Aotearoa NZ 2025
(Nov-Dec)
“In some ways I believe I epitomise the average New Zealander: I have modest abilities, I combine these with a good deal of determination, and I rather like to succeed.”
Rare pink platypus spotted in East Gippsland river by Melbourne fisherman
When Melbourne fisherman Cody Stylianou made the long drive to a quiet river in the Australian state of Victoria's east a few months ago, he expected a routine day of exploring. Instead, he found himself face to face with a rare sight - a pink platypus suspected of having albinism. Only a dozen such sightings have been confirmed in about 200 years.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 21.12.2025
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'Celia' the optometry bus hits the road to check Kiwi kids
A charity screening children for sight and hearing problems at schools in high-need areas now has a fully kitted-out optometry bus - and big plans to roll the service out to reach more regions and adults too. Painga Project co-founder and chief executive Sarah Corson said it had taken years of hard work to get "Celia" the optometry bus on the road.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 28.12.2025
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Housing First Ōtautahi launches rapid response to homelessness, finding an increase in elderly with no home
A new outreach service for homeless people in Christchurch encountered an 87-year-old woman living on the streets in its first week of operation. Housing First Ōtautahi has started a new rapid response, trying to ensure people who have just started living on the streets don't end up there long term.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 27.12.2025
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The town that opened its doors to Polish refugee children
A Canadian woman has described how her family has kept in touch with relatives who came to New Zealand as young war refugees. It's been eight decades since hundreds of children found a new home in Pahīatua during WWII. Barbara Matyszczuk, based in Ontario, has visited New Zealand 12 times over the past 25 years to spend time with their Wairarapa relations.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 25.12.2025
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NZ F1 star Liam Lawson raises more than $50k for breast cancer research
Hot laps with Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson has raised more than $50,000 for breast cancer research. Lawson's pit-stop from the racing circuit to drive laps in Cromwell drew thousands of motorsport enthusiasts and drive to survive fans to the Central Otago circuit on Tuesday. Highlands Motor Park chief executive Josie Spillane - who planned the event after losing her friend Louise Scott-Gallagher to breast cancer.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 24.12.2025
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First wheelchair-using astronaut touches down after ride to edge of space
Michaela Benthaus from Germany soared 65 miles above the Earth’s surface in 10-minute Blue Origin flight. A paraplegic engineer from Germany blasted off on a dream-come-true rocket ride with five other passengers on Saturday, leaving her wheelchair behind to float in space while beholding Earth from on high.
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Source. theguardian.com, 20.12.2025
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Five big global health wins in 2025 that will save millions of lives
From HIV to TB, scientists and doctors made breakthroughs in treatment and prevention of some of the world’s deadliest diseases. With humanitarian funding slashed by the US and other countries, including the UK, this year’s global health headlines have made grim reading. But good things have still been happening in vaccine research and the development of new and improved treatments for some of the most intractable illnesses.
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Source. theguardian.com, 22.12.2025
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How Kiwis at Antarctica's Scott Base will celebrate their white Christmas
New Zealanders living at Scott Base in Antarctica are making the most of their white Christmas. At the moment, 71 people are living at the New Zealand-owned research station. The station's social committee president, Faith Farquhar-Culling, had been planning their Christmas celebrations. "Christmas day we actually have off, so our Christmas [celebrations] will be on the 24th," she told Nine to Noon.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 23.12.2025
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Takahē pair thought to be infertile hatch chick at Zealandia
A pair of takahē birds believed to be infertile have thrilled staff at Zealandia wildlife sanctuary by unexpectedly hatching a chick. Bendigo, a male takahē, and Waitaa a female, came to Zealandia two years ago as a non-breeding pair. Staff thought Bendigo had fertility issues, as he was not productive with two previous partners, so they let them live their lives, not expecting any chicks.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 22.12.2025
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People who pushed the limits in 2025
We love a good adventure yarn at RNZ and in 2025 we met travellers, climbers explorers, skippers and speed merchants. 'How about going for a drive?' turned into an epic global adventure. 'Not only were we starving, but we were freezing'. What does it take to be the best skipper in the world? Waikato man's mission to break Bonneville land speed record.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 22.12.2025
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New way to get nitrates out of wastewater found by Auckland scientists
University of Auckland researchers have discovered different microbes can be used to reduce the carbon footprint of treating wastewater. Associate Professor Wei-Qin Zhuang and his team from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering have been tackling the problem of reducing the carbon footprint of removing nitrates from water.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 22.12.2025
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Inside the 'mind-blowing' world of competitive spreadsheeting
