How can we achieve better wellbeing through engagement with nature?

Recently I was approached by the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment to contribute to this video seeking to showcase how nature engagement can boost our health and wellbeing. The video was shot along the Waikanae River, a place where my family and I experience daily the wellbeing benefits of walking, playing, swimming, doing yoga, connecting with others, or simply just 'being' and enjoying the sights and sounds of nature.

But this has a strong biodiversity restoration dimension too - the Waikanae River corridor would not be such a nature-rich place to be if it wasn't for all the work over the years by volunteers, Council staff and contractors, and conservationists such as John Topliff, who I wrote about way back in 2010. Thanks to their ongoing efforts, this place is not only a much more health-giving one for us humans but it is a much richer habitat for our indigenous biodiversity too.

Find out more about my book "Nature and wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand: Exploring the connection" here.