2007 media releases
Date: 19 December 2007
Walkers, swimmers, snorklers and surfers now have pedestrian access to the 18 hectare Taronui Bay Recreation Reserve in the Bay of Islands, Northland.
Date: 27 December 2007
DOC advises visitors to the Waiau Valley in Te Urewera National Park that Pakiaka Hut (also known as Parahaki Hut) has been destroyed by fire.
Date: 21 December 2007
Volcanic activity at Ruapehu is back to normal after the eruption on 25 September 2007. This means that the risks to people who wish to climb up to Crater Lake are also back to normal.
Date: 21 December 2007
An extra kiwi trip has been added to the Tongariro Taupo Summer Programme on the 23rd January 2008.
Date: 20 December 2007
Extreme fire danger has prompted the Department of Conservation to place a total fire ban over conservation lands in the Great Southern Lands of Ashburton Lakes and Mackenzie Basin.
Date: 20 December 2007
With a hot dry summer on the way, holidaymakers flocking to Canterbury rivers and lakes are likely to run into DOC didymo rangers.
Date: 20 December 2007
DOC says it now intends to open the Acheron Road through Molesworth Station to the public next week after considerable rainfall this week eased the fire risk in the area.
Date: 20 December 2007
In spite of recent concerns about diminishing access to camping areas, Kiwi families seeking a holiday in the great outdoors have a variety of choices.
Date: 19 December 2007
A 60 year concession to Bay of Plenty Energy Limited to place part of a weir on, and to inundate a portion of, the Upper Kaituna Scenic Reserve on the Kaituna River, has been granted.
Date: 18 December 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Conservation Minister Steve Chadwick says more information is needed to find out what happened to 15 fur seals found dead on the Marlborough coast.
Date: 17 December 2007
The first ever mountain-bike trial to be run within a national park has just been approved for the Poulter Valley, Arthur’s Pass National Park.
Date: 17 December 2007
Heightened fire risk resulting from a dry, hot start to summer has triggered the restriction of public access to Matiu/Somes Island in Wellington harbour from Christmas Eve.
Date: 13 December 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Conservation Minister Steve Chadwick has released the details of plans to create the largest pest-free island territory in the Hauraki Gulf, by removing all pests from Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands.
Date: 14 December 2007
The Acheron Road through Molesworth Station will not open to the public as scheduled on 28 December due to the high fire risk in the area. The road will remain closed until further notice.
Date: 11 December 2007
Visitors to Te Urewera National Park are advised that from January 2008 the upper floors of Aniwaniwa Visitor Centre will be closed and all services to the public provided from the lower part of the building.
Date: 10 December 2007
Visitors to Otaki Forks can now enjoy the new Waiotauru suspension bridge which has opened in time for the peak visitor season.
Date: 11 December 2007
The Friends of Flora and the Department of Conservation are celebrating the arrival of the first whio chicks to have hatched in Kahurangi National Park’s Flora Stream for over a decade.
Date: 10 December 2007
Visitors to Auckland’s marine reserves are urged to enjoy these special places this summer and to help take care of them by not taking or disturbing the marine life that lives there.
Date: 30 November 2007
The once presumed extinct New Zealand storm petrel has again been recently captured in the Hauraki Gulf but its breeding site remains a mystery.
Date: 05 December 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Conservation Minister Steve Chadwick has today launched a new conservation trust for Abel Tasman National Park made up of tourism operators, local businesses and the community.
Date: 03 December 2007
The Department of Conservation is preparing to trial artificial insemination this kakapo breeding season in a bid to help boost numbers and increase genetic diversity within the small population.
Date: 03 December 2007
Three portable fire dams from the Department of Conservation’s Canterbury Conservancy are being flown today to the Chatham Islands, where firefighters continue to extinguish hot spots at the site of a fire in a protected peat swamp.
Date: 03 December 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Conservation Minister Steve Chadwick would like to commend all who contributed to bringing a fire under control on Department of Conservation (DOC) land in the Chatham Islands.
Date: 01 December 2007
The fire burning in a protected peat swamp on the Chatham Islands has been brought under control, with fire crews continuing to dampen hot spots over a 250 ha control zone.
Date: 29 November 2007
An exciting milestone in work to protect Ruahine kiwi occurred recently with the harvesting and transport of three healthy eggs to Kiwi Encounter in Rotorua.
Date: 30 November 2007
Fire fighters from Wellington are en route to the Chatham Islands to help quell a blaze in a protected peat swamp.
Date: 30 November 2007
A fire has burned around 60 hectares of the 422.9 ha Wharekauri (Greenswamp) Conservation Area in the northern Chatham Islands.
Date: 29 November 2007
Department of Conservation firefighters are battling a blaze in a protected peat forest on the Chatham Islands.
Date: 29 November 2007
Source: The Offices of the Ministers of Fisheries and Conservation
A huge number of submissions raising complex issues means final decisions on the Hector's Dolphin Threat Management Plan will not be made until early next year, Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton and Conservation Minister Steve Chadwick announced today.
Date: 27 November 2007
The first ever seabird transfer between Hauraki Gulf islands was successfully completed today in a bid to establish a colony of diving petrels on Motuora Island, north of Auckland.
Date: 27 November 2007
A longer season and a choice of bag size will improve the Bay of Islands refuse and recycling barge service this summer.
Date: 26 November 2007
Unauthorised land development over a Northland marginal strip has been described as brazen, deliberate, for commercial gain, and has resulted in a $49,000 fine.
Date: 27 November 2007
The baby tuatara from Matiu/Somes Island have been named after the two taniwha of Wellington Harbour, Ngake and Whataitai.
Date: 26 November 2007
Monitoring has found many more larger-sized blue cod and rock lobster inside Tonga Island Marine Reserve than outside it. They are now also far more plentiful inside the reserve than when it was created in November 1993.
