People Helping Nature Podcast

How do you mobilise a nation for nature?
Most New Zealanders say nature matters to them. But care alone isn’t creating the level of action needed to protect it.
In this episode, we sit down with Vicki Connor, Chief Advisor Public Affairs at the Department of Conservation, for a deep dive into DOC’s “Always Be Naturing” campaign - the public-facing platform for its wider Mobilising for Nature programme.
Informed by audience research, the campaign is built around a persistent challenge: if people already care, how do you turn that care into meaningful action at scale?
The research also revealed a disconnect - most New Zealanders believe nature is doing relatively well. In reality, the situation is far more fragile, with 4,000+ native species threatened or at risk of extinction.
We unpack what the campaign is actually trying to do, why DOC chose to broaden the frame from “conservation” to “naturing”, and how connection to nature can become a more accessible entry point for the people and businesses who care but don’t yet know where they fit in.
We also explore more broadly how nature should be communicated in Aotearoa if we want to reach beyond the already-converted and make it easier for communities, businesses, and everyday people to participate.
This conversation is especially relevant for people working in conservation, communications, behaviour change, community engagement, and anyone curious about where nature storytelling in New Zealand is heading next.
Here are some of the key topics we discussed:
What Always be Naturing is and how it fits into DOC’s wider Mobilising for Nature programme
Why the gap between caring and doing is such a major challenge
How research and audience insights informed this campaign
Why DOC is focusing on connection, relevance, and everyday action
Reaching younger and urban audiences without losing the bigger picture
Changing perceptions about the state, role and value of nature in our everyday lives and society
And much more…
Love the People Helping Nature Podcast? Get notified when new episodes go live - subscribe for emails here: https://ww.conservationamplified.org
👩About Vicki:
Vicki is a Londoner who proudly calls Wellington home these days. She’s spent her career working across communications, marketing, brand, and behaviour change programmes both in and out of the public sector. Nature and the environment are her thing. She spent five years as Director Communications and Engagement at the Ministry for the Environment, before heading to DOC as the Director of Customer Engagement. Now in the Chief Advisor role, Vicki works across Public Affairs and is leading DOC’s programme to mobilise New Zealanders for nature – a project she describes as the most exciting thing she has ever had the privilege to be a part of. Her happy place is getting sweaty in nature. Her favourite bird is the kaka, although she is quite partial to a blackbird.
🔗Learn more:
Website: https://www.doc.govt.nz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/docgovtnz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/docgovtnz
🎙️Learn more about the podcast at www.conservationamplified.org

Australian brush-tail possums are one of the most widespread and damaging introduced pests in Aotearoa New Zealand, with an estimated ~30 million around the country.
They are wreaking havoc on both our native plants and animals, and they put pressure on our ecosystems, farms, and the wider economy. Most of the time, we respond by suppressing possum numbers. But on Banks Peninsula, a different approach is taking shape.
In this episode, we sit down with Ollie Rutland-Sims from Pest Free Banks Peninsula to learn about their possum elimination programme: A bold mission, strategically working to drive possum numbers to zero in their area under the ethos that “offence is the best defence”.
As Ollie explains, “we're now dealing with quite a legacy problem and a population that really, the only checks and balances on it are coming from human inputs”
Ollie shares Pest Free Banks Peninsula’s 4-stage elimination strategy: Knock-down → mop-up → surveillance → and lastly the defence phase after a block of land has been declared possum-free.
It’s an approach that’s working, with 5,800 hectares already declared possum-free - and could be used as blueprint for possum elimination throughout the country.
We also talk about mindset and the need to constantly deliver professional, spot-on work for this elimination approach to work: Continuous learning about your target species and constant improvments are key to success.
Amazingly the benefits of this mahi reach far beyond positive biodiversity and conservation outcomes, with local farmers, community, and the economy also gaining.
This project shows that eliminating a pest species in an open system on the mainland is not only achievable but also an investment in the future.
Here are some of the key topics we discussed:
Why brush-tail possums were introduced into NZ.
Why they’re such a big threat to our native flora and fauna.
The benefits of possum elimination vs. supression.
Their 4-phase elimination approach.
How reinvasions are managed in an open mainland system.
The long term cost savings of elimination vs. suppression.
The importance of social license and relationships with private landowners.
What to do when you see a possum on the Banks Peninsula.
And much more…
Love the People Helping Nature Podcast? Get notified when new episodes go live - subscribe here: www.conservationamplified.org
🧑‍🦱About Ollie:
Ollie Rutland-Sims works for the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust as an Operations Coordinator within their Pest Free Banks Peninsula program, leading field teams working toward landscape-scale possum elimination near Akaroa, Banks Peninsula. With a background in practical, boots-on-the-ground conservation, Ollie combines operational planning with hands-on experience in wildlife management. He’s passionate about improving field efficiency, supporting strong team culture, and delivering meaningful conservation outcomes for Aotearoa.
🔗Learn more:
Website: https://www.pestfreebankspeninsula.org.nz
Report a possum: https://www.survey123.arcgis.com/share/b152f02a20e14959a80c97917cc669d1
🎙️Learn more about the People Helping Nature Podcast at www.conservationamplified.org

