Wild Sounds: Voice of Tangaroa
RNZ
Recent Episodes
Crackle, pop, woof, crunch, click. In the ocean, an undersea orchestra is in full swing. Journalist Kate Evans discovers who's playing in it and why, and what happens when human noise drowns out this symphony in the sea.
Symphony in the sea
Journalist Kate Evans and presenter Claire Concannon discover a world of snapping shrimp, singing whales and barking John Dory.
Researchers Professor Craig Radford and Dr Jenni Stanley are uncovering more about the orchestra harmonising under the waves - who's playing in it, and why they are making these sounds.
Plus, what impact is our human noise - like boats - having on ocean creatures?
Learn more:
- Read the accompanying New Zealand Geographic article by Kate Evans, with photography by Richard Robinson.
- Recently researchers at the University of Auckland discovered that New Zealand rig sharks also make noise.
A collaboration between Our Changing World and New Zealand Geographic, the Voice of Tangaroa series explores the state of our oceans, and the extraordinary variety of life that calls it home.
93% of New Zealand is covered in salt water. 80% of our biodiversity is in our seas. And yet this is the part of our realm we understand the least and treat the worst.
A collaboration between Our Changing World and New Zealand Geographic, the Voice of Tangaroa series explores the state of our oceans, and the extraordinary variety of life that calls it home.
From kina-nomics, to the undersea sound, from growing fish on land, to the debates around our marine reserves - science journalist Kate Evans has been diving into the complexities of how we think about, enjoy, manage and use our oceans, and what this means for the creatures that live in it.
Now, with production help from RNZ's Our Changing World team, and original music composed by Wellington band Grains, you will be able to hear the voices of the characters involved and experience the sounds of our underwater realm.
Voice of Tangaroa is a joint production between RNZ's Our Changing World and New Zealand Geographic.
Reporting for this series is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air. You can learn more and read the articles for free at www.nzgeo.com/seas
Human-induced climate change is impacting Earth’s global systems, including ice melt in Antarctica. What is the world doing to combat it? Signed in 2016, the Paris Agreement is the current global plan to tackle it. Countries pledge different emission reduction targets and then produce their workings and homework about how they are going about it. Where does New Zealand fit in? Are we doing our bit as a nation? And should we be bothering with individual actions or is that simply a bait-and-switch tactic by those who want to delay real change?
Guests:
- Eloise Gibson, RNZ climate correspondent
- Dr Jess Berentson-Saw, Director of Narrative Research and Strategy, The Workshop
Learn more:
- Read Eloise’s recent analysis about New Zealand’s international climate targets, or listen to this episode of The Detail.
- Eloise has also recently fact checked Winston Peters on climate accord, reported on our 2035 Paris Agreement target, and delved into the recent uptake of solar demand in New Zealand.
- The Climate Action Tracker website keeps tabs on the targets and pledges of different countries and monitors whether they are on track to keep the world below 2 °C of warming (compared to pre-industrial temperatures).
- The Workshop have published a cheat sheet on ‘How to talk about climate change’.
This series was made with travel support from the Antarctica New Zealand Community Engagement Programme.
Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.
In February 2025, the world hit a new low for global sea ice extent. Arctic sea ice has been declining for several decades now, but Antarctic sea ice had been holding steady, until recently. With low summer sea ice extents for four years in a row, it appears that Earth’s warming has kicked Antarctic sea ice into a new regime. Claire Concannon speaks to scientists to understand what this means for Antarctica, what this means for us, and how they feel about it.
Guests:
- Dr Natalie Robinson, NIWA
- Dr Jacqui Stuart, Victoria University of Wellington
- Dr Greg Leonard, University of Otago
- Dr Daniel Price, University of Canterbury and Kea Aerospace
- Dr Inga Smith, University of Otago
- Dr Michelle LaRue, University of Canterbury
Learn more:
- Read about the recent State of the Global Climate Report.
- The world’s biggest iceberg recently ran aground, but to get up close and personal, listen to the Voice of the Iceberg miniseries.
- The world is also experiencing ice loss from its glaciers. New Zealand’s glaciers have shrunk by 29% since 2000. Listen to The annual snowline survey to learn how our glaciers are monitored.
This series was made with travel support from the Antarctica New Zealand Community Engagement Programme.
Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.
Penguins that return to the ice in the middle of winter to lay their eggs. Seals that use cracks in the ice to keep their pups safe. And fish that have antifreeze proteins to survive in the icy cold waters... Antarctic life is tough, and full of surprises. Scientists are keen to piece together the Antarctic food web puzzle to better understand the interconnections, and to enable smart conservation decisions.
Guests:
- Arek Aspinwall, University of Canterbury
- Dr Michelle LaRue, University of Canterbury
- Professor Steve Wing, University of Otago
Learn more:
- Meet other seals and penguins with Peregrin Hyde on his journey to South Georgia Island as part of an Inspiring Explorers expedition.
- In ‘Best Journey in the World’ from the Voices from Antarctica series, Alison Ballance travelled to Cape Crozier with a team from NIWA studying the emperor penguins.
This series was made with travel support from the Antarctica New Zealand Community Engagement Programme.
Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.