Date: 17 May 2013
Over 11,000 predators have been caught in the Tasman riverbed near Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park in the last seven years.
Date: 17 May 2013
The Department of Conservation (DOC) has been investing in campsites, lakeside picnic and amenity areas, roadends, toilets and carparks near Queenstown, with many receiving makeovers over the past three years.
Date: 17 May 2013
The survival chances of one of New Zealand’s most endangered lizards has taken a turn for the better with a new sponsorship by Auckland Zoo aimed at protecting Otago skinks in the Grandview Range, near Wanaka.
Date: 16 May 2013
Puketi Weedbusters, the Department of Conservation (DOC), and the Puketi Forest Trust (PFT) are looking for volunteers to help with several upcoming and ongoing projects in Puketi Forest. Volunteers are needed to help control weeds, possums, and stoats, listen for kiwi, and take part in regular planting days.
Date: 14 May 2013
Record numbers of both local and international visitors have been using Department of Conservation (DOC) campsites in Fiordland this summer.
Date: 14 May 2013
It has been a busy but successful second year of the Freedom Camping project run by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the Southland District Council to educate freedom campers about where New Zealanders expect visitors to camp overnight and how to camp responsibly.
Date: 16 May 2013
A Department of Conservation project to protect a rare ecosystem near Queenstown is to receive a helping hand from the local climbing club.
Date: 12 May 2013
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith and Environment Minister Amy Adams today welcomed a report proposing a way to manage the contentious land intensification, water, landscape, and biodiversity issues in the Mackenzie Basin.
Date: 10 May 2013
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and the Department of Conservation (DOC), in partnership with the fishing industry, have recently trialled an electronic monitoring programme in the Timaru set net fishery.
Date: 09 May 2013
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
A rare fragment of Banks Peninsula has been purchased by the Government and two trusts as a Scenic Reserve, Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.
Date: 07 May 2013
The Department of Conservation says additional funding has enabled it to build more than 60 additional frontline roles into the new structure it is adopting to deliver conservation.
Date: 06 May 2013
An Ashburton man has been successfully prosecuted by the Department of Conservation for damage to a nesting colony of endangered black-billed gulls (tarāpuka).
Date: 03 May 2013
‘Restoration makes good monetary sense, it’s not just a tree-hugging exercise’ conservation volunteers told.
Date: 02 May 2013
The Greenstone Caples Track is safer and more accessible to a wider range of people now a ten-year upgrade project by the Department of Conservation nears completion.
Date: 02 May 2013
Routeburn Falls hut on the Routeburn Track will be closed from 13-27 May 2013 to allow painting of the hut interior.
Date: 02 May 2013
More than 200 great white butterfly infestations were found and removed in Nelson Tasman last month – more than double those detected in March - as intensive efforts continue to beat an autumn spike in butterfly breeding.
Date: 30 April 2013
High visitor numbers and high visitor satisfaction have been highlights of Fiordland's summer Great Walks season, which finished on 30 April 2013. The Department of Conservation is now preparing to convert the huts and tracks into winter mode.
Date: 30 April 2013
The first stage of the Air New Zealand-backed Routeburn Valley Restoration Plan has been completed with the installation of 38 km of stoat traps.
Date: 30 April 2013
With Possum trapping increasing during the winter months, it is timely to remind people that possum traps can endanger kiwi if they are not used correctly.
Date: 29 April 2013
Department of Conservation divers were concerned to find a koura (freshwater crayfish) trap in the water while they were working on eradicating lagarosiphon (oxygen weed) at Lake Waikaremoana. The potential for such devices to introduce the weed to the area is alarming.
Date: 29 April 2013
The Department of Conservation is welcoming the announcement of an additional $20 million funding for conservation over the next four years.
Date: 29 April 2013
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
An additional $20 million over four years has been allocated to the Department of Conservation in Budget 2013 to provide for additional frontline roles and the upgrade of recreational facilities, Conservation Minister Nick Smith announced today.
