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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.

An advisory body, the New Zealand Conservation Authority (NZCA) is provided to advise DOC and its ministers. In addition there are 15 conservation boards for different areas around the country that provide for interaction between DOC and the public.

Overview

The department was formed on 1 April 1987, as one of several reforms of the public service, when the Conservation Act 1987 was passed to integrate some functions of the Department of Lands and Survey, the Forest Service and the Wildlife Service. This act also set out the majority of the department's responsibilities and roles.

As a consequence of Conservation Act all Crown land in New Zealand designated for conservation and protection became managed by the Department of Conservation. This is about 30% of New Zealand's land area or about 8 million hectares of native forests, tussocklands, alpine areas, wetlands, dunelands, estuaries, lakes and islands, national forests, maritime parks, marine reserves, nearly 4000 reserves, river margins, some coastline, and many offshore islands. All of the land under its control is protected for either conservation, ecological, scenic, scientific, historic or cultural reasons, and for recreation.

Providing for recreation is a major part of its core work, and this covers the management of family picnic sites, as well as maintaining rugged backcountry tracks and over 1000 accompanying backcountry huts that are used by hunters and recreational trampers. DOC also administers the Nature Heritage Fund, and is responsible for supporting rural fire control by acting under the direction of Fire and Emergency New Zealand when a fire occurs on land it manages. Up until June 2017, DOC was the designated fire authority for all land under its control.

In addition to its work managing land and providing for recreation in New Zealand, DOC works to preserve its natural heritage. This includes preservation of historic sites on public conservation land, saving native threatened species, managing threats like pests and weeds, environmental restoration, caring for marine life, and assisting landowners to effectively preserve natural heritage.

The methods of achieving these goals have resulted in controversy, where some people claim that the Department of Conservation is overly biased towards environmentalists at the expense of New Zealand's economy. This is particularly a concern amongst some farmers and other industries that are major users of neighbouring land, many of whom have been affected by decisions of the department. However, these criticised DOC efforts have also been lauded for achieving some success, for both conservationists and farmers, having led to a significant drop in possum populations during the last decades.

The DOC was floated as the agency to supervise the construction of the proposed New Zealand Cycleway, though this is now being managed primarily by the Ministry of Tourism, in coordination with the DOC where appropriate.

After a number of years of falling budgets, in 2013 the department announced it would be slashing 140 jobs and narrowing its 11-region structure into six.

As part of New Zealand's programme of economic recovery post the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the following economic downturn DOC is working alongside the Ministry for the Environment, Department of Conservation, Ministry for Primary Industries, Land Information New Zealand and Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment to fund a number of temporary projects with the objective of creating jobs and assisting New Zealand's efforts to further protect the environment. As of June 2023 the project, entitled "Jobs For Nature", has employed 4,694 individuals over 193 projects. The programme's investment is estimated to be worth approximately NZ$1.19Billion, with the projects undertaken focused on providing temporary employment as well benefit the environment, people, and regional New Zealand.

In April 2024, the department proposed slashing 130 roles as part of efforfs to meet Government budget sepnding cut targets of 6.5%. In addition, DOC must also find NZ$7.2 million to meet cost operating pressures. The proposed job cuts include 24 "Biodiversity, Heritage & Visitors" roles, 22 Policy & Regulatory services roles, 18 public affairs roles and 54 Regional Operations support roles.

Headquarters
The Department of Conservation moved into a new headquarters, Conservation House, on Manners Street, Wellington in 2006. It is the first green building in New Zealand to be given a 5-star rating, having won numerous environmental awards, including a top 10 placing by Grist Magazine. The site was originally a cinema complex operated by the Hoyts Group from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s, when it closed down in the face of stiff competition.

Conservation land
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. 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).

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.

Cave Creek disaster
In 1995, 14 people died when a viewing platform maintained by the Department of Conservation collapsed. Immediately following the tragedy, all of the department's 106 viewing platforms throughout New Zealand were checked. Fifteen platforms were closed for repairs.

A Commission of Inquiry that followed the tragedy revealed that the department had acted illegally and negligently in constructing the viewing platform. The commission also stated that the department was seriously underfunded for the tasks with which it was delegated, resulting in a culture of sub-standard safety procedures having been used for the building and maintenance of some of its facilities.

Many people in New Zealand criticised the government for the department's situation, and Denis Marshall, the presiding Minister of Conservation at the time, eventually resigned over the incident. Since the inquiry, radical changes have been made to the department's procedures to prioritise safety, including the implementation of a comprehensive asset management system to catalogue, track and trigger regular inspections of all significant structures and facilities managed by the department.

