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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · 3d

AUT senior lecturer and registered psychotherapist Dr Brigitte Viljoen says New Zealanders could be at risk from unregulated AI chatbots being promoted for therapy - and the Government needs to act.

"We need scientific proof... not hypothetical claims and hype.”

www.aut.ac.nz/news/stories...

AI chatbots no substitute for therapy - AUT News - AUT

An AUT senior lecturer says New Zealanders could be at risk from unregulated AI chatbots being promoted for therapy.

www.aut.ac.nz

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · 3d

AUT senior lecturer and registered psychotherapist Dr Brigitte Viljoen says New Zealanders could be at risk from unregulated AI chatbots being promoted for therapy - and the Government needs to act.

"We need scientific proof... not hypothetical claims and hype.”

www.aut.ac.nz/news/stories...

AI chatbots no substitute for therapy - AUT News - AUT

An AUT senior lecturer says New Zealanders could be at risk from unregulated AI chatbots being promoted for therapy.

www.aut.ac.nz

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · 9d

Read Dr Aigwi's full response on the @smcnz.bsky.social website:

www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/09/29/q...

Quake-prone buildings redefined - Expert Reaction

Government changes to the earthquake-prone building system will remove nearly 3000 buildings from the classification. Following the Seismic Risk Management Review, Building and Construction Minister C...

www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz

AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · 9d

"This discrepancy can result in the abandonment of vital heritage structures in regional centres as an unintended consequence of the legislation, ultimately leading to a decline in the overall vitality of regional inner-cities.”

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · 9d

She says regional centres in NZ often contain a higher density of unique earthquake-prone heritage buildings per capita and frequently receive less financial support than their urban counterparts.

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · 9d

"Another significant gap is that the terms of reference did not explore questions regarding diverse challenges faced by urban vs regional areas," Dr Aigwi told the Science media Centre @smcnz.bsky.social

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · 9d

The government shake-up of earthquake-prone building rules should explore how social connections and community ties to earthquake-prone heritage buildings may affect compliance with the current earthquake-prone building legislation, says AUT's Dr Esther Aigwi.

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · 19d

Unity remains elusive at the recent Pacific Islands Forum; Marco de Jong and Sione Tekiteki from AUT Law School explain why: theconversation.com/pacific-lead...

Pacific leaders reach agreement on big issues – but unity remains elusive

Last week’s Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting showed why true integration remains challenging while island nations are at different stages of independence.

theconversation.com

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · 19d

We'd never heard the phrase "skin orgasms" until we read Associate Professor Daniel Shepherd's piece on ASMR 😬

Plenty of people use ASMR videos and audio to help them sleep, but is there any scientific evidence that it can be effective?

www.rnz.co.nz/life/wellbei...

Does ASMR really help with anxiety?

Experiencing an involuntary physiological response to a sound helps some people feel a sense of "psychological stability".

www.rnz.co.nz

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · 23d

An international law expert from AUT Law School makes a strong, legally-robust call for the NZ government to recognise Palestine as a state... theconversation.com/a-un-finding...

A UN finding of genocide in Gaza adds pressure on NZ to recognise a Palestinian state

If New Zealand expressly recognises Palestine at the UN next week, it will be a significant – but justified – departure from long-standing foreign policy.

theconversation.com

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · Sep 9

"Amidst the speeches, waiata and ceremony, it was the Queen’s wardrobe that set tongues wagging," writes Mairātea Mohi.

Read the full analysis of Te Arikinui's Koroneihana wardrobe, designed by AUT Senior Lecturer Dr Bobby Luke, on Ensemble Magazine:

www.ensemblemagazine.co.nz/articles/mao...

How Te Arikinui's Koroneihana wardrobe weaves tradition, authority and hope | Ensemble Magazine

Mairātea Mohi on Nga wai hono i te po's five day fashion feast, the fabric of a new era.

www.ensemblemagazine.co.nz

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · Sep 9

Have you seen stories about people falling in love with chatbots? Or people using them as therapists? ❤️📲

Dr Brigitte Viljoen, Clinical Sciences lecturer at AUT and registered psychotherapist, explains why the New Zealand Government needs to put regulations in place to protect the public.

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · Sep 8

In theory, reform will speed up the consenting process, but a crucial question remains: how will homeowners be protected if things go wrong?

theconversation.com/building-con...

