Most of our relationship with the ocean happens on the surface. We sail it, fish it, surf it and photograph it. But beneath that glistening blue is a world many of us barely understand - and one that is changing fast.

In this episode, we sit down with Steve Hathaway from Young Ocean Explorers to explore a powerful idea: if we help kids fall in love with the ocean, we can change how we treat it within a generation.

Beneath the surface, Aotearoa NZ’s oceans are under growing pressure.

In this episode, we sit down with Shaun Lee for an honest conversation about the state of our marine environment. Despite being an ocean nation, less than 1% of our EEZ is effectively protected under high-protection standards, placing us among the worst-performing countries globally.

While the picture is confronting and politically driven, there is genuine reason for hope. We also explore how marine ecosystems can recover when pressure is reduced.

Shorebirds are a diverse bunch, living (and migrating) all over our planet in a wide range of habitats. But despite their fascinating lives, they usually fly under the radar.

In this episode, we sit down with Keith Woodley (MNZM) from Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre, to unpack the incredible lifestyles of shorebirds, their habitats, and the work people are doing to protect them.

Zoos haven’t always looked like they do today. “Good zoos” transformed from being places of entertainment to now playing a crucial role in conservation and advocacy for animals - locally, nationally, and globally.

In this episode, we sit down with Karen Fifield, CEO of Wellington Zoo and President of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), to unpack what modern zoos do to protect wildlife beyond what you experience when visiting.

The smaller critters often get the least attention - yet they make up the foundations of life in our ecosystems.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, invertebrates and lizards help recycle nutrients, disperse seeds, pollinate native plants, and support the whole food web. And they’re also some of the hardest animals to actually understand and protect.

In this episode, we head back to the Southern Lakes Sanctuary for a round two with their herpetologist and invertebrate specialist, Samuel Purdie, who pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to look after species like the Southern Alps giant wētā.

The Queenstown Lakes District is one of the most spectacular places on Earth - a picturesque landscape of mountains, lakes, and remote valleys where nature still feels wild.

But beneath the beauty lies a conservation challenge: around 40 native species in the region are threatened or at risk of extinction.

In this episode, CEO of Southern Lakes Sanctuary, Paul Kavanagh pulls back the curtain on what happens when conservation communities get the backing they need: skilled staff, smart tech, and funding that lets them go further together. 

Most New Zealanders have never seen a bat, yet their presence signals the health of our forests.

They’re our only native land mammals, quietly pollinating, eating insects, and supporting ecosystem balance. But with many areas still unmonitored and major data gaps in our understanding, their story remains half-told.

In this episode, senior ecologist and bat expert Mark Roper joins us to chat all things NZ bats.

For many careers, purpose doesn’t extend much beyond cashing in the payslip. For Michelle Impey, she’s lived a career of purpose for 20+ years. 

As CEO of Save the Kiwi, Michelle has led the organisation’s evolution from a one-person funding distributor to a national team delivering measurable conservation outcomes for our national icon, the kiwi bird.

In this episode, we talk candidly about building a career with purpose - the trade-offs and rewards, the culture that keeps people for decades, and much more.

What happens when one of the Bay of Plenty’s most degraded farms becomes a restoration success story?

In the 90s, John Burke’s family purchased a farm at the top of the Te Mania catchment, then discovered it was a major source of sediment flowing into Tauranga Moana with a stream health score of 2/10.

Today, after 25+ years of riparian fencing, wetland restoration, pest control and assisted native regeneration, the same waterway scores a remarkable 9/10.

Nature doesn’t stop at the fence-line, so why should conservation?

Throughout Aotearoa, catchment groups are changing the conservation narrative with results rippling out to entire regions.

In this episode, we speak with Sam “The Trap Man” Gibson about the rise of catchment groups in Aotearoa NZ and the role of farmers in conservation.

When a child says, “Mum, I did something to save the planet,” something shifts - not just in the home, but throughout the local community.

In this episode, we’re joined by Sally Clegg from Trees for Survival, a long-running, school-based education programme that’s growing the next generation of environmental changemakers through hands-on reforestation projects.

“People are the absolute silver bullet to this whole predator-free thing.”

Dan Henry didn’t set out to lead a movement. But when he and a friend began handing out rat traps around their suburb of Miramar, something clicked. No committees. No red tape. Just a simple idea that people could say yes to.

In this episode, Dan shares the remarkable story of Predator Free Miramar and how they activated the local community to eradicate rats from the peninsula.

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.”

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.

“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.”

In this episode, Lydia McLean from the Kea Conservation Trust (KCT) takes us behind the scenes and reveals what really happens in the rugged reality of alpine conservation fieldwork.

KCT’s projects range from nest survivorship studies, where motion-activated cameras reveal what's happening around individual kea nests to understanding entire population trends and more.

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 a four-year-old child. 

In this episode, Tamsin Orr-Walker, co-founder and chair of the Kea Conservation Trust (KCT), shares the vicious history of kea persecution by humans, current challenges today, and what KCT is doing to help save them.

“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.

In this episode, 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 species.

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

The Raukūmara Pae Maunga Restoration Project story is one of community, healing, transformation, aerial 1080, deer culling, and iwi-led conservation at a massive scale (150,000+HA).

In this episode, we sit down with Ora Barlow to chat about how they pulled it off.

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

In this episode, Carlos Chambers shares how small businesses are uniquely positioned to drive environmental progress.

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.

In this episode, Wayne O’Keefe shares crucial insights and practical tips on the planning, planting and protection phases of reforestation, based on his 20+ years of experience.

It’s been estimated that more than 2.5 million feral cats call Aotearoa NZ home. That's big numbers, making them a growing problem and an increasing threat…

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

In this episode, John Bissell shares valuable insights on the topic of feral cats in NZ.