Zoos haven’t always looked like they do today. The role of a "good zoo" is now about playing a crucial role in conservation and advocacy for animals - locally, nationally, and globally.

In this episode, we sit down with Karen Fifield, CEO of Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo and President of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), to unpack what modern zoos do to protect wildlife beyond what you experience when visiting.

Karen shares how Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo contributes through wildlife hospital care, specialist breeding programmes, fieldwork, and community support - and why transparency, animal welfare, and long-term thinking are essential if zoos are to maintain public trust.

We explore how zoos work alongside community efforts, why some species are kept off display, how global animal welfare standards are set, and the role education plays in helping people take meaningful action for nature.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation about animals, people, ethics, and responsibility - and why good zoos are becoming more important, not less, in a changing world.

Here are some other key topics we discussed:

• The role of storytelling and experience design when building zoo habitats
• What Wellington Zoo does to support local community conservation efforts
• How Wellington Zoo funds their important work
• The very real threat of wildlife trafficking and why working together is critical in addressing it
• Why it’s important to ‘think before you like’ social media content about wild animals interacting with humans
• How to avoid visiting a bad zoo
• Why being more sustainabile in our everyday lives is a way that everyone can help wildlife conservation
• And much more…

👩About Karen:

Originally from Australia, Karen’s zoological career began at Taronga Conservation Society Australia and Zoos Victoria before she joined Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo in 2006. Alongside her Chief Executive role, she has also been the President of the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia (ZAA) and is currently the President of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

In 2023, Karen was recognised as one of the Power 10 Zoo and Aquarium Blooloop Top 50 Influencers internationally, and in 2016 became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit MNZM for services to Business and Animal Welfare.

Under Karen’s leadership, Te Nukuao has celebrated many achievements. In 2009, Te Kōhanga The Nest, a state-of-the-art veterinary hospital, opened. The Zoo was the first Toitū carbon zero-certified zoo in the world in 2013 and won the inaugural WAZA Environmental Sustainability Award in 2018.

In 2024, Mana Whenua gifted the Zoo its te reo name, Te Nukuao Tūroa o Te Whanganui a Tara, which tells the story of the Zoo’s commitment to conservation and care for communities, wildlife and wild places.

🔗Learn more:

• Website: www.wellingtonzoo.com
• WAZA website: www.waza.org

🎙️Learn more about the podcast at www.conservationamplified.org

The smaller critters often get the least attention - yet they make up the foundations of life in our ecosystems.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, invertebrates and lizards help recycle nutrients, disperse seeds, pollinate native plants, and support the whole food web. And they’re also some of the hardest animals to actually understand and protect.

In this episode, we head back to the Southern Lakes Sanctuary for a round two with their herpetologist and invertebrate specialist, Samuel Purdie, who pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to look after species like the Southern Alps giant wētā (Deinacrida pluvialis).

These rare alpine insects survive in harsh, often freezing landscapes and are now classified as nationally endangered.

Monitoring methods like tracking tunnels, mark-recapture studies, cameras, and eDNA all tell different parts of the story. And without careful calibration, they can paint wildly different pictures.

Sam also gives an inside look at the technical and physical reality of alpine fieldwork: night surveys on steep terrain, tents flooding, hazardous cliffs, and the huge challenge of getting reliable data.

It’s an eye-opening conversation about some of the least visible yet critical species in the Southern Lakes ecosystem, and why paying attention to the small stuff matters more than most people realise.

Here are some of the key topics we discussed:

• Why invertebrates and lizards are foundational to healthy ecosystems
• What we know about the Southern Alps giant wētā, their alpine adaptations, and threats they face
• How climate change is shrinking alpine habitats and the consequences
• Why mice are a major, underestimated threat that should be included in Predator Free 2050
• The complexities of doing monitoring properly that are often overlooked
• The physical and rugged reality of alpine fieldwork
• Why inconsistent monitoring methods can mislead conservation efforts
• How habitat modification and fire pose risks to lizard populations
• Practical ways the public can help
• And much more…

🧑‍🦱About Samuel:

Samuel Purdie is a herpetologist, science educator, and award-winning wildlife photographer from Rotorua. Sam holds a BSc in Zoology and Ecology and a PGDip in Wildlife Management from the University of Otago, and has recently completed his MSc focusing on native alpine lizards.

A lifelong enthusiast for “creepy crawlies,” Samuel spends much of his time turning over rocks in search of New Zealand’s lesser-known species. As Biodiversity Projects Coordinator at Southern Lakes Sanctuary, he's involved in planning and monitoring for these cryptic native lizards and shares his striking wildlife photography and species knowledge across Southern Lakes Sanctuary's media channels.

🔗Learn more:

• Southern Lakes website: www.southernlakessanctuary.org.nz
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/southernlakessanctuary
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/SouthernLakesSanctuary
• Sam’s website: www.samuelpurdiewildlife.com

🎙️Learn more about the podcast at www.conservationamplified.org

The Queenstown Lakes District is one of the most spectacular places on Earth - a picturesque landscape of mountains, lakes, and remote valleys where nature still feels wild.

But beneath the beauty lies a conservation challenge: around 40 native species in the region are threatened or at risk of extinction.

For decades, local communities have stepped up to protect these landscapes and wildlife, powered by volunteers putting in the hard yards. Now, Southern Lakes Sanctuary is helping to take that effort to the next level, supporting the mahi of six long-running conservation groups representing nearly 100 projects, landowners, businesses and hundreds of volunteers across 198,000 hectares, with plans to scale to 850,000HA over time.

In this episode, CEO Paul Kavanagh pulls back the curtain on what happens when communities get the backing they need: skilled staff, smart tech, and funding that lets them go further together.

From self-resetting traps to eDNA monitoring and beyond, this work is helping species like kea and mōhua return to the landscapes they once called home.

Takahē, once declared extinct, now roam the Rees Valley again - a testament to what’s possible through collaboration.

It’s a story of people, progress, and pragmatic action, showing how skilled professionals and passionate locals can work hand in hand to protect Aotearoa’s wildlife at scale.

Here are some of the key topics we discussed:

• How six established conservation groups joined forces to form Southern Lakes Sanctuary
• Managing volunteer fatigue by adding professional support to complement volunteer-led mahi
• Expanding predator control from 6,400 to 13,000+ traps and removing more than 70,000 introduced animals
• Why measuring biodiversity outcomes matters more than counting traps and the role of robust monitoring
• Threatened species management across the project area
• The critical role of sustainable, long-term funding and partnerships with business and philanthropy
• How AI-enabled, self-resetting traps and live mesh networks are transforming remote predator control
• The importance of working in urban and peri-urban areas as well as the back country
• And much more…

🧑‍🦱About Paul:

Paul worked as a field biologist in Ireland after graduating with an Honours degree in Zoology from University College Dublin. He moved to NZ from Ireland in 2009 to further his career in conservation. Paul was General Manager of the Kiwi Birdlife Park, a wildlife park dedicated to preserving some of Aotearoa’s unique native species, for over 12 years before his appointment to his role as CEO with the Southern Lakes Sanctuary.

🔗Learn more:

• Website: www.southernlakessanctuary.org.nz
• Report Takahē Sightings: www.southernlakessanctuary.org.nz/takahe-sightings
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/southernlakessanctuary
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/SouthernLakesSanctuary

🎙️Learn more about the podcast at www.conservationamplified.org