20th April 2023 DOC / Tracks & TrailsThe Department of Conservation has closed Taranaki Maunga’s Around the Mountain Circuit until further notice due to severe storm damage and constant erosion.
18th April 2023 DOC / Great WalksThe Department of Conservation is preparing to open tenders for the construction of a new building to replace the 26-bunk Oturere hut east of Mt Ngauruhoe.
17th April 2023 Auckland Zoo / DOCAuckland Zoo has farewelled 21 Kapitia skinks as part of their reintroduction to the Kapitia Scientific Reserve on the West Coast.
14th April 2023 DOC / Great WalksThe Department of Conservation is increasing hut fees and introducing differential pricing for internationals at its Paparoa Track Great Walk, citing the popularity of the experience.
11th April 2023 DOC / Great WalksDOC also aims to elevate Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track to Great Walk status in October, making it the 11th such experience.
6th April 2023 DOC / HuntingThe Department of Conservation is asking trampers and backcountry hunters to be considerate of others who are out and about during the Easter weekend.
27th March 2023 DOC / Tracks & TrailsDOC is seeking feedback on a proposal by Tuatapere Hump Track Charitable Trust for a lease, licence and easement in the Fiordland National Park and Waikoau Forest Conservation Area.
24th March 2023 DOC / Jobs For NatureThe Department of Conservation’s Jobs for Nature programme has contributed $930,000 to a project for pest control in Southern Ruahine near Manawatū.
13th March 2023 DOC / PoliticsDepartment of Conservation huts continue to use coal as a power source two years after a planned move to transfer all huts to wood by 2021, according to ACT conservation spokesperson Nicole McKee.
6th March 2023 DOCNew Zealanders are being encouraged to explore their connection to the ocean as part of the annual Seaweek commemorations.
21st February 2023 DOC / WeatherThe Department of Conservation has closed Te Papanui Conservation Park near Dunedin due to the fire risk in the area, with further warnings in place for Otago, parts of Southland, and Canterbury.
20th February 2023 DOC / Tracks & TrailsVisitors to Department of Conservation huts, tracks and campsites on conservation land are urged to check the availability of sites before they set off on their journeys.
13th February 2023 DOC / WeatherThe Department of Conservation has closed all of its facilities across the northern and eastern North Island as Cyclone Gabrielle passes through the country.
10th February 2023 Cathedral Cove / Coromandel / DOCIconic Coromandel tourist spot, Cathedral Cove, has been completely closed to the public due to a severe slip in the last two days, as well as washouts, fallen trees, and flooding.
1st February 2023 DOC / Tracks & TrailsAll conservation land is off limits to the public in Auckland, while campsites around the Coromandel have also been closed.
31st January 2023 Camping / DOCDepartment of Conservation camps around Whangarei will transition to a ‘pack in, pack out’ waste management policy from tomorrow, 1 February.
26th January 2023 DOC / WildlifeThe Department of Conservation has extended a citizen science project encouraging members of the public to report sighting of kekeno New Zealand fur seals.
16th January 2023 DOC / Great WalksSummer bed night bookings around New Zealand’s Great Walks jumped 49% this season as the international visitor recovery takes hold.
16th December 2022 DOC / WildlifeThe Department of Conservation is urging people to do their research before heading to the beach with their four-legged friends and check whether the areas they are travelling to are dog-friendly.
15th December 2022 Conservation / DOCThe $6.9m contestable Nature Heritage Fund has opened to help support areas containing threatened ecosystems around the country.
7th December 2022 DOC / TaranakiThe Department of Conservation is seeking tenders for the construction of a $13.3m Taranaki Crossing project.
1st December 2022 DOC / Tracks & TrailsThe Department of Conservation is keeping the 1.2 kilometre Omaha Cove Walkway north of Auckland closed for the summer due to a landslide earlier this month that damaged the track.
15th November 2022 DOC / WildlifeFour eggs have gone missing from a toroa northern royal albatross colony at Taiaroa Head/Pukekura, near Dunedin.
10th November 2022 DOC / National ParksOne of New Zealand’s rarest kiwi species, rowi, are under threat from pigs illegally released in Westland Tai Poutini National Park.
9th November 2022 DOC / Hamilton ZooA native pekapeka long-tailed bat has been released back into the wild by Hamilton Zoo and the Department of Conservation and iwi.
