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View media releases from previous years.
Date: 29 September 2023 Two critically threatened matuku-hūrepo/Australasian bittern were killed on a stretch of State Highway 12 between Rotu Forest and Maitahi, just outside Dargaville in recent weeks.
Date: 29 September 2023 DOC says the project to upgrade Tuatapere’s Hump Ridge track has been slowed by supply chain delays, weather conditions and arduous terrain.
Date: 28 September 2023 Tracks and infrastructure on public conservation land in flood-affected Southland and Otago have held up well but visitors are still advised to exercise caution and keep up to date with relevant information.
Date: 27 September 2023 More kea are being seen in the Nelson Lakes area to the delight of visitors and DOC staff, and it’s an encouraging sign their numbers there are growing.
Date: 22 September 2023 DOC is expecting flood damage across conservation areas in Southland and Otago and is advising people to reconsider any backcountry travel.
Date: 21 September 2023 A Department of Conservation survey shows a big increase in whio numbers in Kahurangi National Park over the past 23 years thanks to predator control and management measures to grow the native blue duck’s numbers.
Date: 18 September 2023 Kōkako are “rapidly expanding” at Rotoehu Forest between Rotorua, Whakatāne and Te Puke according to a new survey of the birds.
Date: 15 September 2023 The curious story of Manaia’s wayward weka is wrapping up as the birds fly to a new home at a South Island wildlife reserve.
Date: 14 September 2023 A further six Ngāi Tahu kākāpō have been released at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari in Waikato following the successful settling in of four kākāpō earlier this year.
Date: 13 September 2023 A Hahei resident has used social media to explain how they reached Cathedral Cove using a closed and damaged track.
Date: 11 September 2023 DOC investigators say they’re shocked and horrified by several incidents in which protected native animals have been decapitated.
Date: 11 September 2023 Post mortem and tissue study results, provided by Auckland Zoo, show a North Island brown kiwi found at Omaha in Tāmaki/Auckland died with both severe injury trauma and underlying diseases.
Date: 09 September 2023 The 70-year-old Wildlife Act will be replaced with modern, fit-for-purpose legislation to better protect native species and improve biodiversity, Minister of Conservation Willow-Jean Prime has announced.
Date: 08 September 2023 An elusive colony of Southern lesser short-tailed bats appears to be holding steady with the population estimated between 300 and 400 individuals.
Date: 07 September 2023 The Department of Conservation (DOC) is appealing for information after a female New Zealand sea lion/pakake was shot and killed near Dunedin last week.
Date: 07 September 2023 A new survey has revealed continued growth in the population of kōkako in Pureora Forest, eastern Maniapoto.
Date: 05 September 2023 The body of a juvenile pygmy blue whale was discovered on Red Beach on Saturday 2 September.
Date: 04 September 2023 An ambitious programme to revive the Rakitata (Rangitata) River is seeking input on a strategy to restore the mauri (life force) of the river.
Date: 04 September 2023 A doubling of kākā – drawn to mass flowering of native mistletoe – was a highlight of the annual bird count in the Landsborough valley last summer.
Date: 31 August 2023 Frogs are the focus of New Zealand Journal of Ecology’s latest special issue, highlighting the problems these precious amphibians face, and providing a fitting tribute to a champion of our native frogs, the late Emeritus Professor Phil Bishop.
Date: 31 August 2023 DOC has successfully completed the complex job of fixing a collapsed section of 140-year-old stone retaining walls at Denniston, north of Westport
Date: 31 August 2023 A seal pup killed by a dog on a Wellington beach has prompted DOC to remind owners to ‘be present’ with their dogs during walks.
Date: 31 August 2023 DOC is highlighting some key things to ensure a safe and happy whitebait season which runs from 1 September to 30 October.
Date: 30 August 2023 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation, Office of the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries The Government moved to protect the Hauraki Gulf for future generations today with the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill passing its first reading, Conservation Minister Willow-Jean Prime said.
Date: 30 August 2023 More rocks and debris have fallen from Cathedral Cove’s famous arch, re-emphasising the risk to visitors at the beach.
Date: 29 August 2023 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation and the Mininster of Oceans and Fisheries The Labour Government will ban bottom fishing from the vast bulk of the Hauraki Gulf as part of its plan to better protect the 1.2-million-hectare marine park for future generations, with public consultation opening tomorrow.