Building consent reform: how digital technology can make new liability rules watertight

The leaky homes crisis showed the risk of relying on paper trails to track building records. Digital approval and inspection records are the answer.

theconversation.com

AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · Aug 26

NEWS ALERT: New tool for catching AI BOTS!! 🤖 LLM-BotGuard is HERE!!! READ now 👉👉👉 www.aut.ac.nz/news/stories... 🔥🔥🔥 #AI #TechNews #WOW #MustRead #DidABotWriteThis? #BOTS #🔥🔥🔥

AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · Aug 19

Who will win the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup? We ran 10,000 simulations to rank the contenders. Do you agree with the algorithm? theconversation.com/who-will-win...

Who will win the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup? We ran 10,000 simulations to rank the contenders

England are clear favourites to win the Women’s Rugby World Cup, which kicks off on August 23. But that oval ball can bounce in unexpected directions.

theconversation.com

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · Aug 6

The exhibition Between Memories and Objects, at the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, commemorates the 80th anniversary of the atomic bomb. www.hiroshima-moca.jp/exhibition/m...

被爆80周年記念記憶と物 ―モニュメント・ミュージアム・アーカイブ― - 展覧会 - 広島市現代美術館 | Hiroshima MOCA

公立では全国初の現代美術を専門に扱う美術館として、現代美術の作品を収集、紹介している広島市現代美術館のウェブサイトです。

www.hiroshima-moca.jp

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · Aug 6

On 6 August 1945 the US dropped a nuclear bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Between 60,000 and 80,000 people were killed instantly, with the death toll rising to 140,000 by the end of the year. Three days later, the Americans dropped a plutonium bomb on Nagasaki, killing 74,000.

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · Aug 6

"These trees are the ultimate witnessers; they will outlive the human hibakusha who are coming to the ends of their lives."

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · Aug 6

Fiona used a solution made from seaweed collected from the current line of the Fukushima waste-water release, to develop the photos.

“The white splotches in the processed image are from the tritium in the seaweed developer,” she says.

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · Aug 6

“The trees I photographed in Hiroshima were burnt to stumps during the atomic attack,” Fiona says.

“However, as their root systems are underground and therefore somewhat protected, they regenerated about two months later."

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · Aug 6

This photograph, by artist and AUT Associate Professor Fiona Amundsen, shows a hibakujumoku (an atomic bomb survivor tree) in Hiroshima. Part of a series of new photographs currently on show at the Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art, the cherry tree depicted is more than 300-years-old.

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · Aug 5

How does noise sensitivity disrupt the mind, brain and body?

Associate Professor Daniel Shepherd says it's a health issue that's often ignored.

"I remember a person describing it like having a mosquito flying around you," he says. "You just can't not attend to it."

www.bbc.com/future/artic...

How noise sensitivity disrupts the mind, brain and body

Though noise sensitivity is often dismissed by doctors, it can have long-term effects on our mental and physical health.

www.bbc.com

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · Aug 5

There's no Blank Space in this book - it's left us Enchanted. It really is Gorgeous.

Hannah McCann @binarythis.bsky.social · Aug 4

We’re getting ready to launch our Taylor Swift book this week! Check out this piece on Pursuit about the collection @eloisefaichney.bsky.social @emmawhatman.bsky.social @autnews.bsky.social

pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/Tay...

Taylor Swift is filling a ‘blank space’ in academic research

A new book by University of Melbourne researchers explores how Swift studies is bringing the cultural phenomena of Taylor Swift into academia.

pursuit.unimelb.edu.au

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Reposted by AUT news

Hannah McCann @binarythis.bsky.social · Aug 4

We’re getting ready to launch our Taylor Swift book this week! Check out this piece on Pursuit about the collection @eloisefaichney.bsky.social @emmawhatman.bsky.social @autnews.bsky.social

pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/Tay...

Taylor Swift is filling a ‘blank space’ in academic research

A new book by University of Melbourne researchers explores how Swift studies is bringing the cultural phenomena of Taylor Swift into academia.

pursuit.unimelb.edu.au

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AUT news @autnews.bsky.social · Aug 5

Using waste glass — rather than lime or cement — to stabilise Aotearoa’s roads could lower carbon dioxide emissions by up to 21 percent, AUT's Dr Roohollah Kalatehjari has found🍾

You can read the full paper in @springer.springernature.com's Scientific Reports www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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