14096 (2025). Hon Rachel Brooking to the Minister of Conservation

14096 (2025). Hon Rachel Brooking to the Minister of Conservation: What specific data, if any, does the Department of Conservation expect to obtain from the biopsy sampling of Hector’s dolphins in Otago that cannot be obtained through non-invasive methods?

Hon Tama Potaka: I understand from the Department of Conservation that it is collecting samples for individual-level genomic information to enable scientists to understand gene flow and determine how isolated, or not, the Hector’s dolphins in the Otago region are. This is a research priority identified in the current research strategy under the Hector’s and Māui Dolphin Threat Management Plan. I am advised such information cannot be reliably obtained through the use of environmental DNA or from photo-ID surveys.