Date: 27 May 2022 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation An independent assessment of stewardship land on the West Coast has delivered recommendations for revised land classifications, Minister of Conservation Kiri Allan says.
Date: 27 May 2022 Ngāti Waewae will lead a ceremony in Punakaiki tomorrow morning to mark the start of the main construction work on the new Experience Centre.
Date: 25 May 2022 A Palmerston North man who removed a venomous sea snake from a North Island beach and then shared videos of the incident to the TikTok social media platform has been ordered to pay $500 to Save the Kiwi.
Date: 26 May 2022 Threatened native mistletoe has been discovered in a corner of the Eastern Bay of Plenty where it has not previously been recorded.
Date: 20 May 2022 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation Ramping up land-based pest control and investing in research to protect some of our most at risk marine animals are just two initiatives Budget 2022 is delivering as the Government scales up efforts to tackle Aotearoa New Zealand’s biodiversity crisis.
Date: 17 May 2022 Nine juvenile tūturuatu/tchūriwat’/shore plover were translocated to Portland (Waikawa) Island earlier this month as part of ongoing efforts to preserve this rare and threatened species.
Date: 13 May 2022 Demand for bookings over New Zealand’s 30th Great Walks season is strong, with Kiwis taking up more than 85% of spots, says the Department of Conservation.
Date: 13 May 2022 An extremely rare species of sea slug or ‘gravel maggot’ has been detected for the first time on a remote beach in South Westland.
Date: 13 May 2022 New research to test the use of repellents to help keep kea safe during predator control operations is underway near Arthur’s Pass in Canterbury.
Date: 12 May 2022 The Paparoa Track on the West Coast has fully reopened today, almost a fortnight ahead of schedule.
Date: 10 May 2022 A dead adult Hector’s dolphin was discovered at Te Waewae Bay in Southland at the weekend.
Date: 10 May 2022 A NIWA survey has used a deep-sea camera system to video the depths of the Kaikōura Canyon, providing fresh insights about marine life inside and outside Hikurangi Marine Reserve.
Date: 09 May 2022 A dead possum recently found on Great Barrier Island is thought to have come from outside the island.
Date: 05 May 2022 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation Public feedback is being sought on proposed changes to improve management planning and concession processes in conservation legislation.
Date: 04 May 2022 Bookings open for the 30th Great Walks season this week, starting with Milford Track which booked out in record time yesterday according to DOC data.
Date: 27 April 2022 An initiative that has provided tourism workers with alternative employment into the lead up to New Zealand’s borders reopening is being extended to ensure staff are retained, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says.
Date: 28 April 2022 The last two years have seen most New Zealanders getting out in nature. This has provided valuable insights into how New Zealanders enjoy and value their great outdoors says DOC as it releases its latest visitor insights report.
Date: 27 April 2022 Wetlands expert and advocate Dr Beverley Clarkson was today presented with New Zealand’s most prestigious conservation award, the Loder Cup by Minister of Conservation Kiri Allan.
Date: 26 April 2022 A slip on the Tangoio Falls track in Hawke’s Bay has led to the temporary closure of the track.
Date: 26 April 2022 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation More than 50 jobs are being created across Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland with the launch of three new Government-backed initiatives, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says.
Date: 26 April 2022 The opening of the 2022–23 Great Walks booking season next week heralds 30 years of epic adventures in our backyard throughout the country, says Minister of Conservation Kiri Allan.
Date: 27 April 2022 An investment of $1.56 million from the Jobs for Nature fund will kickstart a project to reinstate mauri across coastal and wetland landscapes east and south of the Remutaka ranges.
Date: 22 April 2022 A Kahurangi National Park whio has proved a steadfast survivor, becoming one of the longest-lived of her species despite losing part of a wing and not being able to fly.
Date: 22 April 2022 Efforts to rescue a kiwi egg living life on the edge near roadworks have proven successful and Eastern Bay of Plenty locals couldn't be happier.
Date: 21 April 2022 Two more dead Hector’s dolphins have been found on South Island beaches.
