View an alphabetical list of all Meet the Locals video clips.
The golden beaches of the Abel Tasman National Park are well visited in summertime, but what happens during winter? This video reveals who’s in the park when the weather cools down.
This video takes us to the only mainland albatross breeding colony in the Southern Hemisphere.
The tiny protected forest of Pukaha in the Wairarapa is all that remains of the once vast 70 Mile Bush. Find out how the last part is protected and what wildlife is coming back.
Watch this video to find out about the great work that the New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine does at Auckland Zoo.
Many trampers enjoy walking in the Nelson Lakes National Park, but as spring arrives and the winter snows start to melt an unseen danger lurks in the mountains.
Watch a video about the humble historic homestead in Arthur’s Pass that has been lovingly restored and is open to receive visitors.
The kākā is one of New Zealand’s three native parrots. Despite being hammered by predators such as cats, rats and stoats, these inquisitive birds are making a comeback on predator-free offshore islands.
The arid heart of Central Otago can look empty of life, but this video shows that if you look closer, you can find tiny alpine plants and flowers and maybe even the elusive Cromwell chafer beetle.
This video goes to Kapiti Island to find out more about New Zealand's trusting wildlife.
Watch this video to see the bird rehabilitation work that the Auckland SPCA Birdwing Volunteers undertake.
Nga Manu Nature Reserve on the Kapiti Coast is not only a great place to go to check out the local wildlife, but it also has an important role in rehabilitating injured native birds.
Bird Rescue is a community group located in Auckland City. Check out how they rehabilitate native birds when they run into trouble in the city.
This video is about black petrels – a seabird that breeds on the top of Mount Hobson on Great Barrier Island. Learn how these relatively small birds fly as far away as Peru to find food.
The tale of the black robin is probably our most famous conservation story. The dedication that led to the return of this population from just one viable female, Old Blue, has inspired people throughout the globe.
This video is about Boundary Stream - a Mainland Island designed to protect our native wildlife from pests. Find out about all the work that goes into creating and maintaining a Mainland Island.
The Bridge to Nowhere, in the middle of native bush on the Wanganui River, is not where you would expect to find an industrial historic bridge. Find out what it’s doing there in this episode.
Pateke were once widespread throughout New Zealand. Watch this video to see how local farmers are helping save the brown teal on the Coromandel Peninsula.
Buff weka used to roam the Otago and Canterbury high country but no longer, thanks to introduced predators. Watch this video to learn how the islands of Lake Wānaka provide them with a refuge.
The Edwards kids love their bugs. This video shows how they find interesting native insects to study, and why they’re mad about insects.
This video shows how hunting on the West Coast can be tough work, with long walks, steep terrain, as well as one of the most difficult animals in New Zealand to hunt, the introduced Himalayan tahr.
Butler's Incline is one of New Zealand's many mining sites. Watch this video to discover how the Bay of Plenty community is helping conserve the heritage value of this site.
The Kaweka Forest Park is home to fantastic examples of pioneering huts, built from simple materials that our ancestors found around them in the bush.
Watch a video about a school camp at Doubtful Sound, one of New Zealand’s last remaining pristine wilderness areas.
Watch this video to find out where you can sleep-over with your locals! The Catlins in Southland is teeming with native life, and you can stay at Curio Bay campground.
The creation of a new private conservation project at Cape Kidnappers is fantastic news for kiwi in the Hawke's Bay.
This video is about the Cape Sanctuary in the Hawke's Bay, where local landowners are working hard to get over 2500 hectares of our natural environment back to full health.
By the early 1900s the buff weka had become extinct in their home-range of eastern Canterbury and Otago. But, through a stroke of luck, 12 birds had been introduced to the Chatham Islands in 1905.
The Chatham petrel is a seabird that is threatened because its neighbours, another seabird – the broad-billed prion – pushes it out of its burrows. Watch this video to find out more.
The chevron skink is New Zealand’s longest lizard, reaching over 30cm in length, yet its survival and very existence has remained a mystery for much of the last century.
The Pukaha Mount Bruce mainland island also functions as an outdoor classroom where thousands of children a year learn about their natural heritage.
Extreme athletes and conservationists are coming together to help protect one of New Zealand's rarest birds, the blue duck. Watch this video to learn more.
