Royal Society of New Zealand Canterbury Branch - Kia Pākiki Canterbury podcast programme
Over the past year, the Canterbury branch has been actively developing a podcast programme. This initiative reached a significant milestone in October, when episodes began airing on Plains Media.
Listeners can tune in to new broadcasts the first Monday of each month at 11am on Plains Media on 96.9FM or download at: https://plains.org.nz/programme/kiapakiki
About Kia Pākiki Canterbury
Kia Pākiki Canterbury is a monthly podcast presented by the Canterbury branch of the Royal Society Te Apārangi. The name “Kia Pākiki” translates to “be curious,” reflecting the podcast’s core mission. Each month, the programme delves into research and mahi spanning science, technology, and the humanities, both within Canterbury and beyond.
Focus and themes
Through its episodes, Kia Pākiki Canterbury explores a wide range of topics related to science, society, and the ideas that shape our lives. The podcast aims to foster curiosity and engagement with contemporary issues, offering insights from local and wider perspectives.
Next steps
The next steps involve distributing the episodes across additional platforms, expanding the audience, and pursuing sponsorships and grants to independently fund the programmes. To support these objectives, the Canterbury branch have established a partnership with the University of Canterbury PACE Programme. This provides a student intern for 140 hours, and during the summer semester a marketing student will contribute valuable expertise toward achieving these goals.
Current episodes
To listen to the past three episodes click on the titles below.
Kia Pākiki - E03: Wildlife management
Published: 1 December 2025
Listen to a pair of interviews this month on animal behaviour and management. Professor Elissa Cameron FRSNZ (Ngāi Tahu, Ōtākou) discusses a career that has taken her from Kaimanawa to Kenya, researching behaviour in animals, including giraffes, quokkas, and Tasmanian devils. Then Professor James Ross talks about possums and rats, the mahi of Predator Free 2050, and his numerous projects in the field of pest management.
Kia Pākiki - E02: Medical science
Published: 3 November 2025
University of Canterbury bioengineering PhD candidate Jordan Hill discusses her research into measuring venous blood oxygen. Her poster summarising her findings thus far won the Health Research Society of Canterbury’s 2025 poster expo. Then Professor Richard Beasley FRSNZ, founder and director of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand (MRINZ), conducts a wide-ranging kōrero about his career challenging orthodoxies in medical science and respiratory health.
Kia Pākiki - E01: Jumping spiders and generative AI
Published: 6 October 2025
Kia Pākiki Canterbury is introduced by chats with Royal Society Canterbury Branch President Roger Fagg and show hosts Tom Goulter and Adrian Paterson. Entomologist Cor Vink talks about Ourea, the new genus of jumping spiders discovered in Canterbury, then AI is discussed and its implications for society with Ara computing lecturer Amit Sarkar.