95bFM: The Green Desk: Recent Episodes
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Over the weekend, the United Nations High Seas treaty — also called the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, received its 60th and final required ratification to allow it to take effect, from January 2026.
The treaty introduces historically significant measures for the protection of the ocean and marine biodiversity, especially in parts of the ocean that do not fall under the jurisdiction of a single nation.
After decades of negotiation, sixty countries have now ratified the agreement, with a further 145 countries, including New Zealand, being signatories.
Some of the key aspects of the agreement will be the establishment of Marine Protected Areas, the introduction of legal obligations for countries to maintain high environmental standards around ocean activities, and the advancement of critical climate goals including the ban of bottom trawling and deep sea mining.
Tuesday Wire Host Sara spoke with Victoria University law professor Joanna Mossop more about the significance of this treaty, and how effective its legal obligations on an international stage will be — starting with her research interest in international marine law
This week on Green Desk, Wire Host Sara takes a deep-dive into the environmental issues surrounding the proliferation of AI technology, particularly in New Zealand.
In the context of Luxon’s recent announcement about a $7.5 billion investment by Amazon Web Services into data centres in New Zealand, alongside the rapid adoption of generative AI in sectors across the country, academics have raised concerns about the environmental impact of the growth of this industry.
Last year, University of Waikato’s Dr Amanda Turnbull co-published an article about how New Zealand is outsourcing the “risks and costs” of AI and data centres, highlighting the water and resource consumption of global reliance on data centres and AI.
Sara spoke with Dr Amanda Turnbull about her concerns relating to AI’s environmental impact and how the New Zealand government should be responding to the ever-expanding industry.
Following the interview with Turnbull, Sara was interested in exploring how businesses are confronting the issue of AI, especially as it becomes more integral to work. Layer3’s Solution Director Daniel Bohan published an article earlier this year scrutinising the confusing data surrounding the water footprint of AI. Sara spoke with Bohan more about how businesses and consumers should engage with AI and better understand the environmental impacts.
She start by asking about how he engaged with AI in his mahi
The Tawaki Project based at the University of Otago and driven by the mahi of international researchers, has taken a deep-dive into the population genetics of three Aotearoa crested penguin species – tawaki/Fiordland penguins, erect-crested penguins, and Eastern rockhopper penguins.
Findings reveal how genetic health and marine habitat changes have impacted these species.
For this week’s Green Desk, Host Sara spoke with co-leader of the project, Dr Thomas Mattern about what the study learned about these penguin populations, starting with a general overview of the research
A secret memo by the Ministry for the Environment intended for the central government reveals advice that New Zealand’s failures on climate action may negatively impact our diplomatic relations.
The warning stated that, as New Zealand delays decisions and action on our commitments under the Paris Agreement, we may risk undermining our key alliances with countries like Australia, Canada, the UK and countries in Europe.
More importantly, University of Auckland Associate Professor Maria Armoudian, director of Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society, says that our climate failings are reflective of a global “tragedy of the commons”, which will have urgent negative impacts for our Pacific neighbours.
For this week’s Green Desk, Sara spoke with Armoudian about this Ministry for Environment warning and how New Zealand should be seeking to improve its climate policies.
She started by asking what her expectations and hopes are about the government’s response to this memo
Have you ever thought about what happens to all the food, which, while perfectly edible, simply doesn’t make it to the table? This week, the Green Desk delves into the growing issues of food waste, food insecurity and social isolation, and discusses how they can all be remedied by making better use of the perfectly good food that would otherwise end up in the bin.
Everybody Eats is an organisation founded in 2017 which rescues surplus food items from charities and businesses and converts them into restaurant style food. They have a pay-what-you-can mode, with the aim of making this food accessible to all.
Ahead of Earth Day 2025, Green Desk Producer Liam spoke to Amanda Butland, the Systems and Support Manager at Everybody Eats, about the current food waste crisis and what we could all learn from the Everybody Eats ethos.
Thanks to EcoFest!
Donna Kerridge (Ngāti Tahinga, Ngāti Mahuta) is a Kaumatua with more than twenty years of experience sharing matauranga and wisdom on rongoā Māori.
