Skip to content
Stories in New Zealand

2025 Oceania Photo Contest

A Kiwi being cradled in a man's arms.

The Nature Conservancy is proud to announce the New Zealand winners of our 2025 Oceania Photo Contest!

November 19, 2025

Return to the Wild This photo of a precious kiwi being cradled speaks volumes, capturing the deep care, reverence, and hope behind every step of this remarkable return to the wild. © Tony Stoddard / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Climate

Back to Top

New Zealand Category Winner, Climate

Kaitlin Groom, New Zealand

Surge 21 January 2024 - I absolutely love storms so after following the radar all day and seeing the storm rolling in, I knew I wanted to capture some lightning over Paraparaumu Estuary. © Kaitlin Groom

New Zealand Category Runner Up, Climate

Tim Cuff, New Zealand

Floods at Glenduan Heavy rains in June led to extensive flooding in paddocks on the outskirts of Nelson City, New Zealand. These two girls didn't let the floodwaters spoil their chance to ride. © Tim Cuff

New Zealand Highly Commended, Climate

Laura Gauthier, New Zealand

Sombre Reminder In March of this year, my partner and I had gone to Muriwai, Auckland for a sunset watch. There were about half a dozen dead gannets on this part of the beach, which made me wonder what had killed them. I couldn't see any visible trauma to the bodies, so was it something to do with climate change? Pollution? Illness? I found the contrast of a beautiful beach at sunset, and a dead animal interesting which is why I took this photograph. © Laura Gauthier

Lands

Back to Top

New Zealand Category Winner, Lands

Fay Seah, New Zealand

Enchanted Forest Out capturing sunrise in the morning, walking along and exploring a new spot and I came across Lake Weyba Bushland Reserve. It was a quiet and peaceful area, and when the sun burst through the thick clouds, it bounced on the woods that has created such nice golden shade around the surroundings. © Fay Seah

New Zealand Runner Up, Lands

Chris Watson, New Zealand

Aurora Australis corona Mother's Day 2024, HUGE aurora forecast, I was off to watch the Highlanders play rugby and we could see the aurora through the lights around the stadium. Afterwards I thought I had missed it, but had a look at midnight. I was staying in central Dunedin and the closest place to go was the beach. This shot was a vertical panorama taken in horizontal format and shot almost to the northern horizon... a truly bucket list photo in such a built-up area. © Chris Watson

New Zealand Highly Commended, Lands

John Perrin, New Zealand

Skeleton Coast Dunes, Namibia An image of the desert captured during a visit to the Skeleton Coast in February 2025. I was taken by the colours and textures of the sand dunes coupled with the play of light. There was a very strong breeze which provided movement in the form of shifting sands. I was also attracted by the contrast between the colours of the sand dunes and the ocean in the background. © John Perrin

People & Nature

Back to Top

New Zealand Category Winner, People & Nature

Tony Stoddard, New Zealand

Return to the Wild I had the immense privilege of attending the pōwhiri at Mākara Village Hall. After the formal welcome, Capital Kiwi team members gently lifted two large kiwi from their boxes, offering a rare, intimate glimpse of these taonga (treasures) before release into a 23,000-hectare sanctuary—reclaiming a home where kiwi had been unseen for over 150 years. This photo of a precious manu (bird) being cradled speaks volumes, capturing the deep care, reverence, and hope behind every step of this remarkable return to the wild in our Capital City. © Tony Stoddard

New Zealand Runner Up, People & Nature

Tim Cuff, New Zealand

December Whale Stranding A mass whale stranding happened in December 2024, at Farewell Spit, South Island of New Zealand. It's a regular location for long-finned pilot whales to beach and on this occasion 37 of the marine mammals came ashore. Over the next five days repeated efforts to refloat them led to following-day re-strands. By day five, only 14 whales remained alive but finally were successfully ushered back into deep water by Department of Conservation staff and Project Jonah-led volunteers. © Tim Cuff

New Zealand Highly Commended, People & Nature

Lucy Schultz, New Zealand

Moa Hunter Bodie Taylor, a Māori guide (Ngāti Hauā), leads a cultural experience group tour at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. He raises his voice and the Mau Rākau in toropaepae, a state of receptivity used to invoke energies of the Ancestral Gods. He welcomes us into the forest to guide us along the path. He calls to earth, air, fire, and water and the life force connecting them all. In this moment I am transported back in time to Aotearoa in the days of the Moa Hunter. © Lucy Schultz

