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 closed on 1 January 2026.
What happens next
After submissions close:
- DOC will analyse and consider all submissions and comments on the submissions.
- DOC will make a recommendation to the Minister of Conservation.
- 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.