Our Changing World

In the dunes of Bream Bay, DOC workers and volunteers are shifting shells by hand to build safer nesting habitat for tara-iti. With only about 45 birds left, every nest matters. Producer Liz Garton tags along on this important working bee. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for your science news. LEARN MORE: Listen Checkpoint covering the 2025 tara-iti breeding season Mangawhai is one of only four nesting spots for tara-iti, but a local community leader is warning of major environmental concerns 3D printed eggs helped ensure a record-breaking 2024 breeding season Find the OCW episodes mentioned in the podcast Alison Balance on an egg retrieval and Ayana Piper-Healion’s lizard hunting episode. GUESTS: Ayla Wiles, DOC’s Tara-iti Programme Lead Ari Carrington, Patuharekeke Te Taiao Unit Robyn Davies, Waipu About Tern volunteer THIS EPISODE: (00:00) Meet tara iti, New Zealand’s rarest endemic breeding bird. (06:41) What we know about tara iti and their remaining breeding sites. (11:52) Captive…

A genetic form of Parkinson’s disease is found at unusually high rates in some Pasifika communities. It affects people who are much younger than the typical Parkinson's patient. Researchers are working with patients to understand PINK1 Parkinson's, raise awareness, and explore new treatments. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Parkinson’s New Zealand provides information on symptoms, treatments, support services and local support groups around Aotearoa. But PINK1 sometimes presents differently, so Dr Christina Buchanan says if you’re a young Pasifika person with unusual stiffness you should talk to your GP and you can reach out to her at: Christina.Buchanan@TeWhatuOra.govt.nz Learn more: In 2023, Our Changing World explored how researchers are helping families affected by inherited neurological conditions in Aotearoa. The Neurological Foundation featured more on the PINK1 Parkinson’s discovery and ongoing research in their magazine. Nine…

GLP1 - RA weight loss drugs get the Our Changing World treatment! What are they? How do they work? And what does the science say about the benefits, and the risks? Plus, beyond health outcomes, how might things change as they become more widely available? Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter here for episode backstories, science analysis and more. LEARN MORE: If you’d like a deeper understanding of how drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy affect appetite and blood sugar regulation, Emile Donovan spoke to Dr Sebastian Furness about this on Nights. Obesity genetics researcher Giles Yeo joined Afternoons to explain why body weight is influenced by much more than willpower, and why biology plays such a powerful role in hunger and weight regulation. The study that Dr Andrew Reynolds contributed to on how obesity trends are changing around the world was published in Nature. You can read the paper here. Curious about how the major incretin drugs compare? This systematic review and meta-analysis examines…

In September, the Chatham Island black robin was crowned Bird of the Year 2026. This small, round and feisty manu has a remarkable comeback story, from just five birds in 1979 to about 400 today. They are found on just two predator-free islands in the Chatham group. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Over a hundred years ago Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch discovered a way to produce ammonia that revolutionised farming. It changed the world. But today this way of making ammonia uses between 1-2% of the world's global energy, and produces about the same greenhouse gas emissions as the whole airline industry. Is there a better way? A team at Earth Sciences New Zealand are on the hunt for a catalyst that could convert water and air into ammonia using renewable electricity. Their dream is to enable efficient and economical small-scale ammonia production, but to get there they must first prove the chemistry is possible. Over a hundred years ago Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch discovered a way to produce ammonia that would revolutionise farming. It changed the world. But today synthetic ammonia production uses between 1-2% of the world global energy, and produces about the same greenhouse gas emissions as the whole airline industry. Is there a better way to make it? A team at Earth Sciences New Zealand are on the hunt…

Over 80% of our coastal dune ecosystems have been lost. So, what about the native species living with them? Ayana Piper-Healion steps into Bream Bay’s sand dunes with a monitoring team to see what lizards can tell us about the health of the sand dunes. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: To find out more on what the local critics think about the Bream Bay Sand Extraction Project’s fast-track application, RNZ’s Peter de Graaf reported on a protest there earlier this year. Further north, Saturday Morning reported on significant damage being caused to dunes by thrill seekers driving vehicles through them. Another region dealing with threatened dunes is Waimarama, where weeds are spreading from people fly-dumping garden waste. In the Hawke’s Bay, the ‘Skink Squad’ are on a mission to save the northern spotted skinks in preparation for an infrastructure project. In 2021, Our Changing World did a deep dive into dune plants and the…