Because our native forest evolved without native grazing mammals, deer have been a long-term problem for our natural heritage. This video shows how deer are removed from Fiordland.
Diamond Lake and The Rocky Summit tracks, in the Wanaka region, were the brainchild of one man, Stuart Landsborough. Thanks to Stuart they are much easier for us all to enjoy. Watch this video to learn more.
Meet Richard, Leigh, Mahina and Liam. Watch this video to see how this family lives right amongst our locals on Maud Island in the Marlborough region.
New Zealand dotterels are now one of our rarest birds due to their love of coastal habitat which in summer happens to be the favourite playground of many people, not to mention introduced predators.
Watch this video to learn about the important plants that live on our coastal beaches. Nic visits Stewart Island to find out which plants are the 'goodies' and the 'baddies'.
Meet New Zealand's largest native gecko! Watch this video to find out the differences between geckos and skinks in Central Otago.
Watch this video about White Island, an active volcano offshore from Whakatane. Learn how scientists monitor this live volcano.
Did you know that New Zealand has at least 35 species native fish? The trouble is many of our fish are tiny and hard to find. This video shows how DOC uses electric fishing to monitor them.
The Waikanae Estuary was slowly dying. It was being strangled by weeds and hemmed in by houses. But all is not lost thanks to some passionate locals.
Weeds in New Zealand are sometimes underrated as a pest. On Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island weeding can mean some extreme antics, including abseiling off a cliff to get inaccessible weeds.
The fairy tern is New Zealand’s most endangered birds, with only around thirty birds in existence. Auckland Zoo keeps their precious eggs safe from bad weather, predators and disturbance.
With only around 40 left, the NZ fairy tern is one of NZ's most endangered birds. Find out how DOC and local schoolchildren are trying to protect them.
The ancient art of falconry is making a comeback. This video reveals how it's being used to rehabilitate the karearea, New Zealand's native falcon.
Watch a short video about the worlds largest eel, the longfin eel.
The largest rural fire service in the country is in fact the Department of Conservation. Their fire-fighting skills are sought after both here and overseas - watch this video to find out more.
Watch a video about Tane Mahuta and Te Matua Ngahere - two of the famous and ancient kauri in the Waipoua Forest.
The Ford Creek Chasm on the West Coast is a natural wonder. Learn how the steep sandstone cliffs, carved by the creek, create a picturesque path under a canopy of native forest.
Watch a video about the Auckland Zoo’s native frog research centre, where a team of experts are trying to solve the mystery of our disappearing ancient frogs.
Researchers are learning more about the takapu or Australasian gannet by tracking their flight patterns to discover where they like to fish.
The Australasian gannet or takapu has been nesting at Cape Kidnappers in the Hawke’s Bay since the 1870s. Learn about the largest mainland gannet colony on earth.
Just north of Auckland you'll find New Zealand's first marine reserve, Goat Island. Watch this video to learn about the wonderful wildlife found in this marine sanctuary.
The godwit has broken all migration records for the world’s longest non-stop flight – from New Zealand to Alaska in just one week! Watch this video to find out how they do it.
Nic visits Golden Point Battery in Otago, one of New Zealand's oldest gold mining operations. Check out how DOC rangers fire up the old engine every year!
Watch a video on how to eat in style when you're out in the wild. Tramping doesn’t have to mean eating porridge and two minute noodles.
Watch a video about Grand and Otago skinks – two of New Zealand's largest and most endangered lizards.
Grand and Otago skinks are only found in Otago. Learn how DOC's scientists are using a mammal-proofed fence to save these precious reptiles.
Te Hauturu-o-Toi or Little Barrier Island, near Auckland, has been described as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of New Zealand’s protected islands. Watch this video to see why it’s so special.
Hihi are one of NZ's rarest birds, and became extinct on the mainland over a hundred years ago. Luckily, the island of Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier remained free from most predators, and has been a lifeboat for their survival.
This video shows how the removal of rats from Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island has cleared the way for tuatara as well as many other native species to thrive in the kind of place New Zealand once was.
Denniston on the West Coast is steeped in coal mining history. Here you can glimpse how it was to live here. Watch this video and discover what locals called the ‘eighth wonder of the world’.