An Excel enthusiast reports on the recent world champs in Las Vegas. For some people, Excel spreadsheets are organisational heaven. For others, they're more like hell. For Giles Male, though, buzzing around a spreadsheet, fixing up rows and columns, is an exciting and "crazy competitive" live esport. "You've got a room full of people cheering, watching others play around with spreadsheets on a screen. It's pretty mind-blowing," he tells RNZ.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 20.12.2025
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Country Life: Farming trees the Tāmata Hauhā way
From growing a few Christmas trees "for fun", to a diverse range of towering exotics and natives - there's a bit of everything at Tāmata Hauhā's demonstration farm outside Palmerston North. "One of the reasons we created this farm is because farmers actually want to come have a look," co-founder and chief executive Blair Jamieson told Country Life.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 21.12.2025
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NZ's first onsite 3D-printed home
Homeowners get a much better deal with a 3D-printed concrete house than a standard weatherboard build, says Auckland master builder Kirill Ilin. Kirill Ilin's construction company Amcrete constructed the concrete walls of their ground-breaking new four-bedroom prototype "layer by layer by layer" right on its Waiuku site.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 20.12.2025
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What's driving New Zealand's gaming development boom
A look now at what's driving the year-on-year successes of Kiwi game developers. This year's annual survey from the New Zealand Game Developers Association put the industry's pre-tax income at $759 million - up 38 percent on the year before. That's creating jobs - the workforce grew by nearly 30 percent to around 1418 jobs this year.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 16.12.2025
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Art of Banksy exhibition sees infamous artist's original works displayed in South Island for first time
The Art of Banksy exhibition has landed in Christchurch after touring around the world, showcasing more than 150 original pieces of the artist's work. It is the first time original Banksy works will be displayed in the South Island, in what organisers promise is the closest people will get to meeting the anonymous artist. The exhibition at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre runs from 17 December to 27 January 2026.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 17.12.2025
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Paws on board: Inside the Pet Bus as it travels the country
Nearly two-thirds of households in New Zealand own a pet, and many more are planning to welcome a furry friend this Christmas. In Auckland, a family-run business is making sure pets get where they're going safely - transporting more than 100 animals at a time on a bus that runs from Auckland to Invercargill. The business is run by Karyn McLauchlan, who said the idea grew out of a bad personal experience.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 16.12.2025
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Our Changing World: Return of The Kākāpō Files
On the small, bush-clad, Whenua Hou / Codfish Island preparations are underway. People and supplies are being dropped in by helicopter. Food hoppers are being filled. Transmitters are being checked. And come nighttime, a booming sound has begun to fill the air. Anticipation is high, and building, for what may turn out to be the biggest kākāpō breeding season ever.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 16.12.2025
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Police officer commended for bravery after rescuing family during Cyclone Gabrielle
A police officer who rescued a mother and two kids stranded on a roof during Cyclone Gabrielle has been commended for bravery. Then, Detective Sergeant Heath Jones went on to cross a barb wire fence submerged in flood water to rescue an elderly couple. He is one of eight people awarded the New Zealand Bravery Medal on Saturday. Jones told RNZ's Saturday Morning programme he was thankful and honoured to be recognised.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 13.12.2025
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Te Papa exhibition takes visitors on a journey into nature
National museum Te Papa will be opening an immersive experience from this weekend featuring digital artworks that will take visitors on a journey into nature. From the roots of an Amazonian tree, to deep inside the body, through to the birth of galaxies, Breathe | Mauri Ora explores the rhythm that cultivates and connects all life - breath. The artworks from London-based collective Marshmallow Laser Feast feature a guided meditation.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 12.12.2025
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NZ agri tech company Halter on a great year
By any measure, the NZ agri tech company Halter has had a stonking year. The company founded by Craig Piggot - who is also the CEO - is now a global leader in its sector. This year alone it's raised $165m with the funding round led by US tech investor BOND, which has backed firms from Spotify to Airbnb.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 15.12.2025
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Kiwi entrepreneur tackling AI robotics programming
A Kiwi entrepreneur is working to tackle a major bottleneck in robotics - testing artificial intelligence in the physical world. Former Tesla engineer and Stanford University graduate Harry Mellsop has built a software programme called Antioch that lets companies building robots test them in real world scenarios. Barring a few multinational companies like Meta and Tesla that have their own technology to run simulations - most manufacturers.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 09.12.2025
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100 years of the Auckland Tramping Club