She holds a strong belief in the importance of building connections and learning from our environment as essential to maintaining and restoring our own health.
As part of EcoFest 2025, Donna will be facilitating an introductory workshop to Māori medicine, inviting participants to explore health through an Indigenous lens and learn more about the relationship between our taiao and the whenua.
Green Desk Producer Sara spoke with Donna this week to talk more about the workshop, and how rongoā Māori can benefit health outcomes in Aotearoa. Here is that interview.
Thanks EcoFest!
BirdCare Aotearoa is a wild, native bird hospital that works to rehabilitate sick and injured birds back into the wild.
For their upcoming event: ‘Bird Heros,’ a part of EcoFest 2025 on the 6th of April, the workshop will look at the best practices on rescuing wild native birds, and will include a tour of their bird hospital, which is not usually open to the public.
For this week's Green Desk, Producer Leilani spoke to the Hospital Manager at BirdCare Aotearoa, Pooja Dorle, about the rehabilitation processes of birds within their hospital ahead of their next workshop.
Fellow Green Desk Producer Liam, and News and Editorial Director Joel, went to the previous workshop over the weekend, and spoke to the Chair of the organisation, Kevin Furgeson, and volunteer Marina, and had a tour of their facilities. Thanks EcoFest!
BirdCare Aotearoa also has a fundraiser running to shed light on seabirds affected by street lights and brightly lit buildings across the city, affecting their migration patterns and causing birds, such as the protected Petrels, Shearwaters, and Prions, to fall and injure themselves. To support their clinical rehabilitation practices, you can support their campaign on givealittle.
Ever wondered what it would be like to bike in an Art Gallery? Well now you can, for the city is your gallery. In collaboration with EcoFest 2025 and various New Zealand artists, Bike Hubs have set up a Street Art Bike Challenge. Now, anyone can ride around the city, discover amazing works of art and win great prizes.
This week, Green Desk Producer Liam speaks to Brent Bielby, manager of EcoMatters’ Bike Hubs, a community project aimed at encouraging more people to take up cycling. He explains the goal behind the challenge, as well as how cycling can contribute to a healthy lifestyle and provide a source of freedom and fun.
You can take part in this challenge yourself. All you need to do is take out your bike, pedal over to the artworks, and upload a photo of you and your bike. The challenge will run until the 22nd of April, and you can find a map of all the locations and trails on the EcoMatters website.
Ellen, who operates under the pseudonym ‘Chronically Ellen’, is a digital creator, photographer and visual storyteller who utilises her skills to uplift sustainable brands through her own online business.
As part of EcoFest 2025, she is facilitating two workshops centred around developing skills around sustainable practices and building connections with others. The first involves upcycling old magazines, ‘waste’ and second hand materials to create artworks, and the second is a beginner-friendly gardening workshop which teaches participants how to grow food in containers.
Drawing on her experiences as a disabled wāhine and eco-friendly creative, Ellen speaks with Producer Sara about the importance of environmentalism and community, her workshops at EcoFest and how listeners can take small steps to make a big difference in the face of the climate crisis. Thanks EcoFest!
You’ve heard of houses made of straw, sticks, and bricks, but what about earth, chalk, and lime? The piggies have announced – rammed-earth houses are in!
To kick off Green Desk for 2025, Producer Leilani speaks to Paul Geraets, New Zealand’s most prolific rammed earth designer and builder, about the benefits and history of these sustainable houses.
You can catch Geraets' upcoming event, 'Hands on With Rammed Earth Building' as a part of EcoFest 2025; a month-long celebration of our unique environment and sustainable living across Tāmaki Makaurau from the 22nd of March to the 22nd of April. Thanks EcoFest!
Welcome to The Green Desk, the podcast that explores innovative approaches to tackle the pressing issue of climate change. In today's episode, we explore a new technique that offers a fresh perspective on combating the climate crisis. Professor Racheal James, an expert in Geochemistry from the University of Southampton in England talks about enhanced rock weathering as a form of carbon capture.
This week on The Green Desk reporter Jack Marshall speaks with researcher Ella McCallum about her research into the toutouwai, the north island robbin.
