There have been 24 kākāpō matings so far, and the number is increasing as mating action heats up on all three breeding islands. Deidre Vercoe, from the Kākāpō Recovery Programme, tells Alison Ballance that some 7-year-old birds from the 2019 breeding season have mated for the first time. The first female to mate this season, Pearl, has laid infertile eggs, but nightly activity monitoring shows that three more females have started nesting. Technical Advisor Daryl Eason talks about the under-achievers, founder kākāpō that either haven’t bred at all or have produced only a few chicks.

Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to [email protected]

In this episode:

00:00 – Introduction
00:51 – Mating updates
03:06 - Nesting updates
06:27 - Artificial insemination progress
10:40 - Male under-achievers
14:09 - Female under-achievers
15:26 - Closing credits

Learn more:

• Follow the Kākāpō Files podcast to keep up to date.
• Listen to the Voice of the Kākāpō series for a recap of the 2019 breeding season. Also listen to the episodes covering the interim 2022 breeding season, and about how a few male kākāpō have fared in the North Island, in the fenced Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.
• For more New Zealand science and nature find and follow the Our Changing World podcast, and subscribe to the show’s monthly newsletter.

Guests:

• Andrew Digby, Science Advisor, Kākāpō Recovery Programme
• Daryl Eason, Technical Advisor, Kākāpō Recovery Programme

Kākāpō Files is made in collaboration with the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme.

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

Early bird Pearl has laid the first eggs of the 2026 kākāpō breeding season but Kākāpō Recovery Programme science advisor Andrew Digby tells Alison Ballance that it’s too soon to know if they are fertile. Youngsters Huhū and Hondy are the third pair to mate on Whenua Hou, and Heather and Bluster Murphy are the fourth. Hine Taumai and Henry are the first to mate on Anchor Island. Technical advisor Daryl Eason explains the use of artificial insemination (AI), and we find out why it is a useful genetics tool and what the AI team are up to in the field.

Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to [email protected]

In this episode:

00:00 – Introduction
02:10 – Mating updates
08.48 – Discussion about using artificial insemination (AI)
15:28 – Andrew reports on the first AI efforts for this breeding season.
20:51 – Closing credits

Learn more:

• Follow the Kākāpō Files podcast to keep up to date.
• Listen to the Voice of the Kākāpō series for a recap of the 2019 breeding season. Also listen to the episodes covering the interim 2022 breeding season, and about how a few male kākāpō have fared in the North Island, in the fenced Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.
• For more New Zealand science and nature find and follow the Our Changing World podcast, and subscribe to the show’s monthly newsletter.

Guests:

• Andrew Digby, Science Advisor, Kākāpō Recovery Programme
• Daryl Eason, Technical Advisor, Kākāpō Recovery Programme

Kākāpō Files is made in collaboration with the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme.

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

It’s the New Year and we’re in the early days of a big kākāpō breeding season. Daryl Eason from the Kākāpō Team tells Alison Ballance that Esperance and Ian are the second kākāpō to mate, and he expects that any minute now there will be plenty more birds mating. The kākāpō population drops to 236 birds. Science advisor Andrew Digby explains why every living kākāpō has had its genome sequenced, and what genes can reveal – including why some kākāpō have olive feathers and others are bright green. And we meet over-achievers Flossie and Blades.

Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to [email protected]

In this episode:

00:00 – Introduction
00:38 – Daryl Eason with news of the second mating of the season, what Pearl is up to and a death
05:10 – Andrew Digby talks genomes and feather colour
12:10 – Super breeders Flossie and Blades
14:08 – Closing credits

Learn more:

• Follow the Kākāpō Files podcast to keep up to date.
• Listen to the Voice of the Kākāpō series for a recap of the 2019 breeding season. Also listen to the episodes covering the interim 2022 breeding season, and about how a few male kākāpō have fared in the North Island, in the fenced Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.
• For more New Zealand science and nature find and follow the Our Changing World podcast, and subscribe to the show’s monthly newsletter.

Guests:

• Andrew Digby, Science Advisor, Kākāpō Recovery Programme
• Daryl Eason, Technical Advisor, Kākāpō Recovery Programme

Kākāpō Files is made in collaboration with the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme.

