Most of our relationship with the ocean happens on the surface. We sail it, fish it, surf it and photograph it. But beneath that glistening blue is a world many of us barely understand - and one that is changing fast.

In this episode, we sit down with Steve Hathaway from Young Ocean Explorers to explore a powerful idea: if we help kids fall in love with the ocean, we can change how we treat it within a generation.

After decades spent diving, filming and documenting marine life, Steve had a lightbulb moment when his daughter shared a short ocean video with her class. The reaction from those kids sparked what would become Young Ocean Explorers - a mission to reach every child in Aotearoa with hopeful, curiosity-driven ocean storytelling.

We talk about eco-anxiety, the impact of screens, the decline of kelp forests, and why “out of sight, out of mind” has allowed marine degradation to accelerate. We also unpack how targeting kids can influence whole families, and why storytelling - not shame - is key to bringing more people along.

Here are some of the key topics we discussed:

• Why this generation are not just digital natives, but environmental natives living with real eco-anxiety
• Steve’s personal journey to becoming an ocean advocate
• How a school project helped launch Young Ocean Explorers
• The power of storytelling and curiosity to spark lasting engagement
• Why targeting teachers became a game-changing strategy
• The “One Plus A Day” story and how kids can drive real-world behaviour change
• Kelp forests, kina barrens and witnessing rapid ecosystem decline
• Why we need courage and vision for marine protection
• How to communicate conservation without alienating people
• Practical advice for parents wanting to reconnect kids with nature
• What it means to be a good ancestor for the ocean
• And so much more…

Love the People Helping Nature Podcast? Get notified when new episodes go live - subscribe for email updates here: www.conservationamplified.org

🧑‍🦱About Steve:

An ‘accidental’ underwater cameraman, Steve left his job as a builder nearly 20 years ago to share the stories of New Zealand’s underwater world. He traded hammering nails for swimming alongside orca and sharks, going on to film for some of the world’s most celebrated nature documentaries, including BBC’s Blue Planet II, Mammals, and Disney’s Emmy-winning Secrets of the Whales.

In 2013, Steve and his then 12-year-old daughter, Riley, co-founded Young Ocean Explorers. What started as short stories for kids’ television has since evolved into an online platform and education resource, used by thousands of classrooms across Aotearoa to inspire the next generation of ocean guardians.

🔗Learn more:

• Website: https://www.youngoceanexplorers.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youngoceanexplorers
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youngoceanexplorers

🎙️Learn more about the People Helping Nature Podcast at www.conservationamplified.org

Beneath the surface, Aotearoa New Zealand’s oceans are under growing pressure. We’re taking too much good stuff out, putting too much bad stuff in, and the system is warming faster than it can adapt - with dire consequences that are often overlooked and ignored.

In this episode, we sit down with Shaun Lee for an honest conversation about the state of our marine environment. Despite being an ocean nation, less than 1% of our EEZ (exclusive economic zone) is fully or highly protected, placing us among the worst-performing countries globally.

We are missing the UN benchmark that aims for 30% protection by 2030 BY FAR, and this is reflected in the declines we’re seeing in ocean health.

While the picture is confronting and politically driven, there is genuine reason for hope. We also explore how marine ecosystems can recover when pressure is reduced, and how a combination of passive and active restoration shows promise in places like the Hauraki Gulf.

Here are some of the key topics we discussed:

• The overall state of Aotearoa NZ’s marine environment.
• The key drivers of biodiversity decline and habitat loss.
• Why NZ is one of the worst countries when looking at marine protected areas.
• Why reconnecting to the past to understand what diversity we used to have is important to grasp what we have lost.
• The importance of marine reserves for biodiversity and awareness.
• The difference between passive and active restoration.
• How active restoration fast-tracks ocean recovery + examples.
• How citizen science can contribute to monitoring ocean health.
• And so much more…

Love the People Helping Nature Podcast? Get notified when new episodes go live - subscribe here: www.conservationamplified.org

🧑‍🦱About Shaun:

Shaun Lee is an Auckland-based environmental advocate and creative professional dedicated to marine restoration, pollution prevention, and large-scale ecological interventions within New Zealand’s coastal ecosystems. By leveraging his visual communication skills, he champions the protection and restoration of marine habitats. Shaun serves as a Trustee for several eNGOs, including the Revive Our Gulf Trust and the Northern New Zealand Seabird Trust.

🔗Learn more:

• Shaun’s blog: https://blog.shaunlee.co.nz/about
• Shaun’s sea floor mapping platform: https://seafloor.nz
• Hauraki Gulf Forum: https://gulfjournal.org.nz
• Revive Our Gulf Trust: https://ww.reviveourgulf.org.nz
• Northern NZ Seabird Trust: https://www.nzseabirdtrust.com

🎙️About the podcast:

The People Helping Nature podcast is brought to you by Conservation Amplified, a registered New Zealand charity.

We are on a mission to help make conservation mainstream by amplifying the awesome stuff people are doing to help nature all around Aotearoa New Zealand.

Find out more about Conservation Amplified at www.conservationamplified.org.

In this episode, we sit down with Keith Woodley (MNZM) from Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre, to unpack the incredible lifestyles of shorebirds, their habitats, and the work people are doing to protect them.

Here are some of the key topics we discussed:

• Shorebird adaptations and why some of them migrate from the Arctic Tundra to NZ.
• The diverse range of shorebird habitats worldwide and in Aotearoa.
• Ngutu Pare (Wrybill): their adaptations, life cycle, threats, and conservation activities.
• The importance of braided rivers of the South Island and their restoration.
• Kuaka (Bar-Tailed Godwit): their adaptations, life cycle, threats, and conservation activities.
• Why North Korea is an important migratory shorebird stronghold.
• Keith’s experiences travelling to North Korea for shorebird conservation.
• The importance of international collaboration to protect migratory waterbirds.
• And much more…

Love the People Helping Nature Podcast? Get notified when new episodes go live - subscribe for emails here: https://www.conservationamplified.org

🧑‍🦱About Keith:

In 1993, while living on the Kapiti Coast, Keith Woodley stumbled into the role of resident manager at the Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre, in the Firth of Thames. 32 years later, he is still there. With a degree in politics and history, this was not the future he envisaged. During this time, migratory birds have led him to numerous shorebird sites - in Australia, Indonesia, China, North and South Korea, and Alaska. There has emerged from these experiences, three books: Godwits: long-haul champions (2009), Shorebirds of New Zealand: Sharing the margins (2012) and In Pursuit of Champions: The Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre story (2022).

🔗Learn more:

• Website: https://www.shorebirds.org.nz
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pukorokoro_miranda_shorebirds
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MirandaShorebirdCentre
• The East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership website: https://eaaflyway.net
• New Zealand Birds Wader Count: https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/schemes/national-wader-count

🎙️About the podcast:

The People Helping Nature podcast is brought to you by Conservation Amplified, a registered New Zealand charity.

We are on a mission to help make conservation mainstream by amplifying the awesome stuff people are doing to help nature all around Aotearoa New Zealand.

Because when people are aware, connected to the ecosystems around them and care enough to take positive action, only then will we see lasting change.

Listen in and follow us to start or deepen your journey.

Find out more about Conservation Amplified at www.conservationamplified.org.