Highly pathogenic H5/N1 bird flu strain has been detected in New Zealand, but it's still early days. There are lots of unknowns about when it will start spreading here, and how our wildlife will react to the virus. But what has happened in other countries? Claire Concannon speaks to Niall Hatch of BirdWatch Ireland about what they've experienced. SHOW NOTES: Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. LEARN MORE: The Great Ireland Vs New Zealand Bird-Off took place across two episodes in 2023, during the time when bird flu has having a huge impact on Irish seabirds. Listen to them here: Part 1, Part 2. Read this RNZ explainer about what the confirmation of H5N1 in New Zealand means for wildlife, poultry and the public. Revisit the 2025 Our Changing World episode Getting ready for H5N1 bird flu, which traced the virus’s global spread and New Zealand’s preparations for its arrival. For more on Irish birds and wildlife with Niall Hatch and Ricky…

After years of watching it move closer, the highly pathogenic H5/N1 strain of bird flu has arrived on our shores. It has left a trail of devastation, causing mass mortality events in many birds and mammal species. What do we know about this virus and how is one high-risk site preparing to manage the impacts? Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Our Changing World listeners might like to check out All In Her Head, a podcast by investigative journalist Anusha Bradley exploring a complex medical syndrome, and the grey areas where medicine, belief and scientific evidence collide. See photos, video and read more about Rachel's story in a special digital feature: The girl who couldn’t eat: An RNZ investigation into the controversy over a debilitating illness A special thanks to the young women and their families for sharing their stories for this series. And thank you to the doctors, surgeons and specialists in New Zealand and overseas for sharing their medical knowledge and expertise. If any of these stories affect you – you can find more information about EDS, at ehlers-danlos.org.nz - or you can look up EDS NEW ZEALAND on Facebook and Instagram. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Our Changing World takes a deep dive into controversial plans by US company Colossal Biosciences, backed by filmmaker Peter Jackson, to de-extinct the Moa. In part two of a two-part series, Sharon Brettkelly looks at whether it SHOULD be done. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. LEARN MORE: Check out this explainer from Katie Kenny for the proposed Gene Technology changes. RNZ’s Monique Steel looks at who is backing the stalled Gene Technology Bill. Listen as Kathryn Ryan talks to Kennedy Warne about how de-extincting the moa might fit with conservation efforts. Ben Novak talks to RNZ’s Saturday Morning show about de-extincting the passenger pigeon. GUESTS: Professor Amanda Black, Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, Lincoln University and Director of Bioprotection Aotearoa. Professor Phillip Wilcox, bioethicist and quantitative geneticist, University of Otago. Andrew Pask, Chief Biology Officer, Colossal Biosciences Associate…

Our Changing World takes a deep dive into controversial plans by US company Colossal Biosciences, backed by filmmaker Peter Jackson, to de-extinct the Moa. In part one of a two-part series, Sharon Brettkelly looks at whether it CAN be done. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. LEARN MORE: Colossal Biosciences claims they have de-extincted the dire wolf, from CNN. More detail on Colossal Biosciences’ artificial egg. Listen to Kathryn Ryan speaking with ‘Mr Moa’ - paleozoologist Trevor Worthy about his long career. Auckland Museum research associate Daniel Thomas talks to Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira about the discovery of million year old moa footprints. GUESTS: Dr Andrew Pask, Chief Biology Officer, Colossal Biosciences Associate Professor Nic Rawlence, Director of Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, University of Otago. IN THIS EPISODE: (00:00) Could we bring the moa back? (02:30) Sequencing the moa genome (06:00) DNA data (08:00) The artificial egg…

Cold plunges and cold water swimming are increasingly popular, with big benefit claims being made on social media. But is submerging yourself in frigid water actually good for you? Claire Concannon joins a team of researchers at the 2026 New Zealand and Oceania Ice Swimming Championships in Alexandra as they try to get some better data about both the risks and potential benefits. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. IN THIS EPISODE: (00:00) Introduction – the rise of cold water swimming. (01:06) The 2026 New Zealand and Oceania Ice Swimming Championships in Alexandra. (02:00) Competitor Susan Sherwen on why she ice swims. (05:10) How researchers track swimmers’ core temperature, stroke rate and perceptions of cold. (07:30) Prof Jim Cotter on cold shock, hypothermia and afterdrop. (12:00) The recovery room – Steven and Susan after their swim. (17:30) Potential benefits and what the research says. (20:30) Blood samples and looking for brain…

