Explore every episode of the podcast Wild Sounds: Kākāpō Files II
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kākāpō Files II 20 | Kākāpō Numbers Soar | 31 août 2026 | 00:30:23 | |
The biggest kākāpō season on record has come to an end, with a bumper number of chicks reaching the milestone of 150 days old. The 90 chicks have boosted the kākāpō population from 235 birds to 325, an increase of more than a third. The 2026 season saw 48 kākāpō mums produce living chicks, fathered by 32 dads. The ‘top dad’ was 10-year Tūterangi, breeding for the first time, who fathered 10 chicks with six females. Ten chicks were fathered with the help of artificial insemination. DOC’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme reports that not all of this year’s chicks will be named, and that they expect the next breeding season to be in two years’ time. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz. In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction 01:42 – Deidre Vercoe announces 90 chicks and population of 325 kākāpō 04:45 – Naming kākāpō 06:00 – Daryl Eason on the identity of the dads 10:27 – 10 chicks fathered through artificial insemination 15:59 – Andrew Digby on stepping back from intensive management 18:20 – next breeding season in 2028 24:43 – Deidre Vercoe on predator-free habitats 28:58 - Closing credits… | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 19 | Kākāpō Goings On | 13 juil. 2026 | 00:38:34 | |
The oldest chick of the 2026 kākāpō breeding season, Tiwhiri-A1 has reached 150 days old and can be officially counted. This milestone increases the kākāpō population by one bird to 236, the first time it has risen in 4 years. The first chicks to reach independence are roosting away from their mums and feeding themselves, and two chicks have dropped their transmitters and are now “off-grid”. With the threat of deadly H5N1 bird flu looming, vet Lydia Uddstrom explains that about a quarter of the most genetically valuable kākāpō will be vaccinated against bird flu, especially on Whenua Hou, which has a large population of seabirds. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz. In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 18 | Good Kākāpō Things Take Time | 15 juin 2026 | 00:34:32 | |
Six months after this record-breaking kākāpō breeding season began, all 91 living chicks have fledged and left the nest. The chicks remain with their kākāpō mums and are still being fed by them, as well as eating a range of plant material, and as cold wet midwinter weather sets in the chicks are learning to find dry roost sites. The Kākāpō Team’s Daryl Eason and Andrew Digby answer listener questions, including why did Kākāpō cam star Rakiura spend so much time in the nest digging, what can you learn from a piece of egg shell, and could old museum specimens be a source of lost kākāpō genes? Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz In this episode: 00:00 - Introduction Learn more:
Guests:
References: Kākāpō Files is made in collaboration with the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme. | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 17 | Kākāpō Adoption Birds | 18 mai 2026 | 00:39:20 | |
Half of the chicks from this record-breaking kākāpō breeding season have fledged and left their nests for good, but are still being fed by their mums. The tally of living chicks has dropped to 92 with the death of a chick from Te Kākahu/Chalky Island. Veterinary advisor Lydia Uddstrom reports that a 4-year-old female is being treated for cloacitis, a mysterious infection with no known cause that has infected a number of birds in the past few years. Kākāpō rangers give potted histories and breeding season updates for nine birds that are part of a symbolic adoption programme. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz. In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction Learn more:
Guests:
References:… | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 16 | Kākāpō Chicks Growing Up | 04 mai 2026 | 00:33:43 | |
The tally of confirmed living kākāpō chicks goes down with two further deaths, but gets a welcome boost with the confirmation of a living chick in a previously inaccessible nest. This brings the number of living chicks to 93, ranging in weight from 770 grams to nearly 2.5 kilograms. On all three kākāpō breeding islands, the oldest kākāpō chicks are fledging and leaving their nests. They are still accompanied and fed by their mothers, but find their own shelter. Before chicks leave the nest for good, kākāpō rangers visit to insert microchips as a permanent identification, and to attach transmitters that enable the Kākāpō Team to locate the chicks and monitor their activity levels remotely. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz. In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 15 | Kākāpō Island Diary | 20 avr. 2026 | 00:36:25 | |
