Nearly 1400 in hunt for one Haast job

Haast - More than 1300 people from around the world have applied to be the Department of Conservation’s new biodiversity supervisor in Haast.

“By close of business yesterday, 1383 people from 26 countries had applied for the job.

Applicants for the job include people from Finland, the UK, Colombia, Brazil, India, Ireland, the USA, Dominican Republic, South Africa and Paraguay as well as New Zealanders and Australians.

The job advertisement stipulated that eligibility to work in New Zealand was mandatory including holding a valid work visa that covers the whole period of employment.

Of those who applied over 40 meet those criteria.

Te Papa Atawhai the Department of Conservation, or DoC,  is charged with the conservation of New Zealand's natural and historical heritage.

The department was formed on April 1 (not a great day for a serious announcement) 1987.

DoC manages about 30 percent of New Zealand's land area or about eight million hectares of native forests, tussock lands, alpine areas, wetlands, dune lands, 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.

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.

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.  

Photo: A ranger crosses a bridge in the Haast kiwi sanctuary.