RSS feed to media releases from the Department of Conservation website.bf9607b8-c7af-4dee-8fb7-62af9f9cf727New Zealand Department of Conservation2026-10-22T12:22:17+13:00585bd5df-dde8-497d-a515-08b27b27926e

DOC marine protection rangers are preparing for the second summer of patrolling the marine protected areas of the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana.

2026-10-22T00:00:00+13:002026-10-22T00:00:00+13:00a6fae127-5b91-44a2-b695-86212ae39a5e

Upgrades at Dunedin’s Tunnel Beach are improving visitor safety and resilience and sharing the area’s rich Kāi Tahu cultural history.

2026-10-22T00:00:00+13:002026-10-22T00:00:00+13:00229528db-3519-4ffe-ad2c-d7af9d2abbaa

A new suspension bridge on the lower Tongariro River was gifted the name Te Tauranga o Waikari at a karakia and naming ceremony on Friday 16 October.

2026-10-20T00:00:00+13:002026-10-20T00:00:00+13:00a1755f2c-4476-4085-ad13-c204365f5e1d

DOC staff have met with the Hahei Residents and Ratepayers Association (HRRA) for a second time to work through next steps for the Hahei Beach Short Walk.

2026-10-14T00:00:00+13:002026-10-14T00:00:00+13:002716fa4d-3f2b-4b36-b7c5-10910627290a

Amazing drone images of an elusive and critically endangered wetland bird are helping DOC locate and understand nesting activity.

2026-10-13T00:00:00+13:002026-10-13T00:00:00+13:006ed8c597-d3d2-4abd-bc65-e6fd510036a4

With at-risk flesh-footed shearwaters returning to NZ shores over the next couple of months, DOC reminds recreational fishers and beachgoers to take extra care to protect these seabirds from fishing gear and plastic waste.

2026-10-10T00:00:00+13:002026-10-10T00:00:00+13:002531d55f-f3a6-46a7-969c-beb072e85903

DOC and Ngāti Konohi are inviting the public to have their say on the 25-year review of Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve.

2026-10-07T00:00:00+13:002026-10-07T00:00:00+13:0027066949-4d53-4c7c-81fc-406b58833f1c

Nine internationally significant sites representing some of our most outstanding cultural and natural heritage have been selected for New Zealand’s World Heritage Tentative List.

2026-10-07T00:00:00+13:002026-10-07T00:00:00+13:00ea2c2bcc-09e8-404a-af0c-56ecd9dbb85c

A brand-new digital tool will give early warning of new and emerging weeds, potentially saving NZ millions of dollars in weed control.

2026-10-06T00:00:00+13:002026-10-06T00:00:00+13:00cd8040e0-9be5-49b6-938a-a0cc0d7c18f8

DOC and Southland Fish & Game are reminding waterway users to Check, Clean and Dry their gear following a new discovery of didymo in Fiordland.

2026-10-06T00:00:00+13:002026-10-06T00:00:00+13:00a38c58d0-79e9-41b9-acc4-7766ebc5a53b

Kiwi in Tongariro Forest are more vulnerable after vandals burned and smashed ferret traps vital to protecting the birds.

2026-10-05T13:00:00+13:002026-10-05T13:00:00+13:0023d983db-5ec3-4ffc-8cfb-4138724d5fe2

The success of a large-scale recovery programme for wētāpunga/Little Barrier giant wētā, New Zealand’s heaviest insect, has been officially documented in the New Zealand Journal of Zoology.

2026-10-02T17:00:00+13:002026-10-02T17:00:00+13:000304557e-b90e-42eb-93fe-a996e985d7f4

Planning and paying for backcountry trips is getting easier, with DOC adding another 62 huts and campsites to its online booking system and moving Backcountry Hut Tickets online.

2026-10-01T11:30:00+13:002026-10-01T11:30:00+13:00327cc500-ae4b-4039-a60d-3edcc060af65

Hundreds of hectares of weed and deer control have been conducted across the Tongariro landscape since last year's fires, but there's still much to do.