Alison Ballance spends a week on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, one of three kākāpō breeding islands. She follows rangers from DOC’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme as they go about their daily and nightly nest visits to check on the rapidly growing chicks. All but one of the 23 nests on Whenua Hou have just a single chick, as the rimu fruit has failed to ripen and kākāpō mums are relying on supplementary food to raise their chicks. During the week, the chick Queenie-A3 is found dead, and there is news from Pukenui/Anchor Island of another chick dying in a flash flood that swept through the nest. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz. In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 14 | Biggest Kākāpō Breeding Season | 02 avr. 2026 | 00:33:18 | |
DOC’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme says that the 2026 kākāpō breeding season is officially the biggest on record, and that all chicks have now hatched. At least 256 eggs were laid in 80 nests, of which at least 106 hatched. There are currently 99 chicks alive, three of which are being treated at the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital for various health problems. The oldest chick, Tīwhiri-A1-2026, is 46-days old and weighs 1.8 kg, while the youngest chick, Awarua-A3-2026, weighs 26 grams at 2-days old. Operations manager Deidre Vercoe says that preliminary sexing results show that about 40 percent of the chicks are female, and that rangers are starting to give the older chicks a permanent microchip for identification. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz. In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction 01:16 – Deidre Vercoe with final nest and egg numbers 05:41 – Final chick hatching numbers 11:09 – Planning ahead 13:45 – Dunedin Wildlife Hospital vet Dr Lisa Argilla 20:32 – Rimu fruiting & its role in breeding 27.30 – Supplementary feeding on Whenua Hou 32:10 - Closing credits … | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 13 | Kākāpō Birth Notices | 23 mars 2026 | 00:30:22 | |
DOC’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme is thrilled to announce the births of 101 kākāpō chicks, with a few more fertile eggs expected to hatch over the next few days. However, kākāpō conservation is a roller-coaster and seven chicks have died from illness or injury. Auckland Zoo vet Adam Naylor resuscitated one small chick using CPR and timely sutures saved the life of another; both patients recovered well and are back in the nest with their kākāpō mother or foster mother. Scientist Andrew Digby reports that egg fertility was similar on the two main breeding islands, Whenua Hou and Pukenui/Anchor Island, and that artificial insemination has had a significant positive effect, improving the fertility of eggs. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 12 | Lots of Kākāpō Babies | 09 mars 2026 | 00:31:17 | |
The number of kākāpō chicks has climbed to 54, with plenty more fertile eggs still to hatch on Whenua Hou and Pukenui/Anchor Island. Remote monitoring technology shows that seven kākāpō mums on Te Kakahu/Chalky Island are likely raising chicks as well. DOC’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme is using a genetic ranking system to prioritise how much management attention each chick receives – Kākāpō Cam star Rakiura, for instance, is foster mum to a silver chick and also a gold chick. The oldest chick, Tiwhiri-A1, is ranked gold and a ground-breaking new portable PCR that allows rapid sex-testing of chicks on the islands has shown that he is a male. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 11 | Kākāpō Baby Boom | 23 févr. 2026 | 00:21:17 | |
Fourteen kākāpō chicks have hatched in wild nests, where they are being cared for by mums and foster mums. More than a hundred viable fertile eggs have already been laid, with more expected in the next couple of weeks. On Whenua Hou, fertile eggs are cared for in incubators to keep them safe and are returned to nests to hatch. DOC’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme has placed a Smart Egg in the nest of Kākāpō Cam star Rakiura, to alert her to the imminent arrival of a pipping egg whose hatching should delight the many fans watching the live video feed. Pukenui/Anchor Island is home to the most kākāpō chicks so far but kākāpō rangers expect Whenua Hou to catch up soon. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 10 | The First Chick | 16 févr. 2026 | 00:19:33 | |
The first chick of the 2026 kākāpō breeding season has successfully hatched on Pukenui/Anchor Island. DOC’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme reports that Tiwhiri-A1-2026 hatched in foster mother Yasmine’s nest on 14 February 2026 and is the first kākāpō chick in four years. Huhū-A1-2026 is due to hatch on Whenua Hou imminently. Sixty-two kākāpō nests have been found so far and the egg tally is nearly 200, of which 78 are known to be fertile. More eggs are expected. Alison Ballance visits Whenua Hou, meets some of the kākāpō rangers and reports on the technology that enables the Kākāpō Team to conduct 24-hour surveillance on each bird. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz. In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 09 | Nesting Time | 09 févr. 2026 | 00:09:47 | |
