“Epic” is an overused word. I’m in the heart of Mount Aspiring National Park. We’re surrounded on three sides by 400-metre cliffs, over which tumble curtains of water. Boulders the size of townhouses ...

The Moa were perhaps the most unusual family of birds that ever lived. Some boasted legs built like an elephant, others laid eggs the size of rugby balls, and the giant moa was the tallest bird ever ...

What would the beach be without red-billed gulls? We may be about to find out. Two huge colonies have already gone under and the next biggest, in Kaikōura, is failing fast. In December 2023, ...

Hundreds of snapper are floating in the sea off Auckland, and are washing up dead or dying on beaches off the Hauraki Gulf. Fisheries New Zealand is warning the public not to eat the fish “for safety ...

The release of Disney’s Moana in te reo was a landmark for Māori language revitalisation. As that rebirth gathers steam, mita, or dialects are returning to the fore. When The Lion King Reo Māori hit ...

This week’s critter is the ngaro tara or three-lined hoverfly, a noisy native species with an important role as a pollinator. Ngaro tara have an ugly duckling life history, turning from a rat-tailed ...

In other news, Antarctica New Zealand wants your input on the Scott Base redevelopment by choosing the building’s colour. The buildings will be surrounded by ice… so designers are offering the options ...

Plans to set up 3000-hectare ecosanctuary in Wainuiomata Lower Hutt have taken a step forward, with a feasibility study from Zealandia’s founder. The project would see 29km of predator fencing around ...

While we might sometimes consider insects a bit of a nuisance, the world would be in big trouble without them. Insects pollinate food crops essential for our survival, they control pests and help ...

An expert in natural disasters says it’s absolutely possible Tonga’s volcanic eruption could have sparked tsunami waves reaching 15-metres high at their peak. Five days on from one of the largest ...

The coldest US state of Alaska has recorded its hottest-ever December day, amid an unusual winter warm spell. Temperatures soared to a record 19.4C on the island of Kodiak on Sunday – almost seven ...

Despite some gains last year, the Environment Ministry still does not resemble the diversity of wider society. Māori, Pasifika and Asian people are drastically under-represented in the ministry’s ...