Rnz: Our Changing World

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 WestlandEt

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

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 ‘

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 EkosHay

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

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 wa

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

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

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

Until late 2024, nobody had seen te pua o Te Rēinga “the flower of the underworld” in the Wellington region for more than a hundred years. A chance discovery of a small struggling population has kick started a race to protect the plants and help them return. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.Learn more:First Up interviewed Avi Holzapfel about Te Pua o Te Rēinga in 2024In 2020, OCW looked at efforts to resurrect a transplanted population of Te Pua o Te Rēinga at Zealandia.Graeme Atkins is also one of the driving forces behind an effort to help the ngutukākā plant return to the wild, plus the 1769 Garden – a living library of rare local East Coast native plant species.Guests:Graeme Atkins (Ngāti Purou, Rongomawahine)Barrett Pistoll – Greater Wellington Regional CouncilAvi Holzapfel – Department of ConservationRhys Mills - Ngā Manu Nature ReserveBart Cox – Wellington City CouncilGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

An invasive species has taken hold in the Waikato River, and it’s multiplying fast. Gold clams, tiny but relentless, are now found along a large stretch of the awa, where they threaten water infrastructure, and native species. Where might it invade next, and can we control it? Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.Learn more:Among their other conservation activities, the team at Kids Greening Taupō have taken on the challenge of speaking to every class about the gold clam to raise awareness.MPI’s John Walsh spoke to Paddy Gower on Nine to Noon after last year’s gold clam survey, and more recently to Kathryn Ryan about following the rules to prevent the clam’s spread this trout fishing season.In Auckland, efforts are underway to protect the native kākahi from the threats of introduced fish.Guests:Dr Michele Melchior, Earth Sciences New ZealandKarl Safi, Earth Sciences New ZealandGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

New Zealand’s marine search and rescue region stretches from Antarctica to north of Samoa. If someone goes missing without any means of communication, that’s a lot of ocean to search. Now researchers and the New Zealand Defence Force have teamed up to develop and test a low-tech, no-battery device that can be picked up by radar – including that beamed down by satellites orbiting Earth. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.In this episode:01:30 At Mission Bay Beach Dr Tom Dowling demonstrates the device03:40 In the University of Auckland’s Space Institute lab the team explain the device design, and how it works.10:00 Dr Tom Dowling talks about the radar reflector trials in Campbell Island and Omaha beach13:00 Dr David Galligan, director of Defence Science and Technology on why DST is interested in the device19:00 The satellites are the second side of the equation. Dr Tom Dowling explains how that works.20:50 Back at Mission Bay Beach Dr Tom Dow

It’s been 30 years since a dramatic series of eruptions at Mount Ruapehu. In that time, there have been great advances in monitoring and modelling volcanoes – but we still can’t look inside a volcano to see exactly what’s going on. Claire Concannon heads to Wairakei, near Taupō, to meet researchers working on the next best thing: recreating Ruapehu’s eruptions in the lab. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.In this episode:…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Two years ago, the Australasian crested grebe, the pūteketeke, took out the title of New Zealand’s Bird of the Century. But when the Paris billboard got swapped out, and 'Lord of the Wings' ads no longer peppered Wellington's bus stops, who stuck around? Claire Concannon meets two dedicated grebe supporters battling different challenges at two Central Otago lakes. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.In this episode:00:06 – John Oliver’s pūteketeke campaign01:15 – Richard Bowman at Lake Hayes16:45 – Markus Hermanns at Lake WānakaLearn more:Read more about the pūteketeke and the people helping them in this RNZ story, What happened when the pūteketeke's fame faded?In 2016 Alison Ballance visited Lake Wānaka to speak to John Darby about the grebes.It’s not news that New Zealand’s freshwater lakes and wetlands are generally in trouble, but there are many groups around the motu trying to improve their patch – whether that’s the Taiari rive