In this episode, we sit down with Helen Jamieson from The Forest Bridge Trust to explore one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most elusive and lesser-known birds: the matuku-hūrepo, or Australasian bittern.
Matuku-hūrepo are large, remarkable wetland birds - apex predators, masters of camouflage, and an indicator species of wetland health. But they are also in serious trouble. With less than 1000 remaining in New Zealand, it has been said that “we are the last generation that can save the bittern.”
Helen shares what makes them so special, why they’re so hard to spot, and the major challenges they face - from habitat loss and declining food sources to car strikes and introduced predators.
We also talk about why bittern can be such a powerful species for community conservation. When people understand what matuku-hūrepo are, how rare they are, and what they need to survive, they often want to help. That can mean restoring wetlands, getting involved in local projects, or taking part in the Great Matuku Muster - a nationwide citizen science effort to monitor booming males during the breeding season.
Helen reminds us that she’s not a scientist or long-time species expert. She’s a caring local who became fascinated by bittern, got involved, and followed that curiosity into action. This is a conversation about a remarkable bird, the wetlands it depends on, and how communities can rally around both.
Here are some of the key topics we discussed:
Matuku-hūrepo (Australiasian Bittern): their adaptations, threats, and conservation status
Why Matuku-hūrepo need healthy wetlands to thrive
Benefits of wetland restoration beyond threatened species conservation
How to activate a community in the name of conservation
How Helen got involved through The Forest Bridge Trust
The tiny wetland that Helen's family is restoring on their property, and what they're learning from it
The Great Matuku Muster - a nationwide initiative to monitor bittern numbers
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 Helen:
Helen has lived in the Matakana region for more than 13 years with her husband and their two daughters. She has a background in business and community projects and has also been involved in managing the Matakana Markets. Helen and her family have been actively controlling predators (rats, stoats, possums, wasps, etc.) and restoring the wetland on their own land.
She began working with The Forest Bridge Trust in 2022 and is project manager for the DoC-funded project to facilitate community conservation to protect matuku hūrepo, tara iti and pāteke on Te Korowai O Te Tonga peninsula (South Head).
🔗Learn more:
Website: https://www.theforestbridgetrust.org.nz
The Great Matuku Muster: https://lovebittern.com/take-action/the-great-matuku-hurepo-muster
Our tiny wetland (Helen’s project): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581256861699

Today, we have a big announcement to share.
This year, between June and August, we’re setting off on an 11-week conservation storytelling adventure - cycling the entire length of the Danube River. From its source in southern Germany all the way to the Danube Delta around the Romania-Ukraine border, we’ll be riding more than 2,800km in the name of conservation.
We’re calling the journey Cycling for Conservation.
Along the way, we’ll be carrying everything on our bikes, meeting conservationists and communities connected to the river, and sharing their stories as we go. The Danube is the world’s most international river, flowing through ten countries before reaching the Black Sea.
For us, this is more than just an adventure. Our mission with Conservation Amplified and the People Helping Nature Podcast is to Make Conservation Mainstream, and we believe that adventure storytelling can help bring more people along for the journey and get them interested in conservation.
We’ll be documenting the expedition through podcast episodes, social media content, YouTube, and our newsletter - sharing the people, projects, and wildlife we encounter along the way.
If you’d like to follow along, make sure you’re following Conservation Amplified on social media, and sign up for our newsletter at www.conservationamplified.org.
We’d love to have you along for the ride. 🚴‍♂️🌍
Follow along here:
Subscribe for emails: https://www.conservationamplified.org
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ConservationAmplified
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conservationamplified
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conservationamplified
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@conservationamplified
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conservation-amplified

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