What happens when you put science, community, and real-world challenges under the lens? You get science that talks back.
Under the Lens explores the stories behind the research shaping Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific. We look at the places we live in, the people connected to them, and the knowledge that helps ecosystems stay healthy and resilient.
Co-hosted by Professor Amanda Black, Professor Peter Dearden and Dr Nick Waipara, each episode blends lived experience with research to spark clarity, curiosity, and sometimes the tough questions we need to ask. From soil microbes to forest futures, we explore how science and people work together to protect the places and communities we care about.
Created by Bioprotection Aotearoa, a national Centre of Research Excellence, the series offers clear, grounded conversations that connect research to everyday life. We welcome diverse perspectives, speak in plain language, and shine a light on the practical insights and decisions that shape environmental futures.
Subscribe and join us as we put today’s pressing issues under the lens.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
No one has said we don't need biosecurity. There are ways to do this. There are people with knowledge, there are communities who care, and there are ways to secure and protect the unique landscapes of Aotearoa.
Season two is done. No guests today, just Amanda, Peter, and Nick around the table reflecting on a season of biosecurity conversations.
Is the biosecurity system fit for purpose? What works and what does not? And what did this season reveal that they did not expect? One question kept surfacing, was the system designed to protect our unique environment, or was it built for something else entirely?
And they want to hear from you. What should season three look like?
Follow us:
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@bioprotectionaotearoa)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bioprotection_nz/)
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/bioprotectionaotearoa/)
Chapters:
00:00 Optimism and Next Steps
00:56 Final Episode Setup
02:23 Reimagining Without Limits
03:17 Start From Scratch
09:17 Define the Real Aim
14:09 Inclusive Leadership and Feedback
19:58 Acceptance and Risk Trade offs
22:27 Who Pays for Biosecurity
27:43 Tourism and Conservation Value
29:42 Guest Takeaways Tease
30:27 Iwi Pride In Work
31:39 Stop Exploiting Volunteers
33:40 Data Is About People
38:49 Break Data Gatekeeping
41:36 Ask Better Questions
44:47 Publics Not Public
48:48 From Reaction To Strategy
51:23 Reasons For Optimism
55:42 Wrap Up And Next Series
58:08 Southland Shoutouts
59:34 Subscribe And Goodbye
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
1 Sept 2026
Reimagining Biosecurity: No one protects what they don't know
Tame Malcolm (Te Arawa: Ngāti Tarāwhai, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Ngararanui, Ngāti Whakaue) has spent his career getting people excited about the bush, the birds, and the ecosystems that make Aotearoa unique. Because as he puts it, no one protects what they don't know. In this episode the General Manager of Te Arawa Lakes Trust explores what biosecurity could look like if we wiped the slate clean and started from something uniquely ours, grounded in Aotearoa's own identity, culture, and knowledge.
From defining what a pest actually is, to the tension around 1080, to what whakapapa has to do with how we understand ecosystems, this is one of those conversations that reframes some of our assumptions about pest management.
Follow us:
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@bioprotectionaotearoa)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bioprotection_nz/)
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/bioprotectionaotearoa/)
Chapters
00:00 Reimagining Biosecurity
00:51 Meet The Guest
02:11 Start From Scratch
04:58 People And Place Connection
06:43 Growing Up In The Bush
09:20 What Makes A Pest
11:50 Wasps And Values Debate
14:44 1080 And Social Licence
17:49 Mobilising Communities
19:35 Jobs For Nature Lessons
25:08 Funding Cliffs And Capacity
28:09 Māori Biosecurity Network
32:38 Mātauranga Meets Science
33:58 Knowledge And Context
34:19 Indigenous Knowledge Backlash
36:11 Beyond Western Science
37:24 Whakapapa Explained Simply
39:00 Relational Ecology Shift
41:45 Whakapapa In Pest Control
43:35 Policy Barriers And Permits
45:14 Social Media To Action
50:08 Biosecurity Wins And Gaps
51:25 Funding Threats And Priorities
54:12 PhD Writing Survival Tips
58:44 Wrapping Up And Thanks
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
18 Aug 2026
Reimagining Biosecurity: What biological data could do for our biosecurity system
Biology has changed. The amount of biological data we can now collect has exploded, from automated sensors at our borders to genomic data tracking where pests come from. But are we maximising the opportunities to gather insight that this data could offer?
In this episode computational biologist Dr Murray Cox joins Amanda and Peter to explore what biological data could do for our biosecurity system. His answer might surprise you. It is not about more sophisticated technology. It is about fixing the structure underneath all of it.
If you could reimagine the biosecurity system in Aotearoa, what would that look like? Murray has a view. And it is simpler than you might think.
