Healthy volunteers needed for healthy digestion and kiwifruit study
A research team at the University of Otago Christchurch are looking for volunteers interested to be part of a study into digestion and constipation. Get in touch with the research team for more information if you:
- are aged between 18 and 65 years old;
- currently live in Christchurch; and
- are healthy and have no issues with your puku (gastrointestinal health).
This research aims to test a new approach for the treatment of gastrointestinal issues with kai (food). The researchers are looking at different aspects of your everyday life and how they affect your puku (tummy) as well as treatment outcomes over time.
The research team are looking to recruit whānau (people) who have no tummy symptoms at all as well as people who have constipation and constipation-predominant IBS to be part of this feasibility trial.
This research is very important as there is very little knowledge about how kai (food) affects constipation and constipation-predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS-C).
This study involves:
- filling out questionnaires about your current health and quality of life;
- keeping food and symptoms diaries;
- eating kiwifruit and psyllium; and
- collecting some samples (blood, urine, faeces and breath) at multiple times over the course of 16 weeks.
There will be also be five15-minute meetings with the research team at 40 Stewart Street during the study, after an initial meeting of 30 minutes.
Your mahi (help) will be rewarded with a $20 petrol voucher for the initial meeting, and additional $50 vouchers for each meeting if you decide to participate.
Contact the COMFORT-PSYKI Research team if you are interested or for more details at comfortcohort@gmail.com
Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
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52.7% Human-centred experience and communication
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14.7% Critical thinking
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29.6% Resilience and adaptability
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2.9% Other - I will share below!
Brain Teaser of the Day 🧠✨ Can You Solve It? 🤔💬
Make a hearty dish. Take just half a minute. Add four parts of kestrel. Then just add one. What have you made?
(Trev from Silverdale kindly provided this head-scratcher ... thanks, Trev!)
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!
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Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
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