Hector's dolphin is New Zealand's smallest dolphin. These native dolphins are endangered in New Zealand. Find out how to behave when sharing the water with Hector's.
Watch a video about the stitchbird or hihi, one of New Zealand's rarest birds, and the sole representative of a bird family found only in New Zealand.
A sheep farm on the Otago Peninsula has made a business out of watching penguins. Watch the video to learn more.
Visit a nesting Hutton's shearwater colony in this Meet the Locals video.
Visit a Hutton's shearwater breeding colony in this Meet the Locals video.
Meet Jack. Jack is a dog trained to find rats on predator-free islands. He helps save our birds and reptiles by sniffing out the predators first!
Watch a video about the beautiful jewelled gecko of Otago.
Check out this video to see some of our more charismatic locals! Nic finds some jewelled geckos in Canterbury.
Not many kids are lucky enough to have a glacier and a rainforest in their backyards but for school kids in Franz Josef, it's part of their daily life. This video is about kids getting to be a ranger for a day.
Kaiaraara Dam is an excellent example of the kauri industry that thrived here almost a hundred years ago. Find out how locals built this enormous dam, without the benefit of modern technology.
Learn about out how we made the shift from hunting whales, to watching them. Nic meets tourism operators in the Marlborough region and some of our largest locals!
Watch a video about a nature walk with some keen kids in the bush on Great Barrier Island, with the ultimate reward for any sore feet – a soak in the Kaitoke Hot Springs!
Kaitorete Spit in Canterbury is a great place for lizards. Find out what’s so alluring about our native geckos and skinks and how we can help them in our own backyards.
Watch a video about the charismatic kākā, one of New Zealand's three ancient parrots.
Nic finds out how DOC staff in Canterbury are fighting the clock to save our threatened species of kākāriki.
The kakī is one of the world’s rarest wading birds. In the 1980s, their numbers plummeted to 23 adult birds. However, the captive management programme at Twizel is making a real difference, as this video reveals.
Watch this video on the Karangahake Gorge, the gateway to Hauraki and a place with a rich golden history.
This video looks at the ways the Wingspan team in Rotorua are working to save New Zealand's native falcon.
Check out how DOC is working with local Iwi in Otago. Discover the legends and history of Huriawa Peninsula.
In Wellington city you'll find a thriving rainforest, where many of New Zealand’s endangered animals are being given a safe place to live. Welcome to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary.
Kauri can live for a thousand years yet 'kauri dieback' or 'kauri collar rot' is slowly killing our native giants.
Kauri snail/pupurangi can be found in the Waitakere Ranges, West of Auckland. Find out more about our giant native snails in this video.
Monkeys, zebra and wallabies were just a few of the animals brought to Kawau Island by Governor Grey. Watch the video and learn how much of his collection still remains.
The kea, known to many of us for its high altitude antics, is in trouble. Once common around the South Island mountains, it is now thought to number only around a few thousand birds.
This video explains why kererū get in trouble and how a very dedicated vet-nurse in a suburb of Dunedin looks after them.
In this video you get up close and personal with a North Island brown kiwi and learn about why our iconic national birds are so fascinating and why they need our help.
Dogs are one of the top threats to our kiwi. Check out this video to find out how dogs can be trained to avoid kiwi at all costs.
A combined effort by the local community has created the Opouahi Pan Pac kiwi crèche – a predator-proof area for young kiwi. This video shows how the crèche protects kiwi chicks in the Hawke’s Bay.
At the Opouahi Pan Pac Kiwi Creche in Hawke's Bay, an important part of saving the kiwi is educating youngsters. This video shows a kiwi plunket health check.
Watch a video showing how the BNZ Operation Nest Egg programme is helping New Zealand’s iconic bird, the kiwi, survive from incubator to hatchery to the wild.
This video takes you to Kapiti Island where you can see many native species in their natural habitat.
Koi carp are sometimes known as ‘possums of the waterways’ due to the destruction they create for native freshwater plants and wildlife. This video shows how bow-hunters are targeting these pests.
In 2005, the long-cherished dream of Mangaroa/Ohotu Trust to hear kōkako on their land came true. Learn how iwi in this area near Opotiki reintroduced kokako to their ngahere (forest).
Here’s a riddle for you: What’s bluish-grey, has a long tail and short wings, hops from branch to branch and was close to extinction up until the 1990s? Watch this video to learn more.