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

It’s nearly the New Year and we’re counting down to the start of a big kākāpō breeding season. Island ranger Maddy Whittaker tells Alison Ballance that Pearl and Boss are the first kākāpō to mate. Deidre Vercoe, operations manager for the Kākāpō Team, explains that kākāpō mums on Whenua Hou will get wrap-round support, while management on Anchor Island and Te Kakahu/Chalky Island will be more hands-off. Scientist Andrew Digby talks about the role of technology in making this possible, and digs into the kākāpō’s boring gut microbiome. Technical advisor Daryl Eason introduces founder female Margaret-Maree, matriarch of a lineage with five living generations.

Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to [email protected]

In this episode:

00:00 – Introduction

00:53 – Kākāpō ranger Maddy Whittaker with news that Pearl and Boss on Whenua Hou are the first kākāpō to mate.

06:02 – Operations Manager of the Kākāpō Recovery Programme Deidre Vercoe explains that kākāpō mums on Whenua Hou will get wrap-round support, while management on Anchor Island and Te Kakahu / Chalky Island will be more hands-off.

10:08 – Science Advisor Andrew Digby talks about the role of technology and the kākāpō’s dull microbiome.

13:24 – Technical Advisor Daryl Eason introduces Margaret-Maree, matriarch of a dynasty with five living generations.

16:18 – Closing credits…

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

It’s the summer solstice and we are waiting for kākāpō breeding to begin. Alison Ballance chats with island ranger Maddy Whittaker, who reports that on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island all the male kākāpō are in full voice, booming all night to attract the females, who haven’t shown any interest yet. The action hasn’t yet ramped up on Anchor Island. Alison also meets three key people from the Kākāpō Team, and hears about their first-ever kākāpō encounters.

Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to [email protected]

In this episode:

00:00 – Introduction
00:42 – Kākāpō ranger Maddy Whittaker with updates on what the male birds are up to on the islands

05:09 – Technical Officer Daryl Eason talks about his first kākāpō encounter and what makes these birds so unique

09:41 – Operations Manager of the Kākāpō Recovery Programme Deidre Vercoe remembers her first kākāpō meeting

13:44 – Science Advisor Andrew Digby talks about meeting his first kākāpō

16:00 – Daryl Eason predicts when the breeding season might begin…

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

The Kākāpō Files returns for a second season, to follow everyone’s favourite parrot through what is predicted to be the biggest breeding season on record. In episode 1, host Alison Ballance and Our Changing World’s Claire Concannon chat about what exactly is a kākāpō, discuss the conservation history of this endangered bird through the life story of two kākāpō, and discover just how big this breeding season might be.

Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to [email protected].

In this episode:

00:00 - What is a kākāpō and how rare are they?

06:32 - Kākāpō names, from Zephyr to Acheron, and a brief conservation history

14:29 - Rimu masting and the 2026 breeding season

22:25 - Kākāpō trivia

24:12 - Closing credits

Learn more:

• Follow the Kākāpō Files podcast to keep up to date.
• Want to start the new series prepared with all the backstory? Listen to the Voice of the Kākāpō series for a recap of the 2019 breeding season. Then listen to the episodes covering the interim 2022 breeding season, and about how a few male kākāpō have fared in the North Island, in the fenced Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.
• For more New Zealand science and nature find and follow the Our Changing World podcast, and subscribe to the show’s monthly newsletter.

Guests:

• Claire Concannon, Our Changing World

References:

“Kākāpō: Rescued from the Brink of Extinction” by Alison Ballance (published 2018)

Kākāpō Files is made in collaboration with the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme.

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

In 2019 Alison Ballance followed the bumpy, rollercoaster ride that was the kākāpō breeding season. Now she returns, six years on, to do it all over again. We'll meet familiar characters, of both the human and bird kind, as well as new faces. Will the chicks born in 2019 start to breed? How will the team fare with a more hands-off approach? Will the deadly aspergillosis that surfaced in 2019 return? And with the rimu mast predicted to be big, could this be the most successful breeding season yet? First episode drops 16th December. Don't miss it.

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

In Antarctica in a Warming World researchers talk about the present impacts of climate change on the icy continent, and what they mean for our future. Watch now on the RNZ website - rnz.co.nz/video

Visit rnz.co.nz/video to watch

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

Tiny plants that live on the underside of sea ice form an upside-down garden that feeds krill and is the base of the Antarctic food web.

To see images and read more about this episode, visit the RNZ website here: Voices from Antarctica: Under the ice

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

Researchers are using hot water to drill through the Ross ice shelf, to discover what has happened to Antarctic ice during previous periods of warm climates.

To see images and read more about this episode, visit the RNZ website here: Voices from Antarctica: What the ice is saying

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