Department of Conservation (New Zealand)
The Department of Conservation (DOC; Māori: Te Papa Atawhai) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with the conservation of New Zealand's natural and historical heritage.
Agency overview
1 April 1987
New Zealand
Conservation House,
18–32 Manners Street,
Wellington 6011
Total budget for 2019/20
$600,588,000[2]
- Penny Nelson, Director-General
An advisory body, the New Zealand Conservation Authority (NZCA) is provided to advise DOC and its ministers.[3] In addition there are 15 conservation boards for different areas around the country that provide for interaction between DOC and the public.[4]
Conservation land[edit]
New Zealand has 13 national parks, and a wide number of other conservation lands with varying levels of environmental protection, called the "conservation estate" in total.[17] About one third of this estate, generally the land considered most valuable, has been protected from mining since 1997 via being listed in Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 (though recent (2010) moves by the Fifth National Government have proposed exemption some areas from Schedule 4).[17]
While much of the conservation land not protected as national parks or Schedule 4 land is much more damaged or human-modified than the core conservation areas, these areas serve as boundary and species buffer zones.[17]