Kura Tāwhiti in the Arthur’s Pass region was once a meeting place for early Māori. This video looks at the wildlife that used to live here and what climbers and iwi are doing to protect this special place.
In this video you'll learn what a lahar is, see the Mt Ruapehu lahar in action, and learn what DOC is doing to monitor and help limit the damage from a future lahar.
Restoring a historic hotel from the gold-mining era in Central Otago isn’t an easy job, luckily the Lindis Pass Hotel has lots of people lining up to lend a hand.
Learn about the smallest penguin in the world – the little blue penguin – in this Meet the Locals video.
Watch a video on how visitors to Mansion House on Kawau Island, in the Hauraki Gulf, get a chance to step back in time and see what life was like in the nineteenth century.
Fifteen years ago Ōtukaikino/Wilson’s Swamp, in Canterbury, was basically a bunch of damp paddocks. Find out who’s helping this wetland get well on its way to being restored.
Watch this video about the lowland longjaw and how DOC protects this tiny fish which is as endangered as the kakapo.
Watch a video about the giant weta, which has been around for 190 million years, making it one of New Zealand’s oldest creatures.
The historic woolshed on Mana Island had been restored but what’s a woolshed without sheep? Luckily, some students came up with a solution. Watch this video to learn what it was.
We visit the Island Bay Marine Education Centre, which offers a wide range of hands-on, interactive and fun educational experiences.
This video takes us behind the scenes at the Leigh Marine Lab next to Goat Island Marine Reserve just north of Auckland.
Watch a video about the Island Hill homestead on Stewart Island - a living museum and great place to learn about the challenges and lives of New Zealand’s early sheep farmers.
Matiu/Somes Island sits in the middle of Wellington Harbour. This video explores the island's history and its many roles, including quarantine station, military outpost and now wildlife refuge.
Weighing in as the world's heaviest parrot, the kākāpō is also one of the most endangered. Find out how DOC is working to save the only flightless parrot in the world.
Ōtumahua or Quail Island is a short ferry ride from Lyttelton. This video shows its colourful history including some special stories of our most important Antarctic explorers.
In 1908 the Milford Track was described in a London newspaper as the ‘finest walk in the world’ and, 100 years on, it remains a spectacular way to experience an incredible natural landscape.
Every summer, at the tiny settlement of Miranda in the Firth of Thames, thousands of birds from all around the globe fly in to feast at the mudflats and rest after their incredible journeys.
Mokoia Island is an culturally significant site, steeped in history. Watch this video to find out about Rotorua's history, and some of the species recovery work DOC does here.
New Zealand has more species of lizard for its climate than anywhere else in the world. Find out in this video why we aren’t seeing many and learn about our native reptiles and what’s holding them back.
Welcome to Molesworth Station. Watch this video to find out more about this historic station in the Marlborough region.
Weka were almost extinct on the mainland not so long ago. Watch this video to find out how East Coast and Hawke's Bay DOC staff are helping boost the local population.
Check out the work that the Motutapu Restoration Trust does in Auckland's Waitemata Harbour. This clip shows how the locals 'dig in' for conservation.
All around Central Otago, new landscapes are opening up for us to enjoy. This video shows some of the many exciting new ways for us to enjoy them.
This video introduces the Search and Rescue Alpine Rescue Team in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, who dedicate their working days to rescuing people off the dangerous Southern Alps.
Canterbury is home is to one of New Zealand’s most endangered fish species, the mysterious mudfish. Find out in this video what they are up to and what makes them so special.
Visit young kekeno (New Zealand fur seals) in this Meet the Locals video.
Watch this video to discover how DOC works with Nga Manu and Victoria University of Wellington, to help recover our ancient taonga: Tuatara.
High in the Southern Alps, the tiny 40-strong community in Arthur’s Pass Village are committed bunch of locals. Watch this video to find out how this community has a mission to protect kiwi.
Learn about historical North Head in this video from the Meet the Locals series.
Watch this video from the Nelson/Marlborough region. Nic finds out about how the NZ fur seal is making a return from the brink of extinction.
This video shows you how residents of Oakley Park, Auckland, are pioneering wildlife security.
