Application for a Marine Mammal Permit by Benjamin Work
Have your say on a marine mammal permit application by Benjamin Work to take, import and export marine mammal bone. Submissions close 1 January 2026.

Pursuant to section 5(5) of the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978, and to a delegation from the Minister of Conservation, the Operations Manager, Gareth Hopkins, Department of Conservation notifies that they have received a permit application from Benjamin Work to take, import and export marine mammal bone.

Application details

Applicant: Benjamin Work
Application number: 122589-MAR
Location of proposed activity: The item will be shipped from Auckland, New Zealand, to Sydney, Australia, and was sourced from Taranaki.
Permission type: Marine Mammal Protection Act 1978
Summary of proposal: Application to take, import and export whale bone to Sydney, Australia, for the purpose of displaying at an art exhibition In March 2026. The Bone originates from the Taranaki district, being sourced from beached whale that was culturally harvested.

Application documents:

How to make a submission

Any person or organisation may make a submission in writing to the Director-General on the proposal.

Submissions close at 11:59 pm, 1 January 2026.

1. Prepare your submission

Record what you think in the submission form.

Submission form (PDF, 237K)
Submission form (DOCX, 66K)

Any person or organisation may make a submission in writing to the Director-General on the proposal.

2. Send us your submission

Send your submission by email or post. You'll get a confirmation email or letter when a submission has been received.

Email: permissionschristchurch@doc.govt.nz
Subject line: Submission on 122589-MAR, Benjamin Works

Post:
Director-General
Department of Conservation
C/- Levi Barton
Christchurch Shared Services
Private Bag 4715
Christchurch Mail Centre
Christchurch 8140

Once submitted, submitters' information is subject to the Official Information Act 1982 and may be released under that Act. If you wish to keep any part of your submission confidential, state this in writing when making your submission.

What happens next

After submissions close:

  1. DOC will analyse and consider all submissions and comments on the submissions.
  2. DOC will make a recommendation to the Minister of Conservation.
  3. The Minister of Conservation will make a decision on the application.

Decision

No details at this point. Details, such as submissions and the decision outcome, will be added when they are available.

Contact

If you have a question about the application or the submission process you can contact Levi Barton, Permissions Advisor.

Email: permissionschristchurch@doc.govt.nz