Over 80% of our coastal dune ecosystems have been lost. So, what about the native species living with them? Ayana Piper-Healion steps into Bream Bay’s sand dunes with a monitoring team to see what lizards can tell us about the health of the sand dunes.

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Learn more:

To find out more on what the local critics think about the Bream Bay Sand Extraction Project’s fast-track application, RNZ’s Peter de Graaf reported on a protest there earlier this year.

Further north, Saturday Morning reported on significant damage being caused to dunes by thrill seekers driving vehicles through them.

Another region dealing with threatened dunes is Waimarama, where weeds are spreading from people fly-dumping garden waste.

In the Hawke’s Bay, the ‘Skink Squad’ are on a mission to save the northern spotted skinks in preparation for an infrastructure project.

In 2021, Our Changing World did a deep dive into dune plants and the largest supplier of plants for dune revegetation programs.

Guests:

Steve Johnson, Patuharakeke Te Pou Taiao

Ari Carrington, resource co-ordinator at Patuharakeke Te Pou Taiao

Katrina Hansen, biodiversity specialist Northland Regional Council

Laura Shaft, biodiversity manager Northland Regional Council

Brooke Gray, biodiversity advisor Northland Regional Council

Richard Griffiths, coastal scientist Northland Regional Council

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

Highly pathogenic H5/N1 bird flu strain has been detected in New Zealand, but it's still early days. There are lots of unknowns about when it will start spreading here, and how our wildlife will react to the virus. But what has happened in other countries? Claire Concannon speaks to Niall Hatch of BirdWatch Ireland about what they've experienced.

SHOW NOTES:

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LEARN MORE:

• The Great Ireland Vs New Zealand Bird-Off took place across two episodes in 2023, during the time when bird flu has having a huge impact on Irish seabirds. Listen to them here: Part 1, Part 2.
• Read this RNZ explainer about what the confirmation of H5N1 in New Zealand means for wildlife, poultry and the public.
• Revisit the 2025 Our Changing World episode Getting ready for H5N1 bird flu, which traced the virus’s global spread and New Zealand’s preparations for its arrival.
• For more on Irish birds and wildlife with Niall Hatch and Ricky Whelan, you can listen to BirdWatch Ireland’s podcast: In Your Nature.

GUESTS:

• Niall Hatch, BirdWatch Ireland.

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

After years of watching it move closer, the highly pathogenic H5/N1 strain of bird flu has arrived on our shores. It has left a trail of devastation, causing mass mortality events in many birds and mammal species. What do we know about this virus and how is one high-risk site preparing to manage the impacts?

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