Watch this video to find out how Okere Falls touches many people in different ways. This Bay of Plenty hot-spot has something for everyone!
Kids at Okiwi Primary school on Great Barrier Island are involved in protecting their natural heritage. Watch this video on how these kids look after their environment.
The Olearia hectorii or native tree daisy is under threat. This is because there are no young trees growing up to replace these striking old timers. Watch this video to find out more.
Tiritiri Matangi, Ulva Island, and Kapiti Island are all open sanctuaries that you can visit. Watch this video to see what you can find and see at these sanctuaries.
This video about the BNZ Operation Nest Egg programme at Kiwi Encounter in Rotorua introduces us to just a few of the thousands of New Zealanders helping look after kiwi.
This video journeys to Pukaha Mt Bruce, where DOC look after the orange-fronted parakeet/kākāriki karaka
When the railway lines were pulled up from Central Otago the tiny local towns had a tough time. Now, as this video shows, the Otago Central Otago Rail Trail attracts thousands of visitors a year.
The Central Otago high country is home to one of New Zealand’s giant lizards – the Otago skink. However these lizards are threatened with extinction. This video explains how the community is trying to protect them.
Meet Whisper. This little local is learning to live with the help of Wingspan in Rotorua. Watch the video to see how you can help our only native owls.
These unique, weathered rock formations sure have carved out a name for themselves. Punakaiki or Pancake Rocks are West Coasters that are known the world around.
The parea is one of the largest pigeons in the world. Closely related to the kererū, this species dropped to around fifty birds in the 1980s. Learn how people on the Chathams protect it.
Great Barrier Island is home to one of the few populations of brown teal or pāteke in the country. This video is about a ranger and her dog who protect pāteke.
New Zealand is known as a ‘land of birds’, but we do have one type of mammal, the ancient and tiny native bats. This video takes you into the batcave to meet these elusive and mysterious animals.
This video from the Meet the Locals series, introduces the Maud Island frog, one of only four native frogs in New Zealand.
The Fox Glacier on the West Coast of the South Island is world famous. It’s big, it’s beautiful but it can be dangerous! Watch this video on how to enjoy it safely.
Pest fish present a huge problem to our fresh waterways as they suffocate native water plants and animals. Learn about some of the worst offenders and why they’re such a problem.
Is it a beach? Or is it a forest? Watch this video to find out all about the petrified forest at Curio Bay in Southland.
This video takes you to Turakina Beach, one of the largest sand dune systems left in New Zealand. Find out why this area is nicknamed ‘the Gold Coast’ and learn about the native pingao plant.
Watch a video about one of New Zealand’s most-loved birds - the fantail or pīwakawaka - and the way they help us test the health of the forest, and whether pest control in the area has worked.
Fiordland locals are transforming Lake Manapouri’s largest island, Pomona, into a haven for local wildlife, bringing back a slice of the pristine Fiordland that once was.
The Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve is New Zealand's top diving spot. Watch this video to find out why you might visit these Northland islands.
In this video you'll learn about Tieke kainga, one of the only marae in New Zealand to be located in a National Park, and a feature of the Whanganui Journey, one of New Zealand's Great Walks.
Martinborough is famous here in New Zealand and overseas for its thriving wine industries, but at Ata Rangi vineyard they have a big focus on the protection of native trees through Project Crimson.
Watch this video to see how Project Crimson and local groups are bringing the 'Crimson Coast' back to coastal Waikato.
New Zealand is a real hotspot for marine mammals, with over half of the world’s species of dolphins and whales appearing in our waters. This video is about how people learn to rescue stranded whales.
Ōtumahua or Quail Island, sits like a jewel, safely tucked away in Lyttleton Harbour. Watch this video to discover how the community are protecting the wildlife there.
This video explores Maud Island, one of New Zealand's best-protected nature reserves, where a surprising number of native species live without the threat of pests and predators.
Watch a video about the Raglan Area School, one of New Zealand's 500 Enviroschools. Its not just about learning reading and writing, but how to live in a sustainable way and protect our environment.
In the isolated Chatham Islands local Moriori practiced the art of tree-carving or rakau momori. Learn about some of the fascinating ‘dendroglyphs’ that still exist in the forest at Hapupu.
