People Helping Nature Podcast

Commercial pine forests and kiwi conservation: contradiction or opportunity?

“We know kiwi are happy to live in commercial forests. And we know that of New Zealand's landmass, I think it's something like 7% of that landmass is covered in commercial forests of some description.”

That’s about 1.8 million hectares of a largely untapped habitat many people overlook!

In this episode, forestry specialist Craig Balsom from Save the Kiwi explains the sometimes surprising role New Zealand’s pine plantation forests can play in kiwi conservation.

Craig shares how Save the Kiwi and forest owners are...

“I hold hope for the future of kea in that they are smart and adaptable birds, but we really need to act to help them on their way.”

And it takes a special kind of people to do exactly that: you need equal parts physical endurance, technical mountaineering expertise, and adaptive problem-solving in some of Aotearoa’s most challenging environments.

Picture this: walking a thousand metres straight up alpine terrain with tramping packs loaded with camping gear and scientific equipment. Then spending days catching and banding kea, or triangulating radio signals with directional aerials through unmark...

New Zealand's most intelligent native bird is at risk of fading away, despite being highly visible around tourist hotspots.

Kea, the world's only alpine parrot, captivates hearts and minds with their vibrant personalities and remarkable intelligence comparable to that of a four-year-old child.

These charismatic birds skillfully navigate harsh mountain environments, yet face a range of threats pushing their population to dangerously low levels - just a few thousand individuals spread across 3.5 million hectares.

In this episode of the People Helping Nature Podcast, Tamsin Orr-Walker, co-founder and chair of the Kea Conservation Trust...

“If you want to know how many kororā live in New Zealand, go find them.”

The world’s smallest penguin species could be vanishing right before our eyes - without enough data to confirm their suspected decline.

Kororā (little penguins) are thought to be in trouble throughout Aotearoa, yet we lack the nationwide monitoring to prove it.

In this episode of the People Helping Nature Podcast, Hiltrun Ratz and Melissa McLuskie from the New Zealand Penguin Initiative (NZPI) reveal how they're uniting community groups all over NZ to fill critical knowledge gaps about this spe...

“The Raukūmara was never prioritised. It was forgotten."

For generations, local iwi Ngati Porou and Te Whanau-a-Apanui watched their ancestral forest degrade. The Raukūmara reached breaking point. Deer had stripped the understory bare, and possums and rats had multiplied unchecked, reaching catastrophic levels. The question became urgent: how could they save their dying forest?

In this episode of the People Helping Nature Podcast, Ora Barlow, who played an instrumental role, shares the remarkable journey of the Raukūmara Pae Maunga Restoration Project - an iwi-led conservation initiative that's become the largest of its kind...

What if businesses could become a driving force behind positive environmental action, complementing and accelerating conservation efforts worldwide?

Despite their significant impact on our planet, less than 10% of small businesses have measured their carbon footprint.

The perceived complexity of taking climate action has created a massive barrier - something Carlos Chambers experienced firsthand when his previous company's carbon measurement took an astonishing 130 hours to complete. This led him to start CarbonInvoice™ to help solve this problem using technology.

In this episode of the People Helping Nature Podcast, we explore how businesses can move be...

What does it take to transform a planting project into a thriving, self-sustaining NZ native forest?

In short, it's a long-term commitment that goes far beyond the initial planting day: The secret to success isn't the day you put trees in the ground, it comes from everything that happens before and after.

In this episode of the People Helping Nature Podcast, we welcome Wayne O’Keefe back to share crucial insights and practical tips on the planning, planting and protection phases of reforestation, based on his 20+ years of experience.

Wayne explains why understanding yo...

It’s been estimated that more than 2.5 million feral cats call Aotearoa NZ home.

2.5 million!

That's big numbers, making them a growing problem and an increasing threat…

These aren’t your typical domestic house cat. They are wild animals, and they’re having a devastating impact on our native wildlife.

"Comparing a feral cat to a domestic cat is like comparing a wolf to a Labrador"

Feral cats predate on all kinds of taonga species - from lizards to bats to kiwi - and their numbers are increasing every year. In...

