Environment
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
Queenstown councillor stripped of roles after plans leaked
A Queenstown councillor has been demoted after revealing a confidential council plan to discharge treated sewage into the Shotover River. Last week, Niki Gladding leaked the council's plans to pump at… Audio
The can of worms that is the Resource Management Act
Legislation designed to simplify the country's resource management laws has now become more complex than the multitude of statutes it originally replaced. So it's up for debate, again.
Europe heading towards emissions tax on dairy imports, expert says
DLA Piper partner Daniel Street says the breadcrumbs are being laid by Denmark, which promised its own farmers it would pursue EU-wide emissions pricing on greenhouse gases.
'We need a solution soon' - diaspora on the conflict in DRC
Nearly 7000 people have been killed since January this year in the conflict that's ongoing in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kadambari Raghukumar talks about the impact of the war with Congolese…