It has been 100 years since the Auckland Tramping Club was founded - possibly the only club ever formed in the crater of a volcano. Auckland Tramping Club has a new book out celebrating its centenary. It's packed with tales from the huts, trails and picnic spots discovered by the club since 1925. Dennis Brown and Ian Roberts discuss 100 years with Boots and Pack - Tales, trips and happenings of the Auckland Tramping Club 1925-2025.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 09.12.2025
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Critically endangered wētā thriving as breeding programme numbers surge
A captive-breeding programme that helped bring the critically endangered Mahoenui giant wētā back from the brink is expecting a bumper breeding season this summer - in more ways than one. Not only is the purpose-built lab at the Ōtorohanga Kiwi House expecting to hatch more wētā than ever before, but they are likely to be bigger than ever. Matthew Ronaldson is busying himself in the reserve's Mahoenui giant wētā maternity centre.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 08.12.2025
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'Anytime he had a word that he didn't know, we would write a song. And it worked'
Award-winning Kiwi musicians and parents Steph Brown and Fen Ikner use death metal, reggae and Latin grooves to help kids learn how to spell tricky words. When musician Steph Brown’s son Freddie was having a battle learning how to spell a tricky word, she invoked the shouty power of the Ramones to help. “I was like, oh, I'll just write you a song to remember it. And he really liked the Ramones at the time, so I wrote him this chorus.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 07.12.2025
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Take a walk through Auckland's Franklin Road Christmas light show
For more than 30 years, residents on Auckland's Franklin Road have decked out their properties with Christmas decorations for the rest of the city to enjoy. Despite prevalent rumours and conspiracy theories that the popular street-wide display is "funded by the electricity companies" or "organised by the council", Roscoe Thorby - the man who started it all - says no household is forced to participate and it's a "gift for the people from Franklin Rd.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 04.12.2025
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'Majestic' Mt Taranaki picture wins International Photograph of the Year Award
The Austrian winner, who began taking photography seriously three years ago, says he doesn't usually take part in competitions but felt 'The Land Before Time' was worth submitting. A striking image of New Zealand's Mt Taranaki taken by an Austrian photographer has won an international award. Chosen from 3600 global entries by a panel of five judges, Lukas Trixl’s snapshot took first place at the 12th International Landscape Photograph of the Year.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 03.12.2025
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The most popular books at the library this year
So many books have hit the shelves this year, but what caught readers' and listeners' attention in New Zealand? Kiwi readers often turned to stories of wartime resilience, high-stakes thrillers and immersive fantasy, based on this year’s borrowing figures from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch libraries. In Auckland, the extraordinary life story of WWII spy Pippa Latour, The Last Secret Agent, was the most borrowed.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 03.12.2025
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Kiwi Kate Hawley crowned inaugural Costume Designer of the Year
The British Fashion Council has named a New Zealander Kiwi Kate Hawley as its inaugural Costume Designer of the Year. The Fashion Awards will take place in the United Kingdom on 1 December, where Hawley has flown from Wellington to attend. Hawley has been recognised for her work as a costume designer for the Netflix film Frankenstein, which was released last month.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 30.11.2025
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Young New Zealanders sail to Antarctica in the wake of great polar explorers
Eight young New Zealanders will soon travel in the wake of great polar explorers, sailing from Argentina to Antarctica across the notorious Drake Passage on the historic tall ship Bark EUROPA. The group of 18 to 30 year olds will set sail in January for a month-long voyage alongside record-breaking sailor Lisa Blair, as part of the Antarctic Heritage Trust's inspiring explorers expedition.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 29.11.2025
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Humpback whale puts on 'amazing, awesome, unforgettable' display at Bream Bay
Friends fishing in Northland's Bream Bay were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle, when a huge humpback whale leapt from the sea just 50 metres from their boat. Michele Adams, her husband and another couple were returning from a morning's fishing trip at the Hen and Chicken Islands last Sunday, when they saw the water churning. They pulled in their lines and were motoring closer to investigate, when the whale burst from the sea.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 28.11.2025
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100 critically endangered Mahoenui giant wētā released into Taranaki's Rotokare Sanctuary
About 100 critically endangered Mahoenui giant wētā have been released into the Rotokare Sanctuary in Taranaki this week as part of efforts to preserve the taonga species. Despite being one of the world's largest insects - females weigh in at about 25 grams and are about the size of a mouse - the "gentle giants" are vulnerable to mammalian predators.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 29.11.2025
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Hunger and hallucinations: Adventure racers primed for Godzone event in Marlborough
Adventure races don't get much tougher than the Godzone event which starts on Thursday in Marlborough. Thirty-two teams of four are taking part, with the aim to cover 615 kilometres of often rugged terrain as quickly as possible on foot, mountain bike and even raft. They can only use maps and compasses to navigate, and have to finish within eight days.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 27.11.2025
