People Helping Nature Podcast

How South Westland Became a Massive Nature Sanctuary

Is Predator Free 2050 achievable? Is it possible to remove possums, rats and stoats from 100,000+ hectares of mainland New Zealand, and keep them out, without a fence?

What I Learned From 20 Years Running a Zoo (with Karen Fifield, Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo)

After 20 years leading Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo, Karen Fifield is preparing to step down as Chief Executive. So we sat down with her to ask a simple question: What has a

Bringing Kiwi Back: The Story of Translocations (with Tineke Joustra, Save the Kiwi)

One day, hearing kiwi call from your backyard could be normal again. To many New Zealanders, kiwi are our national icon - but not a bird they’ve actually seen or heard i

Slowing The Flow: How Detainment Bunds Support Healthy Waterways (with Laura Simpson, Mangaone West Catchment Group)

In times of heavy rainfall, water can rush off farmland, carrying soil, nutrients and contaminants into waterways - and adding pressure downstream. In this episode, we

How Do You Mobilise A Nation For Nature? (With Vicki Connor, Department of Conservation)

How do you mobilise a nation for nature? Most New Zealanders say nature matters to them. But care alone isn’t creating the level of action needed to protect it. In this

Eliminating Possums From Banks Peninsula: A Blueprint For NZ (with Ollie Rutland-Sims, Pest Free Banks Peninsula)

Australian brush-tail possums are one of the most widespread and damaging introduced pests in Aotearoa New Zealand, with an estimated ~30 million around the country. The

Australasian Bittern: An Apex Predator At The Brink Of Extinction (with Helen Jamieson, The Forest Bridge Trust)

In this episode, we sit down with Helen Jamieson from The Forest Bridge Trust to explore one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most elusive and lesser-known birds: the matuku-hūr

Announcement: We're Cycling 2800+ km for Conservation!

Today, we have a big announcement to share. This year, between June and August, we’re setting off on an 11-week conservation storytelling adventure - cycling the entire

Why Kids Might Be The Ocean’s Best Hope (EP37 with Steve Hathaway, Young Ocean Explorers)

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 bar

Less Than 1% Protected: The Truth About NZ’s Oceans (EP36 with Shaun Lee)

Beneath the surface, Aotearoa New Zealand’s oceans are under growing pressure. We’re taking too much good stuff out, putting too much bad stuff in, and the system is warm

Shorebird Conservation: Connecting Habitats, Countries & People (EP35 with Keith Woodley)

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 th

Inside Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo: How Modern Zoos Actually Work (EP34 with Karen Fifield)

Zoos haven’t always looked like they do today. The role of a "good zoo" is now about playing a crucial role in conservation and advocacy for animals - locally, nationally

Protecting Alpine Wētā & Lizards (EP33 with Samuel Purdie, Southern Lakes Sanctuary)

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

Scaling Up Conservation in the Southern Lakes (EP32 with Paul Kavanagh, Southern Lakes Sanctuary)

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 wi

NZ Bat Conservation: Data, Collaboration & Tech (EP31 with Mark Roper, The Bat Co. Lab)

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 insect

Finding A Career With Purpose (EP30 with Michelle Impey, Save the Kiwi)

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,

From Degraded to Thriving: A Catchment Story (EP29 with John Burke)

What happens when one of the Bay of Plenty’s most degraded catchments becomes a restoration success story? In the 90s, the Te Mania Catchment was a major source of sedim

The Rise of Catchment Groups in Aotearoa NZ (EP28 with Sam the Trap Man)

Nature doesn’t stop at the fence-line, so why should conservation? Throughout Aotearoa, catchment groups are changing the conservation narrative. Farmers, foresters, iwi

Bringing Conservation Into the Classroom (with Sally Clegg, Trees for Survival)

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

People Are The Silver Bullet To Predator Free (with Dan Henry)

“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 tr