Stories by William Ray

It's 50 years since Dr Bill Sutch was arrested on a rainy night in Wellington's Aro Valley. RNZ's Black Sheep podcast takes a look back at the controversial Cold War spy story.

The war was over - so why did Kiwi and Australian troops murder more than 40 civilians? Audio

Aotearoa is a country plagued by pests, but conservationists are hoping advances in drone technology could turn the tables. Producer William Ray looks at how drones are being trialled in controlling…

This week on Our Changing World RNZ podcast producer, and occasional dinosaur correspondent William Ray visits Ngā Taniwha o Rūpapa Dinosaurs of Patagonia, a special exhibition at Te Papa Museum to…

Floods in India claimed hundreds of lives this monsoon season, but an Indian expat in New Zealand is hoping his new invention will help bring the toll down. Produced by William Ray.

This week we're travelling back in time 66 million years ago with producer William Ray, to a time when dinosaurs roamed. Join William as he meets two Tyrannosaurus rex fossils at the Auckland Museum…

Summer science continues with a play of a science related episode from RNZ's Black Sheep podcast. Invasive tells the story of one man who released thousands of invasive fish into New Zealand's rivers…

Analysis - Everybody once knew that Māoriland meant New Zealand, thanks to years of dodgy debate and bad poetry, but the name has faded over the decades, writes William Ray.

When is the Covid-19 vaccine coming? Will it work? William Ray talks to NZ experts charting our path towards immunity.

Lawn owner William Ray looks at the ecological benefits of not mowing and letting your grass grow longer.

Vulnerable fast food workers are speaking up about feeling unsafe but being afraid to challenge breaches of Covid-19 rules at restaurants.

Bush fires are growing in severity and frequency. William Ray finds out about the latest research into how fires burn and how people react when flames threaten.

Professor Rangi Mātāmua talks about the 120-year-old book which has preserved his ancestors' knowledge of Māori astronomy.

A Honey Landscape Map for New Zealand could help beekeepers find the best flower-rich sites for their beehives.

Scientist Quentin Atkinson has looked at how the structure of Pacific societies determined how quickly they converted to Christianity - but an historian is not so sure of his conclusions.

Wellington company Swibo is making physiotherapy exercises more interesting using video games, mobile phones and balance boards.

Long-tailed bats are thriving in gullies and bush along the Waikato River, where it flows through central Hamilton.

Tiny grains of fossil pollen are helping GNS Science researchers piece together the big picture of past environments.

Astronomer Duncan Steel is an expert in detecting asteroids and comets, and in defending the earth from potential impacts.

Review - Expectations were already low, but for RNZ dinosaur buff William Ray the aptly named Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was all he expected, and less.

Michele Prinsep is a 'drug hunter' - she looks for potential pharmaceuticals in marine organisms and cyanobacteria.

If technologies like meat grown from stem cells and milk grown in vats take off, how will the New Zealand agricultural sector respond?

Kiwi scientists and entrepreneurs talk about their plans to put satellites and rockets into space, and the role of NZ radio telescopes in precision GPS.

One Wellington family decide to take their children on an educational holiday back to their mother's homeland of Sri Lanka, but family holidays never go as planned.

William Ray speaks to bio-psychologist Dana Bevan about the science behind gender and sexual identity.