Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Editorial: DOC fails to fulfil its obligations

Laurel Stowell
By Laurel Stowell
Reporter·Whanganui Chronicle·
25 Aug, 2017 09:07 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Protesters against seabed mining at Patea Beach. Photo/File

Protesters against seabed mining at Patea Beach. Photo/File

The Conservation Department is just a shadow of its former self.

Nowhere was this more evident than in its failure to make a submission on Trans-Tasman Resources' application to mine the South Taranaki seabed. Instead the department (DOC) liaised with the company.

It made no submission, which meant it was completely left out of the process.

It also failed to let the Taranaki/Whanganui Conservation Board know what it was doing. Most of its members were shocked and angry at DOC's perceived failure to
protect the marine environment.

The board is now considering appealing against the marine consents granted - narrowly - by the Environmental Protection Authority. It even wants to hire lawyers not associated with DOC, in case they are tainted.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The department's role in the Ruataniwha Dam argument has been equally strange.

What has happened to this former last-ditch watchdog for the New Zealand environment? Has it been restructured one too many times? Lost too many staff?

Is it underfunded by a National-led government with scant interest in the environment? Or has it been told to keep its head down?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Hilariously, since tourism topped dairy as the country's biggest earner, Government's pro-development agenda appears to be in conflict with its indifference to conservation. The conservation estate is now worth protecting - to a degree - because it earns dollars.

So conservation got a budget increase in May. But, also predictably, the biggest dollop of that was for improving visitor facilities rather than protecting endangered species.

Will there be anything left for DOC to fulfil its advocacy role?

Taxpayers expect DOC to protect our environment. When it doesn't we have to make donations to groups like Forest and Bird, who will do the job.

DOC's default leaves an information and advocacy gap, now often filled by unpaid people.

During the seabed mining hearings groups like the South Taranaki Reef Life Project, fishing clubs and private individuals put in hundreds of unpaid hours to fill this gap.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Why Ruapehu voted against bigger water model

11 Jul 05:02 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

Search for missing man continues after car pulled from river

10 Jul 11:09 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Community group seeks to manage historic reserve

10 Jul 06:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Why Ruapehu voted against bigger water model

Why Ruapehu voted against bigger water model

11 Jul 05:02 AM

Officials say a multi-council body would save their community $40 million.

Search for missing man continues after car pulled from river

Search for missing man continues after car pulled from river

10 Jul 11:09 PM
Community group seeks to manage historic reserve

Community group seeks to manage historic reserve

10 Jul 06:00 PM
Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

10 Jul 03:15 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP