Almost half of all households in Aotearoa own at least one domestic cat, and 20% own two or more. Being a responsible cat owner is vital to keeping your cat safe and happy and also to helping keep native wildlife safe. Wellington City Council Animal Liaison Officer Alanah Day shares some information about one way that you can be a responsible cat owner: microchipping.

This year we will carry out the second of three planned reintroductions of the freshwater fish species toitoi/common bully to Zealandia’s waters. 

Senior Lecturer in Music at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Dave Wilson, shared that he composed a musical piece inspired by the riroriro/grey warbler, often heard in Zealandia and surrounding neighbourhoods. We asked him to explain more about his view on creativity connecting with and being part of nature.

Our “fur-babies” are important members of our families, but they can also impact our local environments. 

That's why Gini, our Senior Communications Advisor who knows a thing or two about responsible cat ownership (she even wrote her thesis on it!), is here to help. She's got some great tips on how you can keep both your pets and native wildlife safe and happy!  

"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. 

During Te Wiki Tiaki ao Tūroa/Conservation Week our Learning Team were out and about visiting schools around the region involved in our Nature at Your Place programme, a free programme offered to Wellington schools and kura, deciles 1-6.

Student Volunteer Week, 1-7 April 2019, celebrates and recognises the contributions of young people taking their future into their own hands. 
 
The focus in 2019 is Kaitiakitanga, the guardianship of our environment. Student volunteers are instrumental to this guardianship and are at the forefront of advocating for environmental protection and carbon neutrality. 

In te reo Māori, macrons are known as tohutō: tohu meaning a sign or a symbol, tō meaning to pull or heave: they are symbols that stretch.

Tohutō are essential in written reo Māori because their addition or omission can either change or remove meaning from a word. Despite this, tohutō are frequently omitted from text in newspapers, on road-signs and everything in between. Sometimes, the change in meaning can have disastrous results!

New Zealand’s southernmost school is a shining example of the active role of education in conservation efforts. With a mere 32 students, Halfmoon Bay School (Oban - Rakiura/Stewart Island) certainly punches above its weight.

On the 24th of November, 65 biology teachers from the Wellington region gathered at ZEALANDIA for the Biology Educators Association of New Zealand (BEANZ) Workshop. The event provided a forum for teachers to build connections, share resources and insights, discuss the direction of the curriculum and hear from educators and scientists working in and around ZEALANDIA.