Looking for your next Attenborough fix but want something local? Check out the babies of Otago Science Communication grads and alumni. With a cheeky behind-the-scenes “brought to you by” to let you in on the highs and lows of bringing science to the people. If Nina’s editorial is a eulogy to the department, consider this its memorial. Sit back, grab some popcorn and curse tertiary cuts.
Rhapsody for a Rock Wren – Short Film
Lauren Schaer’s Rhapsody for a Rock Wren is a love letter to the human-nature connection and Mount Aspiring National Park. Schaer’s narration is like being tucked in by David Attenborough after a good hour of bitching about people from your hometown – therapeutic. It’s a gentle lesson in slowing down, tuning into the tiny (alpine feathered) things, and not letting your only interaction with nature be your flat’s dying houseplants.
Pairs well with: A glass of sav, a bit of Rupi Kaur poetry, and embracing your inner Disney Princess (ie, nature flocks to you).
Brought to you by: Camping alone for 15 days in a remote valley in the mountains
Find it: On YouTube or at www.rhapsodyforarockwren.com
Glimpses of Gold – Podcast
Cecelia Lei, goldminer descendant and certified history detective, takes us back a couple of hundred years to dig up the buried stories of early Chinese settlers in Otago – including her own great-grandad. From forgotten family lore to unmarked graves, you’ll never look at Lawrence the same way again (that bogan-chic town on the way to Queenstown).
Pairs well with: Porridge, soul-searching, and Ancestry.com
Brought to you by: Hours of listening to your own voice during edit (the worst thing ever).
Find it: At accessmedia.nz
Underbirds: The Fight to Save the Southern New Zealand Dotterel – Short Film
Filmmakers Abi Liddell, Brady Clarke, and Isabella Lewis head to wind-swept Rakiura to follow the Southern Dotterel (or pukunui in reo), a bird so endangered it has its own support group (AKA DOC’s recovery team). Meet two of its rangers (probably half Stewart Island’s population) and learn why this little battler has everyone stressing. Both heart-warming and heart-wrenching, you’ll want to schedule a cheeky menty-b after this one.
Pairs well with: A hot thermos of Milo, stormy weather, and a good cry.
Brought to you by: Over eight hours of tramping and hypothermia on Rakiura.
Find it: On YouTube
Trip Advisor: Drugs in Dunedin PT. 1 (MDMA) – Short Film
Dive into North D’s drug culture (but in a slightly more educational way than your usual Saturday night). In a sort of A Christmas Carol re-telling, a breatha snorts a line off a crusty table and is launched into a series of very real chats with students, dealers, and experts in psychological medicine. Creator Janic Gorman explores the good, the bad, and the sick science of gear.
Pairs well with: A vape, a steak and cheese pie, and a comedown.
Brought to you by: Drugs.
Find it: On YouTube
Kauri K9s – Short Film
Follow Auckland Council’s best-kept conservation secret: a team of four-legged legends trained to sniff out the pathogen that causes Kauri dieback (Phytophthora agathidicida, a nasty disease that kills our native kauri trees) quicker than Critic can sniff out an NZUSA scandal (see Issue 8’s feature). Think paws and pure wholesome vibes.
Pairs well with: Granola, clean tramping boots, and missing your family dog.
Brought to you by: ‘Never work with children or animals’
Find it: On YouTube
Are You Ready to Shake, Dunedin? - Short Film
For those of you who get your rocks off on seismic activity, Rhys Latton’s doco on Dunedin’s 1974 earthquake features vintage George Street footage, cute old people, and stop-motion tectonic plates. The PSA: is Ōtepoti prepared for our next quake? Which is a scary thought in a town held together by hundred-year-old bricks and mould.
Pairs well with: A cheese scone with your fossilised postgrad mate who's been in Ōtepoti way too long.
Brought to you by: A hyperfixation on the Coronation Street intro
Find it: At vimeo.com
Mātauranga Māori and science – Podcast
In a shameless self-plug (Jodie Evans, hehe), tune in to hear how Mātauranga Māori is reshaping science in Aotearoa. Through the lived experiences of Māori genetics student Gemella Reynolds-Hatem, and the insights of science education expert Professor Georgina Stewart, it’s a kōrero about empowering tauira and restoring mana to the research process.
Pairs well with: A herbal tea and decolonising science
Brought to you by: Sound room giggles and technical difficulties
Find it: On Spotify on RNZ’s Our Changing World: Summer Science series.