Date: 20 April 2022 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation The Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2020 – Te Mana o te Taiao now has an accompanying implementation plan, aimed at driving collective action to tackle New Zealand’s biodiversity crisis.
Date: 19 April 2022 A survey of North Island kōkako following an aerial 1080 predator control operation in the Mamaku Ranges has revealed 71 pairs – up from 44 pairs in 2018.
Date: 13 April 2022 Hunters will be out enjoying the New Zealand backcountry this autumn as they chase mature trophy stags during the roar.
Date: 11 April 2022 Construction work on the main phase of DOC's Dolomite Point Redevelopment Project at Punakaiki will start next month.
Date: 08 April 2022 A report advocating changes to help DOC meet its Treaty of Waitangi obligations has been released ahead of public consultation on proposed policy changes.
Date: 08 April 2022 The stellar rise of mohua/yellowhead and other native birds in South Westland’s Landsborough valley is a welcome surprise to DOC scientists.
Date: 04 April 2022 The first spade hit the ground in Southland yesterday, to transform the spectacular and challenging Hump Ridge Track to Great Walk status.
Date: 04 April 2022 Analysis of new data from birds fitted with transmitters has revealed North Island kākā flying long distances and even taking an avian ‘OE’.
Date: 01 April 2022 DOC is suspending its requirement for people to be fully vaccinated to use its accommodation, in line with updated public health guidance.
Date: 31 March 2022 The discovery of an injured juvenile New Zealand falcon/kārearea near Rotorua serves as a reminder the young birds are more visible in autumn, say experts.
Date: 31 March 2022 Two decades of sustained predator control has seen the heartening growth of the kiwi population at Mt Moehau in northern Coromandel.
Date: 30 March 2022 DOC has granted authority for Kennedy Point Marina Development Limited to capture, handle and relocate kororā/little blue penguin at the Kennedy Point site, with stringent conditions.
Date: 29 March 2022 Public consultation on the proposal to establish a marine reserve at Hākaimangō – Matiatia (Northwest Waiheke Island) under the Marine Reserves Act 1971, closed on 20 March 2022.
Date: 23 March 2022 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation Several significant locations in northern Tongariro National Park and the western shores of Lake Taupō will be restored as part of a Jobs for Nature project being undertaken by Ngāti Tūwharetoa hapū, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says.
Date: 22 March 2022 With 10 years of partnership between Genesis and DOC now in the bank, whio/blue duck are thriving in the tributaries of the Whanganui River.
Date: 22 March 2022 A member of the public discovered a dead adult Hector’s dolphin on New Brighton Beach in Christchurch on Saturday, 19 March.
Date: 18 March 2022 From being reluctant to dip their toes in water to frolicking in the Tongariro River, three whio have found new homes in the wild near Poutu Intake.
Date: 17 March 2022 DOC is continuing to boost conservation research with the announcement of this year’s ten postgraduate scholarship recipients.
Date: 17 March 2022 “Are your goods all good?” That’s the message from DOC for travellers who are bringing wildlife items into New Zealand as the nation reopens its borders.
Date: 15 March 2022 DOC has released the opening dates for next season’s bookings for its huts, campsites and lodges.
Date: 14 March 2022 DOC has received an application for a marine reserve at Hākaimangō – Matiatia (Northwest Waiheke Island) under the Marine Reserves Act 1971.
Date: 11 March 2022 A member of the public discovered a dead Hector’s dolphin in the West Coast’s Ōkārito Lagoon yesterday, 10 March.
Date: 11 March 2022 A project to restore the biodiversity of the Waipoua River catchment and to support sustainable land use for mana whenua, has reached a significant milestone with 293 bait stations for possum control installed over 600 hectares.
Date: 10 March 2022 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation A new sanctuary for native plants and animals on the North Island Central Plateau is a step closer with support from the Government’s Mahi mō te Taiao/Jobs for Nature programme.
Date: 10 March 2022 Checking for bats before starting the chainsaws was all part of a day’s work for DOC rangers felling dangerous trees at Clements Mill Road in the Kaimanawa recently.