Date: 26 November 2007
A geocache “treasure hunt” and guided tour celebrating a century of time keeping are among activities on offer at a public event to mark the centenary of Wellington’s Dominion Observatory on Saturday 8 December.
Date: 22 November 2007
Registrations are now open for the 2008 Wetland Symposium, 'Wai Wetlands?' to be held in Christchurch on 14-16 February.
Date: 22 November 2007
People seeking financial support for projects focused on improving New Zealand biodiversity on private land, have until November 30th to submit applications to the Biodiversity Condition and Advice Funds.
Date: 19 November 2007
A trial campsite has been set up on the historic Wellington Harbour sanctuary of Matiu/Somes Island by the Poneke Area Office of the Department of Conservation (DOC).
Date: 19 November 2007
An aerial assault on possums is underway in the Atiwhakatu, Waingawa and Ruamahanga catchment in the eastern Tararua Forest Park, to protect native flora and fauna in the area.
Date: 14 November 2007
A second fatal dog attack on a Stewart Island brown kiwi/tokoeka in just four months has angered residents who support calls for dog owners to stop their animals wandering.
Date: 14 November 2007
DOC staff are frustrated to hear that 13 months after the establishment of the Eastern Bay of Plenty’s only Marine Reserve, Te Paepae o Aotea (Volkner Rocks), boats have been seen fishing within the Reserve’s boundaries.
Date: 12 November 2007
The Eastern Bay of Islands coastal landmark is the focus of a significant Department of Conservation restoration project, and Bay of Islands area office archaeologist Andrew Blanshard says community involvement is a priority.
Date: 09 November 2007
The Department of Conservation is asking members of the public to help Onoke Spit’s threatened Caspian terns to help themselves this summer.
Date: 08 November 2007
DOC is issuing a caution for the public to be more aware of marine reserves and avoid committing offences that could cost them.
Date: 07 November 2007
The shooting of a seal on Wairarapa’s south coast has prompted a reminder from the Department of Conservation that marine mammals are protected.
Date: 06 November 2007
The DOC website is a finalist in this year’s TUANZ Business Internet Awards and you might have helped get it there.
Date: 06 November 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Simplifying the process whereby whale bone can be used for things like carving is included in a discussion document released today by Minister of Conservation Steve Chadwick.
Date: 01 November 2007
Backyard and beach bonfires are just not cool anymore, says the Department of Conservation this Guy Fawkes.
Date: 01 November 2007
DOC is concerned that the public may have been misinformed as a result of a letter to the editor in the 'Northern Advocate' regarding dog access to some Northland beaches.
Date: 31 October 2007
Tuhua Trust Board and Ngaiterangi Kaumaatua Hauata Palmer blessed thirty tuatara, New Zealand’s iconic living dinosaur, before they were released last Thursday by Department of Conservation staff on Tuhua Island (Mayor), in the Western Bay of Plenty.
Date: 30 October 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Kiwi families planning a camping holiday this summer will have new camping sites to choose from, says Conservation Minister Chris Carter.
Date: 30 October 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Minister of Conservation Chris Carter today congratulated the Kiwi Encounter team at Rainbow Springs on the hatching of the programme's 500th kiwi chick.
Date: 22 October 2007
Source: The Offices of the Ministers of Conservation and the Environment
The government continues to support and invest in community-led conservation groups working to protect a wide range of native species and habitat, Conservation Minister Chris Carter and Acting Environment Minister David Parker announced today.
Date: 26 October 2007
The last 10 breeding Campbell Island teal left Pukaha Mount Bruce this morning to be released onto Whenua Hou /Codfish Island in Southland.
Date: 26 October 2007
New Zealand’s most popular one-day trek across Mt Tongariro in the central North Island is being renamed the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
Date: 26 October 2007
Winter weather played havoc with many of this year’s Conservation Week events. As a result, DOC has decided to move Conservation Week forward into September, when the spring weather is usually warmer and calmer.
Date: 26 October 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Snow-capped mountains, crystal clear lakes and a popular skifield are included within the boundary of the largest public park created in more than twenty years, Conservation Minister Chris Carter announced today.
Date: 24 October 2007
Department of Conservation staff are eagerly following the progress of seven blue duck (whio) chicks and their parents, found as new residents near the Blue Pool on the Tongariro River.
Date: 24 October 2007
The Fell Incline section of the popular Rimutaka Rail Trail is getting some well deserved attention.
Date: 24 October 2007
Source: Department of Conservation and Ministry of Fisheries
Consultation on the draft Hector’s and Maui’s Threat Management Plan closes on 24 October 2007. The plan looks at ways to mitigate human-induced threats on the dolphins.
Date: 19 October 2007
Seven whio ducklings that hatched at a Christchurch wildlife centre are the latest recruits to a programme that has been achieving big increases in whio numbers in a protected area for the species in Kahurangi National Park.
Date: 19 October 2007
DOC wishes to advise the public that from Saturday, 20 October, the Cooks Cove, Te Kuri Farm and Otoko Walkways will re-open following their closure for the lambing season.
Date: 19 October 2007
As well-known muppet Kermit would say, “It’s not easy being green”, which is why the Kermits of New Zealand need public support for 'Frog Week', from 21 to 27 October.
Date: 19 October 2007
Trampers are being urged to think carefully about their options before heading into Fiordland National Park this Labour Weekend after aerial inspections found avalanche prone areas to be loaded with snow.
Date: 19 October 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
A project to halt the dramatic decline of key species in South Island beech forests has been a success but the challenge to ensure survival of many of our native species on a national scale remains, Conservation Minister Chris Carter said.
Date: 18 October 2007
A contest is being held to find names for two baby tuatara before they return home to Matiu/Somes Island in Wellington Harbour in November.
Date: 18 October 2007
The Department of Conservation is calling on the public to be didymo aware this Labour Weekend, especially in Fiordland National Park where the invasive alga can be found on lake shores.