After years of preparation and effort an international team have succeeded in recovering over 200 metres of sediment from below the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Claire Concannon visits the sediment core analysis team in Dunedin to find out how mud, rocks and microfossils can tell the story of ice growth and retreat across time. And as we look towards our warmer future, what will this mean for sea level rise? Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. In this episode: (00:00) Introduction to Antarctica, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and the SWAIS2C drilling project. (02:18) Recovering a sediment core from beneath 523 metres of ice at Crary Ice Rise. (04:00) Professor Richard Levy on the early steps of processing the core (07:50) Sedimentologist Georgia Grant explains how rocks reveal the advance and retreat of ancient ice sheets. (14:33) Dating the core using paleomagnetism and microscopic fossils such as diatoms. (22:45) Evidence for past periods of…

There’s a lot of chat about solar panels for our rooftops, but where else might it make sense to put them? Claire Concannon visits the University of Canterbury’s Electric Power Engineering Centre to learn about their involvement in a big European project exploring the use of solar panels on vehicles and in car parks. Plus, she speaks to one researcher who is focused on planning for global catastrophes. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

At the Robinson Research Institute in Wellington, researchers are developing powerful superconducting magnets for space, fusion and MRI applications. Claire Concannon visits the labs to learn about a small magnet’s trip to the International Space Station, and how much bigger magnets are powering nuclear fusion research. She also meets the team working on a hydrogen-based way to make iron from New Zealand iron sand, removing carbon dioxide emissions from the first step of steelmaking. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: Listen back to Our Changing World’s 2023 episode on plasma rockets in space, featuring the Paihau – Robinson Research Institute team’s work on superconducting magnets for plasma thrusters. Read Our Changing World’s story on OpenStar Technologies and its New Zealand approach to nuclear fusion. Learn more about CullBeck’s demonstration site plans for the hydrogen-based ironmaking technology. The New Zealand…

To get electric passenger planes in the skies requires powerful electric motors, but they must also be small and light. Some kiwi scientists think they could have a solution. Claire Concannon heads to a warehouse in Petone to learn about the promise of high temperature superconducting magnets to make electric motors for airplanes. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. In this episode: 00:00 - Where are our electric planes? 01:00 - The challenge of aviation electrification. 02:48 - The history of the Robinson Research Institute and useful properties of superconductors. 07:00 - The establishment of the New Zealand Institute of Advanced Technology 08:30 - The advantage of superconducting motors for aviation. 11:15 - Airbus’ plans for a future electric plane 12:05 - Warehouse tour and levitation bearings for future motors 14:04 - Basic motor design and characterising AC losses in superconductors. 21:26 - Testing a superconducting generator with…

Join a group of young explorers as they journey to Antarctica to return a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo to Discovery Hut. Along the way they visit other historic huts to learn about triumphs and tragedies of the 'Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration'. This is an edit of the Antarctic Heritage Trust's '77 Degrees South' podcast. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: The full Antarctic Heritage Trust 77 Degrees South podcast can be found on their website. The AHT also previously made a podcast about restoring Scott's Terra Nova Hut, and an edit of that was also aired on Our Changing World. Guests: Producer: Maia Ingoe Narrator: Jake Bailey Sound design and music: Calum Turner Inspiring explorers: Kitiona Pelasio, Louise Piggin, Lucy Hayes-Stevenson, Ngaiwai Clendon, Daniel Bornstein Guest contributor: Al Fastier Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Every 90 minutes a New Zealander dies from heart disease. Liz Garton meets the team at the Institute of Biomedical Technologies is developing new products to help monitor heart health in the home to try to change those terrible statistics. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: The Detail recently looked into the deadly heart disease that creeps up on you. In March, Guyon Espiner spoke with Dr Philip Shirely about how an annual flu vaccine can reduce the risk of heart issues. Kate Green’s investigation into health insurance in May, showed heart disease is one of the biggest drivers of claims. Dr Claire Concannon visited the CoRE Pūtahi Manawa to find out what they’re doing to address heart health inequities, in 2022. Guests: Professor Andrew Lowe, Dr Tet Chuan Lee, Matin Khalili, Institute of Biomedical Technologies, Auckland University of Technology. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Out of all of New Zealand’s natural hazards, landslides have resulted in the greatest loss of life since written records began. Pulling in data from decades of landslide research, a team at Earth Sciences New Zealand are now developing national models of landslide risk for both slow- and fast-moving landslides, to help New Zealand plan for, and respond to, major landslide events. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: Other researchers at Earth Sciences New Zealand are also investigating underwater landslides, which have the potential to cause tsunami hazards. In January In-Depth reporter Kirsty Johnston investigated the gap between what New Zealand spends on disaster recovery and climate preparation. Jesse Mulligan revisited the Abbotsford disaster in 2019 with Sarah Johnston from Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision. Landslides are one of the threats that are monitored 24/7 by the National Geohazard Monitoring Centre. Guests: Dr Chris…