This week on The Green Desk we speak look at Rua Bioscience, an East Coast company led by CEO Paul Naske, as they embark on a mission to supply Germany with medical cannabis. When more rules are coming in to potentially phase out some pine trees on the East Coast, could a different kind of "tree" hold the answer to sustainable employment? Listen in with Paul Naske, and gain insights into their mission and genetic-centric approach.
On the Green Desk, Jack Marshall speaks to Remy Lesseur from AgResearch about VR technology that could help farmers determine where and what trees they should plant.
On the Green Desk Jack Marshall speaks to Amanda Thomas, lecturer in environmental studies at the University of Wellington about stopping oil and gas exploration in Aotearoa.
A world-first holistic framework for assessing the mental and psychological wellbeing of wild animals has been developed by Dr Andrea Harvey, a veterinarian and animal welfare scientist from the University of Technology Sydney. The Green Desk's Jack Marshall spoke with Dr Harvey about how this study could potentially revolutionise conservation efforts.
Researchers investigating data from commercial fishing vessels have found that bottom trawling activity increases sharply near newly established marine protected areas. The Green Desk's Jack Marshall spoke with Tai Lohrer about his research into the protected areas to find out why.
On the Green Desk for this week, Jack Marshall speaks to the Department of Conservation's Chief Science Advisor Mike Bunce about the role that new and developing technologies have in solving Aotearoa’s biodiversity threats.
On the Green Desk, Jack Marshall speaks to Sarah Bealing, a Restore Passenger Rail supporter from Wellington, about why causing traffic chaos and delays in the Wellington CBD is good for their cause.
Ninety percent of New Zealand’s original wetlands have been destroyed by agricultural and urban development and are still disappearing. This week on the Green Desk Jack Marshall spoke with Julie Deslippe, Senior Lecturer in Plant Ecology at Victoria University, looking at the positive effects of restoration in the lower north island.
Sometimes you can't see the forest from the trees but spare a thought for the wilderness beneath the waves. Kelp forests are found in shallow ocean waters off a third of the world's coastlines, and, according to new research are worth hundreds of billions of dollars to society.
Marine ecologist Dr Aaron Eger led the study and is also the founder and director of the Kelp Forest Alliance – a research-driven not-for-profit dedicated to accelerating the protection and restoration of kelp forests worldwide. Today he's on The Green Desk to discuss his work putting a dollar value to the kelp forests below the sea level.
Most people know the kākāpō as the endangered bird stuck on a few islands. The flightless bird was brought to the brink of extinction with only some 50 birds left at one point – But once upon a time, kākāpō covered Aotearoa from the north down to the south. What did they eat? How did they live without the rimu? This week, The Green Desk spoke to Dr Alex Boast from Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research who has been looking into the bird's pre-colonial droppings to answer these questions.
We know plenty about the harmful impact of stoats on NZ's native wildlife, but what about their smaller weasel cousins? This week on The Green Desk we spoke with Department of Conservation Ranger Jamie McAulay about the new research the little killers.
Professor Xiaoqi Feng from The University of New South Wales has been looking into over 90 studies into nature prescriptions and wants to see them brought to Australia and New Zealand. They’re already in use in Canada, the US and the Uk and thinks is about time we join in. The evidence indicates contact with prescribed nature is associated with good social, mental, and physical health.
Any listeners interested in participating in Feng's current studies for select Australian cities can click here and sign up and sign up. Researchers interested in connecting with Feng can click here.
This week on The Green Desk, reporter Jack Marshall speaks with PhD student and researcher Sophia Volzke about her latest paper looking into the lives of southern elephant seals and the problems of polyamory.
Today on Green Desk, Joel Armstrong spoke to Professor Craig Stevens from NIWA and the University of Auckland about the state of Aotearoa's marine environment.
Today on The Green Desk, Joel Armstrong speaks to University of Canterbury Master of Urban Resilience and Renewal student Emily Ward about barriers preventing people from cycling, walking, or taking public transport like the bus or the train.