Date: 09 March 2022 The Wild Coast section of the Remutaka Cycle Trail cannot currently be accessed from Wairarapa due to a large landslip approximately 1.5 km west of Corner Creek.
Date: 09 March 2022 Whio, the iconic rapid-riding blue ducks which feature on the $10 note, are being celebrated today.
Date: 08 March 2022 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation Whanganui, the first river in the world to be given status as a living being is to undergo restoration work with new funding from the Government’s Jobs for Nature - Mahi mō te Taiao programme.
Date: 08 March 2022 A unique hands-on training program supporting eight local young adults on their path towards a marine conservation career was launched earlier this week.
Date: 04 March 2022 The first stage of work in repairing storm damage to the Heaphy Track will begin late next week.
Date: 04 March 2022 With eight tara iti/New Zealand fairy tern expected to fledge (leave the nest), it’s been the best breeding season since 2013–2014 for one of Aotearoa New Zealand's rarest birds.
Date: 03 March 2022 DOC is calling for any sightings of a beaked whale in the Hauraki Gulf after receiving a report of a stranded beaked whale was pushed back out to sea by well-intentioned members of the public.
Date: 02 March 2022 As agreed with iwi, DOC yesterday morning closed the Whanganui Journey Great Walk due to confirmed cases of COVID-19 among a group of paddlers.
Date: 02 March 2022 DOC Ecologist Brian Rance believes he’s found a new plant species high in the Livingstone Mountains of Southland and is thrilled by the implications of the rare find.
Date: 01 March 2022 The chatter of mohua/yellowhead can once again be heard in the Poulter valley in Arthur’s Pass National Park after a 20-year absence after the release of 41 birds there yesterday.
Date: 25 February 2022 A dead Hector’s dolphin has been found on the West Coast today, exactly a week after one was found further south.
Date: 24 February 2022 A dead Hector’s dolphin was discovered last Friday 18 February at a beach near Mikonui, south of Hokitika, by a member of the public.
Date: 24 February 2022 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation The Sika Foundation will manage a project invested by the Jobs for Nature programme to minimise the impact of deer and other predators.
Date: 22 February 2022 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation The Jobs for Nature programme is investing in a project to build capacity for Ngāti Tūwharetoa.
Date: 22 February 2022 Structural engineers have confirmed that flood-damaged Heaphy Bridge on the Heaphy Great Walk is a write-off but it’s possible that Gunner Bridge can be fixed.
Date: 16 February 2022 More discoveries of rare pekapeka/long-tailed bats have been made on the West Coast through the work of the Government Covid-19 initiative Jobs for Nature.
Date: 16 February 2022 Tactile play features with an emphasis on native species are a new development for the ever-evolving education offered at DOC’s Kauaeranga Visitor Centre.
Date: 15 February 2022 As licences for private huts in the Ōrongorongo Valley begin to expire, DOC will work with hut license holders to phase some huts into public use.
Date: 14 February 2022 Six pilot whales have been euthanised by DOC staff following a stranding on Chatham Island this morning.
Date: 15 February 2022 The first steps to restoring Maungaruahine Pā, an imposing hilltop fortress which stands gazing out over the flat lands to the coast at Pāpāmoa, are underway.
Date: 10 February 2022 DOC has received a report of what could be a Māui dolphin with a rope around its tail at White’s Beach near Piha and is urging the public to be on the lookout and to report any sightings to 0800 DOC HOT.
Date: 10 February 2022 The severe damage done to the Heaphy Track by last week’s torrential rain means through trips of the track will not be possible for several months.
Date: 09 February 2022 Last week’s torrential rain has severely damaged parts of the Heaphy Track and it is closed until Sunday 13 February.
Date: 09 February 2022 A multi-agency partnership will see new methods and research approaches trialled for the control of the pest fish koi carp.
Date: 02 February 2022 The first kākāpō chick of the season has hatched on Whenua Hou, west of Rakiura/Stewart Island.
