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...

At Zealandia we aim to inspire change in how people live with nature in cities globally. Our research collaborations seek to discover how we can design urban developments and landscapes to embrace, not exclude nature. This approach will improve outcomes for nature, and people.

With today’s announcement that New Zealand is moving its COVID-19 response to Level 3 now, and to Level 4 in 48 hours, we have made the decision to close ZEALANDIA to the public, members and volunteers, effective immediately. This includes the visitor centre, Rātā cafe, and the sanctuary itself.

Our priority at this time is the health and wellbeing of our visitors and our team, and we are making this difficult decision in order to help protect our community. We will remain closed for the next four weeks, as directed in the government’s advice today.

It’s challenging times like these that show the strength of a community. And our community is strong – we care about each other, we care about nature, and we care about our shared future. 

Spending time in nature is one of the best ways to look after both your physical and mental health, and we want to encourage everyone to take the opportunity to get outside, breathe deep, and make the most of the wildlife around us. 

ZEALANDIA’s work to keep Wellington’s wildlife thriving continues, and we are open for business, encouraging those who feel fit and well to visit.  

Spending time in nature helps people feel better, and becoming involved in a local trapping group can give your health an even bigger boost, new research from Zealandia’s Centre for People and Nature shows.

 

A tuatara with an amputated tail has recently been released back to its home at ZEALANDIA after treatment and recovery at The Nest Te Kōhanga, Wellington Zoo’s native wildlife and animal hospital.  

Work is picking up steam in ZEALANDIA’s Centre for People and Nature, with around 80 people  national and internal research projects and collaborations now underway. 

Launched last year, the Centre leads and facilitates research on how to enhance the role of nature in cities. Researchers across areas of health and wellbeing, the science of nature, and connecting people and nature, are drawing on the ZEALANDIA sanctuary, the green heart and living laboratory of Wellington. 

As we are probably all aware, nature is good for us, and science is backing this up. Recent ZEALANDIA intern, Lara Franco, looked at the scientific evidence for how nature can benefit us through each of our five senses. 

The ZEALANDIA Monday Walking Group is a collection of adventurous ZEALANDIA Members who tackle some of the valley's most difficult tracks together.

Rosemary Cole describes what the Monday Walking Group involves, and how you can get involved, in this article.

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week and one of the key messages being promoted this year is the power of nature – and with good reason too.