How Do You Mobilise A Nation For Nature? (With Vicki Connor, Department of Conservation)

About this episode

The episode discusses how to mobilize New Zealanders for nature conservation through the Department of Conservation's campaign.

How do you mobilise a nation for nature? Most New Zealanders say nature matters to them. But care alone isn’t creating the level of action needed to protect it. In this episode, we sit down with Vicki Connor, Chief Advisor Public Affairs at the Department of Conservation, for a deep dive into DOC’s “Always Be Naturing” campaign - the public-facing platform for its wider Mobilising for Nature programme. Informed by audience research, the campaign is built around a persistent challenge: if people already care, how do you turn that care into meaningful action at scale? The research also revealed a disconnect - most New Zealanders believe nature is doing relatively well. In reality, the situation is far more fragile, with 4,000+ native species threatened or at risk of extinction. We unpack what the campaign is actually trying to do, why DOC chose to broaden the frame from “conservation” to “naturing”, and how connection to nature can become a more accessible entry point for the people and businesses who care but don’t yet know where they fit in. We also explore more broadly how nature should be communicated in Aotearoa if we want to reach beyond the already-converted and make it…

People in this episode

Guest: Vicki Connor

Topics covered

• nature conservation
• public engagement
• environmental communication
• community involvement
• biodiversity
• campaign strategies

Keywords

• nature
• conservation
• New Zealand
• public engagement
• biodiversity
• Always Be Naturing
• community involvement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Department of Conservation

Places: New Zealand, Aotearoa

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