Department of Conservation
Topics
- Tongariro National Park wildfireQuiet since 20 Nov 2025
- Waitematā Harbour entangled dolphinQuiet since 31 Jan 2025
- Ōamaru sea lion shootingsQuiet since 11 Aug 2025
- Milford Track avalanche closureQuiet since 24 Nov 2025
- Tongariro National Park fireQuiet since 10 Dec 2025
- H5 bird flu in New ZealandQuiet since 3 Sep
- Kūaotunu scrub fire, CoromandelQuiet since 15 Jan 2025
- Nelson-Tasman floods and recovery 2025Quiet since 26 Aug 2025
- Catlins sea lion killings and rewardQuiet since 24 Jul 2025
- Raglan fisherman missing at Papanui PointQuiet since 27 Aug 2025
- Ruatiti double homicide manhuntQuiet since 23 Dec 2025
All stories
October 2026
- King shag population declines by 30 per cent in Marlborough Sounds
- Rotorua councillor ejected from meeting after clash with mayor
- Hundreds of critically endangered Canterbury knobbled weevils released into the wild
- Secret reserves established to protect Kaikōura little blue penguins
- Nine New Zealand sites selected for World Heritage tentative list
- DoC launches digital tool to detect invasive weeds early
- Mayor calls for political commitment to restore the Chateau Tongariro Hotel
- Pygmy killer whales die after mass stranding on Ninety Mile Beach
September 2026
- Seal pup receives police escort back to water after road crossing
- DOC issues plea to fishers on behalf of ‘icon of New Zealand’s waterways’
- Leopard seal that drew crowds to Petone Beach has died
- Decapitated dolphin found on Pāuanui beach
- Crowds gather at Petone Beach to see leopard seal
- False bird flu hoax claims spread online in New Zealand
- Kākāpō population reaches milestone after record breeding season+1
- Safety video released for Roberts Point Track following multiple rescues
August 2026
- Tongariro National Trout Centre seeks volunteers to maintain operations
- Four-wheel drive vehicles damage Arthur's Pass campsite
- Kaikōura trust seeks review of decision not to vaccinate penguins
- Coroner finds tramper died of hypothermia in Arthur’s Pass
- Pygmy blue whale washes up dead on West Coast beach
- Search suspended for missing Golden Bay woman
- Historic Fowlers Hut destroyed by fire on North Canterbury cycle trail
- New bridges and boardwalks to upgrade Mountains to Sea Great Ride
July 2026
- Ngāi Tahu Farming chosen to operate Molesworth Station
- Two pōhutukawa trees suspected of being poisoned at Hahei Beach
- Dead seal pup found on New Brighton Beach sparks local concern
December 2025
- Pouri Hut destroyed by fire in Whanganui National Park
- DOC tracks closed during manhunt for Ruatiti double homicide suspect
- Search for two missing Aoraki/Mount Cook climbers called off+1
- Concerns over unsafe roadside parking following new tourist hotspot fees
- Humpback whale dies after becoming entangled in crayfish pot rope
- Rat numbers could double by 2090, Department of Conservation warns
- Tongariro National Park huts and tracks to reopen after fire
- Baby fur seal rescued twice in suburban Christchurch
- Emergency services battle multiple fires in Tongariro National Park+3
- Two little spotted kiwi chicks discovered in South Westland
- South Korean man jailed for smuggling rare geckos+1
- New picnic table stolen from Wairarapa campsite two days after installation
- Feral cat caught a year after destroying endangered tern colony+1
- Hikers risking lives by entering closed areas of Hooker Valley track
- Fur seal pup enters Richmond pub on Sunday evening
November 2025
- New Zealand sea lion visits Dunedin dry cleaning shop
- Milford Track reopens after avalanche damage
- Ngāi Tahu takes Crown to High Court over conservation reforms+1
- Wildfire recovery offers chance for native regeneration in Tongariro National Park
- Rare pink grasshopper discovered near Lake Tekapo
- Tongariro Alpine Crossing reopens after week-long rāhui
- Weeks needed to assess Tongariro National Park fire damage
- Crews work to dampen hotspots after Tongariro National Park fire
- Department of Conservation confirms car parking trial at Aoraki Mt Cook
- Out-of-control wildfire spreads through Tongariro National Park+3
- Two men caught illegally whitebaiting in Southland
- Visitors warned to watch for disoriented birds in Kaikōura
October 2025
- Wild weather delays reopening of several South Island Great Walks
- Department of Conservation pleads for end to sign vandalism+4
- Native birds at risk from pest surge following beech seed drop
- West Coast conservation management strategy put on hold
- Tasman man fined and dogs ordered to be destroyed after seal attack
- Mountain biker rescued after becoming lost in Northland bush
- Milford Track summer season delayed by avalanche damage
- Invasive weed eradicated from Lake Ngatu in Far North
- Released kiwi found dead after suspected dog attack in Porirua
- Police investigate death of Oamaru little blue penguin
- DOC to trial paid parking at South Island tourist spots
- New bridge restores access to Lake Sylvan Track
- Christchurch man fined for attempting to steal Denniston Mine artefacts
- New earthquake rules could reduce restoration costs for Chateau Tongariro
September 2025
- Dogs prohibited at Ōrere Beach during native bird breeding season
- Hokitika woman trains goat to accompany her on hunting trips
- Vehicles banned from scenic Cape Palliser paper road+1
- Paid parking trial begins at White Horse Hill car park
- New daily limits introduced for Akaroa dolphin tourism trips
- Stoat caught in trap after swimming to predator-free island
- Humpback whale dies after becoming stuck on Otago sand bank
- DOC removes possum-control promotional video following a complaint
