Zoos haven’t always looked like they do today. The role of a "good zoo" is now about playing a crucial role in conservation and advocacy for animals - locally, nationally, and globally.

In this episode, we sit down with Karen Fifield, CEO of Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo and President of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), to unpack what modern zoos do to protect wildlife beyond what you experience when visiting.

Karen shares how Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo contributes through wildlife hospital care, specialist breeding programmes, fieldwork, and community support - and why transparency, animal welfare, and long-term thinking are essential if zoos are to maintain public trust.

We explore how zoos work alongside community efforts, why some species are kept off display, how global animal welfare standards are set, and the role education plays in helping people take meaningful action for nature.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation about animals, people, ethics, and responsibility - and why good zoos are becoming more important, not less, in a changing world.

Here are some other key topics we discussed:

• The role of storytelling and experience design when building zoo habitats
• What Wellington Zoo does to support local community conservation efforts
• How Wellington Zoo funds their important work
• The very real threat of wildlife trafficking and why working together is critical in addressing it
• Why it’s important to ‘think before you like’ social media content about wild animals interacting with humans
• How to avoid visiting a bad zoo
• Why being more sustainabile in our everyday lives is a way that everyone can help wildlife conservation
• And much more…

👩About Karen:

Originally from Australia, Karen’s zoological career began at Taronga Conservation Society Australia and Zoos Victoria before she joined Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo in 2006. Alongside her Chief Executive role, she has also been the President of the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia (ZAA) and is currently the President of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

In 2023, Karen was recognised as one of the Power 10 Zoo and Aquarium Blooloop Top 50 Influencers internationally, and in 2016 became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit MNZM for services to Business and Animal Welfare.

Under Karen’s leadership, Te Nukuao has celebrated many achievements. In 2009, Te Kōhanga The Nest, a state-of-the-art veterinary hospital, opened. The Zoo was the first Toitū carbon zero-certified zoo in the world in 2013 and won the inaugural WAZA Environmental Sustainability Award in 2018.

In 2024, Mana Whenua gifted the Zoo its te reo name, Te Nukuao Tūroa o Te Whanganui a Tara, which tells the story of the Zoo’s commitment to conservation and care for communities, wildlife and wild places.

🔗Learn more:

• Website: www.wellingtonzoo.com
• WAZA website: www.waza.org

🎙️Learn more about the podcast at www.conservationamplified.org

The smaller critters often get the least attention - yet they make up the foundations of life in our ecosystems.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, invertebrates and lizards help recycle nutrients, disperse seeds, pollinate native plants, and support the whole food web. And they’re also some of the hardest animals to actually understand and protect.

In this episode, we head back to the Southern Lakes Sanctuary for a round two with their herpetologist and invertebrate specialist, Samuel Purdie, who pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to look after species like the Southern Alps giant wētā (Deinacrida pluvialis).

These rare alpine insects survive in harsh, often freezing landscapes and are now classified as nationally endangered.

Monitoring methods like tracking tunnels, mark-recapture studies, cameras, and eDNA all tell different parts of the story. And without careful calibration, they can paint wildly different pictures.

Sam also gives an inside look at the technical and physical reality of alpine fieldwork: night surveys on steep terrain, tents flooding, hazardous cliffs, and the huge challenge of getting reliable data.

It’s an eye-opening conversation about some of the least visible yet critical species in the Southern Lakes ecosystem, and why paying attention to the small stuff matters more than most people realise.

Here are some of the key topics we discussed:

• Why invertebrates and lizards are foundational to healthy ecosystems
• What we know about the Southern Alps giant wētā, their alpine adaptations, and threats they face
• How climate change is shrinking alpine habitats and the consequences
• Why mice are a major, underestimated threat that should be included in Predator Free 2050
• The complexities of doing monitoring properly that are often overlooked
• The physical and rugged reality of alpine fieldwork
• Why inconsistent monitoring methods can mislead conservation efforts
• How habitat modification and fire pose risks to lizard populations
• Practical ways the public can help
• And much more…

🧑‍🦱About Samuel:

Samuel Purdie is a herpetologist, science educator, and award-winning wildlife photographer from Rotorua. Sam holds a BSc in Zoology and Ecology and a PGDip in Wildlife Management from the University of Otago, and has recently completed his MSc focusing on native alpine lizards.

A lifelong enthusiast for “creepy crawlies,” Samuel spends much of his time turning over rocks in search of New Zealand’s lesser-known species. As Biodiversity Projects Coordinator at Southern Lakes Sanctuary, he's involved in planning and monitoring for these cryptic native lizards and shares his striking wildlife photography and species knowledge across Southern Lakes Sanctuary's media channels.