The island of Rangatira in the Chathams is a nature reserve teeming with native wildlife. This video shows some of the highlights of the natural world of Rangatira.
The iconic silhouette of Rangitoto Island in Auckland’s Waitemata harbour is this country’s youngest volcano, at only 600 years old. This makes it the perfect place to learn about how life populates an area.
Rangitoto Island was once a holiday home to many Aucklanders. Watch this video for some interesting facts about Rangitoto's history.
In this video Nic visits the home of NZ's rarest kiwi - the critically endangered rowi (formerly Ōkārito brown kiwi) on the South Island's west coast.
Learn about how DOC have brought the kākāpō back from the brink of extinction. Nic talks to Don Merton about how we're saving one of the world's rarest parrots.
Many people know about the Wakatipu region's goldmining legacy. But what about the scheelite? In fact, what is scheelite? Watch this video to find out.
Watch a video about the Rotoiti Mainland Island and the scientific work that goes on within it to measure and monitor the restoration of this beech forest and its wildlife.
Watch a video about New Zealand sea lion, which was hunted to almost extinction and is now the world’s most endangered sea lion.
Helicopter pilot Kim Hollows was so inspired by the Fiordland landscape that he made a film and then built the theatre to play it in. Learn why and find out about his current work with the Fiordland Conservation Trust.
In this video from the Meet the Locals series, you'll meet one of our best conservation ambassadors, the charismatic and curious kākāpō named Sirocco.
James Reardon checks out the snorkel trail at Taputeranga Marine Reserve, in Wellington.
A hard-case Southland couple have come up with a novel way of incorporating stoat trapping with their jet boating business in Fiordland. Let’s go on a wild ride and see how it’s done in this video.
New Zealand is home to thousands of species of spiders. Join Nic as she gets the facts on our native arachnids.
We visit the quirky-looking Royal spoonbill.
St Bathans hall in Central Otago is the oldest mud-brick hall in the country. It’s also in danger of falling into disrepair. This video shows how it is being restored.
There are more kiwi on Stewart Island than people! Watch a video about how DOC scientists check up on Stewart Island kiwi and learn more about their quirky behaviour.
Watch this video to find out how the community is helping protect native birdlife. Local residents in Stewart Island are trapping predators in their own backyards!
Learn about the hard working Stitchbird/hihi and the recovery effort on Kapiti Island.
Find out about the importance of biosecurity, and New Zealand's pioneering use of islands as wildlife sanctuaries.
Learn the kind of wildlife you might find in your own garden, and how to turn it into a haven for birds, lizards and weta.
Visit shags, shearwaters, penguins and spoonbills in this Meet the Locals video.
The Chatham Islands is home to New Zealand's rarest bird, the taiko, or magenta petrel. Watch this video to find out how DOC protects it from predators.
Moriori people once hunted the taiko but by the time Europeans arrived on the Chathams this seabird was thought to be extinct.
In this video you'll learn about the takahē. Once thought extinct, they were rediscovered in 1948. Though still highly endangered, some takahē survive on offshore islands like Mana Island, near Wellington.
There aren’t many thirteen year olds who can say they’re helping to save a species, but Sophie Smith from Southland can. Watch this video to see how she’s involved in takahē conservation.
Takahē were only rediscovered in 1948 and remain among our rarest birds. Thanks to high flyers like the chicks in this video, takahē can once again roam the Murchison Mountains in Fiordland.
Learn about the takahē, one of New Zealand's rarest and most endangered species, in this Meet the Locals video.
Meet Don Merton. Watch this video to discover how Don and his team were instrumental in the survival of New Zealand's black robin on the Chatham Islands.
Travel to Tiritiri Matangi in this video from the Meet the Locals series. It's island sanctuary open to the public where you can hear and see some of New Zealand’s rarest birds, including takahē and saddleback/tīeke.
This video takes us to Tiritiri Matangi where we meet the volunteers behind one of the most successful conservation projects in the entire world.
Cave weta are found all over New Zealand. They can appear terrifying but this video reveals that these wild-looking weta are actually harmless, deaf and probably more scared of you than you are of them.
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is known as the best one-day walk in the country. This video shows how to prepare for the walk's tricky terrain and changing weather conditions.
Watch a video about Taiaroa Head, where you'll find the one of world's largest seabirds, the Northern royal albatross.
