Our Changing World

Freeing an entangled whale is complex, dangerous and immensely rewarding. Based in Kaikōura, marine ranger Zac Penman leads DOC’s South Island large whale disentanglement team. He speaks to Claire Concannon about their training and mahi.

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LEARN MORE:

• Hear Zac Penman tell the full story of the southern right whale disentanglement.
• Learn how the team freed a southern right whale tangled in a pot line near Rakiura.
• Explore an Our Changing World episode about researchers tracking southern right whales from the subantarctic Auckland Islands.
• Read about the record number of humpback whales spotted off Kaikōura.
• The rules about sharing the coast with marine mammals are on this DOC page.

GUESTS:

• Zac Penman, Kaikōura marine ranger and lead of the Department of Conservation’s South Island large whale disentanglement team.

IN THIS EPISODE:

(00:00) Disentanglement of a Southern Right Whale

(02:45) Compliance patrols off Kaikōura.

(08:38) The Hikurangi Marine Reserve.

(17:41) How the team locates, tracks and safely approaches entangled whales.

(22:00) Equipment and training.

(31:03) The backstory, and international guidelines.

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

In the dunes of Bream Bay, DOC workers and volunteers are shifting shells by hand to build safer nesting habitat for tara-iti. With only about 45 birds left, every nest matters. Producer Liz Garton tags along on this important working bee.

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LEARN MORE:

• Listen Checkpoint covering the 2025 tara-iti breeding season
• Mangawhai is one of only four nesting spots for tara-iti, but a local community leader is warning of major environmental concerns
• 3D printed eggs helped ensure a record-breaking 2024 breeding season
• Find the OCW episodes mentioned in the podcast Alison Balance on an egg retrieval and Ayana Piper-Healion’s lizard hunting episode.

GUESTS:

• Ayla Wiles, DOC’s Tara-iti Programme Lead
• Ari Carrington, Patuharekeke Te Taiao Unit
• Robyn Davies, Waipu About Tern volunteer

THIS EPISODE:
(00:00) Meet tara iti, New Zealand’s rarest endemic breeding bird.
(06:41) What we know about tara iti and their remaining breeding sites.
(11:52) Captive rearing and the breakthrough lifting chick numbers.
(13:43) GPS tracking reveals the birds’ long-distance journeys.
(16:46) Volunteer monitoring and the birds’ distinctive personalities.

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

A genetic form of Parkinson’s disease is found at unusually high rates in some Pasifika communities. It affects people who are much younger than the typical Parkinson's patient. Researchers are working with patients to understand PINK1 Parkinson's, raise awareness, and explore new treatments.

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Parkinson’s New Zealand provides information on symptoms, treatments, support services and local support groups around Aotearoa.

But PINK1 sometimes presents differently, so Dr Christina Buchanan says if you’re a young Pasifika person with unusual stiffness you should talk to your GP and you can reach out to her at: [email protected] 

Learn more:

• In 2023, Our Changing World explored how researchers are helping families affected by inherited neurological conditions in Aotearoa.
• The Neurological Foundation featured more on the PINK1 Parkinson’s discovery and ongoing research in their magazine.
• Nine To Noon reported on hopes that Parkinson's disease could one day be slowed or prevented through a New Zealand-led breakthrough into the biology of the disease.
• Katie Kenny of RNZ explains the implications of proposed changes to New Zealand's genetic technologies legislation.

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

GLP1 - RA weight loss drugs get the Our Changing World treatment! What are they? How do they work? And what does the science say about the benefits, and the risks? Plus, beyond health outcomes, how might things change as they become more widely available?

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LEARN MORE:

• If you’d like a deeper understanding of how drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy affect appetite and blood sugar regulation, Emile Donovan spoke to Dr Sebastian Furness about this on Nights.
• Obesity genetics researcher Giles Yeo joined Afternoons to explain why body weight is influenced by much more than willpower, and why biology plays such a powerful role in hunger and weight regulation.
• The study that Dr Andrew Reynolds contributed to on how obesity trends are changing around the world was published in Nature. You can read the paper here.
• Curious about how the major incretin drugs compare? This systematic review and meta-analysis examines the effectiveness of semaglutide, liraglutide, dulaglutide and tirzepatide for blood sugar control and other outcomes.

