Date: 02 April 2026
People out naturing in Southern Fiordland this long weekend should be aware of the ongoing closure of three historic structures.

Date: 02 April 2026
A second rat incursion on predator free Ulva Island this year highlights the value of the island's strong biosecurity surveillance network.

Date: 02 April 2026
Those heading out naturing over Easter are asked to check and clean their gear before getting into the hills, to stop the spread of invasive weeds.

Date: 01 April 2026
A Kapiti Coast catchment is well on the way to becoming free of koi carp, a noxious introduced fish that leaves a trail of destruction.

Date: 31 March 2026
The iconic Mueller Hut in the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park has had a spruce up, which is no easy feat.

Date: 31 March 2026
Some of the world’s rarest seabirds have a new level of international protection following adoption of a New Zealand-led proposal under the Convention on Migratory Species.

Date: 30 March 2026
A rare kiwi has been captured on a trail camera in the northern Pureora Forest's Waipapa block – the first recorded sighting of the species in the area for more than 25 years.

Date: 27 March 2026
DOC is appealing for information on the poisoning of threatened and protected native gulls on the Te Anau lakefront this summer.

Date: 26 March 2026
An AI trap network being set up around huts on the Heaphy Track will reduce both pest numbers and time spent maintaining traps on this iconic New Zealand walk.

Date: 26 March 2026
DOC staff say illegal fishing activity this summer in Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū/Banks Peninsula’s Pōhatu marine reserve is the highest in 10 years.

Date: 26 March 2026
Hunters operating in New Zealand's remote places during the roar are being asked to keep an eye out for invasive weeds and report any sightings, and to clean their gear before heading out.

Date: 26 March 2026
Dust off the tramping boots and warm up those clicking fingers - bookings for DOC's Great Walks, huts and campsites for the 2026/27 season open from 12 May.

Date: 25 March 2026
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
Wellington Te Whanganui-a-Tara is set to become New Zealand’s first predator-free city, as the Government steps up the next phase of Predator Free 2050, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says.

Date: 25 March 2026
One of the world’s rarest wading birds, the kakī/black stilt, is feeling the love from one of New Zealand’s largest red meat processors, Alliance Group.

Date: 23 March 2026
The popular Mangakara Nature Walk in Pirongia Forest Park has reopened today as DOC continues clean-up, repair and assessment work after the wild storm that swept across Waikato in February.

Date: 23 March 2026
The application period for potential operators wanting to run commercial farming in Molesworth Recreation Reserve has closed.

Date: 20 March 2026
Ka tipare a Taranaki ki te raukawakawa, he tohu aroha nui ki te iwi kua ngaro.

Date: 20 March 2026
An ambitious plan to reduce rabbits and hares inside a DOC scientific reserve near Christchurch to protect rare native plants begins today with a targeted bait laying operation using helicopters.

Date: 20 March 2026
Applications for the Westland Tai Poutini National Park aircraft landings allocation process have opened and will close 5 pm Friday 24 April 2026.

Date: 19 March 2026
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
Proposals are being sought from experienced operators to restore and operate the historic Chateau Tongariro and its associated buildings, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says.

Date: 19 March 2026
DOC and Meridian Energy have renewed a longstanding partnership supporting the world-leading Kākāpō Recovery Programme for a further three years.

Date: 18 March 2026
Source: Save the Kiwi
The first three kiwi were transferred back to the Hauraki-Coromandel region as part of a 10-day muster.

Date: 18 March 2026
The 2025/26 summer visitor season has wrapped up, with more New Zealanders exploring a wider range of conservation areas despite storm disruptions.

Date: 18 March 2026
The fire-charred ground at Tongariro has revealed some unexpected good news, with DOC ecologists discovering an abundance of a threatened plant species.

Date: 16 March 2026
Final necropsy results for a deceased Māui or Hector's dolphin that washed up on a remote Port Waikato coastline could not determine the cause of death.

Date: 12 March 2026
A high-tech tool has been used to control the invasive pest plant royal fern at Whangamarino.

Date: 11 March 2026
An unusually large flock of young kea visiting Aoraki Mount Cook National Park has become part of a trial to track the movements of this far-flying parrot.

Date: 11 March 2026
For the first time, eggs from the critically endangered kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeet have been retrieved from a Nelson predator free sanctuary and flown to Christchurch for hatching.