Almost 90% of adult female kākāpō of breeding age have mated so far this breeding season, and two thirds of those are nesting. Some birds have already laid a full clutch of eggs and while some clutches are 100% fertile, others are - as expected - unfortunately infertile. To date there are 55 fertile kākāpō eggs, and that number grows daily as kākāpō rangers find nests and are able to check the developing eggs. Alison Ballance checks in from Whenua Hou, where technical advisor Daryl Eason is nearing the end of the artificial insemination programme. He is excited that a ‘lost’ female has been found and wonders if she is also nesting. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction Learn more:
Guests:
Kākāpō Files is made in collaboration with the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme. | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 08 | Peak Breeding | 02 févr. 2026 | 00:15:15 | |
More than three-quarters of female kākāpō of breeding age have mated so far, and the number of nests is growing rapidly. Kākāpō operations manager Deidre Vercoe tells Alison Ballance that 101 eggs have been laid to date, and while it is early days 38 eggs are known to be fertile. As always, infertile eggs are a major problem, although science advisor Andrew Digby explains that recent research shows that many eggs are in fact fertilised but die in the first day or two. And Deidre says that the Kākāpō Recovery Programme takes threats such as the fungal disease aspergillosis, failure of the rimu fruit to ripen and the possible arrival of highly pathogenic bird flu in New Zealand very seriously. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz. In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 07 | Full Steam Ahead | 26 janv. 2026 | 00:21:26 | |
The 2026 kākāpō breeding season is all systems go: nearly half of the females of breeding age have mated and so far 15 females are nesting. Technical Advisor Daryl Eason talks about record-breaking female Ongaonga who, at 4 years-old, is the youngest female kākāpō ever to breed. There are plenty of other first-time breeders as well. Six females were successfully inseminated with sperm from under-represented males. Ranger Maddy Whitaker updates us with the latest numbers, including a single fertile egg so far, and tech expert Jake Osborne introduces the kākāpō nest cam, beaming live from Rakiura’s nest on Whenua Hou. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz. In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction 01:25 - Youngest female to mate 04:53 - Daryl Eason on Artificial insemination progress 09:17 - Maddy Whittaker with mating and nesting updates 16:00 - Jake Osborne on the kākāpō nest cam 20:32 - Closing credits… | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 06 | Kākāpō Action Heating Up | 19 janv. 2026 | 00:16:34 | |
There have been 24 kākāpō matings so far, and the number is increasing as mating action heats up on all three breeding islands. Deidre Vercoe, from the Kākāpō Recovery Programme, tells Alison Ballance that some 7-year-old birds from the 2019 breeding season have mated for the first time. The first female to mate this season, Pearl, has laid infertile eggs, but nightly activity monitoring shows that three more females have started nesting. Technical Advisor Daryl Eason talks about the under-achievers, founder kākāpō that either haven’t bred at all or have produced only a few chicks. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction Learn more:
Guests:
Kākāpō Files is made in collaboration with the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme. | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 05 | The First Nest | 12 janv. 2026 | 00:21:20 | |
Early bird Pearl has laid the first eggs of the 2026 kākāpō breeding season but Kākāpō Recovery Programme science advisor Andrew Digby tells Alison Ballance that it’s too soon to know if they are fertile. Youngsters Huhū and Hondy are the third pair to mate on Whenua Hou, and Heather and Bluster Murphy are the fourth. Hine Taumai and Henry are the first to mate on Anchor Island. Technical advisor Daryl Eason explains the use of artificial insemination (AI), and we find out why it is a useful genetics tool and what the AI team are up to in the field. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction Learn more:
Guests:
Kākāpō Files is made in collaboration with the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme. | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 04 | Any Minute Now | 05 janv. 2026 | 00:14:45 | |