🔗Learn more:

• Southern Lakes website: www.southernlakessanctuary.org.nz
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/southernlakessanctuary
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/SouthernLakesSanctuary
• Sam’s website: www.samuelpurdiewildlife.com

🎙️Learn more about the podcast at www.conservationamplified.org

The Queenstown Lakes District is one of the most spectacular places on Earth - a picturesque landscape of mountains, lakes, and remote valleys where nature still feels wild.

But beneath the beauty lies a conservation challenge: around 40 native species in the region are threatened or at risk of extinction.

For decades, local communities have stepped up to protect these landscapes and wildlife, powered by volunteers putting in the hard yards. Now, Southern Lakes Sanctuary is helping to take that effort to the next level, supporting the mahi of six long-running conservation groups representing nearly 100 projects, landowners, businesses and hundreds of volunteers across 198,000 hectares, with plans to scale to 850,000HA over time.

In this episode, CEO Paul Kavanagh pulls back the curtain on what happens when communities get the backing they need: skilled staff, smart tech, and funding that lets them go further together.

From self-resetting traps to eDNA monitoring and beyond, this work is helping species like kea and mōhua return to the landscapes they once called home.

Takahē, once declared extinct, now roam the Rees Valley again - a testament to what’s possible through collaboration.

It’s a story of people, progress, and pragmatic action, showing how skilled professionals and passionate locals can work hand in hand to protect Aotearoa’s wildlife at scale.

Here are some of the key topics we discussed:

• How six established conservation groups joined forces to form Southern Lakes Sanctuary
• Managing volunteer fatigue by adding professional support to complement volunteer-led mahi
• Expanding predator control from 6,400 to 13,000+ traps and removing more than 70,000 introduced animals
• Why measuring biodiversity outcomes matters more than counting traps and the role of robust monitoring
• Threatened species management across the project area
• The critical role of sustainable, long-term funding and partnerships with business and philanthropy
• How AI-enabled, self-resetting traps and live mesh networks are transforming remote predator control
• The importance of working in urban and peri-urban areas as well as the back country
• And much more…

🧑‍🦱About Paul:

Paul worked as a field biologist in Ireland after graduating with an Honours degree in Zoology from University College Dublin. He moved to NZ from Ireland in 2009 to further his career in conservation. Paul was General Manager of the Kiwi Birdlife Park, a wildlife park dedicated to preserving some of Aotearoa’s unique native species, for over 12 years before his appointment to his role as CEO with the Southern Lakes Sanctuary.

🔗Learn more:

• Website: www.southernlakessanctuary.org.nz
• Report Takahē Sightings: www.southernlakessanctuary.org.nz/takahe-sightings
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/southernlakessanctuary
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/SouthernLakesSanctuary

🎙️Learn more about the podcast at www.conservationamplified.org

Most New Zealanders have never seen a bat, yet their presence signals the health of our forests.

They’re our only native land mammals, quietly pollinating, eating insects, and supporting ecosystem balance. But with many areas still unmonitored and major data gaps in our understanding, their story remains half-told.

In this episode, senior ecologist and bat expert Mark Roper joins us to share insights from years of fieldwork and research into Aotearoa’s long-tailed and short-tailed bats: how they live, where they roost, the challenges of collecting and processing data on them, and how community-led projects are uncovering new knowledge about where they’ve been found.

Mark explains how emerging technology is transforming bat research - from low cost acoustic recorders paired with AI-based online classifiers that identify calls, to the National Bat Survey bringing communities together throughout the country.

This episode uncovers a bigger picture: how collaboration, technology, and local action are helping us better understand and protect one of Aotearoa’s most overlooked native species.

Here are some of the key topics we discussed:

• Population estimates of long- and short-tailed bats
• Major threats including habitat loss, introduced predators, and light pollution
• Why bats are useful indicators of forest health
• The impact of wind farms and the emerging live curtailment approach that balances renewable energy with wildlife protection
• How affordable recorders and AI classifiers are making bat detection accessible for citizen science
• Why we should consider requiring all bat data to be entered into an open national database
• And much more…

🧑‍🦱About Mark:

Mark Roper is a bat ecologist and founder of The Bat Co. Lab. Splitting his time between New Zealand and Sweden, he uses sound and technology to uncover what bats can tell us about the health of our planet. Mark leads the NZ National Bat Survey and works with researchers and communities worldwide to better understand where bats live, why they matter, and how listening to them can guide smarter conservation.

🔗Learn more:

• Website: www.thebatcolab.co.nz
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574762309249
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thebatcolab
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markroyroper
• More bat resources: www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/bats-pekapeka/resources-for-bat-workers

🎙️Learn more about the podcast at www.conservationamplified.org

For many careers, purpose doesn’t extend much beyond cashing in the payslip.