Date: 29 April 2013
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is asking public to report any sightings of southern right whales migrating along the coast this season.
Date: 26 April 2013
A local Coromandel man has found a rare and very elusive Coromandel striped gecko on a road near Colville. Department of Conservation staff picked up the gecko from Nicole McCauley of Te Kauae o Maui Nature Reserve.
Date: 24 April 2013
Mavora’s Kiwi Burn Hut recently received an extreme make over, the first of many for huts in Fiordland thanks to a new partnership between Department of Conservation (DOC) and Dulux New Zealand.
Date: 24 April 2013
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
Conservation Minister Nick Smith today congratulated Al Morrison on his appointment as a Deputy Commissioner at the State Services Commission and thanked him for his 11 years of service at the Department of Conservation.
Date: 24 April 2013
The Department of Conservation is pleased to announce the reopening of the northern section of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
Date: 24 April 2013
Routeburn Falls Hut on the Routeburn Track will be closed from 13-27 May 2013 to allow painting of the hut interior.
Date: 24 April 2013
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has launched the National Plan of Action for Seabirds 2013 today, setting out a firm commitment to protect seabirds from fishing incidents.
Date: 23 April 2013
The Nga Tapuwae o Toi Walkway tracks through Ohope Scenic Reserve are now open to the public. The walkway was closed last month due to extreme fire risk in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
Date: 23 April 2013
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
The full Tongariro Alpine Crossing will re-open early next month in time for the winter trekking season, Conservation Minister Nick Smith announced today.
Date: 24 April 2013
Visitors to Auckland will soon be able to enjoy a new multi-day walking experience on Rangitoto and Motutapu islands – the Rangitoto Motutapu Haerenga – A Journey through Sacred Islands.
Date: 22 April 2013
Record numbers of people have walked a Great Walk so far this season, the Department of Conservation says.
Date: 19 April 2013
An improved and larger Anchorage Hut is to be built on the Abel Tasman Coast Track to meet demand to stay in this popular Great Walk hut and will be ready for use this summer.
Date: 19 April 2013
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is reminding all duck hunters that new residents on the Northern Wairoa River are not a game species and are protected under the Wildlife Act.
Date: 18 April 2013
A feel good whio story unfolded when a hunter sent in a photo of a banded whio in the upper Rangitikei River.
Date: 18 April 2013
A sharp eye and swift communication led to the recovery of a gill net in Lake Taupo at the mouth of the Waitetoko River last weekend.
Date: 17 April 2013
Source: Joint statement from Ministry for Primary Industries and the Department of Conservation
A new report about longfin eel from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has been welcomed by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and the Department of Conservation (DOC).
Date: 16 April 2013
Source: Ministry for Primary Industries
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is asking Aucklanders to keep an eye out for an unwanted bird species that is thought to be in the wider city area and could harm our native birdlife and damage fruit and vegetable crops.
Date: 15 April 2013
An application for a marine reserve in Akaroa Harbour has been approved by Minister of Conservation Hon Dr Nick Smith and can now be referred to the Minister of Transport and the Minister for Primary Industries for their concurrence.
Date: 15 April 2013
Six baby kōura have been born at the Genesis Energy Freshwater Aquarium and are as curious to watch for visitors to the Tongariro National Trout Centre as cubs at a zoo.
Date: 13 April 2013
Department of Conservation’s (DOC) annual population checks continue to show an increase in numbers and dispersal of pateke (brown teal) on the Coromandel Peninsula.
Date: 11 April 2013
After a NZ fur seal was rescued from entangled fishing gear at Wainui Beach, Gisborne on 10 April 2013, DOC is reminding the public of the dangers marine debris pose to seals.
Date: 11 April 2013
A small team of DOC rangers from across the Waikato spent two days in search of the elusive Dactylanthus taylorii or wood rose. Much excitement followed the discovery of a flowering individual during the grid search.
Date: 09 April 2013
The Department of Conservation (DOC) has successfully prosecuted a helicopter pilot for illegally hovering over the summit of Aoraki/Mt Cook.