It’s the New Year and we’re in the early days of a big kākāpō breeding season. Daryl Eason from the Kākāpō Team tells Alison Ballance that Esperance and Ian are the second kākāpō to mate, and he expects that any minute now there will be plenty more birds mating. The kākāpō population drops to 236 birds. Science advisor Andrew Digby explains why every living kākāpō has had its genome sequenced, and what genes can reveal – including why some kākāpō have olive feathers and others are bright green. And we meet over-achievers Flossie and Blades. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction Learn more:
Guests:
Kākāpō Files is made in collaboration with the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme. | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 03 | Kākāpō Countdown | 29 déc. 2025 | 00:17:03 | |
It’s nearly the New Year and we’re counting down to the start of a big kākāpō breeding season. Island ranger Maddy Whittaker tells Alison Ballance that Pearl and Boss are the first kākāpō to mate. Deidre Vercoe, operations manager for the Kākāpō Team, explains that kākāpō mums on Whenua Hou will get wrap-round support, while management on Anchor Island and Te Kakahu/Chalky Island will be more hands-off. Scientist Andrew Digby talks about the role of technology in making this possible, and digs into the kākāpō’s boring gut microbiome. Technical advisor Daryl Eason introduces founder female Margaret-Maree, matriarch of a lineage with five living generations. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction 00:53 – Kākāpō ranger Maddy Whittaker with news that Pearl and Boss on Whenua Hou are the first kākāpō to mate. 06:02 – Operations Manager of the Kākāpō Recovery Programme Deidre Vercoe explains that kākāpō mums on Whenua Hou will get wrap-round support, while management on Anchor Island and Te Kakahu / Chalky Island will be more hands-off. 10:08 – Science Advisor Andrew Digby talks about the role of technology and the kākāpō’s dull microbiome. 13:24 – Technical Advisor Daryl Eason introduces Margaret-Maree, matriarch of a dynasty with five living generations. 16:18 – Closing credits… | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 02 | Meet the Team | 22 déc. 2025 | 00:17:53 | |
It’s the summer solstice and we are waiting for kākāpō breeding to begin. Alison Ballance chats with island ranger Maddy Whittaker, who reports that on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island all the male kākāpō are in full voice, booming all night to attract the females, who haven’t shown any interest yet. The action hasn’t yet ramped up on Anchor Island. Alison also meets three key people from the Kākāpō Team, and hears about their first-ever kākāpō encounters. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction 05:09 – Technical Officer Daryl Eason talks about his first kākāpō encounter and what makes these birds so unique 09:41 – Operations Manager of the Kākāpō Recovery Programme Deidre Vercoe remembers her first kākāpō meeting 13:44 – Science Advisor Andrew Digby talks about meeting his first kākāpō 16:00 – Daryl Eason predicts when the breeding season might begin… | |||
| Kākāpō Files II 01 | The Birds are Back | 15 déc. 2025 | 00:26:04 | |
The Kākāpō Files returns for a second season, to follow everyone’s favourite parrot through what is predicted to be the biggest breeding season on record. In episode 1, host Alison Ballance and Our Changing World’s Claire Concannon chat about what exactly is a kākāpō, discuss the conservation history of this endangered bird through the life story of two kākāpō, and discover just how big this breeding season might be. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz. In this episode: 00:00 - What is a kākāpō and how rare are they? 06:32 - Kākāpō names, from Zephyr to Acheron, and a brief conservation history 14:29 - Rimu masting and the 2026 breeding season 22:25 - Kākāpō trivia 24:12 - Closing credits
Guests:
References: “Kākāpō: Rescued from the Brink of Extinction” by Alison Ballance (published 2018) Kākāpō Files is made in collaboration with the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme. | |||
| Introducing: Kākāpō Files II | 26 nov. 2025 | 00:00:53 | |
In 2019 Alison Ballance followed the bumpy, rollercoaster ride that was the kākāpō breeding season. Now she returns, six years on, to do it all over again. We'll meet familiar characters, of both the human and bird kind, as well as new faces. Will the chicks born in 2019 start to breed? How will the team fare with a more hands-off approach? Will the deadly aspergillosis that surfaced in 2019 return? And with the rimu mast predicted to be big, could this be the most successful breeding season yet? First episode drops 16th December. Don't miss it. | |||
| New Video: Antarctica in a Warming World | 23 nov. 2025 | 00:00:58 | |
In Antarctica in a Warming World researchers talk about the present impacts of climate change on the icy continent, and what they mean for our future. Watch now on the RNZ website - rnz.co.nz/video Visit the RNZ website to watch the series. | |||
| Voices from Antarctica 08 | Under the ice | 12 nov. 2025 | 00:30:38 | |
