In 2015, factual television producers NHNZ and scientists from Massey University Auckland, Auckland Museum, and
University of Waikato worked together to get a film crew and scientific researchers to Rangitāhua-The Kermadec Islands.
The Kermadec Islands lie approximately 1000km northeast of New Zealand’s North Island and their remote location means
the area hasn’t been highly researched.
NHNZ went to Rangitāhua to film an episode for the second season of their highly popular show Our Big Blue Backyard for TVNZ, funded by NZ on Air and scientists joined the expedition to study the archipelago’s biodiversity.
As a result of this collaboration between the natural history filmmakers and scientists, three species of fish were
recorded for the first time at Rangitāhua, which are additions to the fishes that occur in the New Zealand Exclusive
Economic Zone.
“Rangitahua is expensive and difficult to reach for scientists, so this collaboration was a perfect opportunity to
piggy-back on the NHNZ voyage and build on our knowledge on the biodiversity of these remote islands. It is a great
example of where a collaboration has unexpected but positive outcomes for both partners,” says Dr Thomas Trnski, Head of
Natural Sciences at Auckland Museum, and science leader for the voyage.
A team of 17 including crew, scientists and NHNZ documentary filmmakers were aboard the research vessel Braveheart which travelled to the pristine sub-tropical arc, while NHNZ filmed their series and scientists carried out research.
Our Big Blue Backyard executive producer Judith Curran said she and her team are thrilled with this outcome.
“NHNZ’s Our Big Blue Backyard film-making team is super proud to have played a part in the discovery of these fish species in Kermadec waters. For an
NZ on Air funded series to be able to connect with a huge New Zealand audience AND collaborate with scientists in this
way, in such a special corner of the planet, is as good as it gets,” she says.
The discovery of the fish species and the collaboration between natural history filmmakers has been written into an
extensive report, which was in Scientific Reports on February 21, 2020 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-60136-w).
Lead author Dr Libby Liggins from Massey University said, “Our collaboration evidences the value of natural history
footage, other unconventional sources, as well as unlikely collaborations in generating new knowledge regarding
biodiversity and change – as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says ‘we all have a role to play’”.
Below is a clip showing the accidental discovery of three fishes caught on video.
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