Conservation
Kākāpō population hits new high of 213 birds
The youngest kākāpō chick has passed 150 days old, bringing the number of living juveniles to 71 and the overall kākāpō population to 213, in ep 24 of the Kākāpō Files. Audio
Detector Gadget the conservation dog
Detector Gadget is a dog with a job. She is a conservation dog trained by her handler Sandy King to sniff out rodents on predator-free islands. Audio
Our Changing World for 8 August 2019
Gadget is a conservation detector dog, trained to sniff out rats, and the chemical element neon is not just found in neon signs. Audio
Is it worth spending millions on saving a species?
Some of the species conservationists are trying to save seem determined not to survive. So why are we sinking hundreds of millions into trying to rescue them? Audio
Leadership 'lacking' in new conservation strategy
The government's new action plan for biodiversity involves making the country pest free by 2050, and reducing fishing bycatch of seabirds and marine mammals, to zero. But a conservation ecologist says… Audio
Goose Numbers Under Threat
The number of Greenland White Fronted geese is plummeting despite the fact the birds are protected. On Islay, a remote Hebridean island, efforts are being made to find out why. Audio
Restoring Fiordland's 'island lifeboats'
The Department of Conservation and volunteer groups, including the Coal Island Trust, are hard at work removing pests such as stoats and deer from Fiordland's many islands. Audio
Our Changing World for 25 July 2019
The Department of Conservation and groups such as the Coal Island Trust are taking pests off Fiordland islands and reintroducing rare species. Audio
Kākāpō dads revealed
Paternity testing has revealed who the top kākāpō dads are, as well as the success of the artificial insemination programme, in ep 22 of the Kākāpō Files. Audio
Visiting a threatened Hawaiian ecosystem: 'Offshore'
Only a select few visit the distant Hawaiian island group, Papahanaumokuakea. It's a massive but remote conservation area, covering ten islands and almost one million square kilometres of the Pacific… Audio
Kākāpō waiting game
The kākāpō health crisis is stable, with no further cases of aspergillosis diagnosed, and seven hand-reared chicks have been successfully released in the wild, in ep 21 of the Kākāpō Files. Audio
International businessman gifts reserve, bike park to NZ
An 860 hectare mountain bike park worth about $22 million has been gifted to the New Zealand public. An international investor has transferred the land south of Nelson to the Department of… Video, Audio
Action plan aims to restore top of South Island's natural landscapes
Councils and iwi from across the top of the South Island have teamed up with the Department of Conservation on a plan to restore the region's natural landscapes.
Predator Free NZ - dream or reality?
A panel of five experts debate what it will take to turn the idea of a predator-free New Zealand by 2050 from a dream into a reality. Audio
Our Changing World for 20 June 2019
A panel discussion on 'Predator Free New Zealand - dream or reality' with five experts in pest biology and large scale eradication porjects. Audio
Our Changing World for 13 June 2019
Behind-the-scenes at Auckland Zoo with sick kākāpō, and the chemical element holmium. Audio
Behind-the-scenes of the kākāpō health crisis
Kākāpō death toll from aspergillosis rises by one to seven, while nine birds have been given a clean bill of health. Sad and positive news from the frontline of the fight to save kākāpō, in ep 20 of… Video, Audio
Dolphin announcement underwhelms
Environmental groups say they're disappointed that cameras will only be placed on 28 of the more than 1000 fishing boats in New Zealand to help protect the critically endangered Māui dolphins. Video, Audio
Tawaki bust penguin swimming records
Twice a year tawaki or Fiordland crested penguins make migrations of many thousands of kilometres to the south to feed at the Polar Front. Audio
Successful new seabird colony on Matiu Somes Island
Eight years ago volunteers began translocating fluttering shearwater chicks to Wellington's Matiu Somes Island to establish what is now a growing seabird colony. Audio