Follow us:
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@bioprotectionaotearoa)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bioprotection_nz/)
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/bioprotectionaotearoa/)
Chapters:
00:00 Rethinking Biosecurity Structure
00:51 Podcast Intro and Guest
02:08 Data Transforming Biosecurity
02:45 Where Bio Data Comes From
03:40 What Counts as Data
05:48 Linking Messy Datasets
08:06 Ownership Privacy and Access
10:07 LINZ and Open Data Model
12:55 Why Data Stays Siloed
14:07 Benefits of Integration
16:57 Genomics and Global Sharing
19:27 NZ Examples and Duplication
22:26 Asking Better Questions
25:36 AI as Literature Scout
28:52 Access and Secure AI Systems
29:45 National LLM Reality Check
30:18 AI Hype and Job Fears
30:57 AI for Specific Tasks
33:07 Proactive Biosecurity Future
34:20 Fragmented System Fix
36:48 Data Differences Don’t Matter
38:03 Genetics for Border Breaches
41:00 Windborne Threats and Surveillance
43:03 Cost Benefit and Cheaper Tech
44:14 Commercial Data and Access
46:52 Federated Data Ecosystem
49:50 Structural Reform and Models
51:06 Closing Thanks
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
4 Aug 2026
Reimagining Biosecurity: Who is the system actually for?
Biosecurity is often thought of as systems and agencies. But communities, people, and places are also doing the long term work, often with little resourcing and even less say in how it gets done.
In this episode Dr Sylvia Nissen, political scientist and human geographer at Lincoln University, joins Amanda and Peter to explore what role communities actually play in biosecurity responses, where the system falls short, and what a more community embedded approach might look like.
If we are talking shared responsibility, is there shared resourcing?
Follow us:
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@bioprotectionaotearoa)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bioprotection_nz/)
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/bioprotectionaotearoa/)
00:00 Reimagining Biosecurity
00:51 Podcast Welcome
01:29 Meet Dr Sylvia Nissen
02:35 System Today vs Ideal
04:01 Communities in Response
06:44 Defining Community Publics
08:27 Command and Control Limits
13:07 Resourcing and Burnout
17:21 Biosecurity System Overview
19:12 Trade Driven Origins
26:52 Conservation Gets Sidelined
29:44 Patchwork Policy Problems
30:19 Community Conservation Disconnect
32:02 Funding That Lasts
33:34 Motivation and Authority
35:14 Crisis Response Lessons
38:50 Handover Gaps and Boundaries
41:59 Rebuilding Trust Spaces
45:59 Real Time Information Networks
52:14 Community Embedded Biosecurity
54:47 Reimagining the System
56:05 Closing Thanks and Wrap
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
21 Jul 2026
Reimagining Biosecurity: One ring to rule them all
Season two of Under the Lens is here, and we are starting somewhere unexpected. Fellow co-hosts Amanda and Peter turn the lens on Nick Waipara, drawing on his 25 years in biosecurity to ask what a reimagined system would actually look like.
From the kauri dieback story and the community networks that first raised the alarm, to the gaps in our science system and the feast and famine of community funding, Nick is candid about where the system falls short and hopeful about where it is heading.
If you see something unusual out there in the environment, tell someone. Your observations could make the difference between a successful biosecurity response and an unsuccessful one. iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.nz/) is a great place to start.
Follow us:
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@bioprotectionaotearoa)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bioprotection_nz/)
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/bioprotectionaotearoa/)
Chapters:
00:00 Magic Wand Biosecurity
00:37 Season Two Kickoff
03:09 Sticks Versus Carrots
05:50 Research Ready Response
07:46 Trust Networks First
08:42 Kauri Dieback Alarm
14:19 Embedding Communities
17:52 Nick Origin Story
22:04 Reactive Funding Gaps
27:11 Skills Succession Crisis
30:24 Local Knowledge Wins
33:08 Vanishing Experts
34:41 Science Must Be Public
38:19 Communication Skills Shift
41:37 Building Community Trust
42:26 How Councils Manage Pests
44:51 Research Behind Policy Fights
51:46 Biosecurity Action Plan Future
56:06 International Links Local Weeds
59:27 Final Advice Report Sightings
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
30 Jun 2026
Can we go there? Your feedback, your questions and what’s coming next
Your feedback, your questions and what’s coming next.
Season one sparked more conversation than we expected. In this episode your three co-hosts Amanda, Peter, and Nick work through the feedback, comments, and questions that came in after season one, covering weeds, kauri dieback, and genetic modification. The GM debate generated the most heat, and what came out of it was bigger than the technology itself, a conversation about ownership, oversight, food security, and food sovereignty, brought into sharp focus by COVID and a recent fuel crisis. We also celebrate a remarkable community effort, a 14,000 tree kauri refuge being established at Taieri Beach as a seed bank while science works toward a solution for kauri dieback.
The episode closes with a preview of season two, which turns the lens on the biosecurity system itself.
Follow us:
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@bioprotectionaotearoa)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bioprotection_nz/)
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/bioprotectionaotearoa/)
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome Back
00:26 Season One Feedback
01:32 Weeds Episode Praise
02:19 Hay Fever and Pine Trees
05:26 The GM Debate Reactions
06:51 Can We Go There
08:06 GM Hype vs Reality
09:55 Food, GM and Imports
15:06 Fuel Crisis and Food Security
16:31 A Tool, Not a Category
18:55 Ownership and Sovereignty
20:52 A Food Security Wake Up Call
22:10 GMO Power and Oversight
22:52 Hybrid Seeds Explained
24:04 The Canterbury Seed Economy
25:02 Capitalism and Our Food System
26:16 Beetroot and Identity
28:09 A Kauri Refuge Forest
32:20 Weed Funding and Biocontrol
36:31 Agapanthus and Prevention
37:19 Season Two Tease
39:07 Thanks and Sign Off
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
5 Dec 2025
Under the Lens: Weeds Hidden in Plain Sight
Weeds are everywhere in Aotearoa New Zealand. They creep along roadsides, smother forest edges, clog waterways and hydrodams, and quietly take over harbour hillsides. Most of us just see green.
