2024 media releases
View DOC media releases from 2024.

Auckland

Date: 11 December 2024
A rare dolphin has been spotted today by a rowing team in Auckland’s inner Waitematā Harbour.

Date: 11 December 2024
DOC is excited to announce the start of the 2024/2025 breeding season for the critically endangered tara iti (New Zealand fairy tern).

Date: 06 November 2024
The Department of Conservation and New Zealand Nature Fund are partnering to save endangered species by matching investment to projects.

Date: 05 November 2024
The northern end of the Te Henga Walkway was officially reopened today in West Auckland by the Department of Conservation alongside mana whenua Te Kawerau ā Maki.

Date: 02 October 2024
A lone Norway rat on the previously pest-free island of Te Motutapu a Taikehu (Motutapu) and adjoining Peretū/Rangitoto in the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana has finally been eradicated after having eaten toxic bait.

Date: 30 September 2024
Takahē have had their best breeding season on Te Motutapu a Taikehu (Motutapu) since breeding pairs were established at the site in 2011.

Date: 25 September 2024
A hawksbill sea turtle found alive on Ōkupe beach, Aotea/Great Barrier Island, has been urgently flown to Auckland Zoo for medical attention, where it remains critically ill.

Date: 17 September 2024
DOC is asking the public for sightings of the pygmy blue whale successfully freed from a wharf on Kawau Island on Monday.

Date: 19 June 2024
Source: Auckland Airport and Department of Conservation
Auckland Airport together with DOC are celebrating the beautiful walks of Aotearoa New Zealand along the airport’s short walk between terminals, known as ‘the green line’.

Date: 21 May 2024
A man who leapt from a boat into the water near two orca has been slapped with a $600 infringement in an incident DOC staff say displays a shocking and stupid attitude to protected marine mammals.

Date: 24 April 2024
Two rats have been caught just days after DOC set out freshly baited traps on Te Haupa/ Saddle Island north of Auckland.

Date: 23 April 2024
Drainage and roofing work is underway to protect the rich history of Fort Takapuna Historic Reserve in Devonport Auckland.

Date: 15 April 2024
A team of certified conservation dogs and their handlers are busy intercepting small pests at risk of hitching a ride to the Hauraki Gulf’s pest free islands.

Date: 25 January 2024
An Auckland man has been fined $2500 after he was successfully prosecuted for deliberately skippering a speedboat through a flock of protected seabirds – he then shared the video of the incident on social media.