For Michelle Impey, she’s lived a career of purpose for 20+ years.

As CEO of Save the Kiwi, Michelle has led the organisation’s evolution from a one-person funding distributor to a national team delivering measurable conservation outcomes for our national icon, the kiwi bird.

In this episode, we talk candidly about building a career with purpose - the trade-offs and rewards, the culture that keeps people for decades, and how business skills like fundraising, operations and communications can drive real impact alongside fieldwork. You don’t necessarily need an ecology degree to help; you need intent, passion and persistence.

Michelle also outlines the NZ conservation sector’s evolution. From early research into Kiwi decline and DoC sanctuaries, to the community-led and iwi-led movement, Predator Free 2050, new technologies, and Save the Kiwi’s own incubation and crèche programmes - this is proof that collaboration can turn the tide for Aotearoa’s wildlife.

Here are some of the key topics we discussed:

• Lessons from 20 years leading and growing a conservation charity
• How New Zealand’s kiwi recovery efforts have evolved
• What leading a purpose-driven organisation really looks like day to day
• Blending business skills with conservation outcomes
• Applying entrepreneurial thinking to conservation challenges
• Advice for anyone looking to start or transition into a purpose-driven career
• Finding your place in conservation - from volunteering to leadership
• Why culture and long-term commitment matter in meaningful work
• And much more…

👩About Michelle:

For more than 20 years, Michelle Impey has been the CEO of Save the Kiwi, an organisation that’s on a mission to grow kiwi to abundance across New Zealand. Save the Kiwi works alongside iwi, conservation groups, and the Department of Conservation to raise awareness about the plight of the kiwi, how important the species is to New Zealand’s national identity, and what Kiwis can do to help their namesake.

During her 20+ years in this role, Michelle has witnessed the explosive growth of iwi- and community-led kiwi conservation initiatives, which have in turn created more kiwi-safe habitat all over the country and a greater collective desire for kiwi to return to places where they once thrived. Michelle works tirelessly to ensure kiwi remain at the forefront of New Zealand's consciousness, reminding everyone around her that one person taking small action can lead to monumental change.

🔗Learn more:

• Website: www.savethekiwi.nz
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/savethekiwinewzealand
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/savethekiwinz
• LinkedIn: ww.linkedin.com/company/save-the-kiwi

🎙️Learn more about the podcast at www.conservationamplified.org

What happens when one of the Bay of Plenty’s most degraded catchments becomes a restoration success story?

In the 90s, the Te Mania Catchment was a major source of sediment flowing into the Tauranga Moana, with a stream health of 2/10. The stream flowed through Pukekauri Farm, managed by Rick Burke and the Seddon family. And they decided to do something about it.

They began their journey of environmental restoration at the same time as redesigning the farm to maximise productivity. Today, after 25+ years of riparian fencing, wetland restoration, pest control and assisted native regeneration, the same waterway scores a remarkable 9/10.

By slowing water with wetland sponges, planting steep erodible hillsides and stream edges back into native forest, and learning from mistakes like “wrong tree, wrong place,” Rick and, more recently, his brother John proved how ecological health and farm profitability go hand in hand.

Returning 25% of their land to nature didn’t hold them back - it made the farm easier to manage and more profitable.

But John’s message goes further. In a paper proposing reforms to the primary sector, he calls for a unified Aotearoa farm plan - linking on-farm restoration to catchment outcomes, avoiding greenwashing, and ensuring NZ’s global brand is built on verified ecological health.

Here are some of the key topics we discussed:

• The journey John’s family went through in restoring their farm
• The 1970s/80s incentives that led to clearing vast areas of native forest and how farming culture has evolved
• The red zone vs blue zone mindset for farmer wellbeing and productivity
• How ‘kitchen-window projects’ are a great way to start small to build momentum
• The major problems with environmental weeds and why whole communities must get involved
• The Tīmata method as a way to plant native forest for a fraction of the cost
• Assisted natural regeneration and rebuilding soil and fungal biomes
• Linking farm outcomes to NZ’s export story and avoiding greenwashing
• Catchment groups as anchors for resilience and community wellbeing
• John’s paper and the case for a unified Aotearoa farm plan
• And much more…

🧑‍🦱About John:

John Burke’s career spans roles as farmer, orchardist, agri-business consultant and environmental manager. He is passionate about economic and practical farming practices and restoring the health of waterways. John’s aim is to share his experience of improving water quality and achieving positive balance in rural communities.

