A violent criminal will walk out of Mount Eden Prison this week to the frustration of one of his victims who are still suffering from the attack.

Increasing the price of using national parks has been ruled out by the Department of Conservation as a way of making money.

The Department of Conservation will axe 140 jobs and reduce the number of conservancy regions in a department-wide shake-up.

The Department of Conservation is planning to replace the swing bridge on the walking track leading to the Roy Roy glacier in the Mt Aspiring National Park.

There is concern more of New Zealand's endangered species will be lost if job losses go ahead at the Department of Conservation.

Expected job losses at the Department of Conservation are not expected to cut too deep into frontline positions, Prime Minister John Key says.

Officials are investigating a proposal which could lead to the Pike River mine being turned into an opencast coal pit stretching into a national park.

A DoC worker said it was a "miracle'' no one was injured after a giant rockslide at Aoraki/Mt Cook missed a popular trampers' hut by just 200 metres.

To disguise what it is doing, the Beehive has ordered the Ministry for the Environment to abandon the five-yearly State of the Environment round-up report, writes Neville Peat.

Department of Conservation staff have been told further job losses are possible as it enters another round of restructuring.

A dolphin and its calf which were stranded on a Hawkes Bay reef as they fled from hunting orca have been saved by holidaymakers.

An unnecessary search and rescue callout on New Year's Day has police urging holidaymakers to advise others before starting off on expeditions.

The Department of Conservation is taking the unusual step of declaring a total fire ban across its Hawke's Bay regional parks for the first time in 12 years.

A group of children were happily playing in the water at Paihia, cooling off from the hot sun - then someone yelled: "Shark!"

The Department of Conservation has confirmed that the decision has been made to euthanise the remaining 16 whales who became stranded at Farewell Spit.