Date: 28 August 2023 The first fledgling toroa/northern royal albatross to leave Pukekura/Taiaroa Head on Otago Peninsula this season set a record when he spread his wings and set off to spend years at sea.
Date: 28 August 2023 DOC rangers and Taupō Police are increasing patrols at Whakaipo Bay, Taupō, following a spate of damaging off-road driving.
Date: 25 August 2023 DOC is hailing the success of the Paparoa Track Great Walk since it opened in 2019.
Date: 25 August 2023 Takahē have been returned to Ngāi Tahu whenua/land in the upper Lake Whakatipu Waimāori valley with the aim of establishing a third wild population.
Date: 23 August 2023 The Department of Conservation (DOC) is highlighting some key things to ensure a safe and happy Kāpiti Coast whitebait season, including to protect our local taonga.
Date: 25 August 2023 Access to popular Cape Reinga/Te Rerenga Wairua will be limited over the coming weeks as important repair work gets underway, the Department of Conservation announced today.
Date: 22 August 2023 An independent review into kiwi deaths at Cape Sanctuary seven years ago will become part of a broader programme of work to set DOC up for success.
Date: 21 August 2023 DOC is encouraging postgraduate students to apply for its natural and social science scholarships, with a focus this year on new and innovative technologies that generate conservation outcomes.
Date: 18 August 2023 DOC staff visited the Kennedy Point Marina site on Waiheke Island yesterday to confirm no kororā/little penguins were trapped under newly placed rocks.
Date: 17 August 2023 Nestled in the foothills between Ohakune and Raetihi, a Puketawa passion project has returned native birdsong to a patch of paradise.
Date: 17 August 2023 Accommodation facilities at Deep Cove, Fiordland, are closed to overnight visitors due to the ongoing risks posed by a recent landslide.
Date: 17 August 2023 DOC and West Coast Regional Council are urging boaties, anglers and anyone who spends time on West Coast lakes to help protect against freshwater pests.
Date: 17 August 2023 An independent report confirms the risk of potentially harmful rockfall and landslides at Coromandel’s Cathedral Cove and its adjacent bays and tracks.
Date: 16 August 2023 Those enjoying the Whanganui coastline are being urged to admire NZ fur seals/kekeno from a safe distance, as the mammals come ashore for winter.
Date: 14 August 2023 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation The importance of working together for the environment was highlighted today as Minister of Conservation Minister Willow-Jean Prime kicked off Conservation Week 2023 at a South Auckland stream restoration project.
Date: 14 August 2023 After three successful releases, 143 hardy kakī/black stilt are adapting to life in the snowy wilds of Te Manahuna/Mackenzie Basin.
Date: 14 August 2023 Vulnerable native species in the Dart, Routeburn and Caples valleys in Otago are benefiting from an extended period of low rodent numbers thanks to a successful predator control operation.
Date: 10 August 2023 Visitors are being welcomed to the DOC Pipiriki Field Base on Wednesday 16 August.
Date: 10 August 2023 Taumarunui and Ruapehu communities are invited to join DOC staff in taking action for nature at Whakahoro Campsite on the 15 August.
Date: 10 August 2023 The Whanganui community are being encouraged to take action for nature during Conservation Week 2023, which this year is from 14 to 20 August.
Date: 10 August 2023 The last of the new whitebaiting regulations will roll out for the South Island’s West Coast on 1 September, the first day of this year’s whitebaiting season.
Date: 11 August 2023 Christchurch company Jet Junkies has withdrawn its permit application to run jet ski propelled boat tours to view marine mammals including Hector’s dolphins/upokohue in Whakaraupō/Lyttelton Harbour.
Date: 10 August 2023 Kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeet, New Zealand’s rarest parakeet species, may soon call Pukenui/Anchor Island home.
Date: 09 August 2023 Source: Office of the Prime Minister, Office of the Minister of Conservation, Office of the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries The Government is taking a major step towards protecting the Hauraki Gulf for future generations, including nearly tripling the area of Auckland’s maritime area that’s under protection.
Date: 08 August 2023 A rāhui placed on the Hawke’s Bay region after Cyclone Gabrielle by Mana Ahuriri will continue into the whitebait season.
