"Little is known about Aotearoa New Zealand’s freshwater sponges. To date, only one species has been studied, yet there is a high likelihood that many other exist without us knowing. For my master’s project, I am investigating the diversity of species within New Zealand."

Dive into the world of freshwater sponges with Ella, a passionate master's student from the University of Otago, New Zealand. 

We have all heard it—spending time in nature can improve your health.  

Western science is finally catching up with what Māori and many other knowledge systems have always known. People are part of nature, and being separated from it affects our health. 

Zealandia researchers have had leading roles in new discoveries about how nature improves our health.  

Here are five ways through which reconnecting with nature can improve your wellbeing...

Conservation is complex work that rarely comes with a neatly packaged ‘How-To’ guide. This month alone we celebrated the arrival of a new pair of takahē to Zealandia while also trying to unpack a ‘whodunnit’ of epic proportions beneath the surface of our waters.

An eagle-eyed Zealandia volunteer spotted a pied shag making light work of a rather large pinky coloured fish in Roto Kawau, the lower reservoir.

Aotearoa is known for having a large diversity of manu/birds; however, it is also the land of the mokomoko/lizards. At Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne, at there are two species of geckos and another three possibly present. Learn a bit more about the gecko species found in the sanctuary in this blog. 

Read the latest report by Zealandia Centre for People and Nature researchers, Dr Julie Whitburn and Dr Danielle Shanahan about the social-ecological approach of Predator Free Wellington. 

New Zealand’s only fully parasitic plant has been successfully germinated at the Lions Ōtari Native Plant Conservation Laboratory in Wellington. The milestone germination was of rare seeds gifted from Ngāti Rereahu in the first translocation to involve all six Greater Wellington iwi.

ZEALANDIA is proud to work with the Department of Conservation Takahē Recovery Programme which aims to boost takahē numbers living in their natural habitats, and for the species to be treasured as a national icon.

ZEALANDIA’s world-first predator exclusion fence is now twenty years old. The patent on the fence has now reached its end, and this provides us with the opportunity to share our expertise and accumulated knowledge with others, confident that this approach works. 

ZEALANDIA includes some incredible waterways as well forest ecosystems. We are excited to be embarking on a long-awaited effort to begin restoring the health of Roto Kawau, our lower reservoir.

Mātauranga Māori is Māori knowledge systems, and an area of increasingly wider interest as it works to complement Western science systems.  The ZEALANDIA Mātauranga Māori Summer Scholarship programme began in the summer of 2019/2020 to provide the sanctuary a mātauranga Māori perspective into areas of sanctuary relevance. Read more about our researchers here.