Conservation Department taking a stand against vandalism

A step was burned at the hot pools in one of the vandalism incidents on Hawke's Bay Department of Conservation land. Photo/ Supplied

The Department of Conservation in Hawke's Bay is taking a stand against vandalism after a series of incidents.

In the most recent case a Hastings man was caught driving in an unsafe manner and doing wheelies at the Mangatutu Hot Pools campsite and has since been trespassed from the Kaweka Forest Park.

DoC Hawke's Bay operations manager Connie Norgate said the department was taking a hard line on people who mistreated public conservation land after several weeks of vandalism at sites across the region.

Ms Norgate said the unsafe driving and wheelies were just the latest in a series of events which DoC had zero tolerance for.

"Public conservation land is for public enjoyment and we've had things like fires in areas which have total fire bans, litter and vandalism."

The repeated vandalism has also included a donation box being ripped off a wall, a fire lit on the steps next to the hot pools, and rubbish being left behind including disposable nappies.

This vandalism costs the department in not only repair expenses, but also staff time.

Ms Norgate said this was essentially theft from the Crown and from the general public.

"People who damage these sites, light fires in fire ban areas or leave rubbish are committing an offence and they can expect to be prosecuted."

Information from the public and the department's security cameras had been very helpful in identifying those who were mistreating the land, she said.

Members of the public who witness any similar events are asked to call the department on 0800 DOC HOT.