Exploring nature in our cities – new documentary released

For the past four years, Te Papa’s scientists Lara Shepherd and Leon Perrie have participated in the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge – a global competition that connects people with nature by encouraging them to record the wildlife in our cities. This year, as well as being behind the camera, they also had fun in front of the lens whilst being filmed for a short documentary about the challenge and goals.

The documentary is now finished and free to watch online (see below). Whilst it is a playful exploration of the rivalry between Wellington and Christchurch (and the rest of the world) in documenting urban wildlife, it also has a more serious message – caring for our environment begins with paying attention to what’s right in front of us.

Get prepared for the 2025 City Nature Challenge

You don’t need to wait for the next City Nature Challenge to start exploring nature. Taking a closer look in your own backyard or local park is a great place to begin. Read instructions for how to make observations with iNaturalist.

Also, keep an eye out for Wellington City Council events associated with the 2025 City Nature Challenge, where scientists will guide you and your whanau to make your own discoveries.

About the film

To uncover nature hiding in plain sight, Aotearoa enters a global community competition that sees ecologists and enthusiasts scour cities to discover new species. For some, it’s a playful quest, for others a long-standing rivalry, but the stakes are higher than just winning…can taking photographs contribute to saving the planet, one snapshot at a time?

Here the Wild Things Are is part of the new Loading Docs collection on www.loadingdocs.net. It was made with support from NZ On Air, Te Māngai Pāho, and The New Zealand Film Commission.

Further reading about Wellington’s participation in the City Nature Challenge

• Highlights and discoveries from 2024
• Highlights and discoveries from 2023
• Highlights and discoveries from 2022
• Highlights and discoveries from 2021