The deaths of three men in yesterday’s helicopter crash in Wanaka is a huge and deeply felt personal loss for the Department of Conservation (DOC) whanau and New Zealand conservation, Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage said today.  Scott Theobald, Ranger Biodiversity, Paul (Hondy) Hondelink, Senior Ranger Biodiversity and Nick Wallis, Director and General Manager of Alpine Helicopters were flying to undertake tahr control in the Haast area when their helicopter crashed. “This is a tragedy for their families and DOC staff...

Auckland-based business Asona is getting $185,000 from the Waste Minimisation Fund to help develop a recycling system for acoustic ceiling panels, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. “The Government is committed to reducing the amount of waste going to landfill and to increasing recycling,” Eugenie Sage said. “New Zealand needs to transition towards a sustainable economy taking a circular economy approach. We need products which are designed to be reused indefinitely, made into something new or returned to nature,...

Ethos Environmental has taken out the Supreme Award at the New Zealand Spatial Excellence Awards tonight in Wellington for its use of location-based data to help control pest infestations on Great Barrier Island. Ethos Environmental created an integrated Internet of Things (IoT) Geographic Information System (GIS) to record and analyse rat and feral cat intrusions, report when traps are triggered and monitor biodiversity gains. As a result, Ethos Environmental’s GIS provides a platform for the wider conservation sector to use....

Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage today announced that the Department of Conservation (DOC) will close 21 tracks across kauri land to help prevent the spread of kauri dieback. An additional 10 tracks will also be partially closed and the open sections upgraded to eliminate wet and muddy sections of track and better protect the roots of kauri trees. “As there is currently no proven cure for kauri dieback, the best way to protect our kauri is to slow and stop the...

The Minister of Conservation welcomes the planned start this Thursday, weather permitting, of the  Department of Conservation’s Himalayan tahr control operation following discussion and consultation with hunters and other stakeholders on the Tahr Liaison Group.

Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage today launched the South Island’s first large-scale predator free project in Dunedin. Government company Predator Free 2050 Ltd will contribute $4.33 million towards Predator Free Dunedin, an umbrella group of 20 community groups supported by Dunedin City Council, Otago Regional Council and the Department of Conservation. It aims to save native plants and wildlife from predators across 31,000 hectares of land. “This is an important step towards Dunedin seeking to become the South Island’s first predator...

Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage says the National Party’s petition to stop control of Himalayan tahr shows that National doesn’t understand conservation, and is resorting in opposition to a bizarre form of shouting for the sake of political point scoring. “Truly, a petition by National to “save tahr” is absurd,” Eugenie Sage says. “Whilst in government, National were missing in action protecting our special alpine landscapes and ecosystems from heavy browsing and trampling by a ballooning population of Himalayan tahr. “Despite the...

Waiheke Island is possum-free and now the community has rats and stoats in its sights as part of a bid to make the whole island predator free by 2025, Conservation Minister, Eugenie Sage says.

Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage is calling on kiwis to get involved in Conservation Week or Te Wiki Tiaki Ao Turoa. Eugenie Sage today joined the Department of Conservation (DOC) and Auckland Council to celebrate environmental heroes, including more than 400 community conservation groups, at Auckland’s Pestival. The event, the second hosted by Auckland Council with support from DOC and the Predator Free New Zealand Trust, is one of several being run as part of Te Wiki Tiaki Ao Turoa or...

A bill to better protect indigenous freshwater fish passed its first reading in Parliament today. The Conservation (Indigenous Freshwater Fish) Amendment Bill amends the Conservation Act 1987. The bill enables the Minister of Conservation to review and improve regulations on fish passage, and develop regulations to address threats such as damage to fish spawning sites and fish being killed by activities such as drainage works and pump stations. “Just under half our indigenous freshwater fish are threatened with extinction,” said...