Raoul Island eruption
In March 2006, a volcanic eruption at the Green Lake of Raoul Island, administered by the Department of Conservation, was believed to have killed DOC worker Mark Kearney. At the exact time of the eruption, Kearney is thought to have been taking temperature measurements of the lake as part of a programme for monitoring volcanic activity. Five other DOC workers, who were also living on the island, were forced to evacuate back to New Zealand shortly after the eruption. Searches for Kearney, which have been inhibited by the island's remote location and the risks of further volcanic activity, have since failed to find any signs of him.

List of directors-general
Directors-General of DOC (Chief Executive) are:


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David Michelinie

David Michelinie (born May 6, 1948) is an American comic book writer best known for scripting Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man and Iron Man and the DC Comics feature Superman in Action Comics. Among the characters he created or co-created are Venom, Carnage, Scott Lang / Ant-Man and War Machine.

Early career
Michelinie grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, and worked at a commercial film production company before moving to New York to take part in an apprenticeship program started by DC Comics.

Some of Michelinie's earliest work appears in DC Comics' House of Secrets and a run on Swamp Thing (#14–18 and #21–22), the latter illustrated by Nestor Redondo. Michelinie and artist Ernie Chan created Claw the Unconquered in 1975. Michelinie did a run on Aquaman in Adventure Comics which led to the revival of the Sea King's own title in 1977. In the Aquaman story in Adventure Comics #452, Black Manta killed Aquaman's son Arthur Curry Jr. by suffocation. The infant's death has affected the character ever since. While writing the Karate Kid series, Michelinie used the name "Barry Jameson" as a pseudonym. With artist Ed Davis, he created Gravedigger in Men of War #1 (Aug. 1977). The Star Hunters were created by Michelinie with editor Joe Orlando and artist Don Newton, debuted in DC Super Stars #16 (Sept.–Oct. 1977), and featured in their own short-lived series. The original storyline for Madame Xanadu in Doorway to Nightmare #1 (Feb. 1978) was developed by Michelinie and Val Mayerik.

Marvel Comics
Among Michelinie's best-known work are his two runs on Iron Man with co-plotter/inker Bob Layton, in the late 1970s and early 1980s which introduced the character's serious problem with alcoholism and his specialized power armor variants. He introduced two of Stark's closest comrades, Bethany Cabe and Jim Rhodes as well as new enmities with Justin Hammer and Doctor Doom. His most noted cliffhanger was when Tony Stark was thrown out of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier and had to don his armor completely to use its flight function before he hit the ground. After leaving the title in 1981, Michelinie reunited with Layton on the book late in 1986, and along with penciller M. D. Bright, closed out preceding writer Dennis O'Neil's Advanced Idea Mechanics arc and launched the "Armor Wars"; during this time he and Layton introduced the Ghost. Michelinie left Iron Man again after issue #250, closing his second collaboration with Layton with a sequel to their Iron Man-Doctor Doom time travel episode from issues #149–150.

Michelinie was one of the writers of The Avengers from 1978 to 1982 and worked with artists John Byrne and George Pérez. During this time he and Byrne created Scott Lang in The Avengers #181 (March 1979), and he created the Taskmaster with Pérez in The Avengers #195 (May 1980).

From 1987 to 1994, Michelinie wrote The Amazing Spider-Man series, which featured the art of Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen, and Mark Bagley, while introducing the supervillains Venom in issue #298 (March 1988) and Carnage in #361 (April 1992). Michelinie had planned to introduce Venom earlier and included a "teaser" scene in Web of Spider-Man #18, in which Peter Parker is pushed by an offscreen Venom into the path of an oncoming train, the symbiote being unsusceptible to Spider-Man's "spider sense" that would have normally warned him of the attack. This was the first of what was to be several clues leading to the reveal of Venom. Michelinie left Web of Spider-Man shortly after and was not able to continue the introduction of Venom until his time writing The Amazing Spider-Man.

Behind Stan Lee, Michelinie had the second longest run on The Amazing Spider-Man as a writer.

He also wrote the limited series Venom: Lethal Protector in 1993, where Venom was the main character and acted as an antihero instead of villain for the first time.

Valiant, return to DC and Future Comics
In the early 1990s David Michelinie worked at Valiant Comics on the titles Rai, H.A.R.D. Corps, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and Magnus, Robot Fighter.

