Ballance has written more than thirty books, filmed wildlife documentaries, and produced and presented radio and podcasts on a wide range of subjects relating to science and the natural world.
In 2017, Ballance was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to natural history, filmmaking and broadcasting.
[2] Ballance worked as a film-maker for many years and made more than 16 documentaries for the Discovery Channel and the National Geographic Channel about animals as diverse as tigers, Przewalski's horse, the wētā, spectacled bears and marine iguanas in countries such as Mongolia, Russia, India and Ecuador.
[6] In 2013 Ballance was part of an expedition to Three Kings Islands with a team from NIWA, Te Papa museum, and the University of Queensland.
[10] In the 2017 New Year Honours, Ballance was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to natural history, filmmaking and broadcasting.