- Westport flood protection plan stalled due to DOC workload
- Increased predator control planned for South Island beech mast
- Emergency set net fishing ban imposed to protect Otago penguins+1
- Information sought after decapitated dolphin found north of Kaikōura
- Public reserve to be established on Miramar Peninsula
August 2025
- Government reveals future plans for Molesworth Station
- Mystery surrounds dead stoat found on Stewart Island track
- Critically endangered giant wētā moved to Waikato sanctuary
- Person injured after falling down a West Coast mine shaft+1
- Search underway for fisherman missing at Papanui Point near Raglan+1
- Four critically endangered Awakopaka skinks born at Auckland Zoo
- Three endangered sea lions shot near Ōamaru
- Police appeal for information after three sea lions are shot
- Two sea lions killed and one injured in Canterbury shooting
- DOC offers compromise on Punakaiki parking fees after local objections
- Woman fined for taking dogs into Tongariro National Park+1
July 2025
- Southland man fined for harassing sea lion in the Catlins
- Department of Conservation to cut 71 roles to save money+3
- Punakaiki cafe owner opposes proposed parking charges at Pancake Rocks+1
- New Zealanders make up majority of Great Walks hikers
- Department of Conservation investigates dead stoat found on Stewart Island
- Long-term manager of Molesworth Station resigns suddenly
- Mother reacts to coroner's report into daughter's Fiordland drowning+1
- DOC investigates decapitated seals found at Muriwai Beach
- Little spotted kiwi rediscovered on West Coast after 50 years+3
- Storm damage closes parts of Abel Tasman and Kahurangi tracks
- Yellow-bellied sea snake washes up on Whangamatā beach
- Microchip tags used to study elusive shortjaw kōkopu fish
June 2025
- Adult orca found dead on Christchurch beach+1
- Iwi files court action over Ruapehu ski field concessions
- Humpback whale freed from cray pot line off Otago coast
- Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park to host Everest biopic filming
- QEII National Trust to reduce new land conservation work
- Seal and sea lion populations increase across New Zealand
- Aviary doors stripped over unpaid $245,000 bill at wildlife centre
May 2025
- Milford Track bookings sell out in approximately 30 minutes
- Department of Conservation proposes cutting 84 jobs+1
- Record number of hihi fledglings recorded on Tiritiri Matangi Island
- Fifteen pukupuku kiwi moved from Wellington to Hawke's Bay
- Takahē and tuatara filmed in encounter on Tiritiri Matangi Island
- Department of Conservation opens bookings for 2025/26 Great Walks season
- Department of Conservation trials sausage bait to control feral cats
- Protected royal spoonbill euthanised after shotgun pellet injury
March 2025
- Government to amend Wildlife Act following High Court ruling
- Two Canterbury geckos may be the oldest in the world
- Tongariro Alpine Crossing closed following death of man
- Department of Conservation urges action after nine kiwi deaths in Northland
- Cleanup of historic Milford Sound landfill to begin in April
- Nine protected kiwi found dead in Bay of Islands+1
- Great white shark captured on camera in Fiordland+1
- Five endangered green turtles released into Northland waters
- Rare white weka spotted at West Coast campground
- Permit to kill protected species at Mt Messenger ruled unlawful+2
February 2025
- Dolphin leaps into fishing boat in the Bay of Islands
- Department of Conservation searches for shark with rope around tail
- Mako shark dies after washing up on Sumner Beach
- New Zealand aims to raise $137 million for island restoration
- Great Walks booking system upgraded ahead of May opening
- Court orders remediation for damaged Northland wetland
- Venomous sea snake spotted on Auckland beach
- Richie McCaw joins team to relaunch Godzone adventure race+1
January 2025
- Forest and Bird chief raises concerns over stewardship land representation
- Bottlenose dolphin dies from blood poisoning after being freed from net
- Whangamarino wetland fire ruled accidental after investigation
- Large vegetation fire on Tiwai Peninsula brought under control+2
- Over 150 predator traps tampered with in Mt Aspiring National Park
- North Island brown kiwi found dead in Northland pest trap
- DOC warns of serious harm following orca sightings in Waikato
- Avian botulism kills over 1000 waterfowl near Waikouaiti wastewater plant
- Avian botulism kills birds at Waikouaiti wastewater treatment plant
- Pilot whales restrand at Golden Bay
- Whales stranded in Golden Bay and Christchurch+2
- DOC rangers respond to distress call in Nelson Lakes National Park
- Tramper rescued from Mt Angelus after being stranded in fog
- Yellow-eyed penguin faces possible extinction within two decades
- Yellow-eyed penguins could face extinction within 20 years+2
- Firefighters target hotspots at Coromandel scrub fire
- Partial remains of waka discovered on Rēkohu Wharekauri Chatham Island+1
- Tunnel Beach track to remain closed until mid 2025
- DOC seeks information after injured and dead whales found in Kaikōura
- Department of Conservation seeks information after seabirds drown near Slipper Island
- Eight pilot whales refloated at Farewell Spit
- Dolphin freed from net in Auckland's Waitematā Harbour
- Investigation launched into dead and injured whales in Kaikōura
- Ten pilot whales stranded at Farewell Spit in Golden Bay+1
- DOC seeks help locating entangled juvenile dolphin in Waitematā Harbour
- Lifeguards and locals rescue stranded bottlenose dolphin in Otago
- Swimmers disrupt suspected illegal fishing at Goat Island marine reserve