7566 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Conservation

7566 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Conservation: How, if at all, do the ministries, agencies and departments for which the Minister is responsible, define ‘frontline’ staff and ‘back-office’ staff?

Hon Tama Potaka: I am advised that the Department of Conservation, for reporting purposes, defines “frontline” to include only those roles that undertake public facing conservation work. This includes, for example, regional operations staff, wild animal, plant pathogens and freshwater teams, and engineering, works officers and asset planning teams as well as the Ngā Whenua Rāhui team. All other staff are defined as “back office” which includes corporate support, but also includes the critical science and technical biodiversity teams, the regulatory services teams, policy, Treaty settlement and legal teams. The Department’s current definition includes support functions that have an externally facing component, but which do not meet the definition of frontline conservation delivery work.