Alison Ballance

What happens when you mix 120 kilometre an hour winds and umbrellas? Audio

The hunt is on to find a kiwifruit that won't succumb to the disease Psa. Audio

It's been nearly nine months since the cargo vessel Rena ran aground, spilling more than 350 tonnes of oil, much of which came ashore on Bay of Plenty beaches. The big question is whether there are… Audio

Octopus feeding time at the Island Bay Marine Education Centre is a hit with both the kids - and the octopuses! Audio

A special feature from the 2012 Transit of Venus celebrations at Tolaga Bay, covering astronomy, history and sustainable land use issues. Audio

Tom McFadden, aka the Rhymobsome, has been taking his special brand of science rap on tour, and Alison Ballance headed to Cardinal McKeefry Primary School in Wellington to hear Tom, and a crowd of… Audio

Alison Ballance, from Radio New Zealand's Our Changing World programme, joined the crowds gathered at the Hauiti marae at Tolaga Bay yesterday morning to take part in the 2012 Transit of Venus Project… Audio

Monica Awasthy did her PhD on kereru in Wellington, to find out where they feed and breed. Audio

Science and technology underpin modern life, yet in most New Zealand primary schools children are not being effectively taught science. But it's not all bad news - some passionate teachers are doing a… Audio

Great white sharks are the rock stars of the shark world, but we know surprisingly little about them. Audio

Many lakes and rivers around New Zealand are suffering from the effects of too much sediment and too many nutrients. In Southland, attention is focused on declining water quality in Waituna Lagoon… Audio

New Zealand has more than its share of rare birds - but while we've all heard of kiwi and kakapo, what about a little-known rare duck that's a whister and an expert in white-water? Meeting a pair of… Audio

Getting rid of a small introduced animal on a large island in remote Fiordland is no easy walk in the park. Audio

There's a secret garden in the middle of the University of Otago campus. It's two years old, and is the crowning glory of a sustainable building with a 5-Star Green Star rating. This hidden roof… Audio

Join palaeontologists at a Central Otago fossil site that reaches back 16 to 19 million years to prehistoric Zealandia. Audio

Head to Lower Portobello Bay on Otago Peninsula at low tide, and you'll see mudflats with a few birds. Take a closer look and you'll see the mud flats are covered with mud snails, cockles and little… Audio

Pigeons trained to use touch-screens have abstract mathematical abilities as good as monkeys. Audio

Thirty five years ago University of Otago palaeontologist Ewan Fordyce collected some bones from a 25-million year old giant fossil penguin which has now been reconstructed and named Kairuku. Alison… Audio

Auckland's volcanic history has left many marks on the city's landscape, including a forest buried under volcanic ash on the shores of the Manukau Harbour. The ancient trees are so well preserved that… Audio

University of Auckland's Anne Gaskett is fascinated by mosses that grow on carcasses and dung Audio