New Zealand Department of Conservation
The New Zealand Department of Conservation (DoC), is the government department charged with conserving New Zealand’s natural and historic heritage for all to enjoy now and into the future.
Organisation
The Department aims to foster education, and make the areas it manages accessible for the public to enjoy and appreciate safely.
SAR Role
In many of the mountainous regions of the country, DoC personnel comprise the initial response resource in the event that a SAR incident occours.
The Aoraki/Mt Cook, Mt Aspiring and Mt Taranaki regions are three such areas in which the DoC staff respond to SAR incidents requiring the location and rescue of members of the public from hazardous situations.
The SAR response crews made up from DoC personnel, are generally utilised in general DoC activities until a SAR event occours, at which time their specialist training and expertise is brought to bear to assist in life saving operations.
In the last few years, there have been a number of high profile and tragic incidents involving climbers in New Zealand's mountain areas, and DoC SAR personnel have figured prominantly in the response to those situations.
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