Radio New Zealand: PM Jacinda Ardern announces initiative to research social media algorithms. “Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced an initiative to research social media algorithms, but does not yet appear to have buy-in from some key tech players. Ardern made the announcement in New York after co-hosting a summit with French president Emmanuel Macron.”
Radio New Zealand: RNZ among media to secure news content deal with Google. “Google is launching its News Showcase in New Zealand today. RNZ, NZME and its various divisions, Scoop and Newsroom, are debut partners and contributors. The Showcase has been rolled out around the world as Google’s response to long-running complaints that it had profited from running media content without payment.”
Apple Insider: Apple Maps gets more detailed 3D data for three more countries. “France, Monaco, and New Zealand all now have updated terrain and road details as Apple Maps’ new map data reaches sixteen unique locations. New in Apple Maps are better highlighted areas, redesigned name labels, updated terrain information, improved visual clutter, as well as the addition of 3D models in locations for those three countries.”
New Zealand Herald: New Zealand tsunami database details history of monster waves and lost settlements. “Monster 12-metre waves, an entire settlement swept out to sea, and a bridge lifted and dumped a kilometre upriver are a few examples of the might of tsunami that have struck New Zealand in the last two centuries. Toka Tū Ake EQC and GNS Science have combed hundreds of years worth of historical tsunami data to create a new public resource, detailing all recorded tsunamis since 1835.”
The Music Network: That Festival Site to Launch New Era For Australian and New Zealand Music Festivals. “Officially launching this month, the new site is the creation of 21-year-old founder Jack Malloch, who wanted to develop a one-stop place for festival lovers to easily find information about both upcoming and past music festivals. Data has been gathered for more than 95 festivals, featuring a massive 900 lineups, 19,000 artists, and 30 years of music. Information on ticket prices, set times, and festival maps can be found, with key announcement dates also provided.”
RNZ: NZME makes final deal with Google about supplying news. “The pair have agreed on the terms for the supply of content to Google’s News Showcase, which they started in March. Chief executive Michael Boggs said the deal would support its digital development and journalism in the country.”
New Zealand Herald: Google fails to deliver campaign promise to fix Māori pronunciation on Google Maps. “Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission) told Te Ao with Moana this week that Google didn’t have the right technology to fulfil promises made in a 2017 campaign to improve Māori pronunciation in the Google Maps app.”
Scoop NZ: New Zealand’s First Database On Youth Leadership Opportunities Launches During Youth Week 2022. “Whether it’s becoming a youth MP, joining a youth advisory panel, or partaking in youth leadership conferences locally or abroad, the Rangatahi Leadership Opportunities Database seeks to level the playing field by making access to information on youth leadership more transparent, fair, and equitable for all young people.”
Radio New Zealand: Coroner signals social media’s role in mosque terror attacks a priority for inquest. “The coroner’s inquest into the mosque terror attacks, in which 51 people were killed, will look into the role of social media in the killer’s radicalisation, and the emergency response on the day.”
1 News New Zealand: Spate of ram-raids driven by social media – police. A “ram-raid” is when a vehicle is crashed into a target location with the intention of robbery. “Police say social media is a key driving force behind the spike in ram raids across the country. Detective Inspector Karen Bright told reporters on Wednesday that offenders as young as 11 years old were posting their exploits online.”
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA): Easy access to environmental research data. “New Zealand’s seven Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) have created the National Environmental Data Centre (NEDC) website to make the environmental information held by CRIs more accessible to all New Zealanders. The datasets include a huge range of information from climate and atmosphere, freshwater, land and oceans, including biodiversity and geological data.”
MIT Technology Review: A new vision of artificial intelligence for the people. “In the back room of an old and graying building in the northernmost region of New Zealand, one of the most advanced computers for artificial intelligence is helping to redefine the technology’s future. Te Hiku Media, a nonprofit Māori radio station run by life partners Peter-Lucas Jones and Keoni Mahelona, bought the machine at a 50% discount to train its own algorithms for natural-language processing. It’s now a central part of the pair’s dream to revitalize the Māori language while keeping control of their community’s data.”
New York Times: After the Protesters Left, an Illicit Weed Began Growing in Parliament’s Garden. “When anti-vaccination protesters finally cleared out of New Zealand’s Parliament grounds after a three-week occupation, they left behind a scene of destruction and disorder — the charred remains of a children’s playground, camping equipment and human waste, among other items. This week, a man eating lunch in the Parliament garden spotted something else left behind by protesters — cannabis seedlings nestled among the brassicas and marigolds.”
