Kevin Burns, Professor of Biological Sciences at Victoria University of Wellington. If you walk through a forest and don’t look up, you’re missing a whole ‘hidden’ world of plant life. Kevin will take you on a journey through this hidden world and illustrate the ingenuous ways that plants have evolved to make a living in the treetops. Their stories challenge [...]

Julia Kasper - Te Papa Entomologist. The 109 year moths project describes both the transcription of George Hudson's diaries on insects, but also, the follow up using "citizen scientists" (the public) to see what moths are still around. Julia is the Insect Curator at Te Papa specialised on flies. Before, she has worked in the biosecurity area for the Ministry [...]

Brendon Dunphy - Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences at Auckland University. (Te Apārangi Sponsored Speaker) As the seabird capital of the world, New Zealand is a fantastic place to explore the physiology of our enigmatic seabird taxa and utilise them as ocean indicators. Unfortunately, our seabirds are also among the most threatened groups in the world, thus effective conservation of [...]

Barry Dent - Puangiangi Island. Barry Dent is a conservationist working on the restoration of Puangiangi, a little-known island in the Cook Strait Ecological District. He will talk about the plants, birds, lizards and invertebrates that are and should be making up this ecosystem. He will also discuss the fascinating human history of the place.   Our Lecture takes place [...]

Kath Dickinson - Professor of Botany at Otago University. (Te Apārangi Sponsored Speaker) Kath has broad knowledge of plants, vertebrates and invertebrates, how they interact with one another, and their associated habitats, and the interactions of humans with nature. She has a particular interest in mountain environments, but is fascinated by other systems too. Kath will speak about people’s perceptions [...]