Date: 04 August 2023 In a proactive step to prioritise the safety and well-being of visitors, DOC has announced the closure of a 60-metre section of the Hongi Hika track at Hongi Hika Recreation Reserve in Kerikeri.
Date: 27 July 2023 Efforts to protect native wildlife in Waitaki braided river systems will get a significant boost under a $2.3 million per annum agreement between DOC, Meridian Energy and Genesis Energy.
Date: 26 July 2023 DOC is planning to remove rats from Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara to return the sanctuary to its former pest-free status this winter.
Date: 25 July 2023 A planned Māori language proficiency incentive will help DOC fulfil Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations when it begins next July.
Date: 24 July 2023 $9.2 million from the DOC Community Fund has been awarded to 38 groups protecting threatened species and cultural heritage across New Zealand.
Date: 21 July 2023 Some tracks and forest are closing in Kaimai Mamaku Conservation Park.
Date: 24 July 2023 DOC is backing five new projects to develop smarter and more effective tools to help achieve a predator-free Aotearoa New Zealand.
Date: 24 July 2023 Source: Department of Conservation and New Zealand Deerstalkers Association DOC and the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association have partnered to run a new National Wild Goat Hunting competition.
Date: 21 July 2023 A new hut in a treasured backcountry spot is ready to go after a five year effort by the North Otago Branch of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association (NZDA).
Date: 19 July 2023 For the first time in nearly four decades, kākāpō will be living on mainland New Zealand.
Date: 19 July 2023 DOC has launched a new process to make it easier for jobseekers to place into their ideal roles.
Date: 17 July 2023 One of Rakiura/Stewart Island’s most popular viewing spots will be upgraded with a new platform and safety barrier.
Date: 12 July 2023 People are encouraged to start thinking about how they can “take action for nature” this Conservation Week, which will be running from 14 to 20 August.
Date: 04 July 2023 Native species in an isolated and rugged part of Taranaki are being protected through hard physical work and the smart use of modern digital technology.
Date: 03 July 2023 Many visitor sites across the North Island have now reopened after months of inspections and repair work in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle and other storms.
Date: 03 July 2023 A new initiative aims to give young Coromandel people the chance to forge a career in conservation.
Date: 30 June 2023 Source: Department of Conservation and Toyota New Zealand Ltd After seven years, DOC, in consultation with Toyota New Zealand, has made the difficult decision to wind down the Toyota Kiwi Guardians (TKG) programme from 1 August 2023.
Date: 29 June 2023 DOC is calling for information from the public after a rare matuku-hūrepo/Australasian bittern had to be euthanised after it was shot.
Date: 27 June 2023 The Department of Conservation is asking people to do their bit to prevent humpback whales becoming entangled in fishing gear as they migrate north along the New Zealand coastline.
Date: 26 June 2023 Visitors to the central North Island’s protected conservation forests are urged to report suspicious activity after a spate of illegal tree felling incidents.
Date: 23 June 2023 This June marks 10 years since a small group of dedicated Aucklanders started tending the heritage gardens surrounding Mansion House on Kawau Island.
Date: 22 June 2023 A rare matuku-hūrepo/Australasian bittern was released following a successful rehabilitation at Auckland Zoo.
Date: 20 June 2023 As the road cordon to Muriwai in west Auckland is lifted, DOC and Auckland Council are warning the public that many tracks remain closed in and around the Waitākere Ranges.
Date: 15 June 2023 Source: DOC and The Nature Conservancy Aotearoa NZ A recent hui explored how coastal restoration can help in the fight against climate change.
Date: 14 June 2023 Midweek vehicle access to the Blue Mountains Recreational Hunting Area near Tapanui has reopened for approved recreational hunters.
Date: 14 June 2023 DOC has announced new opening dates for booking Great Walks and other facilities for the 2023/24 season (excluding Milford which booked out on 20 April).
Date: 12 June 2023 DOC is issuing its seasonal reminder to keep an eye out for fur seals around New Zealand’s coastlines and on coastal roads.
Date: 12 June 2023 Taupō Fishing District licence fees for the 2023-24 season have been confirmed by DOC.
Date: 08 June 2023 DOC’s ‘Lead the Way’ programme furthers its ‘wildlife-wise’ dog ownership cause.
Date: 06 June 2023 The call of the kōkako has been heard at Waitaanga Conservation Area in Taranaki for the first time in more than 25 years.
