Alison Ballance

Otago Museum's tropical forest is a steamy oasis filled with butterflies, and Alison Ballance is curious about what it takes to keep both the temperature and butterfly numbers up. Butterfly house… Audio

The Otago Museum has recently exhibited The Vault, a behind-the-scenes look at the collections of various museums and galleries throughout New Zealand. Neil Pardington's large format photographs were… Audio

Alison Ballance meets New Zealand's very own 'plant hunters', who are finding new species of grass and clover, and storing them in perpetuity. Audio

Scientists are finding that creating bioplastic from blood isn't always straight-forward. Audio

There are species of stick insects in which no male has ever been found - and yet the all-female population is busy producing lots more female stick insects. Audio

Bio-archaeologists are interested not only in discovering ancient human remains, but in finding out what those bones can tell us about the people who lived in long-lost cultures. Audio

Last week New Zealand sea lions catapulted into the ranks of the world's most endangered animals, given a new threat ranking of 'nationally critical'. But while the main subantarctic population is in… Audio

It's being called a natural history horror story - and it's all unfolding on a remote British island in the South Atlantic - where killer mice are driving the island's rare birds to extinction. Audio

Scientists think these useful little plants might be a source of renewable energy, because of their ability to produce hydrogen. Audio

Andrew Digby is recording the calls of little spotted kiwi in the Zealandia Sanctuary Audio

Today is a red-letter day for one of our most highly endangered seabirds, the Chatham Island taiko. Audio

We hear how a surgeon who specialises in kidney transplants and an immunologist teamed up with others to come up with a world first - a quick, simple non-invasive test to determine if a transplanted… Audio

Volume one of 'New Zealand's Coastal Marine Invertebrates' has just come out, and Alison Ballance headed to the beach to put it through its paces. To help her out she took along her 10-year-old niece… Audio

Liz and Bruce Tuanui are busy farmers. They are also busy conservationists, juggling sheep shearing with saving rare birds. Their Chatham Island farm is now home to several important areas of… Audio

In 2003 lab scientist Nancy Beavan Athfield was asked if she could date a human bone from Cambodia, and her growing fascination with the mysterious burial methods she discovered has seen her return… Audio

The story of a plant that famously got its name because Captain Cook used it to treat scurvy amongst his ship crew. Audio

Moriori dendroglyphs, or tree carvings, are unique to the Chatham Islands, and are found on fewer than 200 trees. Many of these trees are dying. Audio

There's an energy gold rush at the moment - and the 'gold' is clean, renewable energy. New Zealand already utilises hydro power and, increasingly, wind power, but what about marine energy? Audio

Burning ice. It might sound like an oxymoron, but geologists know it's real. In today's environment story we hear how burning ice is not just a party trick, but could be a future source of energy… Audio