JANUARY 24, 2026. I’m proud and delighted that a wide range of eminent scientists and doctors, whose expertise traverses metabolic science, paediatric health & brain nutrition, have generously supported PSGRNZ’s (2026) paper: This primary link provides links to the ‘Reclaiming Health’ paper; the quotes; social media images for sharing (yes […]
On September 16 2023 I was honoured to present at the NZDSOS, (New Zealand Doctors Speaking Out on Science) annual conference. The theme was Truth, Justice and Healing. A talk on democracy, institutional failure & justice. The Grand Hall at Eden Park stadium, in Auckland was filled to the brim […]
ABSTRACT Science for Whom: Manufacturing social consent for government policies through the control of science production. For decades the science diplomacy community have emphasised the importance of evidence-based science and the role of the honest broker. This presumes that the science produced and presented equally represents the complexity of issues […]
Innovation & Ignorance. How Science Funding Schemes Deter the Production of Uncomfortable Knowledge ABSTRACT Scientific research funding schemes emphasise innovation. However, this emphasis steers scientists away from producing what Rayner would refer to as ‘uncomfortable knowledge’. This is knowledge that spans the void between wicked problems and the solutions required […]
What was the threshold? Endangered birds, vaccines and the missing risk assessment There is something extraordinary about knowing that a kākāpō, takahē or kakī exists nowhere else on Earth. Some of these populations are so small that… Politicians: Stuck in scientific purgatory in election year The evidence for reversing chronic […]
SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND (2025) ABSTRACT: Building in policy for ‘fantastically cheerful medicine’. New Zealand’s health strategy lacks explicit targets, policies, or resources to slow or reverse the twin crises of metabolic and mental health. A pioneering U.K. clinic has developed a health-coach model that has achieved reductions […]
SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND (2025) ABSTRACT Exposing the treatment gap: When New Zealand’s long-term mental wellbeing strategy ignores the role of nutrition in protecting and sustaining mental health. The treatment of poor mental health in New Zealand remains dominated by psychological therapies, pharmaceuticals, and self-care. Government agencies and […]
Extracts from my October 2022 discussion paper: COVID-19 in New Zealand: Ethics & the Setting Aside of Normative Principles. October, 18, 2022. (refs in original paper) Humanity has a long history of avoiding bringing attention to the ethical mismatch, when lower order rules contradict higher level principles. Actions taken 2020-2022 […]
During COVID-19 I was researching and writing my master’s thesis while also working pro bono for PSGR. My thesis concerned the problem of scientists in New Zealand and Australia being unable to access public research funding for public good scientific research. The specific research area was health conditions that were […]
Scientists have proposed that as annual production and releases of manmade technologies accelerate at a pace that outstrips the global capacity for assessment and monitoring – the safe operating space of the planetary boundary of novel entities has been exceeded. This paper, lead by Lyn Persson and colleagues at the […]