Date: 02 June 2023 A photo of an angler holding a stunning brown trout caught at Lake Otamangakau is the overall winner of this year’s DOC Taupō fishery photo competition.
Date: 31 May 2023 DOC has decided to take more time to make sure its booking system for Great Walks is performing well before opening bookings for next season.
Date: 26 May 2023 Two certified rodent detection dogs are traversing the Mokohinau Islands and Rakitū this week to ensure not a single rodent is present.
Date: 26 May 2023 DOC is temporarily closing three popular bridges in the Wānaka area for safety reasons.
Date: 26 May 2023 The results from DOC's visitor insights for the 2022/23 summer have revealed a few twists.
Date: 19 May 2023 Two species of tāpia/mistletoe semiparasitic native plants are being returned to Pirongia Forest Park in Waikato.
Date: 16 May 2023 One of New Zealand’s rarest bird species has suffered a disappointing blow to the population after up to 50 birds died in the past year.
Date: 12 May 2023 Recent stormy weather in the southern South Island has led to large numbers of tītī landing, or crash-landing, inland or along the Southland and Otago coast.
Date: 09 May 2023 DOC has two new rangers-in-training to help protect Taranaki’s endangered wildlife – puppies Pip and Roscoe.
Date: 09 May 2023 Big changes have been made to DOC’s annual Name the Chick competition for this year’s big Royal Cam star, with those submitting a name asked to take action to protect albatross.
Date: 05 May 2023 DOC is again urging people to keep their dogs under control in coastal areas after a necropsy confirmed the penguin dumped in an Otago bin was killed by a dog.
Date: 04 May 2023 The summer breeding season posed significant challenges for the nationally critical tara iti / NZ fairy tern.
Date: 03 May 2023 Hunters and their supporters from around the North Island converged on DOC’s Pureora field base at the weekend for the culmination of the annual Pureora Hunting Competition, which was dominated by one local hunter.
Date: 01 May 2023 Several of the DOC’s visitor sites in Coromandel’s Kauaeranga Valley will be closed this month for maintenance and repairs.
Date: 01 May 2023 Conservation professionals from across New Zealand will converge on Waikato this week for a conference focussed on protection of native bats/pekapeka.
Date: 28 April 2023 The Department of Conservation is working with its IT vendor to resolve a booking system fault and will reopen the 2023/24 Great Walks bookings in mid-June.
Date: 27 April 2023 A new 64-metre bridge is planned for the St James Cycle Trail, near Hanmer Springs, meaning the Great Ride will once again be ridable from Maling Pass to the St James Homestead.
Date: 27 April 2023 New Zealand’s two rare native bat/pekapeka species are only doing well in places under intensive predator control, confirms the latest threat classification report published by DOC today.
Date: 24 April 2023 The stoat at the centre of a major biosecurity response on predator free Chalky Island/Te Kākahu-O-Tamatea has been caught, DOC announced today.
Date: 20 April 2023 Taranaki Maunga’s Around the Mountain Circuit has been closed until further notice due to severe storm damage and constant erosion. Sections of track have been wiped out in recent weeks.
Date: 19 April 2023 The mystery of Manaia’s wayward weka has deepened with the capture of a second weka discovered in the South Taranaki township.
Date: 18 April 2023 An adult male Māui or Hector’s dolphin found dead on an isolated south Auckland beach has been determined to have died from toxoplasmosis.
Date: 18 April 2023 Sophisticated DNA technology has detected a previously unknown population of critically threatened Clutha flathead galaxias in Central Otago’s Ōrau/Cardrona River.
Date: 14 April 2023 Twenty-one Kapitia skinks relocated from Auckland Zoo to their home habitat on the West Coast earlier this week.
Date: 14 April 2023 DOC is updating accommodation prices for huts, lodges, some campsites, the West Coast’s Paparoa Track, and off-season rates for some Great Walk huts.
Date: 13 April 2023 With the recreational pāua fishing season in Kaikōura opening this month, DOC and Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura are reminding people taking pāua or any other fishing is not allowed inside Hikurangi Marine Reserve.
Date: 06 April 2023 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation Bookings for New Zealand’s iconic Great Walks will open from 20 April.
Date: 05 April 2023 Hunters and trampers heading into the outdoors are encouraged to be considerate of others over the busy Easter period.
