A pilot scheme trialling an advanced satellite-enabled remote network of sensors in DOC toilets could be the first step towards a revolution for New Zealand conservation and a route to delivering significant cost, carbon, and time savings for the organisation.
The pilot Connected Conservation programme, funded in partnership with One NZ, will see around 50 smart sensors installed in toilets, huts, and wastewater systems across some of New Zealand's most remote tracks. The pilot will also trial the use of smart traps and trail cameras, to remotely control and monitor pests.
Delivered with the support of One NZ and through the One NZ satellite network alongside other connectivity approaches, the sensors will provide real-time data on wastewater levels, animal interactions with traps and cameras, and facility use.
For DOC - who manage around 2,000 toilets nationwide, many in remote locations - this will let rangers remotely monitor facilities, better plan maintenance, and identify potential issues early. The programme will also provide exciting insights into how we could use technology to improve the state of biodiversity in our remote places, where some of our most precious species live.
Karl Beckert, Director of Monitoring and Insights at DOC, says this pilot could be a gamechanger for supporting critical conservation work across the country.
"Currently a lot of DOC's work relies on estimating when servicing and intervention is needed but, as usage and needs change, this has to change too," says Karl. "This partnership is helping us explore new tools to rethink how we have traditionally operated in these environments and take a smarter, more targeted approach.
"The main efficiencies would come from reducing the need for routine manual inspections, helicopter flights, and vehicle travel, and enabling more targeted deployment of DOC staff, substantial efficiencies can be achieved. On some of our busiest tracks, this translates to more than $1 million in savings over a six year period, together with around 30 tonnes of avoided CO₂ emissions. Less time spent checking if things need fixing, emptying, or resetting means more time we can spend doing the critical conservation mahi DOC is known for.
"This technology and the network being trialled could revolutionise how DOC cares for nature, with the potential to integrate remote monitoring into everything from predator control to species recovery. The toilet sensors are just the tip of the iceberg for what this could mean for our fight against the biodiversity crisis."
Kieran Byrne, Chief Technology Officer at One NZ, says bringing innovation and industry-leading technology to the frontline of conservation is exactly what they want to be doing with this partnership.
"By combining our network with smart sensor technology, we're opening up entirely new ways of working in some of the country's most remote environments. With One NZ Satellite we have extended coverage into the 40% of New Zealand with no traditional signal; that's what makes programmes like this possible.
"Together, we're supporting smarter, tech-enabled conservation, while also helping build a stronger connection between people and the natural environment. It's connectivity with purpose, and it's just the beginning of how our network can be used to support DOC's important work across the motu."
This Conservation Week, the focus is on 'naturing at work' and seeing what actions you can take for nature while you work. While DOC workers get to do this every day, One NZ staff are rethinking how their technology solutions can reshape conservation.
The first sensors of the pilot programme were installed in early April, with rollout focused on high-use and logistically complex sites across the Mt Aspiring, Fiordland, and Tongariro National Parks.
Background information
About The Connected Conservation Programme
The Connected Conservation programme is a pilot initiative from the Department of Conservation (DOC), delivered in partnership with One New Zealand, to introduce smart technology across remote backcountry sites. The programme aims to show how real-time data could improve how facilities are monitored and serviced, and how the same connectivity could be used to better biodiversity outcomes in remote places. Remote work could shift from fixed schedules to a more responsive, needs and usage-based approach. It is designed to reduce unnecessary travel into remote areas, improve operational efficiency, and support a more connected, data-led approach to managing biodiversity and DOC's network over time.
Key figures:
- 50+ remote sensors being installed
- Across 20+ huts, toilets and wastewater systems in remote areas
- Around 2,000 toilets managed by DOC nationwide
One New Zealand and Department of Conservation partnership
One NZ is a new National Conservation Partner for DOC, bringing innovation and technology to the frontline of conservation. Together, the partnership supports and protects nature through a hybrid model of tech innovation and expanding public engagement through advocacy.
NATURE LOOKS DIFFERENT FROM HERE
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