Date: 05 April 2013
A rare beaked whale has washed up on a remote Westland beach—the third specimen of this whale type to be found on this coastline in the last two years.
Date: 05 April 2013
DOC is entering a new direction with a strong focus on community, business and iwi/hapu/whanau relationships. Bringing together these three elements is a new DOC Northland initiative, Te Ao Pakihi (The Business World).
Date: 04 April 2013
The Ngaruroro River has been tested negative for didymo in the Kaimanawa Forest Park after a recent report from a concerned hunter about an algae bloom. This is an important reminder to Check Clean Dry your tramping boots between waterways.
Date: 03 April 2013
To celebrate Whio Awareness Month which was celebrated in March 2013, a new and exciting geocache challenge awaits those that visit Whirinaki.
Date: 03 April 2013
A 55 year-old Auckland man has been fined a total of four thousand dollars after he admitted importing traditional Asian medicines containing endangered and threatened species of plants.
Date: 03 April 2013
The Department of Conservation is asking Nelson Tasman residents to step up searches for great white butterfly caterpillars and eggs in their gardens and report any found with an expected autumn surge in butterfly breeding now underway.
Date: 02 April 2013
The Department of Conservation says claims by Forest and Bird that DOC is proposing to cut specialist and ranger support for its kākāpō recovery programme are wrong.
Date: 02 April 2013
Woody the NZ wood pigeon/kererū was returned home to the Tongariro National Trout Centre by Turangi bird rescue volunteer Carol Harwood, after nursing him back to health after a crash landing into a window down at the Trout Centre.
Date: 28 March 2013
Three rats have been found in traps on Ulva Island, an open wildlife sanctuary off the coast of Stewart Island/Rakiura which was thought to be pest-free.
Date: 28 March 2013
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is calling for all hunters to strictly adhere to the firearms safety code when hunting on conservation land this season.
Date: 26 March 2013
The Department of Conservation is proposing a new streamlined and outwardly focused operational structure to grow conservation.
Date: 25 March 2013
Read a media release from the Northland Conservation Board that provides an overview of key topics discussed at the last Board meeting Friday 15 March 2013 - Conservation planning takes a major step forward, ‘Save the kukupa’ campaign, and Ecological management.
Date: 22 March 2013
Anglers fishing on Lake Taupo this summer have experienced some of the best fishing for some time - the trout have been abundant and in great condition.
Date: 21 March 2013
The Acheron Road through Molesworth Station is to reopen on Friday 22 March.
Date: 21 March 2013
Six whio raised in captivity were released on 21 March 2013 in the Tongariro area to supplement the wild populations.
Date: 20 March 2013
Hunters who fly into Westland’s most remote backcountry areas after being awarded a helicopter landing site in the annual tahr ballot have a great opportunity to provide valuable conservation information and could now win a prize for their efforts.
Date: 19 March 2013
The sustainable and unified management of Pukekura reserve land is the goal of a management plan being formally launched tomorrow.
Date: 18 March 2013
A winning statement from 8 year old Imogen Wood of Tolaga Bay Area School, in line with this year's theme "Healthy Seas - Healthy People", one of 245 entries in the annual East Coast and Eastern Bay of Plenty Seaweek Kids Pictures and Stories Competition.
Date: 18 March 2013
Due to extreme fire risk, DOC have consulted Te Tapatoru a Toi (Joint Management Committee) and closed Moutohora (Whale Island).
Date: 15 March 2013
Two bridges that help trampers and hunters access the most remote corners of the West Coast have been replaced, in time for the autumn roar.
Date: 18 March 2013
A record breeding season for the endangered kakī/black stilt has been greatly helped by high country farmers.
Date: 15 March 2013
The Eastern Bay of Plenty is now an extreme fire risk. For public safety the Department of Conservation, in conjunction with the Whakatane District Council, have closed the Nga Tapuwae o Toi Walkway tracks through Ohope Scenic Reserve until further notice.