🔗Learn more:

• John’s Paper: https://www.wai-kokopu.org.nz/john-burkes-paper/
• Wai Kōkopu: https://wai-kokopu.org.nz
• Project Parore: https://projectparore.nz
• Community Catchments Aotearoa: https://www.cca.nz/
• Tiwaiwaka: https://www.tiwaiwaka.nz

🎙️Learn more about the podcast at www.conservationamplified.org

Nature doesn’t stop at the fence-line, so why should conservation?

Throughout Aotearoa, catchment groups are changing the conservation narrative. Farmers, foresters, iwi and communities are working together at landscape scale - proving that when landowners are given structure and support, they become powerful custodians of nature.

The results ripple well beyond any single farm gate. From 6,000-hectare predator control projects to riparian planting that cools streams, this work flows from the headwaters to the moana, making towns more resilient to cyclones, waterways healthier, and ecosystems more connected.

But catchment groups are more than conservation alone. In remote communities, they’re taking on roading contracts, generating local jobs, and providing disaster resilience - building social fabric as well as ecological health.

In this episode, Sam “The Trap Man” Gibson shares how catchment groups evolve, what they need to thrive, and why their growth could be one of the most important shifts in Aotearoa’s conservation story.

Here are some of the key topics we discussed:

• What catchment groups are and how they’ve grown in NZ
• Why bipartisan political support makes them unique in the conservation landscape
• How incentives work better than penalties in driving on-farm change
• Kiwi surveys on dairy farms sparking wider ecosystem restoration
• Cyclone Gabrielle recovery as proof of community resilience
• The role of paid coordinators in keeping groups alive and thriving
• Catchment groups as job creators and anchors for rural communities
• How catchment groups combine into catchment collectives, achieving conservation and resilience at regional scale
• How this movement ties into Predator Free 2050 and climate resilience
• Sam’s documentary Think Like a Forest and the vision of Recloaking Papatūānuku
• And much more…

👩About Sam:

Sam/Hamiora Gibson (better known as Sam the Trap Man) is a trapper, conservationist, communicator, and community leader. Through roles with NZ Landcare Trust, Mountains to Sea, and regional councils, he has spent years supporting and establishing catchment groups throughout New Zealand.

With over a decade of experience spanning DOC, Goodnature, and community-led projects like Eastern Whio Link, Sam has designed predator control networks, coordinated large-scale conservation initiatives, and helped rural communities turn their aspirations for biodiversity and resilience into action.

🔗Learn more:

• NZ Landcare Trust: https://www.landcare.org.nz
• Sam’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sam_the_trap_man
• Sam’s Facebook: https://ww.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100050646522100

🎙️Learn more about the podcast at www.conservationamplified.org

When a child says, “Mum, I did something to save the planet,” something shifts - not just in the home, but throughout the local community.

In this episode, we’re joined by Sally Clegg from Trees for Survival, a long-running, school-based programme that’s growing the next generation of environmental changemakers.

Through hands-on reforestation projects, school children are cultivating native seedlings and planting them on retired farmland to stabilise eroded hillsides and restore the edges of waterways. In these places, native trees filter water, anchor soil, and kickstart habitat recovery.

It’s not just about getting plants in the ground. This programme brings conservation into the classroom, giving teachers the tools to connect science, biodiversity, and climate learning with something their students can touch and feel.

Sally shares powerful stories of kids asking big questions, moving landowners to tears, and inspiring parents to act. Some go on to study horticulture or take up conservation careers. Others simply grow up knowing they can make a difference - and that’s where real change begins.

If every school in Aotearoa New Zealand planted 800-1000 trees a year, what kind of future could we grow?

Here are some of the key topics we discussed:

• How Trees for Survival began through Rotary and a global call to protect the planet.
• What makes a planting site ideal for both students and environmental impact.
• How students' views about the value of native trees shifts throughout the programme.
• Real stories of curiosity-led learning, spontaneous karakia, and intergenerational influence.
• What’s expected of landowners, and how many go above and beyond to support student success.
• How Trees for Survival tracks long-term impact.
• How the Ministry of Education could help to scale it nationwide.
• And much more…

👩About Sally:

Sally has worked for the last decade with Trees for Survival, playing an integral part in its evolution from a volunteer organisation to one with a stable funding base. She has worked in a range of roles from seed collection to school shade house deliveries and as a facilitator for the Franklin schools, which has given her a unique perspective on this educational environmental programme.

She views increasing the awareness and appreciation of Aotearoa’s native trees through practical learning and empowering teachers and students as a key strength of Trees for Survival. Sally is continually working to make the programme even better.

🔗Learn more:

• Website: https://www.tfsnz.org.nz
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/treesforsurvival
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treesforsurvivalnz

🎙️Learn more about the podcast at www.conservationamplified.org