Our Changing World

4.1 (11)
SCIENCE
UPDATED WEEKLY

Dr Claire Concannon follows scientists into the bush, over rivers, back to their labs and many places in-between to cover the most fascinating research being done in Aotearoa New Zealand.

40 MINS AGO

Going for eradication - Predator free South Westland

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

26 min
2 FEB

Insect vibes

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

26 min
26 JAN

Sight in the womb

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

27 min
19 JAN

Summer science: Methane-busting seaweed

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

14 min
13 JAN

Summer science: Why we spend

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

17 min
5 JAN

Summer science: The science of ageing

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, geneticist Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

1h 7m
29/12/2025

Summer science: Keeping it crisp

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.Guest Nicolette Neiman, plant physiologistGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

12 min
22/12/2025

Summer science: Dollars for nature

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

13 min

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Now on Wild Sounds: Voices from Antarctica

Need a nature fix? RNZ now has a podcast feed dedicated to our beautifully produced series telling stories from te taiao nature. Check out the Wild Sounds feed – now playing Voices from Antarctica, featuring Alison Ballance reporting from the frozen deep south. Find and follow Wild Sounds on your favourite podcast platform, or listen on RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

25/09/2025

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1 min

4.1

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11 Ratings

Dr Claire Concannon follows scientists into the bush, over rivers, back to their labs and many places in-between to cover the most fascinating research being done in Aotearoa New Zealand.