Boiling water and the stench of sulphur hardly seem a combination conducive to life, yet some bacteria thrive in such hostile environments. Biologists are beginning to think that the first life forms ...

One of the rarest ecologies in the world is hiding in plain sight, in the centre of the most central suburb of the largest city in New Zealand. Of more than 5000 hectares of rock forest that once ...

In the late 19th century, news of a strange antipodean bird with beautiful tail feathers, orange wattles, and a long curved beak spread around the British Empire. To Māori, it was a tapu bird—a sacred ...

Sharks embody our deep fears… and our fears of the deep. Because we fear them, we persecute them… yet it appears not all sharks were created equal. They are not all cold blooded killing machines. A ...

Pumice and ash, scoria and grit-the harsh layers of pulverised volcanic refuse that form Rangipo Dessert east of Mount Ruapehu-may offer little succour to plants, but from such unpromising materials ...

After a break of two years, this long-running lecture series resumes with an address by Sitiveni Rabuka and an introduction by the Rt Hon Murray McCully. They discuss democracy in the South Pacific ...

Here we are—a nation of parents, grandparents and children all in the same boat, together at home. He waka eke noa. Every day of the lock-down we will post a story or video and set of activities that ...

The planting of Russell lupins as sheep feed in the Canterbury high country is triggering a clash between farming and conservation values. In early summer, photographers jostle for space on the ...

Few tramps in New Zealand are imbued with as much history as Harper Pass. To South Island Maori, who knew the route as Hurunui or Taramakau Saddle, it was one of the most important passages across the ...

No one knew that Kaikōura was home to the world’s only alpine-dwelling seabird until an amateur ornithologist following a rumour discovered its burrows high in the mountains. As the bizarre attributes ...

The drive to East Cape from Opotiki is one of the most memorable in New Zealand. Here, Māori communities have steadfastly maintained links with their culture, history and landscape. Evidence of this ...

There are difficult assignments, and then there’s filming in a watery, dank space with barely room to move. Director Melissa Nickerson goes behind the scenes of Luckie Strike, her documentary about ...