Bay of Plenty kōkako numbers on the rise
Source: Department of Conservation Introduction A recent survey in the Pongakawa Ecological Area has indicated a robust and healthy population of North Island kōkako – one of New Zealand’s more highly threatened birds. Date: 22 May 2019 Survey team Joe, Dave and Amanda with a map of the 1200ha survey area.Image: Rotoehu Ecological Trust | © A total […]
Read More →Four Sisters walk in Waipoua Forest to temporarily close
Source: Department of Conservation Introduction The Four Sisters walk has temporarily closed due to the discovery of the kauri dieback pathogen in the area. Date: 20 May 2019 Source: DOC and Te Roroa DOC and Te Roroa (kaitiaki over Waipoua Forest) have announced that the Four Sisters Walk has temporarily closed. This is due to the discovery […]
Read More →Home-coming for rare rowi
Source: Department of Conservation Introduction A small population of our rarest kiwi returned to their traditional West Coast home on 9 May after growing up on Mana Island in the lower North Island. Date: 17 May 2019 These seven rowi, or Ōkārito brown kiwi, were all wild-hatched on predator free Mana Island and are part of […]
Read More →Rec fishers join environmental heavyweights to save “kauri forests of our ocean”
Source: Greenpeace New Zealand New Zealand’s leading environmental organisations have today joined with recreational fishers to call on the Government to ban bottom trawling on seamounts. The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC), ECO, Forest and Bird, Greenpeace, LegaSea and WWF-New Zealand are urging the public to sign a petition to the Minister of Fisheries, Stuart […]
Read More →Enriching New Zealand-Aotearoa through sustainable tourism growth
Source: Department of Conservation Introduction Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage today released a new Tourism Strategy that aims to enrich New Zealand-Aotearoa through sustainable tourism growth. Date: 16 May 2019 Source: Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment “Tourism is a vital part of New Zealand-Aotearoa’s economy and our ongoing prosperity, and connection to […]
Read More →Public calls for changes to ensure a sustainable whitebait fishery
Source: Department of Conservation Introduction Changes are needed to make New Zealand’s whitebait fishery sustainable, according to 90% of respondents to a DOC survey. Date: 16 May 2019 Whitebaiting regulations will remain unchanged for the 2019 whitebait season, which starts on the West Coast on 1 September and elsewhere in New Zealand on 15 August. The […]
Read More →Visitors to Aoraki/Mt Cook exceed 1 million
Source: Department of Conservation Introduction For the first time, Aoraki Mount Cook National Park’s annual visitor numbers have exceeded 1 million, says Conservation Minister Hon Eugenie Sage. Date: 16 May 2019 Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation Released today, summer visitor data, from some of the DOC’s top visitor sites, shows another big season despite an […]
Read More →Iwi tell their history on Matiu/Somes Island
Source: Department of Conservation Introduction Ten new interpretative panels unveiled on Matiu/Somes on Saturday 11 May tell the story of Taranaki Whānui and their unique connection to the island. Date: 15 May 2019 “It has been almost a decade since the Crown handed back the harbour islands to Taranaki Whanui ki te Upoko o Te Ika, […]
Read More →Rāhui placed on Ohakune Old Coach Road track
Source: Department of Conservation Introduction A fatality on the Ohakune Old Coach Road track over the weekend is being acknowledged with a rāhui. Date: 13 May 2019 Tongariro iwi, Ngāti Rangi and Uenuku have expressed their sadness at a fatality due to a medical emergency of a cyclist on the Ohakune Old Coach Road track over […]
Read More →World Migratory Bird Day 2019 – Royal Albatross
Source: Department of Conservation To celebrate World Migratory Bird Day 2019, we’ve got an an update on royal albatross research from ranger Jim. In 2018 the our team at Pukekura/Taiaroa Head, working with Bruce Robertson from the University of Otago, ran a trial to determine the feasibility of DNA sexing northern royal albatross chicks from […]
Read More →Public Service honoured
Source: Department of Conservation Introduction DOC Director-General Lou Sanson has welcomed the honouring of Senior Ranger Paul Hondelink and Pilot Nick Wallis with a public service award. Date: 10 May 2019 Both men and DOC ranger Scott Theobald were tragically killed in a helicopter crash in Wanaka last October. State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes yesterday presented […]
Read More →Tongariro Alpine Crossing – be prepared for winter conditions
Source: Department of Conservation Introduction With the change of seasons, it’s important to consider the risks of hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in the winter months. Date: 10 May 2019 Source: DOC and New Zealand police The Tongariro Alpine Crossing and Tongariro Northern Circuit have just experienced a great season, with spectacular weather over the summer months, […]
Read More →Way more stuff like this, please – Greenpeace to Govt
Source: Greenpeace New Zealand Greenpeace says the announcement this morning that the Government will establish a clean energy centre in Taranaki is a small step in the right direction. From the Just Transition Summit in New Plymouth, Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Amanda Larsson says policy rather than rhetoric will prove whether or not the […]
Read More →DOC online bookings opening
Source: Department of Conservation Introduction Great Walk 2019/2020 bookings will open over several days from 11 June, starting with Heaphy and Milford tracks. Date: 09 May 2019 Great Walk 2019/2020 bookings will open over several days from 11 June, starting with Heaphy and Milford tracks. DOC accommodation prices on the Great Walks, will remain the same […]
Read More →Russel Norman: Toothless Zero Carbon Bill has bark but no bite
Source: Greenpeace New Zealand Greenpeace Executive Director, Dr Russel Norman, says The Zero Carbon Amendment Bill has no ability to enforce its climate change targets. The Bill, released today, aims to outline a framework for New Zealand to develop climate change policies that contribute to the effort under the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature […]
Read More →Mohua goes from rare to common in 21 years
Source: Department of Conservation Introduction The once rare mohua/yellowhead has for the first time become the most common native bird counted since predator control began in the Landsborough valley in South Westland. Date: 08 May 2019 Mohua numbers have risen more than 30-fold and overall, native bird numbers have doubled in the 21 years since monitoring […]
Read More →Shock UN report reveals extent of mass extinction threat
Source: Greenpeace New Zealand A report just released by the United Nations has warned that 1 million species are at risk of extinction – more than at any time in human history. The global assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), has shocked even Greenpeace New Zealand Executive Director, Dr […]
Read More →Illegal Rotorua operators feel the sting
Source: Department of Conservation Introduction Commercial businesses making a living off conservation land at the taxpayers’ expense are coming under heat. Date: 07 May 2019 Since the beginning of the year, DOC rangers have made multiple visits to tourist hot spots to check tour operators have a valid permit to operate. Spot checks have been completed […]
Read More →Slip causes flooding at Milford Sound
Source: Department of Conservation Introduction DOC is working with Emergency Management Southland and Milford Sound Tourism Limited to address surface flooding at Milford Sound. Date: 06 May 2019 The slip happened overnight Saturday (4 May 2019). Rocks and debris blocked a culvert across a creek at the Milford Sound cruise boat terminal carpark, causing surface flooding […]
Read More →NZ Govt must follow UK and declare climate emergency
Source: Greenpeace New Zealand Greenpeace is calling on the Government to follow the lead of the UK and declare a climate and environment emergency, after history making scenes in UK Parliament this morning saw MPs pass a motion to make the country the first in the world to do so. It comes on the back […]
Read More →