Date: 17 October 2007
Trampers are being advised to avoid travel in much of the backcountry in Fiordland National Park over the next few days as recent earthquakes, snow and high rainfall have triggered rock falls and avalanches in some areas.
Date: 18 October 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
The Minister of Conservation Chris Carter today presented the national 2007 YHA Young Conservationist Junior Award to the “Green Team” at Kimbolton School near Feilding.
Date: 17 October 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Conservation Minister Chris Carter has expressed New Zealand's grave concern over the resumption of live dolphin exports from the Solomon Islands when previous attempts have resulted in a high degree of mortality both during captivity and in transit.
Date: 16 October 2007
The offer of “a dirty weekend in their own back yard” appealed to Wellington and Kapiti gardeners who swapped their weeds for more than 900 native plants and found two especially nasty specimens.
Date: 11 October 2007
A North Shore man was convicted in the Warkworth District Court this week after pleading guilty to illegally fishing in the Goat Island marine reserve near Leigh.
Date: 08 October 2007
The situation with the lake and natural dam in the Young River Valley has changed little in the last 24 hours. The flow over the top of the dam has been as wide as 8 metres but this hasn’t affected the dam’s structure.
Date: 09 October 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
The epic journey of three northern royal albatross is well underway, with satellite tracking showing one of the young birds has already travelled more than 700km.
Date: 08 October 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
The purchase of an area of peat bog in western Southland is an important ecological investment, protecting threatened flora and fauna that are becoming rare in New Zealand, Conservation Minister Chris Carter announced today.
Date: 12 September 2007
Find out who are the latest appointees to the West Coast Tai Poutini Conservation Board
Date: 05 October 2007
Wellington and Kapiti Coast residents are encouraged to have a dirty weekend in your own backyard. Clear your weeds and you can exchange them for native plants at weed swaps on October 13 and 14.
Date: 04 October 2007
The Department of Conservation is warning trampers venturing onto the Dusky Track in Fiordland National Park to be prepared to turn back at the Kenneth Burn crossing in the Seaforth Valley.
Date: 03 October 2007
The Department of Conservation is advising trampers to avoid alpine and other avalanche affected areas in Fiordland, Southland.
Date: 03 October 2007
DOC is still declaring the upper parts of Mt Ruapehu high risk areas following last week’s eruption and are urging skiers, climbers and trampers to keep out of these areas until further notice.
Date: 03 October 2007
The latest report of the level of the new lake in the upper Young River Valley, Mount Aspiring National Park, shows that overnight it has increased by half a metre. This means that the level is now 2.5 metres from the crest of the dam.
Date: 02 October 2007
Saturday will see the opening of the most recent addition to the Nukuhou Salt Marsh, on the shores of Ohiwa Harbour. The boardwalk takes people over the harbours edge and helps visitors look and listen for various shorebirds.
Date: 02 October 2007
At the end of August, local Galatea resident, Daniel Comer came across a rare find - a green gecko - while out hunting in the Galatea foothills on the edge of Te Urewera National Park.
Date: 01 October 2007
As from today the entire Young River catchment in Mount Aspiring National Park is closed to the public. This is a direct result of the landslide that was discovered last Wednesday, 26 September.
Date: 30 September 2007
Some of the country’s shyest, weirdest and rarest inhabitants have stepped into the limelight on TVNZ’s new digital channel, TVNZ 6.
Date: 28 September 2007
“The decision is a win for the environment, a big tick for the resource consent process, and a win for the farmer”, DOC Conservator, Peter Williamson said today.
Date: 26 September 2007
A report this morning from a Makarora-based helicopter pilot informed DOC’s Wanaka Area staff that there had been a major landslip in Mount Aspiring National Park.
Date: 27 September 2007
Source: Auckland Zoo and Department of Conservation
Twelve native short-tailed bats (pekapeka) from the genetically rare Tararua Forest's Waiohine Valley population left Kapiti Island today, to take up residence at Auckland Zoo.
Date: 28 September 2007
Wainuiomata rural property owners and the general public are invited to find out how to protect what they value from fire, and participate in fun activities, at a Fire Awareness Day at Catchpool Valley on October 7.
Date: 27 September 2007
Following last night's eruption of Mt Ruapehu climbers, skiers and sightseers are being warned not to venture to the top of the volcano.
Date: 26 September 2007
A night time rescue operation was mounted on Mt Ruapehu last night to bring down a climber injured during the eruption of the volcano.
Date: 21 September 2007
Possum hunters are endangering the public by using cyanide close to tracks on public conservation land as they cash in on the recent price increase for possum fur and pelts.
Date: 19 September 2007
Little spotted kiwi have more than doubled in number on their Hauraki Gulf island home in the last five years, according to the results of a recent Department of Conservation survey.
Date: 19 September 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Wellingtonians and residents of the lower North Island have another reason to venture into the great outdoors with the launch of a field guide to New Zealand’s extraordinary native orchids, said Conservation Minister Chris Carter.
Date: 12 September 2007
Conservation Minister Chris Carter today announced two new appointments and two reappointments to the Nelson/Marlborough Conservation Board.
Date: 12 September 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Conservation Minister Chris Carter today announced the appointments for the Chatham Islands Conservation Board.
Date: 12 September 2007
Source: Northland Conservancy
Conservation Minister Chris Carter today announced this year’s appointments to the Northland Conservation Board.
Date: 12 September 2007
Source: Canterbury Conservancy
Conservation Minister Chris Carter today announced the appointments for the Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Board.
Date: 13 September 2007
A Norway rat found on a ferry due to sail to Tiritiri Matangi was stopped from getting to the island sanctuary due to quick action by the ferry operator.
Date: 13 September 2007
Protesters opposed to the use of 1080 toxin in a possum control operation undertaken by the Animal Health Board on Department of Conservation land, are threatening to kill rare kiwi in the area.
