Conservation
Closure of ‘spectacular’ sinkhole stuns climber
A climber who regularly visits is perplexed by DOC's decision to close the popular track.
Otago Peninsula officially declared possum free
A biodiversity advocate says possums were recently so rare in the region that roadkill was something the younger generations had never seen. Audio
Meet 'Tous', an entirely new kind of mammal
A plantation worker photographed the animal thought to have been dead for 6000 years.
First shore plover fledgling born on Pitt Island in 150 years
Feral cats eliminated the shore plover population on Pitt Island, as well as the mainland of New Zealand, in the 1870s.
Fine for unreported death 'makes dolphin lives look worthless'
An Otago fisher was fined $5000 and had to pay for the return of his ship after he accidentally killed a Hector's dolphin and lied to officials. Audio
Wellington eco-sanctuary count the cost of wild winds
Zealandia conservation and restoration general manager Jo Ledington told RNZ the weather event had been described as like being in a "snow globe".
Leave granted to appeal part of Dome Valley landfill approval
Legal action over a controversial mega-dump in Auckland's Dome Valley is continuing, with Forest and Bird granted leave to appeal part of the decision to approve the landfill.
DOC faces pushback over Harwoods Hole track closure
DOC is facing local pushback after closing the track to the country's deepest natural sinkhole over safety concerns. Nelson mayor Nick Smith spoke to Corin Dann. Audio
Reusable scheme diverts 175,000 cups from landfill
A reusable container company says it's saved 175 thousand cups and food trays from landfill in its first year. FillGood operations manager Ali Kirkpatrick spoke to Corin Dann. Audio
Track to country's deepest natural sinkhole permanently closed
Harwoods Hole at the top of the South Island has been permanently closed over safety concerns.
'Panel beater' for turtles saving lives with 3D printer and dental glue
The rescuer in Australia's eastern victoria patching up shattered shells and saving turtles from certain death.
David Klein: For the love of birds (and Wellington)
Calling all bird lovers! In a celebration of our feathery friends, David Klein shares fun scientific facts with a dollop of silly at the Wellington Fringe Festival in the aptly named David Klein… Audio
Marlborough iwi takes over managing historic coastal site
Te Pokohiwi o Kupe - or the Boulder Bank Site Historic Reserve - includes the Wairau Bar, where Wairau River meets the sea at Cloudy Bay in Marlborough.
Fiordland hunters make big push for venison meat processing plant
A community conservation effort is hoping to fund a new processing facility for wild deer in the deep south.
Rifleman roundup takes place in Wainuiomata
Phil Pennington went along to a rifleman roundup at the Wainuiomata water catchment area. Audio
Deadly virus kills more than 70 tigers at Thailand park
Testing detected the highly infectious canine distemper virus and bacteria affecting the respiratory system, the Chiang Mai livestock office said.
Giant tortoises reintroduced to Floreana Island in the Galapagos archipelago
Park rangers carried large crates containing the 158 tortoises on their backs, hiking 7km across volcanic terrain and hard-to-access areas before releasing them.
Critter of the Week
The critter of the week is the newly crowned Bug of the Year 2026, the Avatar moth! This beautiful day-flying moth is only found on the Denniston Plateau, from 640 to 850m. They eat alpine marshwort… Audio
First kākāpō of this year's breeding season hatches
DOC staff are confident a kākāpō chick born on Valentine's Day will be the first of many this breeding season. Video
Morning Report Essentials for Monday 16 February
This morning we spoke to the Prime Minister after he confirmed Eden Park will host a State of Origin match next year. We also spoke to Sir Graham Lowe about the announcement; The Vaping Industry… Audio