Date: 11 March 2026
The Kauri Walks tracks in Waipoua Forest are closed for naturing from March until the end of October 2026.

Date: 10 March 2026
Several tracks in Pirongia Forest Park have reopened as DOC continues the clean-up across the maunga.

Date: 06 March 2026
Field work for a project to better understand Hector’s dolphins in the Otago region will restart next week.

Date: 06 March 2026
Newly discovered historic photos are shining a light onto dramatic changes in the West Coast marine environment.

Date: 05 March 2026
The Shepherd’s beaked whale that was refloated near St Heliers in Auckland on Tuesday 3 March was found deceased on the afternoon of Wednesday 4 March off Hobsonville.

Date: 03 March 2026
A deceased Māui or Hector’s dolphin found washed up on a remote Waikato coastline is being necropsied to try and learn more about threats to the species.

Date: 03 March 2026
Visitors to the southern parts of Coromandel Forest Park and landowners with adjacent properties are being urged to report deer sightings as an eradication operation gets underway.

Date: 03 March 2026
A company providing visitor transport to and from the Tongariro Alpine Crossing has had its DOC concession suspended for two weeks after ignoring a Hazardous Weather Warning.

Date: 02 March 2026
DOC is encouraging the public to have their say on a proposed amendment to the Te Pēwhairangi (Bay of Islands) Marine Mammal Sanctuary.

Date: 02 March 2026
Sections of some tracks across Pirongia Forest Park in Waikato may be closed for several weeks as DOC staff continue assessments for visitor safety and decide how any repairs will be managed.

Date: 27 February 2026
A Tauranga local has captured stunning close-up images of five rare leatherback turtles in the waters close to Mount Maunganui this week.

Date: 27 February 2026
A section of the Motatapu Track has been rerouted to avoid a large, slow-moving slip, DOC says.

Date: 26 February 2026
The only remaining building of a once-bustling historic gold mining town has been damaged in a disappointing display of vandalism.

Date: 26 February 2026
Six jewelled geckos have been repatriated to New Zealand this month in a curious trans-national case involving the potential illegal smuggling of a rare and threatened taonga species.

Date: 25 February 2026
Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand and Department of Conservation
Fire and Emergency New Zealand and DOC have signed a new three-year Operational Service Agreement.

Date: 24 February 2026
An assessment of the Whangamarino Wetland in north Waikato confirms decades of ecological decline and offers a clear roadmap for collaborative action to restore this internationally significant site.

Date: 23 February 2026
Researchers at DOC are tracking tākapu/Australasian gannets from the iconic Muriwai nesting colony to better understand their flight paths.

Date: 23 February 2026
Deer hunting veteran Allan Jackson is keen to see some new faces at this year's Pureora Hunting Competition prizegiving.

Date: 20 February 2026
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
The Government is investing $3.5 million in the restoration of 3000-plus hectares of Tongariro National Park destroyed by two major fires last year, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says.

Date: 20 February 2026
A bottlenose dolphin spotted carrying a dead calf on its back in the waters around Te Pēwhairangi/Bay of Islands needs the public to give it space.

Date: 17 February 2026
Source: Department of Conservation and Project Janszoon
An extraordinary contribution to New Zealand conservation was privately acknowledged this week in one of New Zealand's most iconic locations - the Abel Tasman National Park.

Date: 17 February 2026
Research from a predator control operation on Rakiura/Stewart Island to protect pukunui/southern New Zealand dotterel from extinction has provided valuable insights into the impact of 1080 bait on the island's non-target white tailed deer.

Date: 16 February 2026
The first kākāpō chick of the breeding season has hatched on Pukenui Anchor Island.

Date: 14 February 2026
DOC has temporarily closed several tracks on Pirongia following a significant weather event overnight on 13–14 February.

Date: 13 February 2026
With heavy rain and storms expected across the North Island this weekend, DOC is urging anyone planning on naturing in the great outdoors to 'Know Before You Go'.

Date: 12 February 2026
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
Long-term tourism concessions that will support jobs, strengthen regional economies, and keep visitor access open at key South Island destinations have been announced by Conservation Minister Tama Potaka.

Date: 12 February 2026
The DOC Community Fund opens for applications on 31 March, with $9.2 m available for community-led projects protecting our most threatened species and ecosystems.

Date: 12 February 2026
After a record December and January, another upswing of visitors to Piopiotahi Milford Sound is expected over Chinese New Year (17 February to 3 March).