A team that developed a brain cooling treatment for oxygen-deprived babies, a young scientist who created a helpful backseat driver app, a Māori kaiako encouraging her students to weave traditional design and contemporary materials, a paleobiologist communicating about the issues around de-extinction and a researcher investigating how much climate change contributes to extreme weather events: We meet the 2025 Prime Minister's Science Prize winners! Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

New Zealand is a land formed by volcanoes, including some still active. Claire Concannon meets a researcher analysing ash deposits to determine if a future eruption might have dangerous levels of hazardous chemicals. Plus, she learns about a voyage to Vanuatu and the Solomen Islands to study the gases and ash of an active volcanic chain there. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: Researchers continue to study New Zealand’s active volcanoes like Whakaari and Ruapehu to try to understand their patterns of eruptions. When Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha‘apai, just north of Tonga’s main island, erupted in 2022 it caused a worldwide tsunami. Ellen Rykers dug into the science behind the phenomenon. The work of the National Geohazard Monitoring Centre is to keep on eye on earthquake, volcano, landslide and tsunami hazards 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Auckland is built on a network of volcanoes, and underground lava caves. Guests: Dr Jenni…

Phase two of Predator Free Wellington’s groundbreaking project to rid our capital of rats is well underway. They’ve learned a lot from their work on the Miramar Peninsula, but with this new chapter comes new challenges – not just backyards, but a hospital, and even a zoo! Charlie Dreaver meets some of the team out fighting this battle on multiple interesting fronts. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: The target for Wellington to become New Zealand’s first predator-free city was announced by Conservation Minister Tama Potaka in March, as part of a Predator Free 2050 strategy update. In November last year the government added feral cats to the Predator Free 2050 list of targeted predators, likely in response to RNZ’s In-Depth team’s reporting about the destruction they cause, and a pre-election promise. Learn more about other large predator removal projects such as Predator Free Rakiura and Predator Free South Westland, and the…

Scientists had long been exploring RNA technology as a way to make vaccines before it had it’s breakout appearance during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, interest in the potential uses of RNA to make vaccines and disease treatments has bloomed. In late 2023 a government-funded platform began work to enhance New Zealand’s capacity to design and make RNA. Three years in, how is the platform going? Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: RNA interference (RNAi) technology is being investigated to help honey bees fight off the varroa mite. US based Dyne Therapeutics conducted a clinical trial study of their RNA-based therapeutic for myotonic dystrophy in New Zealand. Our Changing World covered how the new RNA vaccine tech works in 2021. Dr Lisa Connor spoke to RNZ’s health reporter Ruth Hill last August after the US made funding cuts to their RNA vaccine research. Guests: Dr Lisa Connor, Malaghan Institute of Medical Research Dr…

One peninsula to the north of the Bay of Islands is home to an estimated three thousand Northland brown kiwi. The Pest Free Purerua-Mataroa project aims to reduce predators numbers on the peninsula and defend its narrow neck from re-invasion. Working across a patchwork of landuse and landowners, the team are using AI traps and technology to help catch the remaining pests. But one feral cat continues to elude them, and the ongoing threat to kiwi from pet dogs is proving tricky to solve. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: Northland kiwi are a genetically distinct subspecies of the North Island brown kiwi, whose numbers are doing pretty good in recent years, due in large part to Operation Nest Egg facilities like the National Kiwi Hatchery. Predator Free South Westland is also working across different land types and usages in their bid to remove pests from a huge area. Wellington is set to be New Zealand’s first predator-free…