Date: 12 September 2007
Conservation Minister Chris Carter today announced the appointments for the Southland Conservation Board.
Date: 12 September 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Conservation Minister Chris Carter today announced the appointments for the Wellington Conservation Board.
Date: 12 September 2007
The illegal dumping of an assortment of rubbish over an area of Oreti Beach has tainted the start of Southland’s involvement in a national campaign to keep New Zealand beautiful.
Date: 12 September 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Conservation Minister Chris Carter today announced the appointments for the Auckland Conservation Board.
Date: 07 September 2007
Source: Whangarei Area Office
View a media release regarding a deliberate act of vandalism that has left the community fencing project at the Uretiti Beach access near Whangarei in tatters.
Date: 06 September 2007
Taking a dog into Nelson Lakes National Park has resulted in a $500 fine for a Christchurch man and the Department of Conservation says the incident was particularly concerning because dogs pose a danger to kiwi living in the national park.
Date: 31 August 2007
Everyone’s invited to participate in a mass planting effort at Whitireia Park in Titahi Bay on 8 September.
Date: 04 September 2007
Wellingtonians are being asked to keep their eyes peeled for their extraordinary, diverse and often cryptic native orchids when they venture into the outdoors.
Date: 30 August 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Conservation Minister Chris Carter today released the draft Hector’s Dolphin Threat Management Plan for public consultation at Willow Park Primary School, Northcote, Auckland.
Date: 28 August 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Conservation Minister Chris Carter today welcomed news Iceland had stopped its whale hunt because of the lack of demand for whale meat.
Date: 16 August 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
The acquisition of 36 ha adjoining Opouahi Scenic Reserve in Hawke's Bay will boost volunteer efforts to protect kiwi and carry out other conservation work, Minister of Conservation, Chris Carter, announced today.
Date: 28 August 2007
The Department of Conservation has declined an application for commercial tourist trips to Stephens Island/Takapourewa Nature Reserve in the Marlborough Sounds.
Date: 27 August 2007
Source: Bay of Islands Area Office
As plans for a training exercise to be held in a South East Asian country had to be abandoned, New Zealand Army officer cadets found themselves in Omahuta Forest.
Date: 24 August 2007
Congestion at one of the most popular entrances to the eastern Tararua Forest Park has been consigned to the past, thanks to the erection of a new footbridge spanning the Waiohine Gorge.
Date: 25 August 2007
The Department of Conservation has released two draft plans aimed at better management of the New Zealand sea lion.
Date: 23 August 2007
Fiordland Lobster Company has sponsored the reintroduction of two native bird species not seen on Pigeon Island in Fiordland in 100 years.
Date: 21 August 2007
The Minister of Conservation, Hon. Chris Carter has made two appointments to the Guardians of Lakes Manapouri, Monowai and Te Anau.
Date: 17 August 2007
Calls in recent weeks from people concerned about the wellbeing of seals seen around Nelson’s shores has prompted Department of Conservation advice that the seals are usually just resting and are not in need of help.
Date: 16 August 2007
Source: New Zealand Plant Conservation Network, Ag Research and MWH
New Zealand’s only national native plant seed bank for endangered species was officially opened today in Palmerston North by Conservation Minister Chris Carter.
Date: 20 August 2007
Source: Department of Conservation and Karori Wildlife Sanctuary
Seven years after the first birds were released at Karori Sanctuary, bird numbers are booming and the first outbound transfer has been made - to Matiu/Somes Island in Wellington Harbour.
Date: 20 August 2007
At the recent meeting of Te Tapatoru a Toi, Department of Conservation and Ngati Awa representatives were presented with these two taonga..
Date: 16 August 2007
Source: Ruapehu Area Office
Twenty school students from around the Ruapehu Area have been chosen to represent their schools as Junior Kaitiaki Rangers.
Date: 16 August 2007
Hundreds of people ignored the dismal weather forecast to enjoy the Department of Conservation’s family fun day held in the Karangahake Gorge, between Paeroa and Waihi.
Date: 15 August 2007
Source: Department of Conservation and Victoria University of Wellington
A second baby tuatara has hatched from eggs laid on Matiu/Somes Island in Wellington Harbour.
Date: 14 August 2007
Wednesday 15th August marks the start of another whitebait fishing season for areas other than the West Coast of the South Island.
Date: 14 August 2007
The kiwi, our national icon, has had its chances of survival increased following a very successful aerial 1080 pest control operation.
Date: 10 August 2007
Source: Canterbury conservancy
A veritable rainbow of native birds were the real winners this year, with two conservation projects jointly winning ‘Te Waka o Aoraki’ trophy for 2007.
Date: 14 August 2007
Tomorrow marks the start of another whitebait fishing season for the Bay of Plenty and areas other than the West Coast of the South Island.
Date: 14 August 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
"The Department of Conservation and the Animal Health Board now have support from an independent government body for the continued careful use of 1080 poison," Conservation Minister Chris Carter says.
Date: 09 August 2007
Whitebaiters are being reminded to clean nets and other gear between waterways to prevent spreading didymo (Didymosphenia geminata) during this year’s whitebait season.
Date: 13 August 2007
The Department of Conservation has welcomed the decision of the Environmental Risk Management Agency (ERMA) to allow the continued use of 1080 for pest control purposes.
Date: 13 August 2007
Source: Department of Conservation and Victoria University of Wellington.
It’s official - tuatara are breeding on Matiu/Somes Island in Wellington Harbour. Proof comes in the form of a tiny baby tuatara which emerged last week from an egg found on the island.
Date: 10 August 2007
The Northland Conservation Awards have been announced and its 2007 recipients are described as inspiring and dedicated.
Date: 10 August 2007
The season is about to start for those small, unique little critters that have become part of a tradition for many New Zealanders – whitebait.