2026-09-30T00:00:00+13:002026-09-30T00:00:00+13:0051d04c90-e7ac-4bb3-970f-13e55707e841

The government is boosting support for wildlife care facilities because of their key role in New Zealand’s bird flu surveillance and response, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka and Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard say.

2026-09-24T00:00:00+12:002026-09-24T00:00:00+12:0092926fa8-3db1-4068-a2a6-6e9c5d7e0e53

A four-wheel drive (4WD) club has joined forces with the Department of Conservation to fund and plant native shrubs and trees to help cover damage done by vehicles.

2026-09-23T00:00:00+12:002026-09-23T00:00:00+12:00dbf9adc8-9f7c-434f-b921-96aaa43935ee

The Government is taking a practical step to address contaminated sites on Crown-owned land.

2026-09-23T00:00:00+12:002026-09-23T00:00:00+12:00ee64f5a0-bf4f-4846-9a56-414bdee72454

DOC has confirmed toxoplasmosis was the cause of death of a pregnant Hector’s dolphin found at Invercargill’s Oreti Beach last month.

2026-09-22T00:00:00+12:002026-09-22T00:00:00+12:00eb48208a-1790-4742-bb62-77268c7f7495

DOC will install a special “pause gate” on the first bridge up the Hooker Valley track at Aoraki/Mount Cook to manage the number of people using it.

2026-09-22T00:00:00+12:002026-09-22T00:00:00+12:0048377e70-99ec-428a-8b3d-59c546bde095

Just one week into work to repair the popular Wairere Falls Track and the project is hitting roadblocks – because visitors keep ignoring the publicised closure.

2026-09-18T00:00:00+12:002026-09-18T00:00:00+12:003ec6572b-7a65-4b90-b761-3e332a568c93

A joint annual survey of kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeets has delighted Department of Conservation rangers with close to 300 birds counted at the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary in Nelson.

2026-09-17T00:00:00+12:002026-09-17T00:00:00+12:0062acc3c9-fcfd-428e-8b34-ccf8b9281e78

An extremely malnourished whio/blue duck has been euthanised due to severe injuries after being discovered with a fishing hook in its foot and line wrapped around its wings

2026-09-17T00:00:00+12:002026-09-17T00:00:00+12:005ba06d5c-bc04-4766-ade3-73db77924623

Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has today announced the appointment of Susan O’Regan as Chair of the QEII National Trust Board.

2026-09-16T00:00:00+12:002026-09-16T00:00:00+12:00369abebf-5e72-41e0-b2ae-95ef815ff38d

Rodent and stoat numbers have dropped to almost undetectable levels across a remarkable biodiversity hotspot in Kahurangi National Park following a recent successful predator control operation.

2026-09-15T00:00:00+12:002026-09-15T00:00:00+12:005a55eadd-87d9-4d91-bb17-c33557aa1fce

A caller with a black cat on their doorstep, a request to deal with possum poop and a UFO falling from the sky all feature among the unusual recent calls to DOC's call centre.

2026-09-14T00:00:00+12:002026-09-14T00:00:00+12:0014e8ed42-6941-4ba0-9c46-0c0790b05428

DOC has announced a 10-year moratorium on new marine mammal permits in the Banks Peninsula/Te Pātāka-o-Rākaihautū area.

2026-09-11T00:00:00+12:002026-09-11T00:00:00+12:00536a8d3a-cb4d-4339-b666-335fe6195b10

The Government is strengthening support for New Zealand’s treasured backcountry hut and track network through the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between DOC and the Backcountry Trust, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has announced.

2026-09-11T00:00:00+12:002026-09-11T00:00:00+12:0049218f34-5832-4989-a7d5-802d95b6e97a

Conservation Week 2027 has been confirmed for 19–25 April, so it’s time to start assembling your team and thinking about what you can do for nature.

2026-09-10T00:00:00+12:002026-09-10T00:00:00+12:00f1a6f2ef-ffec-4c5a-8c6a-3ba6744447e6

A decapitated dolphin has been found on a Coromandel beach, prompting Department of Conservation staff to call for information from the public.

2026-09-10T00:00:00+12:002026-09-10T00:00:00+12:0093f46ef5-eaa7-4867-aab7-9994017d654a

A southern right whale and her calf spotted off the Northland coast have made their way south, prompting the DOC to ask boaties to take extra care around marine wildlife when naturing on the water.