Could the answer to the current fuel crisis be right under our noses? On Our Changing World this week, Sharon Brettkelly talks to some of the scientists analysing ultramafic rocks in places like Lake Pupuke on Auckland’s North Shore and gases from various hotspots around the country, in the hopes that one day hydrogen could power local communities. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: New Zealand already has hydrogen trucks on our roads and active hydrogen refueling stations. However, some critics say battery technology is a better way to decarbonise. After delays from an international supplier, diesel trucks are being converted to hydrogen in New Zealand. Professor Allan Blackman looks at how the Hindenburg disaster has haunted the development of hydrogen technology and why that might be changing. And Jesse talks with Dr. Linda Wright from the New Zealand Hydrogen Council about if hydrogen could displace diesel. Guests: Kevin…

The World Health Organisation has set an ambitious goal to eliminate cervical cancer. New Zealand health experts are optimistic we can do it, but suggest there are challenges to achieving that aim. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: Listen to The Panel Plus with Wallace Chapman, discussing the release of the Cancer Society's election manifesto and treatment options for cancer. Read about the Matariki Fund's plans to eliminate cervical cancer across the Pacific. RNZ's Māori issues reporter Pokere Paewai wrote this article on the need to extend free cervical screening. The efficacy of the HPV vaccine was discussed on Morning Report, following a study which showed a 60% reduction in cervical cancer. Guests: Professor Bev Lawton (Ngāti Porou), is founder/director of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine (the National Centre for Women’s Health Research Aotearoa) at Victoria University of Wellington Nicola Coom, Chief Executive of the Cancer…

Today kākāpō breed on three remote islands, each bird wears a transmitter and they are carefully monitored and minded. But the ultimate goal of the kākāpō recovery programme is to restore the mauri of the kākāpō – to have them back in our forests as wild, nameless birds. What are the steps to get there, and how can science help keep kākāpō safe through this transition? Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: Kākāpō need new habitat, could fenced ecosanctuaries be an option? That’s why kākāpō were released into Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari in July 2023, to start a trial of how they would do in this new, mainland, North Island habitat. A year later, there had already been a lot of lessons learned. One of the possible future habitats mentioned by Deirdre Vercoe is South Westland, where a massive effort is underway to clear stoats, possums and rats from a huge area. For all the details about this record-breaking breeding season,…

So far, 2026 has been the biggest kākāpō breeding season of all time, with more chicks hatched than ever before. The current challenge is to keep them all healthy as they grow into juveniles, and get added to the adult population. But what comes after that? Claire Concannon reports on the future of kākāpō from one of the breeding islands. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The food you see on the supermarket shelves doesn't end up there by accident. It's often been rigorously tested for likeability. This week on Our Changing World, Liz Garton finds out about the science behind those decisions, given that individual taste can be very varied. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: Export markets are a key consumer group. Look at who’s eating our food with this story from RNZ’s Farah Hancock. Our Changing World looked at how science can help pair foods with the School of Chemical Science at the University of Auckland Finding a Psa-V-tolerant golden kiwifruit was one of the success stories from the Consumer and Health sciences team. Claire Concannon looked at the ongoing efforts to prevent the disease from getting to the South Island. Guests: Christina Roigard, Science Team Leader – Sensory & Consumer Health, New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science Limited David Jin, Scientist, Health and Consumer…

In 2010 the Psa-V bacterial disease was found in a Bay of Plenty kiwifruit orchard. This was the beginning of a terrible ordeal for many kiwifruit growers. It devastated crops, resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs, and hundreds of millions of dollars. But though it spread to some other areas in the North Island, it never made it across the Cook Strait. Claire Concannon learns about the science behind keeping this microbe out of Te Waipounamu. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: The Plant and Food Research (today the Bioeconomy Science Institute) team who worked on science to help with the kiwifruit Psa crisis won the Prime Minister’s Science Prize in 2017. In 2012 Alison Ballance reported on the hunt for resistance genes so kiwifruit plants could be more resilient in the face of this bacteria. As In-Depth reporter Farah Hancock detailed earlier this year, 95% of the kiwifruit grown here are actually exported - an earner of…

Ketamine was first developed as an anaesthetic, and today is taken by some as a party drug. But since 2000, research has emerged showing it is also helpful as a medication for some people with treatment-resistant depression. While initial studies used ketamine injections, recent research has shown the advantages of taking it in oral form. Now clinical trials are underway to determine if a New Zealand-developed ketamine pill is safe and effective enough to get the regulatory tick. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

