OpenBrief
Log in Sign up
What the picker changes
  • Top topics digest — the cards score the selected period against the prior 4 weeks.
  • 12-week heatmap & outlet matrix — show the 12 weeks ending at the selected week (they slide back with the picker, they aren’t a fixed snapshot).
  • Per-topic volume / alias drift — same 12-week trailing window, anchored on the selected period.
  • Coverage gap quadrant — scores the selected period against the 12 weeks before it (not including it).
  • Anomaly cards — only show alerts the detector fired during the selected period. Quiet weeks legitimately show none.
What stays as-is
  • Outlet orientation strip / lean colours — context-only, drawn from the last 12 weeks of activity regardless.
  • Co-occurrence graph — recent-activity anchored, not picker-driven.
  • Source & topic profiles — all-time data for the topic; the picker doesn’t affect them.
Rolling 7 days is a sliding live window for “current vibes”; switch to Weekly to compare specific weeks side-by-side.
live window
Topic

South Island Dryness

5 items · 6 aliases · peaked week of 19 Apr 2026 · first seen 3 May 2026

Unusually dry conditions, driven by persistent westerly winds, are forming drought hotspots in eastern parts of the North and South Islands, with Earth Sciences New Zealand highlighting areas at risk of developing drought.

Volume by source orientation Methodology →

Stacked weekly counts; colour by lean. “n/a” covers government and iwi-Māori sources where lean isn't applicable.

Alias drift

How this topic has been named, week by week. A new alias winning out is usually a framing shift.

Free account Watch this topic with a free account — get alerted when framing shifts, when an MP adopts new language, or when discourse and press diverge. Create a free account Log in

In the press Methodology →

How the news corpus has covered this same topic over the last 12 weeks. 2 articles from RNZ, Stuff, NZ Herald, ODT, 1News, Newsroom and The Spinoff. Click through to the press view for the full panel.

12-week press volume 2 articles
Free account Create a free account to see every headline on this topic — plus alerts when framing shifts or discourse and press diverge. Create a free account Log in

Heard on radio

Verbatim segments from politicians speaking on podcasts and radio shows about this topic. Sourced via the voice-reference library — each speaker has been confirmed manually from their voice clip. Click play to stream the original audio from the publisher, pre-seeked to the moment the quote starts.

  • Really looking forward to the footy tonight in Christchurch's new stadium, even though it's... Well it's probably going to roger us a wee bit here in Dunedin but anyhow Crusaders great Dan Carter is predicting that matches under the roof at Christchurch's new stadium will be more will be a more entertaining product. I think we've proved that here in Dunedin with Forsyth Bar Stadium. The Super Rugby Pacific champions are preparing for a new era at One NZ Stadium christening the venue against the New South Wales Waratahs tonight. Carter spent the latter part of his career in France playing for Racing 92 at a roof venue in Paris. The former All Blacks says it makes for a more attacking game with more ball in play and more points scored without interference from the elements. All we need to do is stop interference from the ref and we'll have a great game. Looking forward to the footy tonight, super rugby weekend in Christchurch. Up next we're sticking with Christchurch, that's where we find Rachel Shearer from PGG Rights and Wool, why the Middle East war could be good for New Zealand wool growers.
Free account Create a free account to unlock the full set here — plus alerts when framing shifts or an MP adopts new language. Create a free account Log in

Sample framings

Up to 12 framings spread across orientations. Each framing is a short phrase the topic extractor generated to characterise the piece's stance — not a quote from the source. Click through to read the original.

the-country Government / N-A

severe dryness threatening agriculture

The Country Full Show: Friday, April 24, 2026
24 Apr
Free account Create a free account to unlock the full set here — plus alerts when framing shifts or an MP adopts new language. Create a free account Log in

Spotted something wrong on this page? Report a correction.