Date: 11 February 2026
Dogs are being brought along for the ride by visitors heading into Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, prompting DOC staff to remind the public of the rules.

Date: 07 February 2026
DOC is asking people to keep a lookout for a whale, entangled in a cray pot line, last seen off the Kaikōura coast on Friday, 7 February, near Sharks Tooth in South Bay.

Date: 05 February 2026
Te Ara Mātauranga o Te Kauri launches at Waitangi on 6 February 2026.

Date: 05 February 2026
DOC will begin its Māui dolphin abundance estimate survey later this week, building on vital research to help safeguard one of the world's rarest marine mammals.

Date: 04 February 2026
People planning on naturing in the Coromandel Peninsula over the Waitangi Day weekend will be able to enjoy three of the five idyllic campsites.

Date: 04 February 2026
DOC Taupō Fishery Rangers say they’ve seen a concerning rise in people breaking the rules when fishing for trout in the Taupō Fishing District during the peak summer period.

Date: 04 February 2026
DOC rangers in Twizel were alarmed when a concerned citizen alerted them to mallard ducks preying on pūteketeke chicks in the Mackenzie Basin, recently.

Date: 02 February 2026
A new survey of Waituna Lagoon in Southland shows a significant improvement in health for the internationally important Ramsar wetland compared to a year ago.

Date: 30 January 2026
Coromandel’s Mautohe Cathedral Cove tracks will reopen this weekend after several days of hard work by local DOC staff and Ngāti Hei, and the completion of geotechnical inspection.

Date: 29 January 2026
Source: Department of Conservation, Wellington Zoo and Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō
Three rare mokomoko/skinks from a species not seen for 13 years have been flown from Nelson Lakes to Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo for safe keeping ahead of this year's beech mast.

Date: 29 January 2026
Reports of visitors getting too close to kekeno/New Zealand fur seals on Kaikōura Peninsula has DOC calling for people to give native species the space they need when visiting our coastlines.

Date: 28 January 2026
Two students with aspirations to work in scientific and environmental fields have been the friendly faces of DOC this summer, as ambassadors for nature across Coromandel.

Date: 28 January 2026
A new report on the conservation status of reptiles in Aotearoa shows there are more lizard species than previously thought, and many are threatened or at risk of extinction.

Date: 27 January 2026
A huge milestone has been reached for the toroa/albatross colony on Otago Peninsula with the hatching of the 1000th chick.

Date: 26 January 2026
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
A new DOC cadetship programme has been launched in Renwick to help build a skilled, fit-for-purpose conservation workforce for the future, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says.

Date: 26 January 2026
People visiting Punakaiki, on the West Coast of the South Island this summer are discovering new ways to get naturing in this coastal destination.

Date: 23 January 2026
Visitors to the Bay of Plenty are asked to check access to their favourite tracks and campsites before heading out this weekend, following extensive storm damage and a continued State of Emergency in the region.

Date: 22 January 2026
Visitors to DOC tracks and campsites in Coromandel this Auckland Anniversary Weekend are urged to use caution and reconsider their plans after recent extreme weather.

Date: 21 January 2026
Conservation Week is on the move – for the first time in its 57-year history, it will be in April this year rather than the usual August/September slot.

Date: 21 January 2026
Several DOC sites across Northland are closed after heavy rain, with more intense downpours, and resulting clean-ups, expected this week.

Date: 20 January 2026
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has confirmed a decision to grant a long-term concession for the operation of key visitor infrastructure at Milford Sound Piopiotahi.

Date: 19 January 2026
If more time in nature or increasing your exercise were among your New Year’s resolutions, DOC Hauraki has just what you need.

Date: 15 January 2026
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
The Government’s important changes to make it easier to consent the mines and quarries we need to enable more infrastructure become law today, say RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop, Resources Minister Shane Jones, and Conservation Minister Tama Potaka.

Date: 20 January 2026
The successful removal of wild deer from Pukenui/Anchor Island and Indian Island in Fiordland has returned these important sanctuaries to deer-free status.

Date: 12 January 2026
Northland's Waipoua Forest has demonstrated what is possible when people and nature sit at the centre of decision-making.

Date: 12 January 2026
A pod of pilot whales have stranded in shallow waters in the Farewell Spit area.

Date: 06 January 2026
The first kākāpō breeding season in four years is officially underway, DOC and Ngāi Tahu announced today.