In the Auckland suburb of Mt Albert there's a particular brand of doomsday prepping going on. Our Changing World visits the Bioeconomy Science Institute to meet some scientists figuring out how to build an army of Samurai Wasps just in case Aotearoa is invaded by Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: MPI's website has more detail on the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug and what to do if you find one. From December 2025 a new biosecurity inflight video about being vigilant is being played to incoming visitors. Our Changing World did a deep dive into the impact BMSB would have on New Zealand, back in 2019. Guests: Dr Gonzalo Avila, Senior Scientist - Biological Control, New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science Limited Karina Santos, Senior Research Associate, New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science Limited Dr Scott Sinclair, Manager, Operational Readiness - Plant & Environment, Biosecurity New Zealand…

Our Changing Word heads to Whangārei to speak to a Northland Regional Council scientist whose been using stormwater drains to estimate the scale of our plastic pollution problem. Plus, just outside Christchurch, one of New Zealand’s biggest lakes is home to the ‘canary in the coalmine’ of wetlands. The secretive and elusive Australasian bittern seems to be in trouble - how can we help? Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: Join Alison Ballance on a kayak across a lake to listen to some booming bittern crooners. Listen to the nine to noon interview with John Sumich about the 2025 Matuku muster. The research into microplastics was part of the AIM2 project, which was reported on in 2021 as part of the OCW episode ‘Unwelcome visitors’. Another source of microplastics is textile waste, but an international project is looking to a future where our clothes are fully biodegradable. Guests: Richard Griffiths, Northland Regional Council…

In Dunedin the local tree crop association has been looking after a heritage apple orchard, but some mixed up labels meant they weren’t quite sure what varieties they had. A chance encounter at a public open day sets one young researcher on a scientific quest to ID them all. Plus, in a nursery in Rotorua, a propagation scientist is figuring out the best way to grow a native tree from cuttings. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Take a (very) large egg, some insects (plus specially developed food), and a safe place to put on weight for a while. This is how you grow a kiwi, and improve wild survival rates from 5% to 65%. With over 2,600 hatches across their 30 year history, the National Kiwi Hatchery have a lot of experience under their belt, but there's always more to learn from our iconic national bird. Our Changing World visits the hatchery to learn how they combine conservation and eco-tourism to help grow kiwi numbers. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: Operation Nest Egg has also been a great success for the rowi kiwi, the only remaining wild population of which lives in Ōkārito on the South Island’s West Coast. In July 2025 little spotted kiwi were found on New Zealand’s mainland for the first time in 50 years. Two chicks and eggs were subsequently brought to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch to allow them to get to stoat-proof weight.…

In the Kaimai Mamuku ranges iwi-led conservation projects are tackling pests, removing weeds and planting natives to restore their whenua. Ngāti Hinerangi’s Wairere Mahi project has been trapping around the Wairere falls, and restoring a nearby system of lakes. The projects were born from the Jobs for Nature fund established by the government during the Covid-19 pandemic. But with that fund now finished where will the money to support future conservation work come from? The Manaaki Kaimai Mamuku Trust supporting these projects has some ideas. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: Jobs for Nature also supported an iwi-led wetland restoration project just outside Dunedin. In 2024 The Detail spoke to a number of Jobs for Nature supported projects that were nearing the end of their funding. The Turning Point video series followed some of the kaimahi working on different Jobs for Nature projects across Aotearoa. Country Life’s Dollars…

A native species is taking over a jewel-in-the crown marine reserve. But what can be done? Centrostephanus, the long-spined urchin, is munching its way through the world-renowned rock walls and kelp beds of the Poor Knights Islands. DOC, University of Auckland scientists and a local hapū are running removal trials to investigate whether this might be a way to manage its march. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

New Zealand is third in the world for the number of orbital rocket launches from our shores, sitting just behind the US and China. Phil Vine discovers some of the challenges raised by our push into the unknown and how it is changing the final frontier. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: Through a science experiment on the ISS, New Zealand researchers have been taking advantage of the unique conditions in low earth orbit to investigate commercial opportunities. While New Zealand is well known as a place from which to launch rockets, we do not have a lot of our own hardware in space (the University of Auckland does have TPA-1 CubeSat). But that might be about to change. Tech bros turned space bros like Elon Musk are making big waves out in orbit. The latest news is that Musk is hoping to harness the sun through satellites to power AI data centres. The New Zealand government's biggest investment in an international space mission…