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Fish thought to be lost from Auckland wetland found after decade of searching
A native freshwater fish thought to be lost from an Auckland's wetland has resurfaced after more than a decade of searching. Populations of the endangered Waikaka, or black mudfish, have been relocated in a small corner of Helensville in the last couple of months.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 27.11.2025
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How filmmakers made 'sleeper comedy hit' in 10 days for $10k
The restrictions of making a feature film in 10 days for just $10,000 was ironically creatively freeing, say two Kiwi filmmakers. Notes From a Fish, described as a “sleeper comedy hit”, is about an aspiring novelist on the verge of a publishing breakthrough who relies on a creative muse in the shape of a tropical fish called Kirby.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 25.11.2025
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Underwater cameraman Andrew Penniket on a lifetime below the surface
From dancing with sea snails and being defecated on by a sperm whale, life as an underwater cameraman has led Andrew Pennaket to meet some weird, wonderful and pretty scary creatures. After earning biology and marine biology degrees at Otago University Andrew fell into a role filming for the old TVNZ Natural History studio in Dunedin. He soon fell in love with the work and it was to be his calling, filming for BBC and Discovery Channel.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 25.11.2025
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Kiwi paralympic swimmer Joshua Willmer gunning for gold and world records
One of New Zealand's young paralympic stars, Joshua Willmer, has set his sights on swimming past what some may think is possible. At just 20-years-old, Willmer is preparing to defend his gold at next year's Commonwealth Games, compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics and eventually break the 100m breaststroke world record, all while finding enough time to fish.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 25.11.2025
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'It's another limit to push' - Motueka teens prepare for non-stop endurance event
The world's largest expedition race is returning to the South Island after a two-year hiatus, and some of the youngest competitors are a group of past and present students from Motueka High School. Godzone Chapter 12 will see teams of four hike, bike and paddle through remote parts of Marlborough for up to nine days, covering up to 700 kilometres, in a test of navigation and survival.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 24.11.2025
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Hawaiian waka makes historic return to NZ
A Hawaiian waka will be on display for people to see at Mangonui's main wharf in Northland on Sunday. Hikianalia is accompanying waka Hōkūleʻa to take part in celebrations to mark 40 years since Hōkūleʻa visited. It sparked the revival of building ocean-going waka and traditional navigation, led by the late Sir Hek Busby. Hikianalia will be on display between 10 and 2pm, and will then head to a dry dock in Auckland for maintenance.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 23.11.2025
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Why does New Zealand keep disappearing from world maps?
Has anyone ever asked you whether New Zealand is part of Australia — or where exactly it sits on the world map? From the famous Universal Studios globe in Florida to a 2019 IKEA wall map, New Zealand has been cropping up as a glaring omission. But why does it keep happening, and what does it reveal about the way we read maps?
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 23.11.2025
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Opera superstar Joyce DiDonato says music has the power to heal
One of the biggest names in opera US mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato lands in New Zealand for two concerts and two of her world famous master classes. American opera singer Joyce DiDonato grew up in a house full of music, she says. “There was a lot of noise. There was a lot of music.” She told RNZ’s Concert of her childhood home in Kansas.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 23.11.2025
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Te Matatini champion Kereama Wright on power of kapa haka
Kereama Wright (Te Arawa), senior member of haka rōpū Ngāti Whakaue and Te Matatini 2025 champion, says kapa haka is a form of rongoā - healing body, mind and spirit - and one of the strongest expressions of Māori culture. "It's a vehicle for us to tell stories - stories of triumph, stories of oppression, stories about the birth of our children - but it's a vehicle to continue our history, our stories and our legacy, and pass it on to our future gen.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 22.11.2025
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Country Life: Breeding the kiwifruit of the future
Thousands and thousands of kiwifruit pass between the gloved fingers of research technologist Megan Wood, and she reaches for them just as a consumer might. "Essentially, I just feel them, and I think I would eat that one. We've been doing it for years, so my best guess is usually pretty good." She's a dab hand at analysing the fruit inside and out, working in the sensory lab at the Kiwifruit Breeding Centre (KBC) in Te Puke.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 22.11.2025
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20 years of Fat Freddy's Drop celebrated in new Wellington exhibition
In 2005, the now-iconic New Zealand band released their first studio album, Based On A True Story. The tale behind it is now being told in a new museum show. In 2005, Wellington Museum senior curator Ian Wards bought the Fat Freddy's Drop album 'Based On A True Story' on CD. Now, two decades later, he's put together an exhibition based around the band's foundations, and the making and production of the album.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 21.11.2025
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