Alison Ballance

Bridget Gibb is leading a Department of Conservation effort to restore at least some Chatham Island sand dunes to their former glory. She takes Alison Ballance to Wharekauri Beach to look at progress… Audio

Last week she was with the Tui Team, struggling to reach a goal of catching 40 birds. Having finally made their target, it's now time to set about taking the precious birds to their new home. Audio

One in 13 of New Zealand's native plants is now threatened with extinction. Six plant species are already extinct, and even the popular garden plant the kakabeak is in serious trouble, with posssibly… Audio

Everyone loves tui and that's certainly true in the Chatham Islands. Join the 'Tui Team' in an historic mission to return tui to the main Chatham Island. Audio

In our environment story we meet a Chatham Island bird that doesn't always make a wise choice about where to put its nest. Audio

Chatham akeake is a familiar hedge plant on mainland New Zealandbut out on Mangere Island in the Chathams it's much more than a hedge - it's a hero. Find out more about New Zealand's most remote and… Audio

The science chat at the moment is all about the Large Hadron Collider, and its search for mysterious particles such as the Higgs boson and dark matter. Audio

The book Plants that Poison is a guide to New Zealand's poisonous plants, from green potatoes to castor beans Audio

At night Rangatira Island is alive with seabirds, wetas, spiders, and war whooping scientists catching Chatham petrels Audio

In today's environment story, Alison Ballance discovers that when night falls on Rangatira Island it's not just the seabirds that start to party. Audio

Botanist Henry Connor believes there's no need to panic, but fore-warned is fore-armed. That's why he's written Plants that Poison, A New Zealand Guide. Audio

In part two of the cicada story with Chris Simon, we find out about the evolutionary history of New Zealand's cicadas. Audio

Chatham petrels are one of the world's rarest seabirds, but simple innovative techniques have seen their numbers slowly recover Audio

Alison Ballance finds out about Chatham petrels, one of the world's rarest seabirds, until very recently found only on Rangatira or South East Island. Audio

In this environment story Alison Ballance is carrying on with cicadas, finding out where they came from and how long they've been in New Zealand. Audio

Cicada expert Chris Simon has five species of cicada in her Wellington garden, where she studies cicada biology and song. Audio