We know there are issues with sustainability within the fashion industry - can science help create a better future? Claire Concannon visits the Bioeconomy Science Institute in Rotorua to learn how New Zealand scientists are contributing to a massive multi-national project aimed at shaping the textile industry of tomorrow. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: UPWEARS has their own research project page if you want to learn more. Learn more about how the Bioeconomy Science Institute (formally Scion) is figuring out how to make new materials and products using bio-waste products rather than fossil fuels. The rise of synthetic fibres impacted the wool industry here in New Zealand, although some entrepreneurs and weavers are making it work for them. Guests: Dr Yi Chen, Bioeconomy Science Institute, and UPWEARS Dr Robert Abbel, Bioeconomy Science Institute, and UPWEARS Sean Taylor, Bioeconomy Science Institute, and UPWEARS Louise Le…

Since 2018 there's been a massive effort underway to clear over 110,000 hectares of South Westland of possums, rats and stoats. As the pest numbers have dropped the native flora and fauna seem to have flourished. The eradication stage is now nearing completion, and the focus is switching to maintenance. What will it take to keep the pests out long-term? And what can be learned from this large-scale project that could be used elsewhere in Aotearoa? Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: Read/Listen to the rest of the reports from Tess Brunton’s reporting trip to the West Coast, about the eradication project, the work of species dogs, the feedback from tour operators and how rowi, New Zealand’s rarest kiwi, has been helped come back from the brink. For more on the use of AI in pest management project, listen to how the Southern Lakes Sanctuary team have been making use of it at Wye Creek. Guests: Chad Cottle, Predator Free South…

Some insects communicate using a secret language that we can’t sense – a language of vibrations. Now researchers at the Bioeconomy Science Institute are starting to decode what insects are saying to each other. They hope to harness this knowledge to develop new, chemical-free methods of pest control to help farmers and growers. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: Insects can also be recruited to help. For example, insects can be released into New Zealand for biocontrol in the effort to combat invasive weeds. While we often talk about the impact of invasive mammals on New Zealand’s bird life, they are also a problem for native insects too. We’ve got some invasive pest spiders here too, but researchers are trying to figure out if they can trap them by developing a special spider perfume. Guests: Dr Mark MacDougall, Bioeconomy Science Institute Dr Lloyd Stringer, Bioeconomy Science Institute Pete Mundy, Castle Rock Orchards Dr…

When do humans begin to interact with the world, and develop our sense of self? When we are born? Or might it start even earlier than that? Our visual systems are a key way that we perceive the world. New findings from the University of Waikato have shown that light can enter the womb and that we might already be learning about the world before we arrive in it. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: Listen to Our musical minds to learn why, to psychologists, humans’ musical ability is just weird. Like our sense of vision, our ability to hear also involves physical inputs from the world around us combined with the processing and prior knowledge of our brains. But sometimes things can go a bit awry, such as happens for those with tinnitus. Our visual system is evolved for daylight, but what about those creatures that live in the deep darkness, such as squid. Professor Vincent Reid’s early research in this area was covered by RNZ…

A Southland company is growing red seaweed as a supplement that’s been shown to significantly reduce methane emissions in beef and dairy cattle. In our last summer science series episode, Cosmo Kentish-Barnes of the Country Life team heads to Bluff to learn more. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: You can read Cosmo Kentish-Barnes' story about this topic, Red seaweed cuts methane emissions from cattle, scientists say. Cosmo signed off from the Country Life team earlier this year, after 17 years as the show's South Island producer. You can listen to his final episode. There are also pāua and whitebait farms operating out of the Ocean Beach Aquaculture Hub in Bluff. Kate Evans visited both ventures in a 2024 episode of Voice of Tangaroa, Fish out of water. Guest: Brent Jackson, production scientist Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Why do we spend more than we need to? Is it mood, FOMO, the desire to impress? Or maybe some tricky behavioural triggers we're not even aware of? Our summer science series continues with an episode of the RNZ podcast Thrift, in which Katy Gosset gets to the heart of the matter with a consumer behaviourist, and shares some tips to stop us spending. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: You can read about the psychology of spending in RNZ's story: Why do we spend more than we need to? Thrift is an upbeat podcast that offers wise ways to beat the cost of living crisis and get the best from your money. Listen to more episodes of Thrift. Guest: Ekant Veer, consumer behaviourist Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