He began working for DC again with the launch of the Justice League Task Force series in 1993 with artist Sal Velluto. In 1994, Michelinie became the writer of Action Comics which he stayed on for three years. As one of the five principal Superman writers at that time he co-wrote Superman: The Wedding Album in 1996. David Michelinie and artist Paul Ryan are the only comic book creators to have contributed to the wedding issues of both Spider-Man (Peter Parker marrying Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21, 1987) and Superman (Clark Kent) marrying Lois Lane in Superman: The Wedding Album (Dec. 1996). He also wrote issues of Superman Adventures and Steel as well as the miniseries Legion: Science Police, Superman's Nemesis: Lex Luthor and Superman vs. Predator, his last credited work for DC Comics in 2000. The same year, he joined forces with Bob Layton again for the miniseries Iron Man: Bad Blood for Marvel Comics.

After a hiatus Michelinie returned to comics by teaming-up with Bob Layton and Dick Giordano to form Future Comics, where he wrote the series Freemind, Metallix and Deathmask from 2002 to 2003. The company closed in 2004.

Later career
In 2007, Michelinie wrote Kolchak Tales: The Frankenstein Agenda #1–3 for Moonstone Books. Also for Moonstone, he wrote several prose short stories which appeared in the anthologies The Phantom Chronicles (2007), Werewolves: Dead Moon Rising (2007) and The Avenger: The Justice Inc. Files (2011).

In 2008, he and Layton collaborated again on a four-issue Iron Man: Legacy of Doom miniseries and in 2009 on the one-shot Iron Man: The End for Marvel Comics. It was followed by the one-shot ''What If? Iron Man: Demon in an Armor in 2011 and a four-issue-follow-up on the "Armor Wars" storyline published as Iron Man'' #258.1–258.4 in 2013. He returned to his creation Venom with stories for Venom #150 (2017), Venom Annual #1 (2018) and Venom vol. 4 #25 (2020), all penciled by Ron Lim, who had also worked on Venom: Lethal Protector. After the success of the two Venom films, in 2021 Marvel commissioned Michelinie to write a new five-issue-miniseries: Venom: Lethal Protector vol. 2, with art by Ivan Fiorelli, that was published in 2023. It was followed by Venom: Separation Anxiety, another limited series, drawn by Gerardo Sandoval in 2024.

Screenwriting
As screenwriter, Michelinie worked on two episodes of the animated series Iron Man: Armored Adventures (with Bob Layton as co-writer) and wrote the short films Hellevator (2011) and Nobody's Tomorrow (2018).

DC Comics

 * Action Comics #702–722, 724–736, #0, Annual #7–9 (1994–1997)
 * Adventure Comics #441, 443, 445, 450–452 (Aquaman), #456–458 (Superboy) (1975–1978)
 * Aquaman #57–61 (1977–1978)
 * Army at War #1 (1978)
 * Cancelled Comic Calvacade #1 (Claw the Unconquered) (1978)
 * Claw the Unconquered #1–12 (1975–1978)
 * DC Comics Presents #3 (Superman and Adam Strange) (1978)
 * DC Super Stars #16 (Star Hunters) (1977)
 * DC Universe Holiday Bash #1 (1997)
 * Doorway to Nightmare #1 (1978)
 * Hercules Unbound #7–9 (1976–1977)
 * House of Mystery #224, 232, 235, 238, 248, 252, 257–259, 263, 286–287 (1974–1980)
 * House of Secrets #116, 122, 126–127, 130, 147 (1974–1977)
 * Jonah Hex #13–15 (1978)
 * Justice League Task Force #1–3 (1993)
 * Karate Kid #2–10 (1976–1977)
 * Legion: Science Police #1–4 (1998)
 * Men of War #1–4 (1977–1978)
 * Phantom Stranger #35–36 (1975)
 * Plop! #7–8, 19 (1974–1976)
 * Secrets of Haunted House #5 (1975)
 * Sgt. Rock #311, 315 (1977–1978)
 * Shadowdragon Annual #1 (1995)
 * Starfire #1–2 (1976)
 * Star Hunters #1–7 (1977–1978)
 * Star Spangled War Stories #183–192, 194–203 (Unknown Soldier) (1974–1977)
 * Steel #17–19 (1995)
 * Superman Annual #8 (1996)
 * Superman Adventures #32, 44, Special #1 (1998–2000)
 * Superman's Nemesis: Lex Luthor #1–4 (1999)
 * Superman: The Wedding Album #1 (1996)
 * Superman vs. Predator #1–4 (2000)
 * Swamp Thing #14–18, 21–22 (1975–1976)
 * Tales of Ghost Castle #1 (1975)
 * Unknown Soldier #254–256 (1981)
 * Weird Mystery Tales #15–16 (1974–1975)
 * Weird War Tales #30, 72 (1974–1979)
 * Wonder Woman #218 (script consultant to Martin Pasko) (1975)

