Conservation
Midday Report Essentials for Friday 31 January 2025
In today's episode, the government's freshly announced plans for the Dunedin Hospital shows the rebuild will initially have fewer beds than the current hospital, the government has launched its final… Audio
Forest and Bird on govt's mining strategy
The government has launched its final mining strategy on Friday morning, increasing the number of minerals it considers critical to New Zealand from 35 to 37. Forest and Bird chief executive Nicola… Audio
Anti-mining group label Shane Jones 'Trumpian'
Catherine Delhunty, the former Green MP and current chair of the Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki, thinks Resources Minister Shane Jones is being "Trumpian" ahead of releasing the government's minerals… Audio
NZ innovators using AI traps in fight against pests
Artificial intelligence is making conservation efforts faster and easier in the fight for total pest eradication, with new traps able to tell predator from protected species.
Bats, wētā and seabirds: The native species most at risk from climate change
Many native species face being squeezed out of their habitats with nowhere to go as the climate heats. Audio
Govt unveils climate targets for 2030 to 2035
The government has unveiled the country's climate targets for 2030 to 2035. Climate Change Minister Simon Watts spoke to Corin Dann. Audio
AI used in the fight for pest eradication
Artificial intelligence is being used to boost conservation efforts, making the fight for total pest eradication both quicker and easier. New traps developed by local companies can distinguish between… Audio
Albatross breeding season could be the best on record
Twenty-nine chicks have been born so far, with another 11 eggs still to hatch.
Stewardship land is valuable land - Forest and Bird
Chief executive of Forest and Bird Nicola Toki says politicians are continuing to misrepresent the value of stewardship land. Audio
Kiwi dies after being caught in pest trap
DOC is considering revising trap standards after the bird's bill was caught and it was killed.
Trapping smarter, not harder
Using cameras, AI and a networking system, a team in Queenstown are trialling 'smart' traps to help them battle predators in difficult-to-reach areas.
Our Changing World's Claire Concannon
Emile Donovan is joined by the brain behind RNZ's premiere science podcast. Audio
Our Changing World: Smart traps
On Our Changing World, Claire Concannon heads to the Wye Valley just outside Queenstown.
The Southern Lakes Sanctuary project is setting up a new smart trap network there, the fourth they’ve built… Audio
A return to Wasps an expert view
On yesterday's show we were overrun with wasp chat. Tons of you texted in with your techniques for hunting down their nests. From the bizarre like "My grandfather used to throw flour at the wasp so he… Audio
Monarch butterflies not getting the royal treatment in NZ
A new survey shows monarch butterfly populations are dwindling, and advocates are reintroducing a tagging system (yes, you can tag a butterfly) to keep track of numbers. Audio
Millions feast eyes on world's smelliest flower
The Amorphophallus titanum, nicknamed Putricia, attracted over 20,000 physical visitors keen to lay their noses on its infamous smell before wilting and collapsing a few days later - while over one… Audio
Teen's attack on octopus probably would have killed it - advocate
The octopus was a small animal that would have suffered greatly from being punched and kicked, an animal charity says. Audio
An egg-cellent trap
As we work towards becoming predator free by 2050, it's been pointed out that we need some better tools in our toolkit. Marcus King is a conservationist and former engineer who turned his hand to pest… Audio
Dozens of rare hihi chicks hatch in Auckland park
The chicks were born in Shakespear Regional Park's Open Sanctuary this summer following a major translocation project last year.
Could this festival replace Homegrown in Wellington?
While it is not a music festival, there'll be a sea shanty sing-along at New Zealand's first-ever Seaweed Festival.
