Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

National Parks Act 1980

Administration

40: Rangers

You could also call this:

"People who look after national parks and help protect them"

The government can choose people to be rangers for national parks. These rangers can be appointed in two ways:

  1. The Public Service Act 2020 allows the government to hire rangers as regular employees.

  2. The Minister can also pick people to be honorary rangers who volunteer their time.

Rangers can work in one specific park or in parks all over New Zealand. When you become a ranger, you get a special badge and a letter that proves you're a ranger. You have to give these back when you stop being a ranger.

Honorary rangers serve for as long as the Minister wants them to, or for a set time period. They don't get the same benefits as government employees.

Police officers, some conservation officers, and wildlife rangers automatically have the same powers as national park rangers.

The Director-General gives each ranger a letter to show they're a real ranger. This letter is enough proof that someone is a ranger unless someone can prove otherwise.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM37984.

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Part 4Administration

40Rangers

  1. There may from time to time be appointed under the Public Service Act 2020 suitable persons to be rangers for the purposes of this Act.

  2. The Minister may from time to time appoint a suitable person to be a ranger in an honorary capacity for the purposes of this Act.

  3. Any ranger may be appointed for a particular park or parks or to exercise his powers generally throughout New Zealand.

  4. The Director-General shall supply to every ranger a written warrant signed by or on behalf of the Director-General evidencing the appointment, and the production of that warrant shall, in the absence of proof to the contrary, be sufficient proof of the appointment.

  5. Every ranger shall, on the expiration of the term of his appointment, or on the sooner vacation of his office, surrender to the Director-General his warrant of appointment and any badge of office that may have been issued to him.

  6. Every honorary ranger shall be appointed to hold office during the pleasure of the Minister or for such specified term as the Minister thinks fit.

  7. No person appointed to be an honorary ranger shall, by virtue of that appointment, be deemed to be employed in the service of the Sovereign for the purposes of the Public Service Act 2020 or of the Government Superannuation Fund Act 1956.

  8. Every constable, every warranted officer appointed under subsection (1) or deemed to have been appointed by subsection (9) of section 59 of the Conservation Act 1987, and every ranger appointed under the Wildlife Act 1953, shall, by virtue of his office, have all the powers of a ranger under this Act.

Notes
  • Section 40(1): amended, on , by section 135 of the Public Service Act 2020 (2020 No 40).
  • Section 40(7): editorial change made by the PCO, on , under sections 86(1) and 87(a) of the Legislation Act 2019 (2019 No 58).
  • Section 40(7): amended, on , by section 135 of the Public Service Act 2020 (2020 No 40).
  • Section 40(8): amended, on , by section 115 of the Conservation Law Reform Act 1990 (1990 No 31).