An in-depth read, ~15 min TLDR/Summary Global systems theorist Thomas Homer-Dixon gave a webinar on Nov 6, 2025 in which he described the Cascade Institute’s breakthrough approach to modelling global systemic risk. You can watch the full video of his presentation on the ASRA YouTube channel.

New Zealand has a geographic advantage that could be a strategic liability. Our isolation protects us from many regional and global threats, but makes us uniquely vulnerable to the one consequence nearly all global catastrophes share: the collapse of international trade and supply chains.

The following is a media release by the University of Otago about our latest research paper, which determined that New Zealand would likely struggle to supply most of the commonly prescribed medicines used in acute care if a global catastrophe seriously reduced global trade.

By Matt Boyd, Michael Baker, Amanda Kvalsvig & Nick Wilson (cross-posted from the PHCC Blog) Summary/TLDR The strategic divide in pandemic response Five years into the Covid-19 pandemic, with an estimated 27.3 million excess deaths globally,1 we now can look back and try to understand which control strategies worked best.

By John Kerr, Matt Boyd, & Nick Wilson (Blog crossposted from PHCC ‘the Briefing‘) TLDR/Summary: There is increasing concern over catastrophic threats such as nuclear conflict, engineered pandemics, and emerging technologies including artificial intelligence. Our just published survey research shows New Zealanders want their government to take these risks seriously.

The following is a transcript of our invited presentation to the Environment Canterbury regional council on 10 Sept 2025 as part of Council’s external speaker series and in support of a food resilience strategy. You can click to watch the recorded version which is followed by Q&A with the councillors.

Background New Zealand public sector agencies must prepare a ‘long-term insights briefing’ every three years. This is an opportunity to look beyond short-term political cycles and use foresight to see what really matters to New Zealand over the longer course.

TLDR/Summary Two critical government consultations The New Zealand government has called for submissions on drafts of two major plans pertaining to national infrastructure and fuel security. The NZ Infrastructure Commission and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) have asked how we can future-proof the systems that keep our country running. Our non-partisan independent … Continue reading "Building Real Resilience: Our Submissions on NZ’s Fuel and Infrastructure Plans"

[Media Release by University of Otago] This blog cross-posts a University of Otago media release about our recent research: Many former leaders of the world’s nine nuclear-armed nations were impaired by health conditions while in office, raising concerns over their decision-making abilities while they had access to nuclear weapon launch codes, a study from the University of Otago, New Zealand, has found.

New US National Academy of Sciences Report reveals the complex web of societal vulnerabilities that could amplify nuclear war’s devastating impact TLDR/Summary The US National Academy of Sciences has just released a comprehensive report on the “Environmental Effects of Nuclear War”. This work extends analysis beyond physical damage to examine impacts on human social and economic systems.

TLDR/Summary Introduction I attended the European Urban Resilience Forum (Rotterdam, June 25-27), which brought together city leaders, policy makers, and resilience practitioners grappling with an uncomfortable reality: traditional approaches to climate adaptation may no longer be sufficient in an era of converging and interacting global risks. Rotterdam’s vice-mayor discussed life six metres below sea level, … Continue reading "Think Beyond Climate: What New Zealand Can Learn from the European Urban Resilience Forum 2025"