Tiny plants that live on the underside of sea ice form an upside-down garden that feeds krill and is the base of the Antarctic food web. This episode was first released on 16 July 2020. To see images and read more about this episode, visit the RNZ website here: Voices from Antarctica: Under the ice | |||
| Voices from Antarctica 07 | What the ice is saying | 05 nov. 2025 | 00:27:26 | |
Researchers are using hot water to drill through the Ross ice shelf, to discover what has happened to Antarctic ice during previous periods of warm climates. This series was first released on 9 July 2020. To see images and read more about this episode, visit the RNZ website here: Voices from Antarctica: What the ice is saying | |||
| Voices from Antarctica 06 | Seal songs | 29 oct. 2025 | 00:29:39 | |
Alison Ballance eavesdrops on the songs of the world's southern-most mammal, the Weddell seal, and finds out about sea ice. This episode was first released on 2 July 2020. To see images and read more about this episode, visit the RNZ website here: Voices from Antarctica: Seal songs | |||
| Voices from Antarctica 05 | Waiting for Emperors | 22 oct. 2025 | 00:29:30 | |
Emperor penguin researchers are waiting for tagged birds to return, and an elderly radar system sheds light on a very windy part of the atmosphere. This episode was first released on 25 June 2020. To see images and read more about this episode, visit the RNZ website here: Voices from Antarctica: Waiting for Emperors | |||
| Voices from Antarctica 04 | Best journey in the world | 15 oct. 2025 | 00:29:09 | |
Alison Ballance meets a colony of Emperor penguins and their NIWA researchers, and finds out about making water on the frozen continent. This series was first released on 18 June 2020. To see images and read more about this episode, visit the RNZ website here: Voices from Antarctica: Best journey in the world | |||
| Voices from Antarctica 03 | Flags to physics | 08 oct. 2025 | 00:20:52 | |
Keeping Scott Base warm and well-lit no matter the weather outside, and a physics experiment that eavesdrops on messages to submarines. This series was first released on 11 June 2020. To see images and read more about this episode, visit the RNZ website here: Voices from Antarctica: Flags to physics | |||
| Voices from Antarctica 02 | Scott Base | 01 oct. 2025 | 00:22:31 | |
Alison Ballance has her first day at New Zealand's Antarctic station, Scott Base, and visits the historic Hillary's Hut. This episode was first released on 4 June 2020. To see images and read more about this episode, visit the RNZ website here: Voices from Antarctica: Scott Base | |||
| Voices from Antarctica 01 | Ice Flight | 24 sept. 2025 | 00:24:09 | |
Alison Ballance dons her extreme cold weather clothing for a trip to Antarctica - but getting to the frozen continent can take time. This episode was first released on 28 May 2020. To see images and read more about this episode, visit the RNZ website here: Voices from Antarctica: Ice Flight | |||
| Introducing: Voices from Antarctica | 23 sept. 2025 | 00:00:30 | |
Alison Ballance finds out what it takes to live in and do science in Antarctica, in a podcast series recorded on the frozen continent in November 2019. This series was first released in 2020. To see images and read more about the series, visit the RNZ website here: Voices from Antarctica | |||
| Fight for the Wild 04 | What's in it for us? | 17 sept. 2025 | 00:29:06 | |
In the series finale, Hope, we get a glimpse of what a predator-free Aotearoa could look like, and look at the breakthrough technologies and innovations taking us towards that goal. This episode was first released on 31 May 2021. Watch the video version of the episode here. The final podcast in the series, What's in it for us?, counts both the costs and benefits of Predator Free. It explores the costs of not doing it, before setting out a range of possible, positive outcomes for the economy, our exports, for Aotearoa's standing on the world stage - and most importantly, for ourselves and those who will follow. In one of the last interviews Sir Rob Fenwick gave before his death in March 2020, he talks about what Predator Free meant to him, and estimates our chances of success. | |||
| Fight for the Wild 03 | Predator-Free 2050 & Māori | 10 sept. 2025 | 00:26:31 | |
Community-led projects are leading the charge to halt biodiversity decline, while researchers make break-throughs in their quest to remove predators and protect borders from reinvasion. This episode was first released on 24 May 2021. Watch the video version of the episode here. Episode Three explores the deep relationship between Māori and the natural world. Predator Free 2050 and Māori looks at the vital contribution of Māori towards achieving Predator Free. It begins by exploring the deep relationship between Māori and the natural world, and the ways in which the loss of biodiversity impact on the identity and well-being of Māori, and on the very culture itself. Commentators set out their expectations around Predator Free, and we explore the chance it offers for tino rangatiratanga, and a genuine bicultural partnership. They talk too, about how, by healing Nature, people can themselves be healed. | |||