Date: 10 August 2007
Taste scones and Billy tea fresh from the camp fire, ride heritage rail, rediscover mining tunnels and caverns and win ‘gold’ in the children’s Gold Rush Scavenger Hunt next Sunday.
Date: 10 August 2007
The season is about to start for those small, unique little critters that have become part of a tradition for many New Zealanders – whitebait.
Date: 08 August 2007
Stewart Island’s recent heavy rainfall has caused significant flooding and slips on the island’s backcountry tracks with some huts and tracks now closed for repairs.
Date: 08 August 2007
Five groups, two individuals, a business and a school have received Wellington Conservation Awards, for enhancing New Zealand’s natural and historic attributes and inspiring others to get involved in conservation and enjoy the outdoors.
Date: 07 August 2007
Source: Twizel Te Manahuna Area
Results released this week by Otago University show a high level of satisfaction from visitors to the new Ruataniwha Conservation Park in the Mackenzie Basin region.
Date: 07 August 2007
Source: Canterbury Conservancy
The Department of Conservation’s Canterbury Conservancy in Christchurch is moving from Victoria Street to Torrens House in Hereford Street.
Date: 07 August 2007
Source: Wellington City Council
Budding young builders are urged to come to the Island Bay Surf Club this Sunday 12 August and celebrate Conservation Week by lending their hand to the construction of nest boxes for little blue penguins on Matiu/Somes Island.
Date: 06 August 2007
Conservation Week is being celebrated at Pukaha Mount Bruce with a free open day on Sunday 12 August, highlighting the wealth of healthy, fun outdoor pursuits that are available in the region.
Date: 05 August 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Hut and campsite fees for children and young people aged under 18 will be free from July next year on New Zealand’s nine Great Walks, including the Whanganui Journey.
Date: 03 August 2007
Source: Whangarei Area Office
The pateke (brown teal) Recovery Group and Department of Conservation are thrilled that special funding is being given to the recovery of brown teal in Northland.
Date: 03 August 2007
Source: Bay of Islands Area Office
After last year’s successful event the Basin Weedbusters community group will be staging a Taiwan Cherry control day in the Kerikeri Basin on Sat August 25th.
Date: 31 July 2007
Source: Bay of Islands Area Office
Kerikeri has been much too much over-looked by the community at large, Professor Judith Binney said at the launch of a new book which focuses on the Kororipo-Kerikeri Basin’s early history.
Date: 31 July 2007
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is asking Northland school students to create their own vision for public conservation areas special to them – and it’s not just an academic exercise.
Date: 30 July 2007
Conservation Week runs from 6 to 12 August and this year the theme is ‘Another world, just down the road - Tētahi anō Ao Hākinakina, kei raro tata nei ō te huarahi’. Find out what events you can enjoy in Nelson, Marlborough and Kaikoura.
Date: 27 July 2007
Greater Wellington residents are offered help to transform their back yards into havens for native wildlife during Conservation Week (August 6 – 12).
Date: 27 July 2007
Fun and adventure for all is promised at a South Coast Safari Day on Wellington’s south coast on August 12, celebrating Conservation Week with its focus this year on outdoor recreation.
Date: 26 July 2007
An autopsy has confirmed that a dead baby orca missing its head, tail fin, right pectoral fin and with a cut in its side found on Ninety Mile Beach in early July died by drowning.
Date: 16 July 2007
Source: NZ Book Month
What's better than a Six Pack after a long, hard tramp? Trampers will now be able to rest their weary legs after enjoying the New Zealand wilderness and savour the work of six New Zealand writers.
Date: 25 July 2007
Please take care if you go walking on weather beaten Department of Conservation tracks around the Bay of Islands.
Date: 25 July 2007
In a joint celebration of Ulva Island's 10-year rat free status the Ulva Island Charitable Trust and DOC are previewing an exciting new DVD showcasing the story of Ulva Island at the Stewart Island Community Centre on 27 July 2007.
Date: 13 July 2007
People are being asked to take part in an extensive public consultation that will help shape the management of a quarter of this country’s public conservation land over the next ten years.
Date: 13 July 2007
Nelson Lakes National Park rangers were surprised to find a “mystery kiwi” in the Rotoiti Nature Recovery Project mainland island during routine checks on the kiwi and changes of radio-transmitters.
Date: 16 July 2007
A fatal dog attack on a Stewart Island brown kiwi/tokoeka has highlighted the need for dog owners to be keep their animals under control at all times.
Date: 16 July 2007
The Department of Conservation would like to make the public aware that there are a number of seals coming ashore on local beaches at the moment.
Date: 12 July 2007
Source: Whangarei Area Office
To celebrate Conservation Week, which starts on the 6th of August, the Whangarei Area of DOC is running a photo competition. The theme of Conservation Week this year and the competition is 'recreation'.
Date: 04 July 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Six pilot projects to store carbon on about 40,000 hectares of public conservation land are to be tendered to commercial investors in a major new climate change initiative announced by Conservation Minister Chris Carter today.
Date: 27 June 2007
Several hours planting followed by a swim for some gave 75 volunteer planters a rewarding day out on Waewaetorea Island on Sunday (June 24).
Date: 26 June 2007
Christchurch could challenge Auckland’s title of ‘weediest city in the world’, according to a newly published list of exotic plants growing wild in Canterbury.
Date: 22 June 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
Conservation Minister Chris Carter today announced a tentative list of eight sites New Zealand is intending to work towards nominating for world heritage status.
Date: 21 June 2007
Ashes removed from a wood burner are believed to have caused the fire which destroyed a ranger’s cottage on Kapiti Island last Thursday.
Date: 21 June 2007
The Fiordland National Park Management Plan is now operative after the New Zealand Conservation Authority approved the new plan today.
Date: 20 June 2007
The Whakatane Kiwi Trust would like to invite dog owners to participate in an upcoming kiwi aversion programme planned for Saturday 30th June at 513a Taneatua Road from 9am.
