Environment – Views & Research

An octopus hiding amongst the seaweed on the Wellington South Coast

Beyond the beaches, Wellington’s catastrophic sewage spill could be bad news for coastal ecosystems

James J Bell, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Christopher Cornwall, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington, and Ohad Peleg, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

4 lessons NZ should take from another summer of weather disasters

Iain White, University of Waikato; Bill Fry, University of Otago; Julia Becker, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University; Liam Wotherspoon, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau, and Melanie Mark-Shadbolt, Indigenous Knowledge

Importing gas locks NZ into fossil fuels for longer – just as clean energy surges

Jen Purdie, University of Otago

Beneath Antarctica’s largest ice shelf, a hidden ocean is revealing its secrets

Craig Stevens, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA); Christina Hulbe, University of Otago, and Yingpu Xiahou, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

Landslides are NZ’s deadliest natural hazard. Why does it still tolerate the risk?

Tom Robinson, University of Canterbury

New study sheds light on the threat of ‘marine darkwaves’ to ocean life

François Thoral, University of Waikato; Christopher Battershill, University of Waikato; David R Schiel, University of Canterbury, and Shinae Montie, The University of Western Australia

Does adding ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to your ChatGPT prompts really waste energy?

Richard Morris, Lincoln University, New Zealand

NZ’s sodden January explained: what’s driven this month’s big wet?

James Renwick, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

NZ is taking aim at feral cats. Are we ready for the ethical and practical implications?

Courtney Addison, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

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A new way to measure the age of dolphins opens a window onto the lives of these iconic animals

Evi Hanninger, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University; Emma Betty, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University; Karen Stockin, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University; Katharina J. Peters, University of Wollongong, and Livia Gerber, CSIRO

COP30: Pacific leaders now have world court backing to call countries to account over climate risk

John Sibanda, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

Deep sea mining is the next geopolitical frontline – and the Pacific is in the crosshairs

Viliame Kasanawaqa, University of Canterbury

The government’s dismantling of climate laws breaks years of cross-party agreement

Barry Barton, University of Waikato and Jennifer Campion, University of Waikato

Dunedin’s inner-city greening project shows even small spaces can be wildlife havens

Jacqueline Theis, University of Otago; Barbara I.P. Barratt, University of Otago; Connal McLean, University of Otago, and Yolanda van Heezik, University of Otago

Street side planter in the third block of the George Street upgrade, Ōtepoti Dunedin.

COP30: NZ’s lack of climate ambition undermines global goals and free-trade agreements

Nathan Cooper, University of Waikato

Climate change minister Simon Watts at a media briefing.

A deadly hornet has reached NZ – we can all help stop its spread

Phil Lester, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

An Asian hornet (right) hunting honeybees as they emerge from the hive.

Spiders inspired biologists to create artificial webs to capture airborne DNA for biodiversity monitoring

Angela (Ang) McGaughran, University of Waikato and Manpreet K Dhami, Bioeconomy Science Institute

A tiny fossil suggests bowerbirds once lived in ancient New Zealand – new research

Elizabeth Steell, University of Cambridge; Alan Tennyson, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa; Nic Rawlence, University of Otago, and Pascale Lubbe, University of Otago

An adult male regent bowerbird with outstretched wings, showing bright yellow plumage

Protected areas in the Hauraki Gulf nearly triple under a new law – but it comes with a catch

Conrad Pilditch, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau and Simon Francis Thrush, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

Aerial view of Browns Island, Motukorea, in the Hauraki Gulf looking towards Auckland's eastern suburbs.

NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?

Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University

Low-angle view of a plane flying into a sunset