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Featured Our Changing World stories
The democratisation of space?
New Zealand has made it to number three in the space race, but with that position comes new responsibilities.
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How science is shaping the clothes of the future
17 Feb 2026New Zealand is part of a massive European research project aimed at shaking up the textile industry.
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Predator Free South Westland nears eradication goal
10 Feb 2026As an ambitious mainland predator eradication project reaches completion, what will it take to keep pests at bay long-term?
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Using vibrations to deter pest insects
3 Feb 2026Researchers are translating pest insects' vibrational language to use it against them.
Our Changing World headlines with summaries.
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Where and when human perception might begin
27 Jan 2026Even before birth our ideas of the world are likely being shaped by what we see in the womb.
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Could 2026 see the biggest boost in kākāpō numbers yet?
16 Dec 2025Hopes are high for a bumper kākāpō breeding season - and RNZ will be there to cover it.
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Bringing the bounty back to Porirua Harbour
9 Dec 2025A renewed coordinated effort aims to restore the former kai moana bounty of Te Awarua o Porirua, or Porirua Harbour.
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Making the best use of your time
2 Dec 2025What makes a good day, and how can we ensure we have more good days than bad across our lifetimes?
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The Rototurf project to restore freshwater plants
25 Nov 2025Rolling out Rototurf - the project aimed at helping native freshwater plants return to our lakes.
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Turning wood pulp into greener surfactants
18 Nov 2025A team of Auckland chemists have created tiny plant-based particles that can bring oil and water together.
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New find of rare native parasitic plant in Wellington sparks hopes of return
11 Nov 2025They were thought extinct in the region for 100 years, now the race is on to save a rare parasitic plant in the capital.
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The gold clam is here, and multiplying
4 Nov 2025One small clam spreading in the Waikato River may change the entire ecosystem. How? Sheer numbers.
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The low-tech solution that could save lives at sea
28 Oct 2025It's foldable, floats, and can be detected by satellites - and it's being developed by local researchers who started with origami prototypes.
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What makes Ruapehu tick - and boom?
21 Oct 2025How to predict when Ruapehu might next erupt is an important, but difficult, question. A group of researchers thought: why not recreate the volcano in a lab?
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Whatever happened to the pūteketeke?
14 Oct 2025Comedian John Oliver's intervention propelled the grebe to fame. But for some, the 'bird of the century' is no fleeting infatuation.
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More than just ChatGPT: The surprising ways AI is being used in Aotearoa
7 Oct 2025From modelling measles outbreaks to keeping track of Wellington's exploding kākā population, researchers are calling on AI to assist them with a vast array of projects.
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What does a small Irish sea inlet have to teach New Zealand scientists?
30 Sep 2025Lough Hyne is home to an island, a ruined castle - and a marine sponge mystery that Kiwi researchers are helping to unravel.
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Detecting cow burps from space
24 Sep 2025A methane-detecting satellite, supported by $32 million of government funding, is lost in space. What data did it manage to collect before it went dark?
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New Zealand and the low Earth orbit economy
16 Sep 2025New Zealand's first microgravity science experiment went to the International Space Station in 2024. Could it pave the way for more commercial opportunities in space? Video
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Playing 'I-spy' with urban emissions
9 Sep 2025A new lab is cruising the streets of Wellington, homing in on our urban carbon emissions.
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Backcountry takahē make a comeback
2 Sep 2025Twice believed to be extinct, takahē are now returning to our wild spaces.
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Youth vaping: Helping or harmful?
Our youth vaping rates are among the highest in the world. How did we get here, and what might the long-term impacts be?
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Our Changing World: 40 years of Project Tongariro
5 Aug 2025Four decades after being established as a living memorial in response to a tragedy, this community conservation group is focused on the future.
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Lanternfish: Small fish, big impact
22 Jul 2025Researchers are investigating whether tiny lanternfish play an outsized role in controlling fish life cycles and carbon storage in the ocean.
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Could a Kiwi company crack nuclear fusion?
15 Jul 2025The race to produce a new generation of clean energy is on, and one New Zealand company is in the running.
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Our Changing World: Tauranga’s living sea wall
8 Jul 2025Manmade rock pools are creating homes for coastal critters along the Tauranga waterfront.
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Looking after New Zealand's rarest freshwater fish
1 Jul 2025A tiny native fish with the nickname 'Jaws' is under threat from introduced trout.
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A deadly bird flu strain is coming. Are we ready?
17 Jun 2025New Zealand is one the last places in the world where H5N1 has not yet been detected.
Top News stories
- Who can order a rescue chopper? Tensions rising on the front line
- Is FAFO the demise of gentle parenting?
- Lyall Bay residents fear neglected Queen's Drive property is a danger to passersby
- Government deciding whether US should get access to New Zealanders' biometric data
- How to catch and move the country's tiniest bird
