Date:  22 May 2025

Budget 2025 for DOC is made up of three components:

• IVL funding for new initiatives
• Reductions to Grants and Funds
• Contribution to Baseline Savings Review

An ongoing annual uplift of $20 million has been allocated to the Department of Conservation through the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) resulting from the recent rate increase to $100. This funding will support New Zealand’s status as a world-class destination by ensuring that our wildlife, forests and marine areas continue to be a drawcard for international visitors.  

Additional time-limited IVL funding of $36 million has been provided to progress previously endorsed projects. 

Like other government agencies, DOC was directed to find savings from its baseline by reducing funding and grant payments to third parties that are not aligned to government priorities. This has resulted in ongoing annual savings of $3 million by reducing grant payments to the Mātauranga Kura Taiao Fund, the Nature Heritage Fund, ending a co-funding contribution to the Tohu Whenua Heritage visitor programme run by Heritage NZ, as well as ending discretionary grant payments associated with Treaty of Waitangi settlements.

Further ongoing baseline savings of $5 million per annum have been achieved by closing the Crown Land Acquisition Fund, decreasing Policy services functions, and disestablishing the Predator Free 2050 Ltd Company.

Budget 2025 initiatives

DOC’s Budget 2025 new spending initiatives include:

• A $20.000 million annual ongoing increase in IVL funding resulting from the recent rate increase to $100.
• A $32.000 million time-limited increase until 2028/29 in IVL funding that had previously been returned to the Crown.
• A $4.008 million time-limited increase in IVL funding to deliver previously endorsed projects. 

DOC’s Budget 2025 savings initiatives include: 

• A $0.600 million ongoing reduction in Policy services functions.
• A $1.000 million ongoing reduction from the closure of the Crown Land Acquisition fund.
• A $0.663 million ongoing reduction from the closure of the Mātauranga Kura Taiao Fund and a return of all uncommitted funding.
• A $1.303 million ongoing reduction from the closure of the Nature Heritage fund, whose purpose was to purchase and acquire land for public conservation.
• A $3.600 million ongoing reduction from the disestablishment of Predator Free 2050 Limited. This closure will consolidate the functions and Predator Free 2050 capabilities within the Department of Conservation and result in greater efficiencies.
• A $0.130 million ongoing reduction by ending the Department of Conservation’s funding contribution to Heritage NZ to support the Tohu Whenua Heritage Visitor Programme.
• A $0.710 million ongoing reduction from the cessation of payments of discretionary grants associated with Treaty of Waitangi settlements. Existing contractual commitments will be fulfilled and, as these are discretionary grants, the savings do not impinge on the Crown’s ability to meet its relevant Treaty settlement obligations.

DOC's 2025/26 departmental appropriations

DOC’s departmental output appropriations are increasing by $45m, from $664 million in 2024/25 to $709 million in 2025/26.

The increase in 2025/26 appropriations is driven by $32 million of new Budget 2025 IVL funding in 2025/26 and $14 million of other time-limited baseline adjustments including funding transfers from 2024/25. These are offset by $1 million of Budget 2025 savings.

The department will continue to adapt to remain financially sustainable in the current challenging fiscal environment while delivering maximum outcomes to benefit New Zealand. The following chart shows DOC’s departmental output appropriations in 2025/26:

Trend in DOC’s appropriations

Vote Conservation has two main components:

• Departmental spending, which includes DOC's operating and capital budget.
• Non-departmental spending, which DOC spends on behalf of the Crown, eg grants to community conservation funds and the protection of biodiversity on private and Māori land.

Chart notes:

• Appropriations pre 2025/26 are per Supplementary Estimates for each Financial Year.
• Appropriations from 2025/26 onwards are per Main Estimates 2025/26 and are subject to change pending future budgets and baseline adjustments.
• Tagged contingency funding has been excluded.

The graph above shows how DOC’s departmental appropriations (including operating and capital) and non-departmental appropriations (including operating and capital) have changed over time.

The changes in departmental and non-departmental appropriations since 2018/19 have been driven by temporary funding increases from the Covid Recovery and Relief Funds received at Budget 2020 (primarily the Jobs for Nature programme), ongoing additional funding provided through Budget 2022, savings realised at Budget 2024 and IVL funding increases that were provided at Budget 2025.

The following initiatives were funded at each Budget (the dollar amounts refer to the first five years of total budget funding):