Environment
Is New Zealand doing its bit in combating climate change?
We might be a small fish in a big pond, but are we doing our part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
Thousands of items made from endangered species confiscated at the border
From crocodile jerky to bear meat: you may not have heard the acronym CITES before, but last year more than 6,000 items were seized and surrendered under its watch. Audio
'Disgusted': Call for more to be done to stop mass death of migrating eels in Canterbury
Eels estimated to weigh a total of one tonne died at Taumutu.
Voice of the Sea Ice: New Zealand’s Paris Agreement commitments
Human-induced warming is having an impact on Earth’s systems, including ice melt in Antarctica. So what is the world doing about it?
The current global pact, the Paris Agreement, was signed in… Audio
New Zealand's first beekeeper
Mary Bumby travelled thousands of kilometres with two beehives to become New Zealand's very first beekeeper in 1838. Audio
Breathe easier, but be careful where you drink from: the state of the environment
Major update on NZ's environment is a mixed bag
Call for PM to step in over minister’s carbon trading conflict of interest
Minister Mark Patterson was the director of a farming and forestry company, while participating in decisions about carbon market settings.
What makes electronic waste dangerous?
Already this year Auckland Council has had at least 13 rubbish truck fires caused by discarded batteries. They over heat and spark up the other rubbish, costing the council up to $5000 a truck fire… Audio
New satellite data shows NZ's major cities are sinking
Over the coming decades and centuries, rising seas will pose increasingly serious problems for all coastal communities.
Plastic wrap producers targeted under proposed 'Green Farms' scheme
A levy would contribute to the recycling of baleage and silage covers.
Volunteers help flood-affected graziers in Western Qld
Widespread flooding in Western Queensland is beginning to ease as volunteers help clear the remaining damage.
Four arrested after Greenpeace occupy Taranaki port
The Greenpeace activists are opposed to Fonterra's use of palm kernel from South East Asia.
Critter of the Week: Takapo ground weta
This week's critter is an endangered weta that only lives in the silty river margins of the Mackenzie Basin. The small, cute and elusive Takapo ground weta, Hemiandrus 'furoviarius', digs itself a… Audio
Take a lichen at this
Calling all wildlife photographers - the 2025 City Nature Challenge begins in just under three weeks. Lichenologist Marley Ford explains how it works. Audio
2700 people known to have died after Myanmar quake
More than 2700 people are now know to have died after a massive earthquake rocked war-torn Myanmar and caused huge damage in neighbouring Thailand on Friday. The toll is expected to rise as people are… Audio
Voice of the Sea Ice: What's happening to Antarctic sea ice?
In February 2025, the world hit a new low for global sea ice extent.
Arctic sea ice has been declining for several decades, but Antarctic sea ice had been holding steady, until recently.
Now with… Audio
Volcano erupts in Iceland, triggering evacuation
"Warning: An eruption has begun," the Icelandic meteorological office said in a statement.
Climate change is a real financial risk, Super Fund managers say
The managers of the New Zealand Super Fund say they apply a climate lens to every activity. Audio
Marsden Point closure sparks five-year delay, re-location of $70m glasshouse
Northland will likely miss out on a multimillion-dollar, government-backed vegetable growing operation following the closure of the Marsden Point refinery near Whangārei.
Niki Gladding on being stripped of council committee roles
A Queenstown councillor was stripped of her roles after spilling the beans on confidential plans to invoke emergency powers to pump treated waste water into the Shotover river. Niki Gladding leaked… Audio
