49103 (2025). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister of Conservation

49103 (2025). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister of Conservation: How many contractors, if any, were there in the Minister’s departments, agencies, crown entities and any other bodies that the Minister is responsible for, if any, as of 1 October 2025, and how many of them, if any, were former employees of the department that lost their roles or resigned from their roles since 1 October 2024?

Hon Tama Potaka: The Department of Conservation advises that as at 30 September 2025, which is the closest reporting date to 1 October 2025 there were 297 individuals working at the Department under a contract for services. The Department moved to a new people system at the end of August 2025 and from this date can reliably provide information on individuals under a contract for services. Of these 297 individuals, one is a former employee who resigned from the Department since 1 October 2024.