Today, Stella hosts The Green Desk, as Frances is away. She speaks to one of the authors of a global study about the role that termites may play in climate change. Cate Macinnis-Ng is an associate professor in the school of biological sciences at the university of auckland, and has a particular research interest in plant responses to climatic conditions and the impacts of climate change on biodiversity more broadly.
This week on The Green Desk, Frances speaks to CEO Heather Saunderson from Keep New Zealand Beautiful about Clean Up Week!
This week on The Green Desk, Frances catches up with Jess from Reparation Studio to talk about her mahi and vision for the future of fashion in Aotearoa.
Frances brings us The Green Desk, today speaking to PhD candidate from the University of Otago Nick Foster, about his research on pest eradication.
Frances speaks with Shane Cunis from Watercare about their Central Interceptor project- which just might be the biggest wastewater infrastructure project in Aotearoa.
This week on The Green Desk, Frances talks to Ellie Hooper about Greenpeace's call to back the strongest possible Global Ocean Treaty.
This week Frances talks to Predator Free Rakiura's Project Director, Campbell Leckie about the project's recent funding and the predator eradication plan down there.
This week Frances covers the changing climate and mental health, speaking with Gabrielle Feather, a climate anxiety PhD student at the University of Tasmania.
This week Frances speaks to Jamie Hoare of Nocar Cargo in Wellington about their cargo delivery service on bikes.
The Green Desk is back! This week Frances spoke with Megan Williams, a sustainability advocate from the TIA, about the Sustainability Tourism Commitment.
Winter is upon us, which means that tree planting season is too. Apart from being quite huggable, trees are one of our best bets at mitigating climate change and our native wildlife depends on them for shelter and food. This week on the Green Desk Frances Wright caught up with Robyn Haugh, the CEO of Trees That Count, a native tree planting initiative that works through a gifting and planting system. They spoke about how Trees That Count came to be, and what it’s doing for our planet and Aotearoa's biodiversity. Whakarongo mai!
This week on Green Desk, Bronwyn talked about climate anxiety with Michael Apathy, a psychotherapist, ecotherapist and activist from Lucid Psychotherapy in Christchurch. The American Psychological Association defines climate anxiety as "a chronic fear of environmental doom". As predictions for the future of our planet grow increasingly dire, this fear manifests itself for many in a range of emotions from grief to anger. Michael talks about how he encourages his clients to deal with these emotions in a productive way, our collective amnesia when it comes to the climate, and how we cope with multiple, overlapping crises.
He started by explaining ecotherapy which, despite having been around for a number of years in the professions of counselling, psychology and psychotherapy, is still not well defined.
This week on The Green Desk, Bronwyn Wilde spoke to Dr Kēpa Morgan about mauri modelling - a framework for decision-making which measures sustainability trends. Unlike a purely economic view of sustainability, the model recognises four dimensions of wellbeing, environmental, cultural, social and economic. Kēpa first invented the mauri-o-meter in his 2008 thesis about municipal waste water management, but since then it has been applied throughout the country to a number of ecosystems, including the clean-up following the Rena oil spill. Bronwyn and Kēpa spoke about the model, how it compliments and even improves on western science, and why we value certain knowledge over others.
He began by shedding some light on the concept of "mauri".
This week on the Green Desk, Bronwyn spoke to Tessa Clarke, the co-founder of the mobile app, Olio, which helps to mitigate household waste by allowing people to give their excess food and other items to their neighbours.
The app began the United Kingdom, but it has now spread throughout the world, including here in New Zealand where food waste is very much a prevalent social, economic and environmental issue. Every year, kiwis waste almost 160,000 tonnes of food, contributing 325,000 tonnes of Co2 emissions. Meanwhile, around 10% of people in New Zealand are experiencing food insecurity.
Tessa begins by discussing this mulit-pronged effect of food wastage.
This week Bronwyn spoke to Dr Daniel Hikuroa, a senior lecturer at the Te Wānanga o Waipapa, Māori Studies, at the University of Auckland who has just been appointed the UNESCO Commissioner for Culture for Aotearoa, New Zealand. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation was founded in 1946, and New Zealand was the second country to ratify the constitution. It mission is to build peace, eradicate poverty and foster sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, sciences and culture.
