In Dunedin the local tree crop association has been looking after a heritage apple orchard, but some mixed up labels meant they weren’t quite sure what varieties they had. A chance encounter at a public open day sets one young researcher on a scientific quest to ID them all. Plus, in a nursery in Rotorua, a propagation scientist is figuring out the best way to grow a native tree from cuttings.

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Take a (very) large egg, some insects (plus specially developed food), and a safe place to put on weight for a while. This is how you grow a kiwi, and improve wild survival rates from 5% to 65%. With over 2,600 hatches across their 30 year history, the National Kiwi Hatchery have a lot of experience under their belt, but there's always more to learn from our iconic national bird. Our Changing World visits the hatchery to learn how they combine conservation and eco-tourism to help grow kiwi numbers.

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• Operation Nest Egg has also been a great success for the rowi kiwi, the only remaining wild population of which lives in Ōkārito on the South Island’s West Coast.
• In July 2025 little spotted kiwi were found on New Zealand’s mainland for the first time in 50 years. Two chicks and eggs were subsequently brought to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch to allow them to get to stoat-proof weight.
• With a lot of help, and stoat trapping, brown kiwi are returning to the wilds of Wellington.
• Candling is also used to track kākāpō embryo development and egg fertility, learn more in episode 12 of the Kākāpō Files II podcast.

Guests:

• Emma Bean, manager of the National Kiwi Hatchery
• Carole Dean, kiwi keeper, National Kiwi Hatchery
• Rebeca Bothamley, tour guide, National Kiwi Hatchery

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In the Kaimai Mamuku ranges iwi-led conservation projects are tackling pests, removing weeds and planting natives to restore their whenua. Ngāti Hinerangi’s Wairere Mahi project has been trapping around the Wairere falls, and restoring a nearby system of lakes. The projects were born from the Jobs for Nature fund established by the government during the Covid-19 pandemic. But with that fund now finished where will the money to support future conservation work come from? The Manaaki Kaimai Mamuku Trust supporting these projects has some ideas.

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• Jobs for Nature also supported an iwi-led wetland restoration project just outside Dunedin.
• In 2024 The Detail spoke to a number of Jobs for Nature supported projects that were nearing the end of their funding.
• The Turning Point video series followed some of the kaimahi working on different Jobs for Nature projects across Aotearoa.
• Country Life’s Dollars for Nature episode covered the government announcement about voluntary nature credits market.

Guests:

• Louise Saunders, CEO of Manaaki Kaimai Mamuku Trust
• Mohi Korohina, Wairere Mahi project manager
• Hera Denton, GoEco

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