Ngā Manu Winter Speaker Series 2025
21 May 2025 - 23 July 2025
Region(s): Wellington
Type(s): presentations
Join Ngā Manu for their annual Winter Speaker Series, where leading voices in conservation, science and storytelling come together to share insights and inspire action. Proudly supported by the Royal Society Te Apārangi, this series is a highlight for nature enthusiasts across Aotearoa.
Arrive at 1pm for complimentary tea and coffee; talks begin at 1:30pm
Entry: By koha
For more information and to book a place, visit: https://ngamanu.org.nz/pages/events/nga-manu-winter-speaker-series-2025.
Upcoming Talks
23 July – Paul Ward and Jeff Hall, Capital Kiwi Project: Bringing Kiwi Home
Community, Conservation, and the Return of Aotearoa’s Icon to Wellington’s Backyard:
Paul Ward is a co-founder of the Capital Kiwi Project and a two-time Wellingtonian of the Year – Environment. Inspired by the return of native wildlife to Wellington, he helped launch a community-led effort to restore kiwi to the region. Jeff Hall joined the project in 2021 after years as a DOC ranger working with species like kākāpō and takahē. He now lives near one of the release sites and is helping bring kiwi back to Wellington’s backyard.
Check out our article: Conserving our native kiwi.
16 July – Giselle Clarkson, Illustrator of NZ Geographic & Critter of the Week: Drawing the Natural World
Giselle Clarkson is an award-winning illustrator, author, comic creator and Arts Foundation Laureate. You can find her work in the NZ School Journal, NZ Geographic magazine, on t-shirts and tea towels for RNZ, arts festival posters and Seaweek resources, to name a few. She has been illustrating picture books since 2018, including The Gobbledegook Book: A Joy Cowley Anthology and Egg & Spoon: An Illustrated Cookbook (both Gecko Press). Her most recent publication is The Observologist: A Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions (Gecko Press, 2023).
Check out our recorded webinar Observology for the classroom where Giselle joined us to introduce the practice of observology.
Anyone can be an observologist
Giselle Clarkson is the author and illustrator of The Observologist: A Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions.
9 July – Dr Heidi Meudt, Te Papa Botanist: Why New Zealand’s Forget-Me-Nots Are So Special
Dr Heidi Meudt is a Botany Curator at Te Papa, specialising in the evolution and classification of native New Zealand plants. Originally from the US, Heidi came to New Zealand in 2004 for postdoctoral research at Massey University, joining Te Papa in 2006. Her research focuses on threatened alpine species like native forget-me-nots.
18 June – Dr Carlos Lehnebach: Botany Curator at Te Papa
Describing New Zealand Orchids and the Research Supporting Their Conservation. Dr Carlos Lehnebach is a Botany Curator at Te Papa and a leading expert on New Zealand’s native orchids. His research focuses on the taxonomy, pollination biology, and conservation of these unique plants. Carlos has described several new orchid species and works to protect their fragile habitats. In his talk, he will explore the diversity of New Zealand orchids and the scientific efforts supporting their conservation.
4 June – Associate Professor Michael Knapp , University of Otago: Conservation Genomics and the Future of Biodiversity
Associate Professor Michael Knapp (University of Otago) is a research leader in the 'Costal People: Southern Skies' Centre of Research Excellence and co-Deputy Director of Genetics Otago. He is a conservation biologist interested in human impact on biodiversity in the past, present and future.
21 May – Dr Danielle Shanahan, CEO of Zealandia: Zealandia: The Sanctuary that Changed a Nation
Currently serving as CEO at Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne and Adjunct Professor at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Dr Shanahan has significantly advanced biodiversity outcomes and quantified the social, physical, and mental wellbeing benefits of nature.
Our article Creating connections with nature features Dr Shanahan.
Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne
Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne in the heart of Wellington City was conceived in 1995 and opened in 2000 after the erection of an 8.6 kilometre long predator proof-fence. The sanctuary has a 500 year plan to restore the reserve to how it would have appeared before humans arrived in New Zealand. It is home to many endangered species of birds, plants and animals such as saddleback, tuatara, giant wētā and little spotted kiwi.
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