In this conversation, Professor Margaret Stanley, recently recognised as Science Communicator of the Year, helps us see what is really going on in that green backdrop. She explains what makes a plant a weed, why only a small fraction of introduced species become invasive, and how new weeds continue to “jump the fence” from gardens, forestry, horticulture and houseplants.
We look at problem species like banana passionfruit, ragwort, agapanthus, climbing asparagus, aquatic weeds and more. Margaret talks through the tools we currently have, from herbicides and hand-pulling to biocontrol agents like beetles and rust fungi, and why each tool has limits.
The episode also explores how climate change will shift weed ranges, why aquatic weeds are so hard to manage, and how nursery choices, urban planting and cultural values shape the plants around us. Above all, it highlights the role of communities in early detection and prevention through tools like iNaturalist, local council programmes and on-the-ground volunteer mahi.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
4 Dec 2025
Under the Lens: The Great Genetic Modification Debate in Aotearoa New Zealand
Genetic modification has shaped public debate in Aotearoa New Zealand for more than 25 years, influencing how we think about risk, responsibility and the future of our environment. This episode unpacks what genes and DNA actually are, how gene editing and genetic modification work, and why these tools have become so central to conversations about pests, diseases and climate change.
Our hosts revisit the early 2000s Royal Commission on Genetic Modification, the surge of public concern that followed, and how the science has advanced in the decades since. They explore the differences between gene editing, transgenesis and synthetic biology, the benefits and limitations of each, and the global momentum that is pushing these technologies forward. The kōrero also explains how forensics, medicine, agriculture and pest control already rely on genetic tools, often in ways most people never see.
We also look at the ethical, cultural and regulatory questions that guide how Aotearoa New Zealand uses these technologies, including who takes the risk, who benefits and how Māori and communities are involved in decision making. The episode highlights both the promise of genetic tools and the responsibilities that come with them as the country enters a pivotal moment in shaping its future with the Gene Technology Bill.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
2 Dec 2025
Under the Lens: Kauri Dieback, Where Biodiversity Intersects with Biosecurity
Kauri dieback, caused by the pathogen Phytophthora agathidicida, has reshaped how Aotearoa New Zealand understands risk, responsibility, and care for the natural world. This episode unpacks the biology of the pathogen, the cultural significance of kauri, and the long journey from confusion to coordinated response.
Our hosts revisit the early days when dead and dying kauri began raising alarms, the rapid surge in concern from communities, and the urgent scramble to understand a pathogen unlike anything researchers had dealt with before. They explore how soil, water, animals, and people move the disease, why early management had to adapt quickly, and how molecular tools reshaped what we know about this organism.
We also look at the important contributions of iwi, community groups, scientists, landowners, and volunteers who stepped into leadership roles during a time of uncertainty. The episode highlights both the complexity of the challenge and the resilience of those determined to keep kauri standing.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
26 Nov 2025
Under the Lens: Three Bios, One Outbreak: Lessons from PSA
The PSA outbreak changed the trajectory of Aotearoa New Zealand’s kiwifruit industry and revealed just how tightly our “three bios” are linked. In this episode, we revisit one of the country’s most significant biological events to unpack how biosecurity, biodiversity, and bioprotection collide in real time.
Using PSA as our lens, we trace the story from the first signs of incursion through to industry-wide impact, rapid scientific response, community collaboration, and the innovations that helped growers rebuild. Along the way, the team also touches on recent hornet scares and what they reveal about how quickly biological threats can escalate.
This episode shows that the three bios are not policy terms, but interconnected systems that shape the health of our landscapes, the resilience of our industries, and the futures of the communities that depend on them.
Revisiting PSA is not just looking back at a crisis. It is understanding a blueprint for how Aotearoa New Zealand can learn, adapt, and strengthen resilience as new threats emerge.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
21 Nov 2025
Under the Lens: The Intricacies of Bioprotection in Aotearoa New Zealand
In our very first episode of 'Under the Lens', co-hosts Professor Amanda Black, Professor Peter Dearden and Dr Nick Waipara discuss the complexities of bioprotection in Aotearoa New Zealand. They delve into the necessity of managing all ecosystems in Aotearoa New Zealand, the challenges of returning to a 'natural state', and the interconnectedness of bioprotection with agriculture, conservation, and community health.
The conversation highlights the goal of bioprotection to develop sustainable tools and practices that balance productivity with environmental conservation.
The discussion also touches on the importance of community involvement and the long and often challenging journey of scientific research, emphasising the need for innovation and collaboration to address environmental issues effectively.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Host of Under the Lens?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
