At Te Papa Atawhai, Department of Conservation we express our spirit of service and serve Aotearoa through our purpose, Papatūānuku Thrives. Our organisational strategy, Te Kaupapa a Te Papa Atawhai, puts nature and people at the heart of everything we do. It is anchored by te reo Māori and te ao Māori, recognising that Te Tiriti o Waitangi and our whānau, hapū and iwi are central to all our mahi.

We are the central government agency that conserves and manages Aotearoa New Zealand's natural, historic and cultural heritage. We are also responsible for administering Aotearoa New Zealand's responsibilities to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) through regulating and monitoring the movement of CITES protected species across our border