| Fight for the Wild 02 | Remove and protect | 03 sept. 2025 | 00:27:13 | |
New Zealander's have drawn a line in the sand, announcing they will rid the nation of rats, stoats and possums by 2050, but what will it take to get there? This episode was first released on 17 May 2021. Watch the video version of the episode here. Remove and Protect reveals what Aotearoa means to do about the losing battle for our wildlife. It sets out the critical distinction between business-as-usual pest control - simply holding a line - and the step change, and monumental challenge, that is eradication. It looks at some ingenious new tools - smart, autonomous devices that are already changing our idea of what's possible and what's affordable. Host Dave Hansford and the experts then tell listeners the plan, the nuts-and-bolts detail of exactly how we mean to find and catch that last rat. | |||
| Fight for the Wild 01 | Dealing with loss | 27 août 2025 | 00:27:09 | |
Loss looks at the devastating effect introduced mammals have had on New Zealand's unique wildlife. This episode was first released on 10 May 2021. Watch the video version of the episode here. Dealing with Loss takes listeners back to Gondwana, to explore just why our native birds are so tragically vulnerable to predation by mammals from another hemisphere. Host Dave Hansford then presents a series of "criminal profiles" introducing listeners to the Predator Free target species: the brushtail possum, the stoat, the kiore, and the ship and Norway rats, through accounts from the country's leading experts. The podcast then quantifies the loss - one of the worst extinction episodes on the planet - before relating the peril that continues today, with commentary from field experts on the impacts of this suite of predators. | |||
| Introducing: Fight for the Wild | 26 août 2025 | 00:02:23 | |
Takes you into the wild heart of Aotearoa, documenting the desperate battle to protect it and exploring the notion of Predator Free 2050. This series was first released in May 2021. Fight for the Wild is a four-part video series that takes viewers into the wild heart of Aotearoa and documents the desperate battle to protect it. It explores the notion of Predator Free 2050 and asks whether this big, bold initiative is achievable and if so, how? In the complementary Fight for the Wild podcast series, conservation writer Dave Hansford investigates how and why New Zealand plans to become predator-free. | |||
| Voice of the Iceberg 04 | Endeavour | 20 août 2025 | 00:22:46 | |
Joseph Michael and his film-making companions come face-to-face with the heaving splendour of giant icebergs in the waters around the Antarctic Peninsula. Back in New Zealand, they grapple with how to projection map an 'urban iceberg' onto the exterior of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and how to create a soundscape that blends music with the voices of the icebergs. This episode was first released on 27 February 2017. | |||
| Voice of the Iceberg 03 | Adventure | 20 août 2025 | 00:24:55 | |
Encounters with blue ice and wildlife prove to be life-changing adventures, when photographer Joseph Michael and his companions venture into the crevasse field of a giant glacier, to capture the blue heart of an Antarctic iceberg. This episode was first released on 27 February 2017. | |||
| Voice of the Iceberg 02 | Revelation | 13 août 2025 | 00:25:46 | |
The varied sounds and characters of icebergs begin to reveal themselves to a watching team of film-makers. A small iceberg, Yoko, that fizzes and crackles like a soda drink. The dramatic demise of the soaring ice arch, Valentine. This episode was first released on 27 February 2017. | |||
| Voice of the Iceberg 01 | Discovery | 06 août 2025 | 00:22:50 | |
Artist Joseph Michael and a team of eight film-makers head to Antarctica on the yacht Australis, to discover and record the sights and sounds of icebergs. But before they reach the frozen continent and encounter their first bergs they must face the challenge of the notorious Drake Passage. This episode was first released on 27 February 2017. | |||
| Introducing: Voice of the Iceberg | 06 août 2025 | 00:00:27 | |
The next series to join the Wild Sounds feed is Voice of the Iceberg, first published in 2017. Artist Joseph Michael and his team record the characters and sounds of icebergs in Antarctica as he prepares for a major art installation. This series was first releas in 2017. | |||
| Voice of the Kākāpō 08 | Success | 30 juil. 2025 | 00:12:29 | |