8th November 2022 DOCThe Department of Conservation is introducing a ‘pack in, pack out’ waste management policy for its campgrounds in the wider Whangarei area.
4th November 2022 Camping / DOCThe Department of Conservation has closed the Graces Stream Campsite at Remutaka Forest Park near Wellington due to the threat of treefall.
3rd November 2022 DOCGlobal media attention has resulted in more than 1,300 applications for a role as the Department of Conservation’s new biodiversity supervisor in Haast.
27th October 2022 DOC / Tracks & TrailsThe warning comes after two people were rescued from the Tongariro Alpine Crossing on Sunday after they became exhausted and realised the track was beyond their abilities.
14th October 2022 DOC / Tracks & TrailsThe Department of Conservation has closed the Central North Island’s Arataki Track in Pureroa Forest Park due to landslip and erosion damage.
13th October 2022 DOC / Jobs For NatureMore than 2.5 million work hours have been clocked up under the government’s $1.2bn Jobs For Nature programme.
12th October 2022 DOC / Great WalksVisitor numbers at high-volume destinations such as Great Walks during 2021/22 remains below pre-pandemic levels despite strong domestic demand, says DOC.
11th October 2022 DOC / Tracks & TrailsThe Department of Conservation has closed the Mangapohue Natural Bridge Walk in the Waikato region due to erosion risk.
10th October 2022 Cruise / DOCThe Department of Conservation says it can work with the operators of ships at sea to prevent light from affecting the behaviour of birds.
6th October 2022 DOCConstruction of the Department of Conservation’s new Experience Centre at the $26m Dolomite Point Redevelopment Project at Punakaiki is providing a boost for local accommodation and hospitality providers.
29th September 2022 DOC / WildlifeThe chick is one of around 550 Haast tokoeka, the rarest type of kiwi.
28th September 2022 DOC / Tracks & TrailsConsent is being sought from the Department of Conservation for the development of a walking and cycling trail on the southern slopes of Mt Ruapehu.
22nd September 2022 DOC / ResearchThe Department of Conservation has identified two ‘types’ of visitors – those who spectate nature and those who participate in it.
22nd September 2022 DOC / WildlifeBeachgoers are putting threatened Opoutere dotterels and variable oystercatchers at risk of habitat destruction near a key nesting site in the Coromandel, says the Department of Conservation.
21st September 2022 DOC / IwiKura Tawhiti Castle Hill in Canterbury is now home to three new pou whenua installations that share narratives covering Ngāi Tūāhuriri/Ngāi Tahu history.
15th September 2022 DOC / Tracks & TrailsThe Taranaki Crossing visitor centre is set to undergo a $2.9m redevelopment as work gets underway to improve the experience for people traversing 41 kilometres of tracks in the region.
8th September 2022 DOCPublic hearings will get underway next week for the proposed reclassifications of 504 parcels of Department of Conservation stewardship land on the West Coast.
7th September 2022 DOC / MarineA Hector’s dolphin has been spotted off the coastline around Northland and Auckland and the Department of Conservation is urging people in the area to report any sightings.
6th September 2022 DOC / MarineA new marine reserve monitoring system and a network of rangers will make up the government’s new Marine Monitoring and Reporting framework.
6th September 2022 DOC / THLWaitomo Glowworm Caves visitor centre will host seven workshops as part of Conservation Week, run by Tourism Holdings staff employed through the government’s Jobs for Nature programme.
5th September 2022 Aoraki/Mt Cook / DOCAoraki/Mt Cook’s Hooker Valley Track her now reopened to the public following heavy rain that eroded the riverbanks around the bridge in late August.
5th September 2022 Conservation Week / DOCMembers of the Department of Conservation’s West Coast offices are banding together with their communities to celebrate Conservation Week and raise awareness of more than 4,000 at-risk plants and animals.
30th August 2022 DOC / GovernmentManaging Tongariro Alpine Crossing and progressing the Milford Opportunities Project are highlighted as key initiatives by the Department of Conservation in its briefing to its new minister, Poto Williams.
29th August 2022 DOCThe Department of Conservation has opened its new field base office in Reefton after two years in the making.
26th August 2022 DOC / Tracks & TrailsThe Paparoa Track Great Walk came through last week’s rainstorms relatively unscathed but the access road on the Blackball side is damaged.
