Aotearoa / New Zealand

The company plans to extract DNA from moa bones and use gene editing to modify "living birds to resemble the extinct South Island giant moa".

There is an announcement post here: https://lemmy.nz/post/25124710

We drew this last time:

Any suggestions for what we could draw this time? I'm happy to put together a template, it would be nice to have some new ideas for this year.

This is what happened this week.

New Zealanders with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) will now have easier access to diagnosis and medication after the government changed prescribing rules.

But there is still so much we don’t know about ADHD in Aotearoa. And while these changes will help many, easier access to medication alone won’t fill the gaps in other supports people with ADHD need to live well.

From February 2026 trained GPS and nurse practitioners will be able to diagnose and treat ADHD. Under the current system, only paediatricians or psychiatrists can make the diagnosis. GPs and nurse practitioners then provide followup care.

The current process – which is both time-consuming and expensive – has been widely criticised. The government’s changes are expected to at least partially address these issues.

Worldwide estimates suggest ADHD in adults ranges from 2.5% to 3.4% of most populations. But England’s 2023 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey found 13.9% of adults met criteria warranting clinical assessment. Only 0.5% had been professionally diagnosed.

Recent research found 0.6% of the adult population in New Zealand was receiving drug treatment for ADHD. Based on a conservative estimate of 2.6% of adults with ADHD, this shows a large “treatment gap” exists.

Māori and Pacific peoples are less likely to receive ADHD medications. These inequities begin early. Tamariki Māori screened for ADHD at age four are less likely to receive medication than their non-Māori peers.

There are also substantial differences in the age of diagnosis across sociodemographic groups. These inequities raise serious concerns about access and systemic bias.

International research shows untreated ADHD is linked to worse mental and physical health, higher mortality, and reduced life expectancy.

ADHD prevalence is also five times higher among youth prisoners and ten times higher among adult prisoners compared to the general population. In Australia, ADHD’s social and economic costs are estimated at A$20.42 billion per year, or $25,071 per person.

Adult women were overrepresented in the sample, constituting 83% of the 689 participants, with over 80% reporting being diagnosed after age 24, reflecting global trends of underdiagnosis in early age among women.

Growing evidence shows many of the negative outcomes of ADHD are mitigated by treatment with medication. One study from Sweden found a significant association between initiating ADHD medication treatment and lower mortality.

However, medication is only part of the solution. Strategies focused on the strengths of people with ADHD can have huge benefits for the individual, their whānau and communities. Particularly when they receive timely diagnosis, treatment and necessary accommodations.

Researchers argue that while ADHD medications provide effective treatment, they should never be the only form of treatment offered.

Expanding prescribing authority is a vital step, but this alone will do little to increase access to psychological and allied health supports to ensure the right care can be provided to people with ADHD.

Hundreds of citizen scientists are set for a stint of bird spotting as the annual New Zealand Garden Bird Survey gets underway on Saturday.

It's the 19th time that Te Tatauranga o ngā Manu Māra o Aotearoa has been held.

From now until 6 July people were encouraged to get out in their garden or go to a local park and look at and listen for birds for one hour, on one day, and record the highest number of each species they notice.

How to take part in the New Zealand Garden Bird Survey:

1. Visit the NZ Garden Bird Survey website to get started.

2. Select a garden or a local park.

3. Choose any ONE day between 28 June and 6 July.

4. Look and listen for birds on that day for ONE hour.

5. For each species, record the HIGHEST number seen or heard at one time.

6. Submit the results online via the NZ Garden Bird Survey website's Take Part page.

A pair of fishers are likely to face charges after being caught with more than 1800 pāua in Porirua.

The pāua was seized by fishery officers based in Wellington earlier this week.

"While inspecting a vessel shortly after it landed at Titahi Bay on Tuesday afternoon, fishery officers discovered 1863 pāua, which had already been shucked," Fisheries New Zealand regional Manager Phil Tasker said.

The estimated retail value of the pāua was approximately $25,000.

Tasker said it was one of the biggest hauls of illegally harvested pāua in recent times.

"There is a maximum daily limit of five pāua per fisher in this area, which gives some context to the scale of this offending, and the potential damage it could do to the pāua population."

He said it was incredibly disappointing to see offending of this scale.

"This fishery is a shared resource, and the rules are there to protect its sustainability for everyone. Our message for those who think they can steal this shared resource is that we will pursue offending and there will be consequences."

Last weeks thread here

Welcome to this week’s casual kōrero thread!

This post will be pinned in this community so you can always find it, and will stay for about a week until replaced by the next one.

It’s for talking about anything that might not justify a full post. For example:

• Something interesting that happened to you

• Something humourous that happened to you

• Something frustrating that happened to you

• A quick question

• A request for recommendations

• Pictures of your pet

• A picture of a cloud that kind of looks like an elephant

• Anything else, there are no rules (except the rule)

So how’s it going?