Date: 05 April 2023 A kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeet population has been re-established and is already breeding in Hawdon Valley, in Arthur’s Pass National Park, following four successful releases this summer.
Date: 04 April 2023 Rats on the Cook Islands’ Palmerston Atoll could be gone for good by year’s end, making a massive difference to the island’s community and biodiversity.
Date: 27 March 2023 A new marine reserve ranger has increased efforts to stop illegal fishing inside Kapiti Marine Reserve and thanks locals for their contribution.
Date: 23 March 2023 The body of a Māui or Hector’s dolphin has been found washed up on an Auckland beach.
Date: 23 March 2023 A Manawatu-based Jobs for Nature project is restoring habitat in the Southern Ruahine to bring a North Island eastern brown kiwi population back to the area.
Date: 22 March 2023 DOC rangers are calling on the public’s help to report sightings of the pest fish koi carp, gambusia and rudd in Taranaki waterways.
Date: 20 March 2023 Westland whio have recently had their own census with some special dogs helping the enumeration.
Date: 16 March 2023 The popular and long-running Pureora hunting competition returns this year after a COVID-related hiatus.
Date: 16 March 2023 DOC is urging dog owners to keep their pets under control following the deaths of two yellow-eyed penguins/hoiho.
Date: 14 March 2023 DOC and Taranaki Iwi are asking for information after a native tākapu/Australasian gannet was found shot at Tuiraho (Stent Road), a popular surfing beach in Taranaki.
Date: 07 March 2023 The 2023 round of short-tailed bat/pekapeka monitoring has just been completed in the Pureora Forest.
Date: 03 March 2023 Seaweek, Aotearoa New Zealand’s national week to celebrate the sea, begins tomorrow, March 4.
Date: 21 February 2023 Anyone heading into the outdoors in Otago and Southland must show extreme caution to reduce fire risks in the current tinder-dry conditions.
Date: 17 February 2023 People are being urged to check tracks, huts and campsites are open before attempting to visit conservation land in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Date: 15 February 2023 Work to rebury a sperm whale in Coromandel is expected to begin later this week as the district cleans up after Cyclone Gabrielle.
Date: 12 February 2023 DOC facilities throughout Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and the Hawke’s Bay have been closed to the public as Cyclone Gabrielle heads toward the country.
Date: 09 February 2023 Iconic Coromandel visitor spot Cathedral Cove has been temporarily closed to the public due to an ongoing landslip and rockfall risk.
Date: 08 February 2023 Eighteen juvenile tūturuatu/tchūriwat’/shore plover were successfully translocated to Portland/Waikawa Island.
Date: 07 February 2023 Several tracks are closed and campsites in the northern Coromandel remain unavailable as DOC staff continue assessing damage after January’s intense weather event.
Date: 07 February 2023 The rāhui in place at Ōpoutere Beach, the Wharekawa Harbour, and Wharekawa River following a drowning incident in January has been lifted.
Date: 03 February 2023 Research to help address the impact of the climate crisis on biodiversity is a notable feature amongst topics that received DOC postgraduate scholarship funding this year.
Date: 01 February 2023 DOC huts and campsites across the Coromandel Peninsula have been closed to visitors amid warning-level weather forecasts and treacherous driving conditions.
Date: 31 January 2023 DOC teams based in Auckland, the Hauraki Gulf Islands and Great Barrier Island have been responding to the extreme weather event.
Date: 31 January 2023 Thirteen juvenile whio/blue duck are now riding river rapids in Arthur’s Pass National Park, after being helicoptered to their new home last week.
Date: 27 January 2023 DOC is reminding visitors that a 'pack in, pack out' waste management policy for its campgrounds in the wider Whangarei area starts on 1 February.
Date: 25 January 2023 A citizen science project encouraging the public to report sightings of kekeno/NZ fur seals around the upper North Island has been extended into summer.
Date: 24 January 2023 Manaia man Pete Andreoli did a double take when he saw a weka wandering around a back yard in the little South Taranaki township.
Date: 20 January 2023 A rāhui has been placed over Ōpoutere Beach, the Wharekawa Harbour and Wharekawa River following a drowning and missing person search.
Date: 11 January 2023 DOC is asking visitors to Nelson Lakes National Park this summer to help to protect its pristine alpine lakes from an alga that causes mucus-like ‘lake snow’.