Date: 02 February 2022 The trial of a drone equipped with thermal imaging has proven successful in locating some of New Zealand’s most elusive and cryptic native birds.
Date: 02 February 2022 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation and Minister for the Environment The Government has welcomed the call to action for this year’s World Wetlands Day today, which has the theme ‘Wetlands Action for People and Nature’.
Date: 01 February 2022 Following years of unsuccessful breeding, DOC rangers and a team of dedicated conservation volunteers are ecstatic to see 30 tarāpuka (black-billed gull) fledglings around the Sulphur Bay Wildlife Refuge.
Date: 31 January 2022 A pygmy sperm whale that stranded at Paraparaumu Beach on Monday morning has been humanely euthanised by Department of Conservation staff to minimise its suffering.
Date: 28 January 2022 DOC staff remind the public it’s unacceptable to shoot protected birds, after a tarāpunga/red-billed gull was shot with an apparent crossbow bolt in Ōamaru.
Date: 28 January 2022 The toroa/northern royal albatross breeding season is well underway at Pukekura/Taiaroa Head on the Otago Peninsula with the arrival of this year’s Royal Cam star.
Date: 27 January 2022 Manta rays – gentle giants of New Zealand’s seas – are making increasing appearances this summer as DOC and Manta Watch NZ urge people to report sightings of the rare, huge fish.
Date: 27 January 2022 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation A long-running penguin rehab facility, which has been hard hit by the tourism downturn, and work to restore native forest habitats in the Catlins are being supported through Jobs for Nature funding, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says.
Date: 27 January 2022 Four young whio/blue ducks have graduated from their early days at Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre to be released into the aviary at Tongariro National Trout Centre.
Date: 25 January 2022 DOC staff are appalled at reports of protected seabirds found killed or injured by blowdarts in Waikanae.
Date: 25 January 2022 Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, Te Rūnanga o Ngati Waewae and Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio will formally welcome the Western South Island stewardship land national panel to the West Coast with a pōwhiri at the Arahura marae near Hokitika today.
Date: 21 January 2022 An aerial 1080 predator control operation will protect a stronghold for critically endangered kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeet near Arthur’s Pass in early-2022.
Date: 20 January 2022 A bold young bittern has caused a stir in Waikato striking a pose in a Cambridge couple’s urban backyard.
Date: 20 January 2022 Six kea chicks are believed to have successfully fledged in the Nelson Lakes area in the past month to boost the kea population.
Date: 19 January 2022 DOC local Iwi, Federated Mountain Clubs and Back Country Trust are in discussions to explore opportunities for a potential rebuild of the popular Lake Dive Hut in Egmont National Park.
Date: 19 January 2022 DOC says it’s still too early to know the full extent of damage to public conservation land from a devastating fire that started at Emerald Bay on Wānaka’s Glendhu Bluff on 9 January.
Date: 17 January 2022 The occupier of a lakefront home at Lake Rotoehu has been issued an infringement notice for the unauthorised removal of native vegetation including raupō.
Date: 14 January 2022 DOC says very few refunds have been issued due to bed bugs, as New Zealand trampers follow precautionary advice to make the most of summer.
Date: 11 January 2022 The Department of Conservation is offering a $5000 reward for information that leads to the conviction of whoever was responsible for killing at least eight fur seals on the Kaikōura coast late last year.
Date: 04 January 2022 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation The Government is throwing its support behind projects aimed at restoring a cluster of eco-islands and habitats in the Manawatū which were once home to kiwi and whio.
Date: 08 January 2022 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation A boost in funding for a number of Jobs for Nature initiatives across Canterbury will provide sustainable employment opportunities for more than 70 people, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says.
Date: 07 January 2022 Nearly half a million dollars is going into removing wilding pines from Central North Island conservation areas that were previously being over-run by the pest trees.
Date: 03 January 2022 DOC is concerned that a sudden increase in poaching from the Hikurangi Marine Reserve could devastate the local pāua population, and undo years of careful preservation.