Date: 19 June 2007
Department of Conservation staff and former whalers are to team up again this winter to watch for whales in Cook Strait for research that assists efforts to protect whales in the South Pacific.
Date: 16 June 2007
The Department of Conservation is asking the public to look out for a humpback whale entangled in rope with buoys and a craypot possibly attached around or north of Kaikoura.
Date: 18 June 2007
The Department of Conservation and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust are delighted with the forthcoming publication of Te Kerikeri 1770-1850: The Meeting Pool.
Date: 18 June 2007
Another free trip is being offered to the islands for those keen to help plant trees. This time it's to Waewaetoria in the Bay of Islands.
Date: 15 June 2007
An investigation is underway into the cause of a fire that destroyed a ranger’s house on Kapiti Island yesterday.
Date: 14 June 2007
A fire that broke out this afternoon in a ranger’s house on Kapiti Island has been brought under control and staff on the island are safe, Department of Conservation Wellington Conservator Alan McKenzie said this evening.
Date: 14 June 2007
Source: The Office of the Minister of Conservation
A Ministerial panel is to be established to explore how to manage deer, chamois, tahr and pigs in a way that improves the conservation of native habitats but also recognises the importance of the four species to recreational hunters.
Date: 13 June 2007
The Department of Conservation is to eradicate mice on three Abel Tasman National Park islands so they can become predator-free sanctuaries for native species.
Date: 11 June 2007
Drivers of four-wheel drive vehicles on the Cloudy Bay foreshore are being asked to keep to existing vehicle tracks to avoid damaging the habitat of a rare, tiny, jumping moth that lives nowhere else.
Date: 08 June 2007
For the first time New Zealand is hosting the World Heritage Committee’s annual meeting.
Date: 05 June 2007
The light may not be on, but the Cape Brett Lighthouse is again a shining beacon in the Bay of Islands after an eight-week make-over.
Date: 07 June 2007
The recent sightings of southern right whales off the Southland coast marks the start of the winter breeding migration for the endangered species seeking sheltered waters close to the country’s shore lines.
Date: 05 June 2007
An intensive monitoring programme involving patient loggers, DOC staff and a specially-trained dog has kept two pairs of North Island brown kiwi safe during logging in the Waitangi Endowment Forest.
Date: 01 June 2007
Ten years after the restoration of Wellington’s grand old lady of the public service, the wooden Government Buildings is looking sprightly after a receiving the full facial treatment.
Date: 01 June 2007
Source: From the Offices of the Ministers of Conservation and Land Information
The purchase of the 9,165 hectare Michael Peak Station in Central Otago for a conservation park was announced today by Conservation Minister Chris Carter and Minister for Land Information David Parker.
Date: 28 May 2007
Source: Stewart Island / Rakiura Community and Environment Trust (SIRCET)
The Stewart Island / Rakiura Community and Environment Trust (SIRCET) has secured funding from the Tindall Foundation to investigate the possibility of eradicating Stewart Island’s rat and feral cat population.
Date: 31 May 2007
Three takahe are today being taken from Tiritiri Matangi destined for the Murchison Mountains in Fiordland, in a move aimed at increasing the takahe population as a whole.
Date: 29 May 2007
The appearance of a southern right whale in Wellington Harbour yesterday has coincided with a call for public support to help track their whereabouts.
Date: 25 May 2007
“We have argued from the outset that the benefits of continuing to use 1080 far outweigh the adverse effects and associated risks,” Department of Conservation research, development & improvement general manager John Ombler said today.
Date: 25 May 2007
Wellington's south coast residents are invited to meet some of their more elusive neighbours, and learn of plans to enhance their well being.
Date: 25 May 2007
All eight chicks produced this year by the critically endangered Chatham Island taiko have successfully fledged from a predator-free site, to where they will hopefully return to breed.
Date: 24 May 2007
Results from the second round of a possum control operation initiated on Stewart Island four years ago have shown a significant reduction in possum
numbers.
Date: 22 May 2007
Source: Rimutaka Forest Park Trust
The kiwi chick produced at Rimutaka Forest Park in February has been named by the volunteer trappers ... and his father found after a two month disappearance.
Date: 23 May 2007
Source: Greater Wellington Regional Council
The Waikanae Estuary Care Group is hosting an open day at the estuary on 26 May, encouraging local residents to support its quest to restore native vegetation to the reserve.
Date: 22 May 2007
Source: The TV Set
Death on the Beach questions why over 700 whales strand on NZ beaches every year and whether flocking to the beach to save them is the right response.
Date: 20 May 2007
Source: From the Office of the Minister of Conservation
Up to 150 km is to be added to the national walkway Te Araroa, which aims to connect Cape Reinga and Bluff through public walkways and tracks.
Date: 15 May 2007
Source: From the Office of the Minister of Conservation
One of New Zealand's premier visitor destinations, Cape Reinga (Te Rerenga Wairua), in the Far North, is to get a $6.5 million government-funded make over as part of Budget 2007.
Date: 14 May 2007
“If we cannot carry out aerial 1080 operations, more than half the country currently under intensive pest control on public conservation land will be left to the ravages of possums, rats, stoats and other pests,” Department of Conservation Director-General Alastair Morrison said today.
Date: 14 May 2007
Following today's official removal of the current hunting regulations surrounding Sambar deer in the Horowhenua / Manawatu / Rangitikei / Wanganui area, DOC are advising hunters that it still needs time to put a management system in place for public conservation land.
Date: 10 May 2007
A new report on natural hazards in respect of Milford’s Cleddau Village has recommended improvements to protect infrastructure on the Cleddau delta at Milford in Fiordland National Park.
Date: 08 May 2007
Alice Nash loved the Oroua and Rangiwahia areas of the Ruahine Ranges. So much so that when the opportunity presented itself her family gifted funds to build a memorial hut in the honour of their now deceased mother.