Find out how you can become a DOC ranger! Trainee rangers learn how to look after our locals in the Nelson/Tasman region.
Pest control is a huge, ongoing job that occurs throughout New Zealand. In this video you'll meet The Friends of Rotoiti, volunteer trappers helping control pests in Nelson Lakes National Park.
When winter arrives, it’s not just humans who flock to the ski fields. At Treble Cone, near Wanaka, some cheeky local kea turn the ski field and car park into their playground.
Nestled in a peaceful bush setting, the Tongariro National Trout Centre provides a peek into the world of trout. This video shows why DOC protects an introduced fish.
Watch a video about New Zealand’s tuatara and find out how the tuatara ‘headstart’ programme works.
Cuvier Island tuatara are extremely rare and some are raised in captivity at Auckland Zoo. Find out what is involved in getting these long-lived reptiles back into the wild.
Many of us don't exactly have a very favourable opinion of eels. But at Pukaha Mount Bruce, there’s a lot to learn about tuna/eels and the incredible journey they must make to survive.
Nic finds out about the threats facing turtles visiting New Zealand. Kelly Tarltons in Auckland manage the recovery of these 'lost' marine creatures.
See the tusked wētā up close and personal! These carnivorous invertebrates are native to Middle Island, Coromandel, Auckland.
Watch a video about Mokoia Island in Lake Rotorua where local iwi manage a sanctuary for native wildlife.
Ulva Island is a predator-free Island off Stewart Island. Find out how the community has worked with DOC to halt the decline of our native birds.
Visiting a live volcano can be a dangerous experience. Watch this video to find out how and why thousands of visitors a year travel to White Island.
Just outside of Rotorua you’ll find the newest geothermal site in the world, the Waimangu Valley. Watch this video to discover more about this unique area.
Discover stalagmites, stalactites and glowworm grottos in this video on the underground world of the Waitomo caves.
Check out the Waituna Wetlands in Southland. Learn about what lives in a successful wetlands habitat, and how you can find eels!
Gold was discovered at Waiuta, near Greymouth in 1905 and within a few years a new town had popped up. This video is about how Jimmy Martin discovered gold here over a hundred years ago.
Wanaka has become a popular spot for rock climbers. Watch this video to find out why.
Watch this video on the Waimaori streamcare programme for children in Nelson.
Punakaiki, on the West Coast of the South Island has New Zealand’s only mainland Westland petrel breeding colony. Watch this video to find out what’s special about Westland petrels.
New Zealand stopped whaling in 1964 when the last whaling station in Cook Strait closed. In this video you'll meet the ex-whalers who now use their skills to help protect whales.
In this video you'll visit an internationally significant geothermal site and discover the array of plants, fungus and bacteria that live in the harsh conditions of the geothermal springs.
Come and meet some of the students from Kamo High School at the Whangarei Harbour Marine Reserve. They were the world's first high school students to successfully apply for a marine reserve.
The Little River Rail Trail near Christchurch might not have trains anymore, but you can still get on your bike and enjoy it! Find out in this video how the trail is being restored.
Watch this video to find out why the highly endangered blue duck or whio is thriving on the Whakapapa River.
In this video we visit a Wanganui farmer’s Field Day, where the locals sample some pretty tasty goat curry, learn about predators and find out how they can involved and help protect wildlife.
This video is about how whio or blue duck in Te Urewera Mainland Island after ten years of predator control. Monitoring whio is a great way of measuring how effective pest control can be.
The kōtuku is dear to the hearts of many New Zealanders with its beautiful white plumage and elegant silhouette. The only place it breeds is at the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve on the West Coast
Don't confuse them with a little blue penguin! Canterbury is home to the white-flippered penguin. Watch this video to find out how DOC and others are helping out these little locals.
The use of innovative new technology means our rarest kiwi – the rowi on the West Coast, now has a far greater chance of survival.
Being a wildlife photographer is a creative way that you can enjoy New Zealand’s picturesque landscapes, and fascinating wildlife. Watch this video for some tips on wildlife photography.
Find out about one of the world's rarest penguins – the yellow-eyed penguin, or hoiho – in this Meet the Locals video.
Come and join Nic and members of the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust on Codfish island as they undertake their annual penguin chick count.
back to top