Date: 18 March 2013
Wanted! Kāpiti Coast’s and Wellington’s Worst Weeds
Date: 18 March 2013
Whanganui and Ruapehu Department of Conservation staff have released whio back into wild populations on the Manganui o te Ao River, the upper Whanganui River and Whakapapa River.
Date: 16 March 2013
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
A piece of West Coast land has changed hands for the first time since the 1860s protecting a significant area of lowland forest, Minister of Conservation Hon Dr Nick Smith says.
Date: 15 March 2013
The advisory warning people not to go within the 2km Summit Hazard Zone on Mt Ruapehu has been lifted.
Date: 15 March 2013
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
New Zealand’s green geckos will be given greater protection against smuggling following a decision at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) conference in Bangkok, Minister of Conservation Nick Smith announced today.
Date: 14 March 2013
From Saturday 16 March 2013 until further notice, Matiu/Somes Island will be closed daily from midday onwards. Visitors must depart the island by 12:50 pm daily.
Date: 13 March 2013
The Secretary Island deer eradication programme led by the Department of Conservation (DOC) has been ramped up this year, to obtain essential information required for the final stages of returning the island to its natural deer free state.
Date: 12 March 2013
The fortunes of rare whio/blue ducks in Kahurangi National Park’s Wangapeka-Fyfe area have been boosted by the arrival of eight young ducks last week.
Date: 13 March 2013
Mokoia Island houses a number of endangered species that just became a little more endangered of late. A dead rat in a trap and mouse tracks have been discovered on the island during routine monthly checks carried out by Department of Conservation (DOC) staff.
Date: 12 March 2013
The Department of Conservation rejects media reports that it is moving to drop New Zealand-made products from its visitor centres in favour of items made offshore.
Date: 10 March 2013
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
Minister of Conservation Dr Nick Smith today announced at the Bluegreens Forum in Levin he has formally approved the new Kahurangi, Punakaiki, Okarito, Tauparikaka and Hautai marine reserves totalling 17,500 hectares on the West Coast.
Date: 07 March 2013
Following the recent disappointing discovery of the pest fish rudd in Lake Ianthe, Hokitika DOC and Fish & Game staff carried out a fish survey at Lake Mahinapua this week using a variety of traps and nets.
Date: 07 March 2013
Source: Joint Fonterra/DOC media release
Fonterra and the Department of Conservation (DOC) today announced a $20 million community investment to improve the natural habitats of some key waterways around New Zealand over the next ten years.
Date: 07 March 2013
The Department of Conservation is pleased to announce the opening of a further section of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. This will take effect from Saturday 9 March 2013.
Date: 06 March 2013
Source: New Zealand Conservation Authority
The New Zealand Conservation Authority invites you to a public meeting to hear views on the proposal to establish a national park centred on the Waipoua Forest.
Date: 06 March 2013
Submissions on the draft Conservation Management Strategies for Northland, Auckland and Waikato need to be received by 4:30pm on Friday 15 March 2013.
Date: 04 March 2013
Due to the continued dry weather, all Fire Authorities across Northland have now imposed 'total fire bans' or what is called a 'Prohibited Fire Season' until further notice.
Date: 05 March 2013
The Acheron Road through Molesworth Station is to close from Tuesday 12 March due to extreme fire danger.
Date: 03 March 2013
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
Christchurch’s popular Godley Head coastal track was formally re-opened today by Minister of Conservation Dr Nick Smith, in time to celebrate Seaweek.
Date: 01 March 2013
In its fourth year, the LEARNZ Far North field trip focused on World Wetlands Day with a strong Tikanga Maori and Te Reo component.
Date: 28 February 2013
Celebrate our connection to the ocean with Seaweek in the Eastern Bay of Plenty from 2-10 March 2013.
Date: 27 February 2013
The Department of Conservation is calling on the public to help kill great white butterflies as efforts ramp up to eradicate the pest from Nelson Tasman.
Date: 28 February 2013
With the onset on the hunting season, hunters are reminded to gain a hunting permit from DOC to hunt on conservation land and that spotlighting is illegal.