The 2019 kākāpō chicks are becoming independent and birds sent to be scanned for aspergillosis are getting clean bills of health. This episode was first released on 19 March 2020. The 2019 kākāpō breeding season successfully weathered the aspergillosis crisis, with 72 chicks reaching the milestone of 150 days. Seventy of those juveniles are still alive, although two juveniles subsequently died from late cases of aspergillosis. Since September 2019 the kākāpō population has remained steady at 211 birds. This is a huge increase from the 148 birds that were alive in December 2018, when kākāpō on Whenua Hou and Anchor Island began their breeding marathon. One of the juveniles was fathered by the Fiordland male Sinbad, via successful artificial insemination. A further three Fiordland juveniles were fathered by his brother Gulliver, and their sister Kuia also produced three juveniles. Kākāpō did not breed in 2020. The kākāpō team at the Department of Conservation has just been surveying rimu trees on the southern kākāpō islands and determined that there will be no breeding there in 2021 either. As each juvenile from the 2019 breeding season reaches its first birthday it receives its new name, which replaces its chick code. Queenie-3-A-19 (Queenie's third egg from her first clutch in 2019) was named Alison, after Alison Ballance (Queenie was named after Alison's mum). | |||
| Voice of the Kākāpō 07 | Dark days | 23 juil. 2025 | 00:12:10 | |
A deadly fungal disease strikes the kākāpō population on Whenua Hou and the Kākāpō Recovery team calls on New Zealand wildlife vets to help. This episode was first released on 17 March 2020. In April 2019, disaster struck the kākāpō population. There was an outbreak of the deadly fungal disease aspergillosis, which would eventually kill two adult females and seven chicks. But against expectations, veterinary experts were able to nurse many birds back to health. | |||
| Voice of the Kākāpō 06 | Kākāpō chicks | 16 juil. 2025 | 00:12:24 | |
The kākāpō eggs are hatching, and chicks are being hand-reared or returned to their mother's nest... but not every chick is thriving. This episode was first released on 12 March 2020. The 2019 kākāpō breeding season set many records. It was the earliest, the longest - and of course, the biggest breeding season ever recorded. Two hundred and fifty two kākāpō eggs were laid over three months, starting on Christmas Day 2018. They began hatching at the end of January 2019, when Kohitatea became the earliest kākāpō chick ever to hatch. The last chick to hatch, on 20 April 2019 was Stella's chick Manawanui. Many chicks were hand-reared, by a team of wildlife experts from many places, including Auckland Zoo. | |||
| Voice of the Kākāpō 05 | Kākāpō sperm takes to the air | 09 juil. 2025 | 00:11:04 | |
The tally of infertile eggs is climbing and the kākāpō team is using artificial insemination - and a drone - to try and counter the problem. This episode was first released on 10 March 2020. The 2019 kākāpō breeding season was one for the record books, but it had more than its fair share of problems, including the fact that more than half of the eggs laid were infertile. It's an ongoing issue, not helped by the birds' low genetic diversity. The Kākāpō Recovery team are using artificial insemination as part of their genetic matchmaking efforts, and have turned to a drone to speed the process of sperm delivery. | |||
| Voice of the Kākāpō 04 | Promise | 02 juil. 2025 | 00:11:13 | |
Most of the female kākāpō have bred and the team is carrying precious fertile eggs to the 'egg room' for incubation. Meanwhile, on Anchor Island, the rain is falling. This episode was first released on 5 March 2020. | |||
| Voice of the Kākāpō 03 | Nest checks | 25 juin 2025 | 00:12:17 | |
Kākāpō breeding is in full swing after an early start, and DOC's Deidre Vercoe and Andrew Digby are checking to see if eggs are fertile. This episode was first released on 3 March 2020. | |||
| Voice of the Kākāpō 02 | Whenua Hou, kākāpō island | 18 juin 2025 | 00:11:45 | |
The kākāpō team know all the signs are good for a big kākāpō breeding season - the question is exactly how big and when will it start? This episode was first released on 27 February 2020. | |||
| Voice of the Kākāpō 01 | Kākāpō - night parrot | 11 juin 2025 | 00:10:04 | |
The kākāpō is a giant flightless parrot whose fortunes are tied to the rimu tree and to a dedicated team of rangers from the Department of Conservation. This episode was first released on 25 February 2020. The kākāpō, or night parrot, is one of the world's most unusual birds. It's a giant flightless parrot whose fortunes are tied to the rimu tree and to a dedicated team of kākāpō rangers from the New Zealand Department of Conservation. Join Alison Ballance on an audio adventure through the biggest kākāpō breeding season on record. In part 1 of this remarkable story we meet the rare bird and discover the night sounds of Whenua Hou/Codfish Island with Deidre Vercoe, Andrew Digby and Tane Davis. | |||
| Introducing: Voice of the Kākāpō | 10 juin 2025 | 00:00:38 | |
Claire Concannon introduces you to the next series from Wild Sounds. Hosted by Alison Ballance, hear the adventure through the bumpy bumper 2019 breeding season of NZ's rare flightless parrot. This series was first released in 2020. | |||