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Source: Police investigating after shots fired at Hastings house

Date:  01 April 2025

Recent monitoring of eight rivers on Taranaki Maunga saw 106 whio ducklings counted, up from 89 in the survey completed last year. Further fledglings were sighted on rivers outside the survey area.

For the last nine years surveys have been conducted along eight rivers with specially trained conservation dogs. A dog and its handler seek whio along each river twice each breeding season, with each river taking an average of 6 hours to survey.

DOC biodiversity ranger Joe Carson conducts the annual surveys with her conservation dog, Pip. Joe says she’s thrilled with the great result.

“Ongoing trapping and last year’s application of aerial 1080 have helped protect female whio during their critical nesting period.

“It’s been a huge collective effort from volunteers, Taranaki Mounga Project and DOC staff to reduce stoats and other predators across the maunga. The work of our partners across the wider maunga also supports whio. Together, we’re bringing nature back.”

Settled weather last spring kept rivers stable and low, providing an extra boost to help the young birds survive to fledging.

Whio are a unique duck species found nowhere else in the world and are known as an icon of New Zealand’s backcountry rivers.

The whio population on Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki is thriving with regular sightings by trampers on many of the hikes.

“It’s such a privilege to witness this ancient species in the wild,” says Joe.

“So, look out for whio and be sure to give them space so they aren’t stressed, they’re part of what makes New Zealand special.”

Background information

• Whio/blue duck are a unique species found nowhere else in the world.
• Whio are river specialists living on fast-flowing rivers.
• Healthy whio populations indicate healthy rivers and streams. The more breeding pairs of whio, the healthier the river.
• The survival of whio largely depends on the protection of secure source populations throughout mainland New Zealand.

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Source: Police investigating after shots fired at Hastings house

Date:  28 March 2025 Source:  Office of the Minister of Conservation

The High Court recently decided it was unlawful for the Department of Conservation – Te Papa Atawhai to authorise the New Zealand Transport Agency – Waka Kotahi under section 53 of the Wildlife Act to harm protected wildlife species while building the Mt Messenger highway.

“As permission was also granted under another section of the Act, the court’s decision doesn’t affect this highway’s ongoing construction. It will not affect Fast Track projects either,” Mr Potaka says.

“However, the decision could delay other projects DOC has given permission for or are still coming through the pipeline under section 53 of the Act – such as building new solar and wind farms, plantation forests, and powerline maintenance that are essential for supporting our growing economy. It also affects other important conservation work, like pest control.

“The Government intends to promptly change the law to enable these important activities to go ahead lawfully, including the building of houses and roads for example, as they have in the past with safeguards for wildlife. These amendments will provide certainty for existing projects,” Mr Potaka says.

“While developers are absolutely expected to make the best possible effort to protect our precious wildlife when getting on with their mahi, they should have confidence they won’t be prosecuted if their projects incidentally kill protected wildlife despite having previous authorisation and complying with the conditions set.

“It’s important Aotearoa New Zealand’s wildlife continues to be protected and that species can thrive as we support a strong and growing economy. The Government still expects responsible developers to seek permission for the activities they undertake – for example, seeking to relocate animals before doing any construction work – to protect populations and support the ongoing viability of species.”

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Source: Police investigating after shots fired at Hastings house

Date:  28 March 2025

Ngāi Tahu and DOC first released takahē on Ngāi Tahu tribal property Greenstone Station in 2023 to establish a new wild population.

The predation is not unexpected says DOC Takahē Recovery Operations Manager Deidre Vercoe, but this apparent cluster of deaths over a five-week period is being taken very seriously as it shows even one stoat can do a lot of damage.

“DNA analysis and necropsy results point to a stoat, and we have since spotted a likely culprit multiple times on a camera in the area.

“A fifth takahē with an unknown cause of death could also have been a victim.

“Stoats can be extremely trap shy and take some time to catch, so more takahē deaths could become a reality.”

Takahē monitoring has been increased, extra traps have been installed, a stoat detection dog is on site, baited trail cameras are in use and the existing trapping network is being rebaited more often.

“Until New Zealand is predator free, any new wild site for takahē will have a level of predation threat. This is the reality our native birds face daily on the mainland,” says Deidre.