Date: 28 February 2013
It’s been a bumper breeding season for the whio, New Zealand’s threatened species of native duck that are only found in fast flowing waters.
Date: 27 February 2013
Celebrate our connection to the ocean with Seaweek, from 2-10 March 2013.
Date: 27 February 2013
The Department of Conservation’s $1,045,000 24-week upgrade to Kawau Island’s Mansion House is reaching its final stage of completion.
Date: 27 February 2013
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
An historic cabin linked to Scott’s fatal Antarctic expedition has been rescued today from the brink of an earthquake-crumbled cliff top, says Minister of Conservation Dr Nick Smith.
Date: 27 February 2013
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
Minister of Conservation Dr Nick Smith has welcomed the opening of the first buckets of 45,000 litres worth of paint provided by Dulux under a new $1.5 million conservation partnership announced today.
Date: 27 February 2013
The Department of Conservation has announced a $1.5 million partnership with Dulux New Zealand to paint and protect public huts and lodges over the next three years.
Date: 25 February 2013
The most comprehensive biodiversity monitoring blitz ever undertaken on New Zealand's rocky shoreline will be a key feature of NZAEE Seaweek during 2-10 March 2013.
Date: 23 February 2013
Seventy-four endangered brown teal/pāteke were released into the Arthur Valley on the Milford Track on Thursday 21 February 2013 as a result of a new Great Walk conservation initiative between the Department of Conservation and Air New Zealand.
Date: 23 February 2013
A series of rare bird releases have marked the launch of an ambitious new conservation project to bring some of New Zealand’s most threatened birds back to our internationally renowned Great Walk tracks.
Date: 21 February 2013
The Taupo Trout Fishery is developing a smartphone appl for the modern day angler.
Date: 15 February 2013
Events to commemorate 35 years since the rediscovery of the Chatham Island tāiko, one of the world’s rarest seabirds, were held on the Chatham Islands last month.
Date: 14 February 2013
In 2006 the idea of opening up the 1880s old Dray County Road between the Lyell and Seddonville settlements was initiated by the Mokihinui Lyell Backcountry Trust (MLBT), a group of like-minded locals that had a love for this unique area.
Date: 14 February 2013
Coastal Otago Area Office Programme Manager Biodiversity Assets David Agnew, Ranger Mel Young and Programme Manager Community Relations Cheryl Pullar have been in crisis mode during the past fortnight, with the tally of dead yellow-eyed penguins reaching 48 on Otago Peninsula.
Date: 04 February 2013
The owners of Onenui Station have increased their trapping efforts after a devastating season.
Date: 04 February 2013
The critically endangered New Zealand shore plover population on Waikawa (Portland Island) has been dealt a harsh blow.
Date: 04 February 2013
A free weka aversion training session for dogs and their owners will be held in Matauwhi Bay Reserve, Russell on 18 February 2013.
Date: 04 February 2013
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
Conservation Minister Nick Smith today opened a 26 kilometre section of the Old Ghost Road cycle trail in Buller.
Date: 01 February 2013
The Department of Conservation is asking Nelson residents for help to find patches of uncontrolled nasturtium as part of efforts to eradicate the pest great white butterfly.
Date: 01 February 2013
With a vision to bringing back some of New Zealand's rare birds to the Milford Track Great Walk, the Department of Conservation and Air New Zealand have increased the effort to control introduced predators in the area.
Date: 01 February 2013
The Department of Conservation reminds visitors to heed local advice and not underestimate Fiordland's terrain after a group of tourists was severely shaken recently.
Date: 01 February 2013
This summer points to a significant rise in the number of people doing the country’s Great Walks, the Department of Conservation says.
Date: 29 January 2013
Trapping is being stepped up on Adele Island to protect its native wildlife after a stoat was found dead in a trap on the Abel Tasman National Park island sanctuary.
Date: 31 January 2013
The Department of Conservation is providing project management training workshops for Maori organisations to enhance the way iwi/hapu conservation projects are managed in New Zealand.