What happens when a whale or dolphin strands on a New Zealand beach? For over 50 years, Project Jonah has been the lifeline for these marine mammals in distress, pioneering rescue techniques that have contributed to global standards.

Daren Grover, Project Jonah’s General Manager, reveals how this organisation evolved from successfully campaigning against the whaling industry in the 1970s to becoming leaders in marine mammal rescue. Through their nationwide network of 1000s of trained volunteers, Project Jonah is able to mobilise rapid responses to approximately 300 strandings every year.

From the unique "whale trap" geography of Fa...

What New Zealand predator flies at up to 200km/hour yet is now rarer than our iconic kiwi? With fewer than 8,000 kārearea (NZ’s endemic falcon) remaining, these aerial hunters serve as crucial indicators of our ecosystem's health.

For 32+ years, the Wingspan Bird of Prey Centre in Rotorua has been at the forefront of protecting these remarkable predators and reversing their decline.

In this episode of the People Helping Nature Podcast, General Manager Ineke Milner, reveals how Wingspan blends 4,000-year-old falconry practices with cutting-edge conservation techniques.

Through Wingspan’s four main focuses (rehab...

What if we viewed Earth not as a resource to be managed, but as our home to be cherished?

In this profound conversation, Rob McGowan (Pā Ropata), leader of the Tīwaiwaka movement and respected rongoā practitioner, reveals a transformative set of enduring principles for healing our relationship with Papatūānuku (mother earth).

Rob challenges conventional thinking about environmental action, revealing how small, mindful changes in our daily lives can collectively reshape the way we interact with nature. By shifting from a "me" to a "we" worldview, we can create a future where both people and p...

Can poor-quality predator control be worse than no control at all? According to one of New Zealand's leading trapping experts, the answer might surprise you.

In this episode of the People Helping Nature Podcast, John Bissell, owner of ⁠Backblocks Environmental Management⁠ and National Predator Control Advisor for ⁠Save the Kiwi⁠, challenges conventional thinking about removing introduced predators.

Drawing from decades of experience as a professional predator hunter and conservation specialist, John reveals why treating them as intelligent adversaries - rather than assuming they'll blindly walk into any trap - is crucial for success.

Through...

Dogs navigate the world through scent, and kiwi have an irresistibly strong smell. Add to this a kiwi's lack of a breastbone, and even the gentlest nudge from a curious dog can be fatal.

So, how do we create the space for both kiwi and dogs to thrive as they increasingly share the same spaces?

In this episode of the People Helping Nature Podcast, Save the Kiwi's dog specialist, Emma Craig brings practical solutions to this challenging reality.

From night-time containment to specialised avoidance training for working dogs and tackling feral pack challenges...

What if a small community on New Zealand's Banks Peninsula could come together to purchase and restore a piece of land to create a lasting conservation legacy for future generations?

That’s exactly what the team at Le Bons Bay Conservation Trust are doing, and they’re nearly there – with 80% of their fundraising goal already achieved!

Join our korero with Matthew MacDonald as we explore how they launched their crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to buy and restore land, and how their work ties into a larger movement of community-driven conservation on Banks Peninsula.

Whet...

In neighbourhoods around New Zealand, predator control is becoming as normal as recycling or composting.

Jessi Morgan, CEO of Predator Free New Zealand Trust, reveals how they're turning individual actions into a nationwide movement. By equipping communities with knowledge, tools, and support, they're empowering every New Zealander to contribute to an ambitious goal: a country free of rats, stoats, and possums by 2050.

From AI-powered traps to innovative toxins, Jessi shares how Kiwi ingenuity and collective action is transforming the predator control landscape. But this isn't just about removing predators – it's about creating resilient ecosystems where na...

The last few months of building the People Helping Nature podcast have been a wild ride, to say the least!

We’ve been blessed with opportunities to interview inspiring and renowned guests, and have learned so much already.

So, we thought it was about time to share an update with you on how this podcast is progressing.

This short update-style episode is something we’re testing and thinking of doing every 10 or 20 episodes to keep you in the loop and document our learnings over time, so please let us know what you think and...

What if every New Zealander could encounter a kiwi in the wild?