Marvel Comics

 * The Amazing Spider-Man #205, 290–292, 296–352, 359–388, Annual #21–26, 28, Annual '95, Super Special #1 (1980, 1987–1995)
 * The Avengers #173, 175–176, 181–187, 189, 191–205, 221, 223, 340 (1978–1982, 1991)
 * The Bozz Chronicles #1–6 (1985–1986)
 * Captain America #258–259, Annual #5 (1981)
 * Carnage vol. 2 #1 (2022)
 * Daredevil #167 (1980)
 * Death of the Venomverse (backup-story) #2–5 (2023)
 * Doctor Strange #46 (1981)
 * Further Adventures of Indiana Jones #4–18, 20–22, 26–27 (1983–1985)
 * Hero #1–6 (1990)
 * The Incredible Hulk #232 (1979)
 * Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade #1–4 (1989)
 * Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom #1–3 (1984)
 * Iron Man #116–157, 215–250, Annual #9–10 (1978–1982, 1987–1989)
 * Iron Man #258.1–258.4 (2013)
 * Iron Man: Bad Blood #1–4 (2000)
 * Iron Man: Legacy of Doom #1–4 (2008)
 * Iron Man: The End #1 (2009)
 * Krull #1–2 (1983)
 * Marvel Fanfare #4 (1982)
 * Marvel Graphic Novel #16–17, 27 (1985–1987)
 * Marvel Premiere #47–48, 55–56 (1979–1980)
 * Marvel Super-Heroes #5, 14 (1991–1993)
 * Marvel Super Special #28, 30 (1983–1984)
 * Marvel Team-Up #103, 108, 110, 136, 142–143 (1981–1984)
 * Marvel Two-In-One #76, 78, 97–98, Annual #4 (1979–1983)
 * Mother Theresa of Calcutta (1984)
 * Pro Action Magazine #1 (Spider-Man) (1994)
 * Psi-Force #7 (1987)
 * Questprobe #3 (1985)
 * The Spectacular Spider-Man #173–175, 220, Annual #11–12, Super Special #1 (1991–1995)
 * Spider-Man #35, Super Special #1 (1993–1995)
 * Spider-Man: The Bug Stops Here #1 (1994)
 * Star Wars #51–52, 55–69, 78, Annual #2 (1981–1983)
 * Thundercats #1–6 (1985–1986)
 * Toxic Crusaders #8 (1992)
 * Venom #150, Annual #1 (2017–2018)
 * Venom vol. 4 #25 (2020)
 * Venom: Lethal Protector #1–6 (1993)
 * Venom: Lethal Protector vol. 2 #1–5 (2023)
 * Venom: Separation Anxiety #1–5 (2024)
 * Venom Super Special #1 (1995)
 * Web of Spider-Man #8–9, 14–20, 23–24, 70, Annual #7–8, Super Special #1 (1985–1995)
 * What If #38 (1983)
 * What If vol. 2 #85 (1996)
 * What If? Iron Man: Demon in an Armor (2011)
 * Wonder Man #1 (1986)

Warren Publishing

 * Creepy #84 (1976)
 * Eerie #81 (with Louise Simonson) (1977)

Valiant Comics

 * H.A.R.D. Corps #1–16 (1992–1994)
 * Magnus, Robot Fighter #11, 18–19 (1992)
 * Rai #1–8 (1992)
 * Secrets of the Valiant Universe #1 (1994)
 * Turok: Dinosaur Hunter #1–3 (1993)

Image Comics / Valiant Comics

 * Deathmate Yellow #1 (1993)

Future Comics

 * Death Mask #1–3 (2003)
 * Freemind #0–7 (2002–2003)
 * Metallix #0–6, Free Comic Book Day #1 (2002–2003)

Moonstone

 * Kolchak Tales: The Frankenstein Agenda #1–3 (2007)
 * The Phantom: Ghost Who Walks #1–4 (consultant to Mike Bullock) (2009)

Maneki Neko Books

 * Gladstone’s School for World Conquerors: Gladstone's Revenge (one-shot) (2023)

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title: David Michelinie