“Current predator control tools make a big difference to species survival, but this scenario highlights the challenges.

“Thankfully, the overall takahē population is increasing, so, with the support of our Treaty partner, we can continue to take bold steps to learn more about new wild sites that could support takahē to thrive.”

A population of 20-30 takahē has been living in the Greenstone for more than 18 months now and the health and productivity of the birds has exceeded expectations, with two active breeding seasons indicating the Greenstone Valley is a promising wild site.

The total number of takahē nationwide is more than 500 and more homes are needed for the growing population. More than half live at wild sites where stoats are present.

Ngāi Tahu representative on the Takahē Recovery Group, Gail Thompson says these recent deaths highlight that, despite their large size, sturdy beaks and claws, takahē remain vulnerable to introduced predators wherever they are in the wild.

“This reinforces the importance of continuing to find new wild habitats for our taonga species while also collectively striving for a predator-free Aotearoa New Zealand,” says Gail.”

Ngāi Tahu and Takahē Recovery, supported by National Partner Fulton Hogan, remain committed to maintaining a population of takahē in the Greenstone and wider Whakatipu. Efforts to establish a population of up to 80 takahē this year in the nearby Rees Valley began in February, with a second release due in the Rees in April and a third planned for Spring.

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Source: Police investigating after shots fired at Hastings house

Date:  28 March 2025 Source:  Office of Minister for Hunting and Fishing

“Longer permits, automatic reminders and better navigation are part of a significant upgrade that will make life easier for 34,000 hunters that hunt on open conservation land,” Minister Meager says.

“The underlying technology of the current hunting permit system is outdated and in need of an update, and is being improved based on the direct feedback of hunters. This upgrade will support more hunters, both domestic and international, getting out and doing what they love.

“This substantial upgrade to the permitting system will make it more reliable and easier to navigate on mobile devices, making it easier to obtain permits on the go. Hunting permits will now be valid for 12 months, an increase on the current four-month period. Hunters will also receive reminders 14 days before their permits are due to expire so they can easily obtain a new permit. 

“The upgraded system will also make selecting hunting areas easier. Instead of the 54 hunting areas that hunters currently choose from, the system will be simplified so hunters choose from eight regions, four in the North Island and four in the South Island/Stewart Island. All existing hunting areas within the broader region will automatically be included on the permit, and hunters can also select all hunting areas within New Zealand at the press of a single button.

“These may be simple changes, but they reflect a government which is committed to making it easier for New Zealanders to go hunting and fishing on conservation land, and are willing to listen to the feedback of the hunting community to do so.”

This new system will be launched by the Department in Conservation in May.

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Source: Police investigating after shots fired at Hastings house

Date:  27 March 2025

The two Waitaha geckos were first discovered and marked in 1967 and 1969 by late Herpetologist Tony Whitaker. His detailed record-keeping allowed Department of Conservation staff to accurately date their ages.

DOC Biodiversity Ranger Kaitlyn Leeds says the geckos were found during a five-yearly species monitoring visit to Motunau Island.

“We were all blown away to find two of the original marked lizards! We found “Antoinette” (named in honour of Tony Whitaker) first and dated her at 64 years plus and then found the second one called “Brucie-Baby” (Tony’s nickname for his co-worker and conservation legend, Bruce Thomas) and dated her at 60.”

The age record for the Waitaha gecko was previously 53 years with a gecko found on the same island in 2015. Dating geckos on Motunau Island is only possible due to Tony Whitaker individually marking 133 geckos with unique “toe-clip identification” when he started lizard monitoring between 1965 and 1967.

“We no longer toe clip these lizards but it did give us an opportunity to learn how long individual geckos can live for. It’s just amazing they’ve existed on this postage stamp of an island since before the moon landing” says Biodiversity Ranger Allanah Purdie who was also on the island for the visit.

Marieke Lettink, who is a Herpetologist and has been going out to the island for twenty years, says the geckos really buck the trend globally living for such a long time and it was a career highlight to find these two.

“They really are remarkable. I didn’t hold out any expectations that we would find two of Tony’s old mates still living. In global terms, these native geckos are just so unique. We know of no other species of gecko living so long – the average around the world for gecko is only a decade.”

Kaitlyn Leeds says Antoinette and Brucie-Baby look pretty good for their age.