GUESTS:

• Dr Andrew Reynolds, Department of Medicine, University of Otago

IN THIS EPISODE:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:12) How GLP-1 receptor agonists were developed as treatments for type 2 diabetes

(03:55) The biology of incretins, insulin, glucagon and how these drugs work

(07:20) The drugs available and funded in New Zealand

(11:34) Weight loss benefits, side effects and questions about long-term use

(20:30) Retatrutide, future incretin therapies and the emerging “Ozempic economy”

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

In September, the Chatham Island black robin was crowned Bird of the Year 2026. This small, round and feisty manu has a remarkable comeback story, from just five birds in 1979 to about 400 today. They are found on just two predator-free islands in the Chatham group.

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Over a hundred years ago Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch discovered a way to produce ammonia that revolutionised farming. It changed the world. But today this way of making ammonia uses between 1-2% of the world's global energy, and produces about the same greenhouse gas emissions as the whole airline industry. Is there a better way? A team at Earth Sciences New Zealand are on the hunt for a catalyst that could convert water and air into ammonia using renewable electricity. Their dream is to enable efficient and economical small-scale ammonia production, but to get there they must first prove the chemistry is possible.

Over a hundred years ago Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch discovered a way to produce ammonia that would revolutionise farming. It changed the world. But today synthetic ammonia production uses between 1-2% of the world global energy, and produces about the same greenhouse gas emissions as the whole airline industry. Is there a better way to make it? A team at Earth Sciences New Zealand are on the hunt for a catalyst that could convert water and air into ammonia using renewable electricty. Their dream is to enable efficient and economical small-scale ammonia production, but to get there they must first prove the chemistry is possible.

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

Over 80% of our coastal dune ecosystems have been lost. So, what about the native species living with them? Ayana Piper-Healion steps into Bream Bay’s sand dunes with a monitoring team to see what lizards can tell us about the health of the sand dunes.

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Learn more:

To find out more on what the local critics think about the Bream Bay Sand Extraction Project’s fast-track application, RNZ’s Peter de Graaf reported on a protest there earlier this year.

Further north, Saturday Morning reported on significant damage being caused to dunes by thrill seekers driving vehicles through them. 

Another region dealing with threatened dunes is Waimarama, where weeds are spreading from people fly-dumping garden waste.

In the Hawke’s Bay, the ‘Skink Squad’ are on a mission to save the northern spotted skinks in preparation for an infrastructure project.

In 2021, Our Changing World did a deep dive into dune plants and the largest supplier of plants for dune revegetation programs.

Guests:

Steve Johnson, Patuharakeke Te Pou Taiao

Ari Carrington, resource co-ordinator at Patuharakeke Te Pou Taiao

Katrina Hansen, biodiversity specialist Northland Regional Council

Laura Shaft, biodiversity manager Northland Regional Council

Brooke Gray, biodiversity advisor Northland Regional Council

Richard Griffiths, coastal scientist Northland Regional Council

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

Highly pathogenic H5/N1 bird flu strain has been detected in New Zealand, but it's still early days. There are lots of unknowns about when it will start spreading here, and how our wildlife will react to the virus. But what has happened in other countries? Claire Concannon speaks to Niall Hatch of BirdWatch Ireland about what they've experienced.

SHOW NOTES:

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LEARN MORE:

• The Great Ireland Vs New Zealand Bird-Off took place across two episodes in 2023, during the time when bird flu has having a huge impact on Irish seabirds. Listen to them here: Part 1, Part 2.
• Read this RNZ explainer about what the confirmation of H5N1 in New Zealand means for wildlife, poultry and the public.
• Revisit the 2025 Our Changing World episode Getting ready for H5N1 bird flu, which traced the virus’s global spread and New Zealand’s preparations for its arrival.
• For more on Irish birds and wildlife with Niall Hatch and Ricky Whelan, you can listen to BirdWatch Ireland’s podcast: In Your Nature.

GUESTS:

• Niall Hatch, BirdWatch Ireland.

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

After years of watching it move closer, the highly pathogenic H5/N1 strain of bird flu has arrived on our shores. It has left a trail of devastation, causing mass mortality events in many birds and mammal species. What do we know about this virus and how is one high-risk site preparing to manage the impacts?

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

Our Changing World listeners might like to check out All In Her Head, a podcast by investigative journalist Anusha Bradley exploring a complex medical syndrome, and the grey areas where medicine, belief and scientific evidence collide.

See photos, video and read more about Rachel's story in a special digital feature: The girl who couldn’t eat: An RNZ investigation into the controversy over a debilitating illness

A special thanks to the young women and their families for sharing their stories for this series. And thank you to the doctors, surgeons and specialists in New Zealand and overseas for sharing their medical knowledge and expertise.

If any of these stories affect you – you can find more information about EDS, at ehlers-danlos.org.nz - or you can look up EDS NEW ZEALAND on Facebook and Instagram.

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