The Waitematā Harbour is an intertidal ecosystem inhabited by clams, cockles, crabs, algae, and microscopic worms.
In a recent University of Auckland study on the effects of microplastics in the Waitematā Harbor PhD Candidate Sam Ladewig found that plastic pollution is fundamentally altering the natural cycles of life in the harbour's waters.
The investigation found that microplastic pollution is altering the flow of oxygen through the systems, and the long-term effects of this are currently unknown.
This week on The Green Desk, Troy spoke to Ladewig about the study and the harms of plastic pollution on New Zealand’s oceans.
Sometimes you can't see the forest from the trees but spare a thought for the wilderness beneath the waves. Kelp forests are found in shallow ocean waters off a third of the world's coastlines, and, according to new research are worth hundreds of billions of dollars to society.
Marine ecologist Dr Aaron Eger led the study and is also the founder and director of the Kelp Forest Alliance – a research-driven not-for-profit dedicated to accelerating the protection and restoration of kelp forests worldwide. Today he's on The Green Desk to discuss his work putting a dollar value to the kelp forests below the sea level.
This week on The Green Desk things get shitty — New Zealand has a poo problem: An estimated 100 million tonnes of cow and sheep manure fall onto New Zealand pastures each year, causing an environmental and economic stink.
Reporter Jack Marshall went to see a man about a dung beetle. Dung Beetle Innovations’s Dr. Shaun Forgie is a specialist in dung beetle reproduction, ecology and evolution. And if he has his way, every farm in New Zealand will have these bugs following around their animals.
For our weekly catch up with the Green Party, Wire host Manny spoke MP Recardo Menendez March about agressive US foreign policy towards Venezuela and Greenland, the Manage My Health data breach, and his intentions going into the election year.
They also spoke with National Secretary of the Public Service Association (PSA) about their complaint with the Independent Police Conduct Authority over failing police support for mental health workers.
They also spoke with Commissioner North for Biosecurity New Zealand, Mike Inglis, on their work containing the invasive hornets found on the north shore and the fruit fly found in Mount Roskill.
And Producer Castor spoke with Chief Executive of Retail NZ Carolyn Young about the recent closures of a string of businesses amidst rising costs and declining costumer bases.
Sherry speaks to Green Party co-leader James Shaw on the Landfill Levy increase. This will rise from $10 per tonne to $50/$60 by 2023. We also speak about the suicide prevention office, recently set up by the goverment to deal with New Zealand’s concerning high rates of suicide.
Sherry begins by asking him why New Zealand has one of the high rates per capita in the developed world of waste production.
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Bronwyn speaks to Kevin Moran from Save Our Springs about Te Waikoropupū Springs which are currently the subject of a Water Conservation Order being challenged in the Environment Court.
Located close to Takaka in Golden Bay, these freshwater springs are the largest in New Zealand and contain some of the clearest water found in the world. The iconic blue-tinted waters are recognised as a wāhi tapu by the Māori Heritage Council and are of great cultural and spiritual significance to local iwi Ngāti Tama, Te Ātiawa and Ngāti Rarua.
In 2017, Ngāti Tama and Andrew Yuill applied for a Water Conservation Order, however the special tribunal's recommendatory report was not published until the 17th of March this year. In response, ten parties have lodged further proceedings in the Environment Court, some believing the tribunal's report was too strict and others, not restrictive enough.
Save Our Springs is among those appearing in court later this year, calling for improvements to the draft order.
This election Dr Elizabeth Kerekere has entered parliament as one of the Green Party’s 10 MP’s. Dr Kerekere is a Maori, LGBTQ+ activist and scholar and she speaks to Jemima Huston about what she will bring to parliament, the goals she has this term and her thoughts on the Labour / Greens Cooperation Agreement.
Dunedin-based software developer and environment activist James Cockle is challenging the Green Party co-leadership position against James Shaw, saying it was time for the Greens to be a major party and stop being "Labour's little helper".
Ellen, who operates under the pseudonym ‘Chronically Ellen’, is a digital creator, photographer and visual storyteller who utilises her skills to uplift sustainable brands through her own online business.
As part of EcoFest 2025, she is facilitating two workshops centred around developing skills around sustainable practices and building connections with others. The first involves upcycling old magazines, ‘waste’ and second hand materials to create artworks, and the second is a beginner-friendly gardening workshop which teaches participants how to grow food in containers.
Drawing on her experiences as a disabled wāhine and eco-friendly creative, Ellen speaks with Producer Sara about the importance of environmentalism and community, her workshops at EcoFest and how listeners can take small steps to make a big difference in the face of the climate crisis. Thanks EcoFest!
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