Lampreys have done without bones—even jaws—for 360 million years, making do instead with a mouthful of rasps designed for shredding. But those teeth are no match for a new and invisible enemy. Are ...

New Zealand has only one endemic gull, the tarāpuka, and it’s more endangered than the takahē, the hoiho and all five species of kiwi. Its survival depends on the preservation of the South Island’s ...

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 ...

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 ...

In March of this year, a special courier arrived in Wellington from France carrying a rather unimpos­ing stuffed lizard for dis­play at the National Museum. This specimen ­described by one ...

You don’t need a PhD to find a new species, unearth a rare fungus or name an asteroid. New Zealanders with no specialist training are contributing to scientific research by monitoring streams, ...

One of the world’s smallest nations is transforming its economy from subsistence to sustainability. Will Niue’s brave new plan work? Each year between August and October, humpbacks rest in the calm ...

This route is one of the real highlights of Te Araroa —particularly so when the weather conditions are favourable and allow unbridled views across the Mackenzie. Coupled with the yesteryear charm of ...

For nearly two centuries, the origins of a Spanish whaler and trader who founded a dynasty on the east coast were a mystery. Manuel Jose’s descendants are New Zealand’s largest family, and have ...

You may be aware of the colossal squid, preserved and exhibited among much fan­fare and media hype at Wellington’s Te Papa last year. One of the key New Zea­land scientists involved in the defrosting, ...

New Zealanders once consumed more tea per capita than any other nation in the world. A resurgence in the popularity of boutique varieties, and—for the first time­ locally grown tea, may make it time ...

In the South Island’s remote subalpine regions, a highly terrestrial songbird—one of two surviving species of New Zealand wren—has hopped, chirped and flown in the face of extinction. There are four ...