“They do look a bit skinnier with looser skin but to be honest, you wouldn’t know they were 60+ years old! Interestingly, female geckos, like female humans tend to live longer than males. It’s also got a lot to do with being in a cool climate on a predator free island. Maybe it’s also their lifestyle”, she laughs, “lapping up the salty air! But in all seriousness, it does make you think about the impacts of predation and comparative longevity for our reptiles on mainland NZ.”

Waitaha geckos are classified as at risk and in decline. They are mostly found in lowland Canterbury, usually in rocky places that provide warmth and refuge from predators.

Allanah Purdie says she feels privileged to be able to study the geckos.

“These geckos are such an important part of our native landscape. We have such unique species in New Zealand, and these two are now world record holders. I’m hoping that we find Antoinette and Brucie-Baby when we do our next visit to the island in five years. Who knows how long these two will live for.”

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By Michael Webster, Privacy Commissioner

Originally published on the New Zealand Herald 3 October 2024.

One of the greatest risks to privacy in the workplace could be sitting next to you – or it could even be you.

Employee browsing or the unauthorised access and misuse of personal information is one of the most common privacy breaches. I also believe it’s one of the least understood or reported on, as required by the Privacy Act.

New Zealand is a small place and there’s a good chance a familiar name will crop up in a database or on a file at work and it can prove very tempting to have a look.

However, a sneaky peek isn’t a harmless case of nosiness; it’s inappropriate and can be a breach of the principles underpinning the Privacy Act. In the cases I see it can have potentially serious consequences such as harassment and blackmail.

In one example, a person in a position of power looked up the details of a colleague’s partner then used their position to repeatedly sexually harass them via text message. The victim felt intimidated, scared, and fearful in their own home so contacted our Office.

In some circumstances employees look up information and then pass it on for the explicit purpose of causing harm – for example, finding the address of someone who owns expensive assets to be targeted for a burglary.

In other examples they do it because they think they’re helping a friend when they’re acting illegally. Like the employee working for a counsellor who had a friend in a custody dispute with their ex-partner. The employee looked up information about the wellbeing of their friend’s ex-partner and shared it with their friend who then used it in their custody dispute hearing.

Sometimes the temptation to ‘just have a quick look’ is a powerful force but employees need to be stronger. One story I’ve see was from a clinic doing STI and HIV testing. A new employee was being trained and decided to look up their own records while their trainer was in the room with them. That’s fine, it’s their information. However, when the trainer left the room, the new employee took the opportunity to look up the names of their ex-partner, current partner, and best friend – all in breach of the Privacy Act.

The Privacy Act protects the personal information of all New Zealanders, which means that as well as employees not snooping, we need managers and owners to be informing their staff that it’s wrong to snoop, and to act when it’s found out.

There’s a lot of information about us held in various databases, including contact details, bank accounts and financial records, and copies of identity documents. This material needs to be protected from internal threats from staff as well as external threats from third parties.

Employers have a responsibility to secure databases and to limit access only to the staff that need that information to do their job. Employers also have a responsibility to recognise the potential for serious harm if staff are misusing their access privileges.

The bottom line is organisations have an obligation to prevent their employees from inappropriately accessing and/or disclosing customer information. 

Building privacy safeguards into your databases enables you to have access controls in place to protect personal information, ideally supported by audit logs so you can monitor who’s doing what and follow up on any unusual activity.

Significant personal information is held in various databases across New Zealand. A good example is around driver licences and car registration details. Businesses and organisations like insurance providers, vehicle importers, or sellers can be granted access to the motor vehicle register for lawful purposes. However, when staff at those types of agencies access the database for their own reasons or interests then it’s a problem, which often leads to employee dismissal as well as the agency needing to report a privacy breach.

Businesses have an obligation to ensure their staff have privacy training and a general awareness about the risks of employee browsing. They also need to take steps to make sure staff know they can only access information for work purposes.

This can be reinforced by having clear policies about employee browsing in your agency’s code of conduct, including consequences for being caught inappropriately accessing personal information about customers and clients.

Staff access to personal information comes with serious accountabilities about appropriate and lawful behaviour. We all need to treat it with respect. Organisations need to ensure there are consequences for employee browsing and treat any breaches of trust as serious compliance incidents.

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