Earth

Simon Lamb, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Cornel de Ronde, GNS Science

New research comparing the geology of southern Africa with the deep seafloor near New Zealand challenges conventional views of how the planet behaved when it was very young.

Taking the Treaty out of child protection law risks making NZ a global outlier

Dominic O'Sullivan, Charles Sturt University

While the New Zealand government removes reference to the Treaty in the Oranga Tamariki Act, Canada and even Australia are taking steps in the opposite direction on Indigenous children’s rights.

Personal trauma and criminal offending are closely linked – real rehabilitation is only possible with justice system reform

Katey Thom, Auckland University of Technology; Stella Black, Auckland University of Technology

A major new report identifies how a ‘trauma-informed’ justice system would acknowledge and act on the deprivation and mental health problems experienced by so many offenders.

The first 100 days of tax policy bode well for National’s supporters – others might be worried

Lisa Marriott, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Jonathan Barrett, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

National’s tax policies have been tweaked since the election, thanks to coalition agreements with NZ First and ACT. But the plan for tax cuts seems to have survived, to the benefit of core supporters.

Too much heat in the kitchen: survey shows toxic work conditions mean many chefs are getting out

Shelagh K. Mooney, Auckland University of Technology; Matthew Brenner, Southern Cross University; Richard Robinson, Northumbria University, Newcastle

Stress, poor pay and job insecurity are driving professional chefs away from the hospitality industry in Australia and New Zealand. Tourism is also feeling the impact of the looming skill shortage.

First Newshub, now TVNZ: the news funding model is broken – but this would fix it

Peter Thompson, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

Calls for the Fair News Digital Bargaining Bill to be fast-tracked are misguided. A better solution would be a straight levy on digital advertising to fund public interest news production.

Changes to NZ’s parole laws to improve rehabilitation could lead to even longer prison times

Laura Johnstone, University of Canterbury

Understaffing and budget cuts mean prisoners often struggle to complete rehab programmes, even when they want to. ACT’s Parole Amendment Bill risks having the opposite of its intended effect.

From our foreign editions

US attempt to ‘revitalize’ Palestinian Authority risks making the PA less legitimate, more unpopular

Dana El Kurd, University of Richmond

Israel has made it clear that Hamas should have no role in Gaza after the war. But seeking an alternative in the Palestinian Authority is fraught with problems.

Government’s aged care report proposes older Australians pay more but eschews a levy

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

A government-instituted Aged Care Taskforce has recommended older Australians should pay more of the cost of their aged care, while steering clear of politically fraught options.

We looked at all the recent evidence on mobile phone bans in schools – this is what we found

Marilyn Campbell, Queensland University of Technology; Elizabeth J Edwards, The University of Queensland

Our study suggests the evidence for banning mobile phones in schools is weak when you look at the impact on academic results, student wellbeing and cyberbullying.

Chinese migration to US is nothing new – but the reasons for recent surge at Southern border are

Meredith Oyen, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

A gloomier economic outlook in China and tightening state control have combined with the influence of social media in encouraging migration.

The next pandemic? It’s already here for Earth’s wildlife

Diana Bell, University of East Anglia

Bird flu is decimating species already threatened by climate change and habitat loss.

The biggest threat to Indonesia’s democracy? It’s not Prabowo, it’s the oligarchy

Ary Hermawan, The University of Melbourne

Soeharto’s oligarchy, not Prabowo, is subverting Indonesia’s democracy

How Haiti became a failed state

Nicolas Forsans, University of Essex

Haiti is facing a wave of chaos as gang violence grips the country.

As ‘Oppenheimer’ triumphs at the Oscars, we should ask how historical films frame our shared future

Kim Nelson, University of Windsor

The success of ‘Oppenheimer’ at the Academy Awards presents an opportunity to think about critical criteria for viewing historical film — and what we are owed by historical filmmakers.

Archeoastronomy uses the rare times and places of previous total solar eclipses to help us measure history

Sarah Sadavoy, Queen's University, Ontario

Mentions of total solar eclipses in ancient history help researchers pinpoint precise dates of notable events.

Nigeria risks losing all its forest elephants – what we found when we went looking for them

Rosemary Iriowen Egonmwan, University of Lagos; Bola Oboh, University of Lagos

Forest elephants are endangered in Nigeria. Habitat protection, community awareness campaigns, research and stronger regulations could save them from going extinct.