2026-09-10T00:00:00+12:002026-09-10T00:00:00+12:009285cfb8-f16f-44f8-b74a-b83bdf9c7166

The first toroa/royal albatross chicks have left their nests and launched into 5-year adventures across the world’s oceans.

2026-09-08T00:00:00+12:002026-09-08T00:00:00+12:008c231857-9da3-4e0a-b066-974258172b17

A lone leopard seal drew attention in Lower Hutt this past weekend, resting on Petone Beach before returning to the sea early Monday morning.

2026-09-07T16:00:00+12:002026-09-07T16:00:00+12:003535a351-4cfd-4c3d-9a94-e4840b0aaefd

A recently formed community group is helping to supercharge DOC's compliance work at Tasman Bay’s two marine reserves.

2026-09-07T09:00:00+12:002026-09-07T09:00:00+12:00e85b04e8-7848-4bd8-b1a9-cddaf08e8e3c

The full Tongariro Northern Circuit will operate as a loop this summer, but setbacks in construction of the new Oturere Hut have delayed the hut’s opening until mid-December.

2026-09-04T00:00:00+12:002026-09-04T00:00:00+12:00f084bc46-edf1-4ca0-af57-be3f659cfe49

Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has announced two new International Visitor Levy (IVL) investments while in the Waikato, today — funding to protect the Whangamarino wetland, and further work to maximise breeding opportunities for the Māhoenui giant wētā at Otorohanga Kiwi House.

2026-09-04T00:00:00+12:002026-09-04T00:00:00+12:0010bbea85-3254-4f1a-9513-1eac91b6eb33

New monitoring work has revealed startling proof of possum damage to native mountain tōtara and kaikawaka/mountain cedar trees in a Mid Canterbury forest.

2026-09-03T00:00:00+12:002026-09-03T00:00:00+12:009419a585-0f62-4ed1-b7e9-7a13a26409f4

A full closure of Wairere Falls Track, carpark and toilets will allow completion of works and reopening in time for summer naturing.

2026-09-03T00:00:00+12:002026-09-03T00:00:00+12:0046a95ea1-867e-437e-a709-70afa8bce334

The official population of the critically endangered kākāpō has reached a recovery-era high of 325 birds.

2026-09-01T10:00:00+12:002026-09-01T10:00:00+12:001da11ee2-d748-46b4-b67d-56b7d911881d

DOC's only commercial nursery is trying to restore the Canterbury Plains and Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū/Banks Peninsula, one native plant at a time.

2026-09-01T09:00:00+12:002026-09-01T09:00:00+12:00c95da7c2-c3bd-4ab8-97c1-c71899ed40bb

A coordinated approach for Ruahine wild goat control operations has indicated significant reduction in numbers, another step toward achieving zero-density goat populations in Ruahine Forest Park.

2026-08-27T00:00:00+12:002026-08-27T00:00:00+12:000c833cb3-4630-4c6d-9bd1-784ac34a8131

A four-year funding boost of $9.7 million, announced by Minister for Conservation Tama Potaka today, will help protect New Zealand’s national parks and native ecosystems from wild goats and deer.

2026-08-25T00:00:00+12:002026-08-25T00:00:00+12:0048c878b9-2385-467e-9ea2-beed25cee172

Three fishers have each been fined $600 after they were caught fishing inside the Whangārei Harbour Marine Reserve.

2026-08-24T15:00:00+12:002026-08-24T15:00:00+12:009af8d4d0-6595-496c-9ef3-98e56544ed60

DOC is urging whitebaiters to help keep waterways pest-free this whitebaiting season by following Check, Clean, Dry advice.

2026-08-24T12:00:00+12:002026-08-24T12:00:00+12:0005c154cf-a9c7-483e-a216-44b14aae5009

DOC is using high-resolution satellite images to detect the pest plant Cuscuta campestris (commonly known as golden dodder) within the Whangamarino wetland and at Lake Whangape.

2026-08-24T10:00:00+12:002026-08-24T10:00:00+12:00