Death threats over conservation work

In mid-October, a member of the public walked into a Department of Conservation office, confronted the local manager and threatened to kill him and his family.

It is not the only death threat a DOC employee has received. Earlier in December, a letter threatened to shoot down DOC helicopters and to wage ‘‘war’’ against the department.

In June and September, wheel nuts on DOC vehicles were loosened.

The department’s records of threats, harassment, intimidation or assault go back to 2006, which had only one reported incident - an assault. As of early December 2017, it has recorded more than 30 incidents. In 2007, a string of gunrelated incidents occurred. Shots were fired near DOC employees on four occasions.

In one, a ranger was driving between work sites in a DOC vehicle when a bullet hit the car below the passenger door wing mirror, shattering the window.

A more recent example is from 2014, when a DOC office worker received a call from someone who said they ‘‘wanted to go down there [to the DOC office] to blow someone’s head off’’. The caller then hung up.

Staff have been assaulted, abused and harassed. They’ve been on the receiving end of road rage. They’ve been targeted on social media.

They are just some of the 111 reported incidents against DOC employees in the past 11 years.

DOC said reporting of incidents had improved during that time. It also said it was important to remember the department had about 1000 front line staff and rangers who ‘‘interact with New Zealanders every day’’.

Almost a third of all reported incidents were related to 1080. In total, over the 11-year period, 44 incidents were then reported to police, DOC said.

DOC’s director of health and safety, Harry Maher, said that besides improved reporting, the increase of incidents could be because the department was doing more predator control work than before.