Date: 31 January 2013
Wetlands play a vital role in regulating water quality and volume as it flows from the mountains to the sea. World Wetlands Day is this Saturday, 2 February 2013.
Date: 30 January 2013
The current spell of hot weather is taking its toll on the Northern Royal albatross colony at Taiaroa Head, and sprinkler systems are being deployed to cool heat stressed birds.
Date: 29 January 2013
Hot dry weather will bring extreme fire danger over the next few days meaning that one careless act could spark a devastating blaze.
Date: 28 January 2013
Ranger Inger Perkins represented the Department of Conservation at the Driftwood and Sand prizegiving on 27 January saying “being right here on the beautiful Hokitika beach provides an opportunity for us to think about our marine environment, and link to Seaweek."
Date: 25 January 2013
A successful project to save New Zealand's rarest kiwi species—the rowi—from extinction, has enabled the Department of Conservation to return another 9 young birds to Ōkārito forest today.
Date: 24 January 2013
Two and a half years after a fake gannet colony was set up on Motuora Island, in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, gannets have hatched a chick on the island hopefully starting a real gannet colony.
Date: 24 January 2013
The new Heaphy Hut is a perfect destination for trampers walking the Heaphy Track Great Walk.
Date: 24 January 2013
That is the slogan for the 2013 World Wetlands Day on 2 February 2013.
Date: 22 January 2013
The noxious pest fish, rudd, has been found in a West Coast lake for the first time causing the Department of Conservation grave concern.
Date: 22 January 2013
A new pest control initiative known as the 'Noose and Necklace' is underway in the eastern Bay of Islands to help protect the Cape Brett Peninsula and Project Island Song.
Date: 21 January 2013
A student initiative to reintroduce great-spotted kiwi/roroa to the Nina valley in Lewis Pass has enabled the Department of Conservation (DOC) to release two more birds into the area.
Date: 18 January 2013
Hunters are again being invited to apply to fly into the Tasman Wilderness Area to hunt during the autumn roar deer hunting season.
Date: 18 January 2013
A Project Janszoon 65-kilometre network of stoat traps is now in place to protect native wildlife in the Abel Tasman National Park interior.
Date: 18 January 2013
Any dog can kill kiwi - This is the message on large road signs in place at Ngunguru, Parua Bay and Hikurangi, letting communities know 'kiwi are here' so please control your dog at all times.
Date: 18 January 2013
A comprehensive report on the natural areas of south-eastern Northland are highlighted in a new report entitled Natural areas of Rodney Ecological District (Northland).
Date: 14 January 2013
In a rare move, endangered kakī/black stilts have been released in Lake Tekapo township, alongside a popular walking track.
Date: 17 January 2013
Two determined pensioners have transformed a Far North reserve from a gorse-covered haven for possums into a lush love nest for amorous moreporks.
Date: 17 January 2013
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
Thousands of New Zealanders have taken time out to camp and relax in Department of Conservation campsites around the country this summer, Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson says.
Date: 16 January 2013
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing trek continues to attract large numbers of visitors, even though the northern section of the track from the Emerald Lakes to the Ketetahi carpark remains closed and the Mangatepopo access road has restricted access.
Date: 11 January 2013
Newly released Snares Island snipe are doing well in their new home on predator-free Codfish Island/Whenua Hou after their recent transfer.
Date: 11 January 2013
Householders in Richmond and other parts of Tasman as well as in Nelson city are being asked to look for great white butterfly caterpillars and eggs in their gardens following first reports of the pest in Richmond last week.
Date: 10 January 2013
The Department of Conservation reports that there has been widespread flooding within Fiordland National Park as a result of a storm that peaked between 9 pm and midnight last night.
Date: 09 January 2013
The Department of Conservation advises that the Milford Track has again been closed for the day due to high winds and heavy rain.
Date: 04 January 2013
The Heaphy Track, New Zealand's longest Great Walk, now also boasts the longest deck suspension bridge the Department of Conservation has ever built.