Copyright

Introduction

Material on this website is protected by Crown copyright unless otherwise indicated. Some of it can be reused without permission, but in some cases you must contact the copyright holder directly for permission.

Reuse terms

Unless identified as having third party copyright or other licence, the material on this website is Crown Copyright and can be reused under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0).

This means you can copy, distribute and adapt the material as long as you credit the Department of Conservation and abide by the CC BY 4.0 licence terms.

In all cases, the material must be reproduced accurately and not be used in a misleading context.

What you can't reuse

Our reuse terms do not apply to the following:

  • Material with third party copyright or other licence – you must get permission from the owner if necessary, and follow the specific licence terms.
  • Logos, trademarks, and material covered by the Flags, Emblems, and Names Protection Act 1981.
  • Design elements.

How to credit DOC

  • Use text (not logos), eg "Source: Department of Conservation".
  • If used outside of New Zealand, use "Source: Department of Conservation (NZ)".
  • Where relevant, link to our website (www.doc.govt.nz) or the specific source page.

Bird song files

Our bird songs can be reused, even commercially, according to our copyright terms.

What images can I reuse?

Check the caption that appears with the image. It will tell you if it's a DOC image, has its own Creative Commons licence, or has third party copyright.

Screenshot of image identified as owned by DOC.
Check the caption for credit information – this is a DOC image and can be reused

Screenshot of image that has a Creative Commons licence specified.
This has a Creative Commons licence with specific terms

Images labelled with "DOC" can be reused

You can use these images, even commercially, under the terms of our copyright statement and the CC BY 4.0 licence. You must attribute the Department of Conservation. Include the photographer's name if known. 

Images labelled with "Creative Commons" may be reused

Check the terms set by the Creative Commons licence that appears with the image. You must follow these terms.

Images labelled with © can't be reused without permission

You must contact the copyright holder directly for permission to use their images.

Screenshot of the caption and credits of a hero image.
Credit information of a hero image is located on the top right-hand side – this image is third party copyright and can't be used without their permission

Contact us

We don't provide high-resolution copies of images for print or other use.

To contact us about copyright, make your request through our website feedback form.

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