Date: 09 May 2007
Kaimanawa wild horses are once again available to the public with DOC's annual muster scheduled for late this month.
Date: 08 May 2007
Nominations are being sought for the annual Wellington Conservation Awards, honouring community involvement in conservation.
Date: 04 May 2007
Reptiles being rescued from the perils of city life to enjoy the tranquillity of Matiu/Somes Island are to be outfitted in the style of lounge lizards sporting “ipods”.
Date: 01 May 2007
Rumours that the Cape Brett Lighthouse has been painted DOC-green are completely untrue, says the department's Bay of Islands Area historic ranger, Andrew Blanshard.
Date: 26 April 2007
Source: From the Offices of the Ministers of Conservation and the Environment
Wetlands, sand dunes, and habitats of native wildlife on private land are among ecosystems identified as national priorities for protection, Conservation Minister Chris Carter and Environment Minister David Benson-Pope announced today.
Date: 24 April 2007
The Minister of Conservation, Hon.Chris Carter, has announced his intention to remove current gazetted regulations controlling the hunting of sambar deer.
Date: 23 April 2007
Source: DOC, Massey University, NZ Wildlife Health Centre and Biosecurity NZ
Evidence of a bacterial agent in a dead endangered Maui’s dolphin found at the mouth of the Waikato River in November has prompted concerns for the future of the species.
Date: 23 April 2007
The Department of Conservation is concerned about increasing reports of dogs harassing seals and fears for the safety of both animals.
Date: 19 April 2007
A wild cat, rat and possum free Stewart Island was one of the visions that has came through strongly in regard to the island’s future management.
Date: 18 April 2007
DOC will hold a public meeting at Stewart Island in late June to discuss the Mason Bay marram grass control programme with residents of the island and other interested parties.
Date: 17 April 2007
Vehicle access to the eastern Tararua Forest Park from the Walls Whare roadend in the Wairarapa will be closed for about nine weeks from 30 April 2007 to allow for the construction of a new bridge across the Waiohine Gorge.
Date: 12 April 2007
Source: From the Offices of the Ministers of Conservation and Fisheries
A new marine reserve is to be established near New Plymouth, the 17th approved since 2003, Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton and Conservation Minister Chris Carter announced today.
Date: 02 April 2007
A major facelift for the Bay of Islands’ 98-year-old Cape Brett lighthouse has begun.
Date: 10 April 2007
DOC is restoring Tamateatai Point Scenic Reserve to public open space. Currently a total of eight private baches are located on the reserve at Wharf Road, Whangaruru, which are in the process of being removed.
Date: 04 April 2007
The Department of Conservation’s Wellington Visitor Centre is attracting a 10-fold increase in visitors after relocating from old Government Buildings to the shop frontage of the recently-opened Conservation House in the Manners Street.
Date: 03 April 2007
Extreme fire danger has prompted the Department of Conservation in Canterbury to ban vehicles on public conservation lands around Ashburton Lakes and Mackenzie Basin.
Date: 02 April 2007
Source: From the Offices of the Ministers of Conservation and the Environment
The government is to give $2.8m in grants to 92 conservation projects around the country run by private landowners and community groups.
Date: 02 April 2007
Southland’s Waituna Lagoon may become another Lake Ellesmere, Canterbury, with its ecosystem being compromised by human induced activities, and making it more sensitive to climate change.
Date: 29 March 2007
West Arm Hut, in Fiordland National Park, has been relocated in a joint effort between DOC and Meridian Energy to a new location 15 minutes walk up the Wilmot Pass Road.
Date: 29 March 2007
DOC staff will be walking about 4,500km in the coming months compiling an inventory on Southland’s fences on or near conservation land.
Date: 26 March 2007
People who have 'walked the walk' were able to 'talk the talk' at a recent gathering to celebrate ten years of hard work, experimenting, learning and well-earned success at Boundary Stream Mainland Island in northern Hawke’s Bay.
Date: 23 March 2007
Visitors to Doubtful Sound last week watched in amazement at the sight of a pod of beaked whales seldom seen in New Zealand waters.
Date: 22 March 2007
A pathology report from Massey University indicates that set netting is unlikely to be the cause of death of the female Maui’s dolphin, found dead on Ngaranui Beach, south of Raglan, earlier this month.
Date: 23 March 2007
Department of Conservation helicopters have been hovering over Egmont National Park this week checking for signs of possum browse on the forest canopy.
Date: 20 March 2007
A conservation experiment that has provided a decade of learning how to revive and replenish New Zealand forest is about to be celebrated in Hawke's Bay at Boundary Stream Mainland Island.
Date: 19 March 2007
This morning scientists from the Department of Conservation and GNS Science were able to visit Mt Ruapehu’s Crater Lake to ascertain what was left of the tephra dam that collapsed yesterday sending a lahar down the Whangaehu River. They were able to confirm that the tephra dam had had eroded back down to the hard rim and the pre 1995 lake outlet.
Date: 18 March 2007
A moderate size lahar occurred from Mt Ruapehu's Crater Lake this morning.
Date: 18 March 2007
A moderate size lahar occurred from Mt Ruapehu's Crater Lake this morning.
Date: 09 March 2007
A female Maui’s dolphin was found dead on Ngaranui Beach, a popular surf beach south of Raglan, this morning.
Date: 09 March 2007
Source: From the Office of the Minister of Conservation
A new report detailing the status of New Zealand's national bird, the kiwi, was launched today by Conservation Minister Chris Carter.
Date: 06 March 2007
Heightened fire risk resulting from dry, warm and windy weather has prompted half day closures of Mana and Matiu/Somes Islands in the Wellington region.
Date: 05 March 2007
Up to 100 Hutton’s shearwater/tītī chicks are due to be moved to Kaikoura Peninsula this week in the latest phase of an attempt to establish a new breeding colony for the endangered seabird.
