DOC

The government is providing $950,000 for a two-year project to reduce lead poisoning of kea and provide employment in hard hit tourism regions.

The Department of Conservation is reminding people to stay away from the five marine reserves in the Auckland region when going fishing under the more relaxed Covid-19 alert level 3 rules.

People walking parts of the Te Araroa Trail from Cape Reinga to Bluff are reminded to observe Covid-19 alert level 3 rules when in those areas.

Department of Conservation hut wardens are now in place on New Zealand’s newest Great Walk.

Parts of the storm-damaged Queen Charlotte Track will re-open on Saturday 25 September, says the Department of Conservation.

Among the recipients of the Jobs for Nature funding is an operator who has secured $700k for a restoration project.

DOC will contribute $1.9m funding from the Jobs for Nature programme to extend a Kauri dieback programme in Auckland.

The Department of Conservation is looking for information about vandalism to huts in the Lake Manapouri area.

Work is progressing to restore the flood-damaged Queen Charlotte Track and Link Pathway in the Marlborough region ahead of the school holidays in October.

The unique Whanganui Journey experience is topping demand growth this summer for the Department of Conservation’s Great Walks.

The $1.3bn programme will help move the country up the value chain for when tourists return, says DOC’s Lou Sanson.

She will be the first woman to hold the post in the department’s 34-year history.

People can enjoy the views on a virtual Great Walk and other online experiences during the 52nd annual Conservation Week on from 4-12 September.

Seals are coming ashore during the winter season to rest in the Bay of Plenty need to be given space, says the Department of Conservation.

The Department of Conservation is requesting proposals for a commercial ferry service to Tiritiri Matangi Island in the Hauraki Gulf.

Boaties cruising around Coromandel’s Mercury Islands are being told to stay home as New Zealand’s Covid-19 restrictions continue.

The Department of Conservation is warning people using private vessels not to visit islands in the Hauraki Gulf while the country is at alert level 4.

The Search and Rescue Base at Aoraki/Mount Cook suffered a malware attack last month involving five devices, according to the Department of Conservation.

DOC’s departing boss on how tourism has changed during his tenure.

The Department of Conservation is investigating six guided walking companies to ensure they have not made speculative pre-bookings or are occupying more than 50% of Great Walks hut space.

Around 200 projects have been approved in the Jobs for Nature programme to date since related funding was allocated to the Department of Conservation in Budget 2020.

The Department of Conservation has re-opened the Heaphy Track following a week of repair work from storm damage.

The Department of Conservation staff is clearing and rerouting tracks on Taranaki Maunga after severe storm damage, and damage assessment of the entire network of tracks was still underway.

Resurfacing of the popular Kauri Block Walkway in the Coromandel is slated to be complete by mid-August, says the Department of Conservation.

The announcement of four new Jobs for Nature projects in Gisborne is set to create 165 jobs over the next three years.

The Department of Conservation is carrying out a 12-month audit on some concession holders.

The Department of Conservation has warned that dogs must be kept on a leash while on conservation land, following the death of a kiwi.

DOC says repair work underway but no estimate available for when the iconic track might be re-opened.

New pass for campers rather than hut users, with aim to boost use off-peak.

Increasing protected sea areas from the current 9.8% to 30% has the potential to boost marine tourism, says a Northland operator.

DOC could restrict interactions with marine mammals and will assess the capacity for increased tourism under the new strategy.

Milford, Heaphy and Rakuira tracks open first.

Staff see more first time campers than in many years.

But the future of Milford’s airfield remains uncertain as stakeholders jockey for the tourism minister’s ear.

Caution urged for long weekend amid warnings of washouts, slips, windfall and general flooding.

The Mountain Safety Council has developed a new app with the support of the Police to assist with planning a walk or tramp.

The Department of Conservation is urging visitors to Waitomo’s Mangaokewa Reserve to report fly tipping, vandalism and suspicious behaviour as damage and dumping continues at the sacred location.

In a message sent to stakeholders on Tuesday, Lou Sanson notes his highlights during his eight years in the post.

The director-general says he will leave on 13 September.

The Department of Conservation has received $5.1m from the government to purchase 148 electric vehicles and install charging infrastructure.

DOC calling for submissions by 4 June.

Weekend pricing has also been introduced for some high-use DOC huts.

A hunter-led approach to tahr management in planning for South Rakaia/Rangitata.

Shifting control of the conservation estate to iwi could have implications for tourism.

A group of popular Northland tracks have reopened due to actions taken to manage the threat of feral dogs, says the Department of Conservation.

The popular Sunrise Hut and Sunrise Track in the Ruahine Forest Park has reopened to the public, following renovations and improvements to the track.

The Department of Conservation has re-opened the Hacket Track in the Mount Richmond Forest Park in Marlborough, with a temporary trail around a landslip on 13 April.

Public Access New Zealand has launched legal proceedings against Land Information New Zealand to allow for all-year access in the Molesworth reserve in the Marlborough region.

Changes to be implemented from winter, submissions close 21 May.

Parties appear to be working together to avoid conflict, emphasizing process to ensure no surprises.