Damning report on Department of Conservation restructure

The restructuring of the Department of Conservation (DOC) following National’s severe funding cuts has been revealed as failure, the Green Party said today.

The Taribon report has reviewed the new structure of DOC after 12 months. The restructuring, one of the largest in the public service, followed the National Government’s $54 million cut to DOC funding. It resulted in the loss of 96 positions, a major loss of field staff and their expertise, and a new structure which divided staff between partnership and services groups.

“The Government funding cuts and failed restructure shows you can’t do more with less. You end up doing less with less and it’s not working,” said Green Party conservation spokesperson Eugenie Sage today.

“The Taribon report says, the overwhelming majority of staff believe DOC is now less efficient than before the organisation changes.

“The report confirms that the cumbersome new DOC structure where staff are divided between ‘partnership’ and ‘services’ arms has led to muddled and inefficient decision making.

“DOC needs to be doing more to protect our threatened species and wild places, not less.

“We need to ensure that DOC has the funding and a sound organisational structure to protect the places New Zealanders care about,” said Ms Sage.

Criticisms in the Taribon report include:
· ‘DOC staff have a strong commitment to conservation but most are frustrated at how the organisation is working. … They do not feel that the organisation has improved’

· ‘What DOC lacks is a compelling goal or goals against which to measure success.’

· ‘There is confusion as internal and external parties try to identify who to talk to.’

· ‘The accountability hierarchy has been replaced by committees … the result is that DOC is not currently able to deliver on its growth objective.’

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