Our Changing World

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.With a lot of help, and stoat trapping, brown kiwi are returning to the wilds of Wellington.Candling is also used to track kākāpō embryo development and egg fertility, learn more in episode 12 of the Kākāpō Files II podcast. Guests:Emma Bean, manager of the National Kiwi HatcheryCarole Dean, kiwi keeper, National Kiwi HatcheryRebeca Bothamley, tour guide, National Kiwi HatcheryGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 for Nature episode covered the government announcement about voluntary nature credits market. Guests:Louise Saunders, CEO of Manaaki Kaimai Mamuku TrustMohi Korohina, Wairere Mahi project managerHera Denton, GoEcoGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 ended in failure last year after MethaneSAT, a satellite built to detect methane emissions around the world, lost contact. While there are challenges inherent in humans and their technology being in space, that’s not all that is going on. Scientists are keeping a close eye on an active black hole and bright lights have Northland locals turning their eyes to the skies.Guests:Mark Rocket, CEO Kea AerospaceDr Priyanka Dhopade, senior lecturer in mechanical and mechatronics engineering, University of AucklandDr Tuana Yazici, space law expertGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 UPWEARSDr Robert Abbel, Bioeconomy Science Institute, and UPWEARSSean Taylor, Bioeconomy Science Institute, and UPWEARSLouise Le Gall, Bioeconomy Science Institute, and UPWEARSDr Kate Parker, Bioeconomy Science Institute, and UPWEARSGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 WestlandEthan Perry, Predator Free South WestlandNate St Hill, Predator Free South WestlandPouri Rakete-Stones, Predator Free South WestlandDion Arnold, White Heron Sanctuary ToursGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 InstituteDr Lloyd Stringer, Bioeconomy Science InstitutePete Mundy, Castle Rock OrchardsDr Rachael Horner, Bioeconomy Science InstituteDr Bethan Shaw, Bioeconomy Science InstituteGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 podcast ‘This Way Up’ in 2017.Hear more from William Ray in the award-winning Black Sheep podcast series, or in a recent Our Changing World episode about the Flowers of the Underworld.Guests:Professor Vincent Reid, University of WaikatoAssociate Professor Jacob Heerikhuisen, University of WaikatoWilliam Ray, Janella Espinas, James Espinas RayGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 scientistGo 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 behaviouristGo 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, geneticistGo 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.GuestNicolette Neiman, plant physiologistGo 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 EkosHayden Johnston, general manager for the natural environment at the Ministry for the EnvironmentGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 episode01:00 – 03:24 Background to feral cat problem03:40 – 10:30 Playing ‘poos clues’ & trapping cats with hunter Victor Tinsdale10:40 – 15:00 Daniel Cocker on how cats are threatening the dotterels on Rakiura15:20 - 16:20 Farah explains how secondary poisoning works16:30 – 19:42 Objections to 1080 use on Rakiura, and efforts to address these20:18 – 24:08 Brad Windust with cat poo smelling dog Wero24:09 – 24:44 CreditsLearn more:Read the series of articles and see photos on the RNZ Feral webpage.In 2023 OCW spoke to ‘Dotterel Dan’ about the plight of the pukunui, and a tagging study aimed at identifying exactly where they nest on Rakiura.In the Catlins, Forest and Bird pest control officer Gavin Whiteis also battling trap-smart feral cats. While in the Wye valley near Queenstown, the Southern Lakes Sanctuary is hoping that new AI tech will help in the battle.Kākāpō were moved fromRakiura because of predation by feral cats. As the numbers of these manu grow, hopes are that achieving Predator Free Rakiura goals, including eradication of feral cats, will allow them to return.Guests:Victor Tindale, hunterDaniel Cocker, Department of Conservation rangerBrad Windust, trapperGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 their waterways cleaner and healthier again.Guests:Kaumatua Te Taku Parai, Ashleigh Sagar, Robert McLean and Jaida Howard of Ngāti Toa RangatiraBrian Thomas, Porirua City CouncilBryce and Jacqueline WatkinsLisa Casasanto and Jon Bluemel, Kahotea stream Restoration GroupJohn McKoy and Simon Glover, Guardians of Pauatahanui InletGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

What does a ‘good day’ look like for you? Researchers are using wearable sensors and wellbeing surveys to understand how lifestyle patterns impact life satisfaction. Perhaps this can help us plan for more ‘good days’. Plus, with the help of an EEG study, one neuroscientist graduate considers how social media use might be impacting his brain. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.Learn more:Sleep is a fundamental process for us humans, we just don’t function well without enough of it. But what if your job requires long working hours across time zones?Exercise is good for our bodies and mental health and, research suggests, can also help our brains maintain and grow nerve cells.Recently, a report by the Education Review Office suggested the mobile phone ban in New Zealand schools is working, and that social media should be banned next.Australia’s social media ban for those under 16 comes into effect on the 10th of December, while debate continues here as to whether New Zealand should follow.Guests:Professor Scott Duncan, Auckland University of TechnologyDr Anantha Narayanan, Auckland University of TechnologyTom Bolus, University of OtagoGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

This upcoming summer is likely to be the biggest ever kākāpō breeding season, and RNZ will be following the twists and turns as they happen. The kākāpō files with Alison Ballance return for a second season. New Kākāpō Files II episodes will appear when news breaks on the Wild Sounds and Kākāpō Files podcast feeds. Don't miss out. Find and follow them now. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Our freshwater ecosystems are facing numerous challenges. Many of New Zealand’s lakes have lost much of their native underwater plant life. At the Ruakura ‘tank farm’ in Hamilton, researchers have been working on a project to help restore the freshwater forests. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.Learn more:Listen to Invasive: the story of Stewart Smith from the Black Sheep podcast to learn more about New Zealand’s pest fish issue.Read more about the koi carp bow hunting that removed tonnes of pest fish.While the announcement of the eradication of lagarosiphon from Lake Ngatu was welcome it came on the heels of the disappointing news about finding this invasive weed in two South Island hydro lakes.It’s not just invasive plants that are an issue, invasive critters like the gold clam can also cause issues. Contained to the Waikato for the last two years, it has recently been found in a Taranaki lake.Restoring freshwater lakes and wetlands is a catchment wide effort, but groups around the motu are working on this.Guests:Mary de Winton, Earth Sciences New ZealandReferences: NIWA’s RotoTurf webpage.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Oil and water don’t mix — unless surfactants step in. At Auckland University of Technology, a team of chemists has created a new kind of surfactant made from wood pulp rather than fossil fuels or palm oil. They hope that the cosmetic industry will be interested in this greener way to make smooth creams and lotions. Plus, what do geothermal spring microbes have to do with smelly wine? Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.Learn more:Dr Jack Chen has been on RNZ several times to talk about the chemistry of dishwashing, oven cleaning and laundry detergents.Soap is also a surfactant, which is what makes it good at washing oils off our hands, as well as busting open viruses.The cosmetic industry is not new, and during the Renaissance there were some ‘interesting’ recipes about, but did they have some good ideas?Listen to episodes exploring the use of chemistry in reconstructing past lives, honey fingerprinting, reducing the carbon cost of producing ammonia and creating a perfume to trap invasive spiders.Guests:Dr Jack Chen, Dr Mohinder Naiya, Dr Victor Yim and Josh Van Dongen of Dot Ingredients.Sarah Manners, University of CanterburyGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details