Date: 02 February 2007
DOC’s Wanganui Summer Nature Programme dodged the dodgy weather and was a success with increased numbers on more trips and talks than last year.
Date: 02 March 2007
A whole raft of activities have been planned for seaweek in Taranaki including beach walks, beach cleanups, evening talks. It all kicks off with a parade of costumed kids from Puke Ariki on Sunday March 4th.
Date: 02 March 2007
Speakers lined up for the 2007 seaweek speaker series will wow New Plymouth audiences with stories of close encounters with whales, giant squid and with local Taranaki marine life.
Date: 02 March 2007
Are our rocky shore sea creatures getting sunburnt? Attempts to unravel this mystery will be revealed at a Seaweek event at Wellington’s Island Bay on March 11.
Date: 26 February 2007
DOC's new head office building sets a new standard for sustainability in the public service and New Zealand as a whole.
Date: 16 February 2007
Source: From the Office of the Minister of Conservation
New Zealand has approached the Japanese government urging it to act in the best interests of the Nisshin Maru's crew and the sensitive Antarctic marine environment and take immediate action to move its stricken ship.
Date: 12 February 2007
A visit on Thursday 8 February by DOC and Geological and Nuclear Sciences staff to Mt Ruapehu’s Crater Lake found the lake level was now at 1.4 metres from the top of the lake’s tephra dam, an increase of 0.1m from that recorded on the last visit.
Date: 15 February 2007
Source: Project Crimson Trust
The Project Crimson Trust’s 2007 Funding Round will close on 1 March this year, which will kick off a new round of pohutukawa and rata protection work around New Zealand, while continuing to support ongoing projects.
Date: 14 February 2007
An eight-month-old captive-bred kiwi had the honour this week of being the first juvenile female kiwi to be released into the wilderness of the Pukaha Mount Bruce forest.
Date: 14 February 2007
Identifying and protecting World Heritage sites in the Pacific is the focus of a workshop being held at Tokaanu, near Turangi from 18 – 23 February.
Date: 15 February 2007
Source: From the Office of the Minister of Conservation
A Japanese whaling ship in the Ross Sea, the Nisshin Maru, has reported a fire on board the vessel, Conservation Minister Chris Carter said today.
Date: 13 February 2007
A stalactite, likely to be thousands of years old, has been recovered by Department of Conservation staff after it was reported to have been forcibly removed from Luxmore Cave on the Kepler Track.
Date: 04 February 2007
Source: From the Office of the Minister of Conservation
New Zealand has enabled medical aid to be given to a crew member of the Japanese whaling fleet who fell gravely ill in the Southern Ocean, Conservation Minister Chris Carter said today.
Date: 09 February 2007
Source: From the Office of the Minister of Conservation
The New Zealand government will assist in any way it can to locate two Sea Shepherd activists missing in a Zodiac in the Southern Ocean, Conservation Minister Chris Carter said today.
Date: 08 February 2007
Conservation Minister Chris Carter today formally named the 500th Royal Albatross chick to hatch at Taiaroa Head/Pukekura on the Otago Peninsula, the only mainland breeding colony of albatross in the southern hemisphere.
Date: 01 February 2007
World Wetlands Day was celebrated in Egmont National Park today with twenty three people taking the guided walk to the Potaema Wetland.
Date: 31 January 2007
Sampling of 14 western Fiordland National Park rivers has found them to be free of the invasive alga didymo.
Date: 31 January 2007
DOC would like to remind the public of the need to report damage to tracks or structures following a flash flood event last week, which left a bridge at The Chasm on the Milford Road closed as a safety precaution.
Date: 01 February 2007
The Rotoiti Nature Recovery Project’s kiwi population has a new arrival – a kiwi chick thought to be around three weeks old.
Date: 16 January 2007
The 100th kiwi chick to be hatched and raised in captivity from an egg lifted from the Tongariro Forest was yesterday released back into the forest from which he was taken.
Date: 29 January 2007
Rare short-tailed bats transferred to Kapiti Island in a bid to save a threatened Tararua Forest Park colony have bred, but sadly the two pups produced were stillborn.
Date: 26 January 2007
Source: From the Office of the Minister of Conservation
A Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion undertaking surveillance against illegal fishing in the Southern Ocean has sighted Japanese whaling vessels operating in the Ross Sea, Conservation Minister Chris Carter announced today.
Date: 25 January 2007
Representatives from around the world have met in New Zealand for the first time to experience for themselves conservation practice at its best.
Date: 25 January 2007
Foreshore along the Abel Tasman National Park coastline is now a scenic reserve under the joint management of the Tasman District Council and the Department of Conservation.
Date: 19 January 2007
Source: From the Office of the Minister of Conservation
Conservation Minister, Chris Carter said "Japan's whaling fleet is not welcome in New Zealand ports".
Speaking at a reception onboard the Greenpeace vessel – Esperanza in Auckland today, the Minister also urged all parties involved in this year's whaling protests to exercise restraint.
Date: 16 January 2007
Source: From the Office of the Minister of Conservation
The Minister of Conservation today announced the release of the publication ‘New Zealand Threat Classification System lists’.
Date: 10 January 2007
One of New Zealand’s rarest birds, the New Zealand fairy tern, has been boosted by a chick successfully fledging at Papakanui Spit on the Kaipara Harbour for the first time in five years.
Date: 05 January 2007
Yesterday Department of Conservation staff, surveyors and GNS scientists visited Mt Ruapehu’s Crater Lake to carry out a number of tasks relating to the predicted lahar from the lake.
Date: 02 January 2007
Following a visit to Mt Ruapehu’s Crater Lake on 29 December, DOC staff have issued a warning over the hazardous nature of the tephra dam overlying the pre 1995-1996 lake outlet. The dam was formed from material ejected from the volcano during the eruptions of 1995 and 1996.