Hikuroa will replace the previous comissioner, Arapata Hakiwai, and hold the postition for three years. Bronwyn spoke to him about his expertise that he brings to the table, as well as his aspirations for the role.
Bronwyn speaks to Kevin Moran from Save Our Springs about Te Waikoropupū Springs which are currently the subject of a Water Conservation Order being challenged in the Environment Court.
Located close to Takaka in Golden Bay, these freshwater springs are the largest in New Zealand and contain some of the clearest water found in the world. The iconic blue-tinted waters are recognised as a wāhi tapu by the Māori Heritage Council and are of great cultural and spiritual significance to local iwi Ngāti Tama, Te Ātiawa and Ngāti Rarua.
In 2017, Ngāti Tama and Andrew Yuill applied for a Water Conservation Order, however the special tribunal's recommendatory report was not published until the 17th of March this year. In response, ten parties have lodged further proceedings in the Environment Court, some believing the tribunal's report was too strict and others, not restrictive enough.
Save Our Springs is among those appearing in court later this year, calling for improvements to the draft order.
Today on the Green Desk, Bronnie speaks to Liam Prince, co-founder of Takeaway Throwaways, an organisation seeking to ban single use disposable plastic service ware for food and drink and replace them with reusable alternatives. The closure of cafes during Alert Level 4 meant that more than 20 million takeaway coffee cups that would have otherwise gone to the landfill were avoided. However, with businesses reopening under Alert Levels 3 and 2, many have been hesitant to bring in their reusable cups. Takeaway Throwaways have been vocal in dispelling hygiene myths around BYO reusable containers, and that was the topic of today’s interview.
You can Takeaway Throwaways on Facebook, Instagram, or check out their website - www.takeawaythrowaways.nz - and sign their petition to ban the use of single use plastic serviceware.
Today on the Greendesk Bronnie spoke to representatives from School Strikes for Climate New Zealand about their online strike event this Friday. May 15th will be the fourth time New Zealand youths will strike, inspired by Swedish teengager GretaThunberg’s “Friday’s for Future” movement. Coco Lovatt from Avondale College and Oli Morphew from Wellington Girls’ College were both involved with the historical strikes last September which saw 170,000 people take to the streets nationwide.
You can join the online strike this Friday May 15th by going along to their Facebook event. They are also encouraging people to sign their open letter to the government to adopt a Green Covid Response, and also the Greenpeace petition to the same effect.
Today on the Green Desk Bronnie spoke to Philip Solaris, the CEO of Xcraft, a company who develop UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) for environmental and humanitarian use in New Zealand and the Pacific. As well as drones, they have more recently begun work on unmanned seacraft, one of which, named Proteus, was the topic of the interview. Along with its many functions for emergency rescue and scientific data collection, it also has the ability to identify and report illegal fishing vessels. Solaris begins by talking about the difficulties posed by fisheries regulation.
Last week the Ministry for the Environment released “Our Freshwater 2020” a report highlighting the declining state of our rivers, lakes, streams and catchments. An update on the 2017 report, this release emphasizes the significance and urgency of the situation. It identifies four common threats to freshwater: habitat changes, pollution, water use and climate change.
Bronwyn picks out some highlights from the report, as well as reactions from Forest & Bird, Fish & Game, Choose Clean Water, Federated Farmers and Ministers Eugenie Sage, James Shaw and David Parker.
Last week, Oscar Perress was able to talk to Samuel Miller McDonald, a journalist, writer and student currently based in the UK for his studies at Oxford. Though talking for over an hour, their discussion around Covid-19 can be understood as a discussion on a need for systems change.
Miller McDonald’s studies are focussed in Climate and Energy Politics, so a large section of their discussion was around conceptualising a response to the climate crisis from how our world has reacted and responded to Covid-19. Oscar started by asking Miller McDonald for his intial reaction to the global response to Covid-19 and what we need to take from it to start a response to the climate crisis.
They also discussed the effect that national emergencies have on our every day structures and politics’ place in creating our reactions to Covid-19. You can find the rest of this series written by Oscar Perress, online by bCast and on air through out the next 2 weeks. Miller McDonald’s other work is accessible on https://www.samueljmm.com/