We’d all like to know how to live long healthy lives, and Kim Hill is no different. In this episode of Kim Hill Wants To Know, she talks to geneticist Dame Linda Partridge about the scientific breakthroughs that could mean the end to aging as we know it. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: In 2023, Our Changing World spoke to researchers about what happens to our muscles as we grow and age. Kim Hill Wants To Know sees Kim back asking questions in her inimitable style. She has conversations with guests from around the world about topics that spark her interest and will do the same for you. Listen to more episodes of Kim Hill Wants To Know. Guest: Dame Linda Partridge, geneticist Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

We all love a good crunchy apple – but how do they stay like that for months after being picked? The Our Changing World summer science series continues with an episode of Here Now. Kadambari Raghukumar travels to Hawke's Bay to find out from South African-born scientist Nicolette Neiman. For plant physiologists like Nicolette, the thrill is in finding ways to make that possible – delivering a crunchy fruit fix to the world almost any time of the year. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: Read Kadambari Raghukumar's article, How do New Zealand apples stay crisp from tree to table? Here Now is an RNZ podcast about the journeys people make to New Zealand, their identities and perspectives, all of which shape their life here. Listen to more episodes of Here Now. Guest Nicolette Neiman, plant physiologist Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

This week on the summer science series we play an episode of Country Life called Dollars for Nature. Can biodiversity credits fix New Zealand's conservation woes? In June, the government announced they were supporting the expansion of a voluntary credits nature market through pilot projects across New Zealand. Sally Round found out more. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: You can read more about biodiversity credits in Sally Round's story, Dollars for nature - can biodiversity credits fix NZ's conservation woes? Earlier this year Our Changing World visited the Eastern Whio Link conservation project, which set up its own biodiversity credits scheme - you can listen to that episode here. Country Life is an RNZ podcast that takes you all over the motu to hear the extraordinary stories of everyday rural New Zealand. Listen to more Country Life episodes. Guests: Sean Weaver, chief executive at business consultancy Ekos Hayden…

Nobody knows how many feral cats roam New Zealand, but estimates are in the millions and they’re a major threat to our native species. They've infiltrated almost every landscape, from coasts, to farms, to National Parks like Fiordland. Plus they’re wily and trap-shy, making them a tricky predator to tackle. RNZ's In-Depth reporter Farah Hancock speaks to some people on the front lines of the battle against feral cats. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. In this episode: 00:00 – 00:59 Introduction to bonus episode 01:00 – 03:24 Background to feral cat problem 03:40 – 10:30 Playing ‘poos clues’ & trapping cats with hunter Victor Tinsdale 10:40 – 15:00 Daniel Cocker on how cats are threatening the dotterels on Rakiura 15:20 - 16:20 Farah explains how secondary poisoning works 16:30 – 19:42 Objections to 1080 use on Rakiura, and efforts to address these 20:18 – 24:08 Brad Windust with cat poo smelling dog Wero 24:09 – 24:44 Credits Learn more:…

On three small predator-free islands off the coasts of Fiordland and Southland, preparations are underway for what many hope will be the biggest breeding season ever for the kākāpō. Alison Ballance returns to report on New Zealand’s most famous parrot in the Kākāpō Files Season II. She chats to Claire about why this season of the podcast is shaping up to be quite different to the first. Plus, analysts from the Science Media Centre summarise the massive science sector changes that have happened this year, and what is on the horizon for science in 2026. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The wetlands and surrounding forests of Te Awarua o Porirua, or Porirua Harbour, were once rich food baskets for Ngāti Toa Rangatira. But decades of development throughout the catchment - large-scale deforestation, road and rail building and urban growth - have brought sediment and pollution into the harbour, damaging the habitat. Veronika Meduna meets some of the team working to restore the harbour to its former plenty. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: Julian Wilcox recently spoke to artists Jasmine Arthur and Te Rauparaha Horomona about Ngati Toa in Porirua and the opening of a new exhibition Mutumutu ki Mukukai Freshwater to Salt Water. Ngāti Toa Rangatira celebrated the return of their sacred maunga, Whitireia, to iwi ownership earlier this year. Alison Ballance visited both Porirua and Wairarapa in 2018 to explore how environmental impacts travel from the hills to the sea and what communities are willing to do to make…