DOC head faces heat in wake of overhaul

New Zealand’s environment may have lost its best advocate – the resourcestretched Department of Conservation – its own staff feel.

DOC director-general Lou Sanson was questioned by MPs when he appeared before a parliamentary select committee on Thursday, at which last year’s damning staff satisfaction report was raised.

The department hired Australian consultancy Taribon to evaluate the $12.5 million restructure, which began in 2013 and saw nearly 100 jobs go. Consultants blasted the changes, seen by staff as inefficient and incomprehensible.

Labour conservation spokeswoman Ruth Dyson said DOC staff were also concerned the agency was too stretched to handle its mandated environmental advocacy role.

She said DOC made a submission to just three resource management cases, for projects like dams, in the past financial year. ‘‘It seemed to be a very low number to me.’’

In response, Sanson said he was looking at changes in his leadership team and stressed his commitment to advocacy.

‘‘I don’t know of a single issue, since I’ve been director-general, that we have not been in that we should be in. But we can’t afford to be in everything,’’ he said.

‘‘A hearing can cost you half a million dollars.’’

Along with the three new court cases, DOC was also involved in nine continuing cases, he said.

Sanson was also pressed on low budgets for pest control. The country’s biggest ever pest operation, last year’s Battle for our Birds, covered just oneeighth of conservation land.

Greens conservation spokeswoman Eugenie Sage asked if wildlife was put at risk if the Government did not allocate extra funding in beech mast years, when mice and rat numbers skyrocket.

Battle for our Birds was partly funded from job vacancies and lower staff numbers after the restructure.

Sanson admitted it was ‘‘a big call’’ to budget for those unforeseen events but was confident it could be done. The department’s 10-year goal was to see 50 per cent of the country receiving pest control, through improved technology and philanthropy partnerships.