Michelle Impey, CEO of Save the Kiwi, shares how this innovative organisation is working to make this vision a reality throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.

By empowering community-led initiatives, Save the Kiwi supports and amplifies grassroots conservation work. From predator control to responsible pet ownership and leading translocations, they're tackling the challenges facing kiwi on a wide range of fronts.

But it's not just about protecting our national bird. Michelle reveals how their work creates a ripple effect, benefiting a wide range...

What if we could amplify the impact of community conservation efforts across an entire region?

Michelle Elborn, CEO of Bay Conservation Alliance (BCA), shares how this innovative umbrella organisation is doing just that in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty.

Founded by community, for community, BCA supports and grows the capability of local conservation groups. From helping with admin to facilitating funding applications and beyond, BCA enables volunteers to focus on their passion - hands-on conservation work.

But it's not just about operational support. By uniting diverse groups, BCA creates a powerful collective voice...

Imagine a future where the threat of extinction for New Zealand's forest species is eliminated... forever.

Now imagine achieving this for less than 30 cents per person per week!

This isn't just a conservationist's dream – it's a well-researched proposal that could revolutionise our approach to conservation.

At the heart of this vision is Jim Lynch, co-founder of the wildly successful Zealandia fenced ecosanctuary in Wellington's Karori Valley.

Building on the triumphs and lessons of Zealandia, Jim has developed an ambitious new concept: a network of ten fenced megasanctuaries, each spanning 3000-5000 hectares, st...

Landscape-scale conservation projects are a key part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s biodiversity future.

They connect the many localised community efforts, passionate landowners and patches of remnant forest to achieve much wider-reaching conservation outcomes.

When we unite these smaller, seperate activities into catchment-wide, inclusive initiatives, the possibilities are endless…

Enter: ⁠The Forest Bridge Trust⁠ (TFBT).

The vision for TFBT started in 2013 when founders Kevin and Gill Adshead reintroduced kiwi to their family farm in Glorit, Rodney.

They quickly realised that for these flightless birds to thrive, they would require a massiv...

People usually think of hunting & gathering as something completely separate from conservation.

But when the forest is your food basket, you see places and species that others don’t notice.

You see the trends through the seasons, and you know when something isn’t right…

Sam (Hamiora) Gibson, also known as Sam The Trap Man, spent his younger years trapping, fishing and hunting in the Waioeka Gorge, between Opotiki and Gisborne.

They would hear kiwi call at night and rivers were packed with whio (native blue duck).

Then he moved...

Imagine seeing an extremely rare bird (kōkako) go from declining without any support to having an entire community of volunteers, farmers, iwi, forestry, council, and NGOs unite to bring it back…

Imagine giving countless volunteer hours over 30+ years to restore habitat for the kōkako population in Kaharoa Forest and experiencing the changes over that time.

Imagine seeing your life’s work expand into an intergenerational project that connects forests, restores habitats, and secures a future for your beloved birds…

In this episode, we are joined by Carmel Richardson and Graeme Young, who have...

Why do we post-mortem and study wildlife after it dies?

How does pathology influence our understanding of biodiversity trends at a species level?

And what risks does the potential arrival of avian influenza pose to Aotearoa New Zealand’s birds?

In this episode, we are joined by Annie Pagé, wildlife pathologist resident at Massey University, subantarctic sea lion researcher, and ⁠Heritage Expeditions⁠ tour guide.

Here are some of the things we discussed:

What does a healthy ecosystem actually look like in Aotearoa New Zealand?

And what role does the endangered kōkako bird (Callaeas wilsoni) play in the conservation landscape?

In this episode, we are joined by Wayne O’Keefe, who wears many hats in the conservation space, including ongoing efforts to help develop intergenerational forest corridors through KEEP, the Kōkako Ecosystem Expansion Programme.

Here are some of the things we discussed:

Welcome to the People Helping Nature Podcast!

In this inaugural introduction episode, hosts and co-founders of Conservation Amplified, Anna Wentsch and Callum Armstrong share:

👩About Anna:

Originally from Germany and self-introduced to New Zealand, Anna Wentsch is passionate about habitat protection and threatened species conservation. She has worked with Kiwi, Korora, Whio...