Plants & Fungi

Back to Top

New Zealand Category Winner, Plants & Fungi

Chin Kang Chia, New Zealand

Hocus Pocus Hygrocybe astatogala are definitely the witches of the mushroom kingdom. Their tall pointy tips and wide brims of their black caps, along with the pumpkin orange stipes, with the whole body blackening as the aging progresses. Photographing this species requires patience, with the mushroom wilting and blackening within hours. © Chin Kang Chia

New Zealand Runner Up, Plants & Fungi

Nic Wooding, New Zealand

Umbella's Moss Sanctuary A favourite spot, off track, a patch where the winter sun bathes a small clearing in the morning through the forest canopy. Auriscalpium Umbella shares a fungi-abundant mound. I'd been wanting to catch the light at the right time, as it's ever-changing through the trees. Fresh rain the night before and juicy moss set the perfect scene for the fungi. Kitted out in full wet weather gear, being careful not to damage other fungi or plants, my happy place. A couple in close embrace. © Nic Wooding

New Zealand Highly Commended, Plants & Fungi

Chad Cottell, New Zealand

Campbell Island Megaherbs The Campbell Island Megaherbs have recovered amazingly since predator eradication to remove Norway rats from the island. It was very cool to see them flourishing across the island with albatross nesting among them on a trip I took there with Heritage Expeditions. © Chad Cottell

Water

Back to Top

New Zealand Category Winner, Water

Colin Marshall, New Zealand

Freshwater Eels Pair of New Zealand Longfin Eels (Anguilla dieffenbachii), in a tributary of the Wakapuaka River in Hira, Nelson, in the South Island of New Zealand. These eels are endangered and endemic to New Zealand. They live in freshwater rivers for most of their lives, then migrate to the saltwater ocean to breed and die, the larvae drifting back to New Zealand. These eels can generally live up to 50 years. The presence of these long-lived eels is a positive indicator of the overall health of the river ecosystem, particularly dissolved oxygen (which supports the animals upon which they feed), temperature and low levels of contaminants in the water. © Colin Marshall

New Zealand Runner Up, Water

Kaitlin Lawrence, New Zealand

Baby Blue A very playful humpback calf comes across to say hi. This image was taken on tour with an ethical tour company in Niue where there are strict whale interaction rules. This baby humpback calf came over to us of its own will to roll around and check us out. It's a rare encounter but an amazing one! © Kaitlin Lawrence

New Zealand Highly Commended, Water

Kaitlin Groom, New Zealand

Blue Magic Myself and another photographer had discovered small amounts of bioluminescence along the beach which led us to come back every night in the hopes it would get stronger. We held out hope and after three weeks we finally got one of the most spectacular shows beyond anything we could have ever dreamed of. Never had we seen such a sight! So cool to have captured Kāpiti Island with it. © Kaitlin Groom

Wildlife

Back to Top

New Zealand Category Winner, Wildlife

Roger Smith, New Zealand

Rare capture of a great egret enjoying a bath Most photographs of the great egret (kōtuku, white heron) capture the elegance and beauty of the bird, but other aspects of their behaviour can be very interesting and appealing. In this instance, I was fortunate to be there with my camera when a local white heron took an immersive bath in the shallows of the lagoon. I was amazed to witness the performance as the bird sank below the surface while splashing and splaying out its feathers, a sight I've never before observed. © Roger Smith

New Zealand Runner Up, Wildlife

Guido Seevens, New Zealand

Portrait of a Kererū This kererū was enjoying an afternoon snack on some broom at the Zealandia wildlife sanctuary. I darkened the background to highlight the kererū's beautiful colours throughout its fine feathers. © Guido Seevens

New Zealand Highly Commended, Wildlife

Brendon Doran, New Zealand

At home in the pipe With a forest full of nooks and crannies to hide in, this ngahere gecko instead chooses to live in the pipe that runs along the top of a fence. The late morning light lit up the forest background and the gecko was poking its head out to catch some of the warming sunlight. © Brendon Doran

Read more

A green bird emerging from a brown sack held by human hands.

2024 Oceania Photo Contest: New Zealand Winners

The Nature Conservancy is proud to announce the New Zealand winners of our 2024 Oceania Photo Contest!

Bridge runs over deep gorge with brilliant yellow-leaved trees on either side.

Our Work in Aotearoa New Zealand

Sustainable development is key to solving Aotearoa New Zealand’s environmental challenges while ensuring the long-term strength of its economy and the preservation of its unique culture.

People in a boat holding paddles vertically while looking to their left.

When Cultures Cross an Ocean

Aneika Young, Te Ao Māori Advisor recounts cultural exchange facilitated by TNC. The organization works with Indigenous and local communities to help support local conservation goals around the world.