Editor's note

Kia ora tātou - and welcome to this week’s newsletter. I hope you are all well and, if you live in New Zealand, well settled into lockdown conditions now.

There are now 647 people in New Zealand who tested positive for coronavirus, but by the time you read this newsletter, the Ministry of Health will be issuing the next update and there will be more confirmed cases.

As University of Canterbury epidemiologist Arindam Basu explains, the numbers will continue to rise for some time, despite comprehensive lockdown conditions, because of a lag between reported cases and infected people in the community. This week, New Zealand also reported the first death from COVID-19 but thankfully, the number of people who have recovered from the illness is on the rise.

Time in the outdoors can be a boost for both physical and mental health during a crisis. University of Waikato sports sociologist Holly Thorpe shares her research on the importance of informal outdoor activities for resilience during difficult times and recovery after stress or trauma.

Resilience will also be important for businesses. Bernard Walker and Tracy Hatton, both at the University of Canterbury, explore five principles used by leaders who are more effective in crisis situations.

And on the first day of New Zealand’s four-week lockdown, the Australian man responsible for the Christchurch mosque attacks has surprised the nation by pleading guilty to all charges. As AUT law scholar Kris Gledhill writes, the judge may consider a full life sentence without parole.

You’ll find a lot more to read in this newsletter. Feel free to share this with friends and colleagues as you catch up in virtual meetings. Take care, look after yourself, those in your bubble and anyone who might need help during the coming weeks. Ka kite anō a tērā wiki.

Veronika Meduna

New Zealand Editor

Top stories
Shutterstock

Why New Zealand’s coronavirus cases will keep rising for weeks, even in level 4 lockdown

Arindam Basu, University of Canterbury

Despite a comprehensive lockdown, New Zealanders should expect the number of people with coronavirus infections to rise first, before they come down again.
Supplied

The challenges and benefits of outdoor recreation during NZ’s coronavirus lockdown

Holly Thorpe, University of Waikato

My research shows New Zealanders are likely to cope better with the coronavirus lockdown if they spend time exercising and playing outdoors, while still following official advice on social distancing.
Singapore’s successful use of a mobile contact tracing app is among the ways New Zealand could use technology better in its COVID-19 lockdown. Wallace Woon/EPA

Tracking your location and targeted texts: how sharing your data could help in New Zealand’s level 4 lockdown

Jon MacKay

Automated text messages if your phone detects you're a long way from home, or discounted home internet, are just a few possible technology solutions to make New Zealanders "stay home to save lives".
AAP/Mick Tsikas

Life in prison looms for Australia’s Christchurch gunman, now NZ’s first convicted terrorist

Kris Gledhill, Auckland University of Technology

The Christchurch gunman's surprise guilty plea makes him the first person convicted of terrorism in New Zealand. A legal expert explains what will happen next in the sentencing process.
Shutterstock

Five principles to follow if your job is to lead your staff through the coronavirus crisis

Bernard Walker, University of Canterbury; Tracy Hatton, University of Canterbury

As New Zealand enters a four-week lockdown, some business leaders will get their workers through better than others. Five key principles can make all the difference.

From The Conversation's international editions

Antibody tests: to get a grip on coronavirus, we need to know who’s already had it

Larisa Labzin, The University of Queensland

A test that detects antibodies against the coronavirus behind COVID-19 would reveal those people who have already encountered the virus - and therefore who might be ok to resume normal life.

What will the world be like after coronavirus? Four possible futures

Simon Mair, University of Surrey

We could use this crisis to rebuild, produce something better and more humane. But we may slide into something worse.

How Germany is managing its coronavirus epidemic, and reacting with disdain to Trump’s policies

Klaus W. Larres, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Germans are struggling like the rest of the world with the coronavirus. And while Germans have a strong safety net and medical system, one thing may fall victim to the virus: relations with the US.

Social media companies are taking steps to tamp down coronavirus misinformation – but they can do more

Bhaskar Chakravorti, Tufts University

Facebook, Google and Twitter are stepping up to block misinformation and promote accurate information about the coronavirus. Their track records on self-policing are poor. The results so far are mixed.

Our free coronavirus symptom-tracking app has been used by two million people – here’s what we’re learning

Tim Spector, King's College London

CovidRADAR was developed in less than a week.

In Papua, forests offer more economic benefits than oil palm plantations, research finds

Pablo J. Acosta García, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)

Oil palm plantation on remote locations is not mutually exclusive with increase wealth and improve living standards at remote locations.

Why communities must be at the heart of conserving wildlife, plants and ecosystems

Derek Armitage, University of Waterloo; Ella-Kari Muhl, University of Waterloo; Merle Sowman, University of Cape Town; Philile Mbatha, University of Cape Town; Wayne Stanley Rice, University of Cape Town

With the 2020 deadline for conserving biodiversity almost past, communities must now play a larger role in conservation.

Working parents dealing with coronavirus quarantines will face psychological challenges

Marisa Young, McMaster University

During this outbreak, parents are suffering. They are dealing with one of the most consequential impacts on psychological health amongst the modern-day workforce: work-family conflict.

COVID-19 stalls peacekeeping troop rotation in South Sudan

Trilochan Malla, The University of Queensland

The country has suspended the rotation of peacekeeping troops in a move to manage the pandemic.

South Africa’s COVID-19 lockdown: cigarettes and outdoor exercise could ease the tension

Benjamin T H Smart, University of Johannesburg; Alex Broadbent, University of Johannesburg

Lockdown should be nuanced to the South African context of overcrowded accommodation and high levels of domestic violence. Permitting cigarette purchases and exercise might assist.