Volunteer projects in New Zealand are coordinated through New Zealand's Department of Conservation (DOC). Project sites can vary each semester, and you will be assigned a project site based on the location of your university abroad. About the New Zealand Government's Department of Conservation Within New Zealand, AustraLearn works with the New Zealand Government's Department of Conservation and several unique land-trust organizations to provide study abroad students with the opportunity to volunteer in exceptional environments throughout the country. The Department of Conservation has five specific goals regarding its volunteer programs: - Provide volunteer opportunities so the community can assist in the conservation of New Zealand's natural, cultural and historic resources
- Provide opportunities for people to safely experience the values of the natural and historic environment, and to become more sensitive to those values
- Support and strengthen links between tangata whenua, conservation and recreation groups, the community and the Department
- Provide, where appropriate, opportunities for volunteers to become aware of Maori values and perspectives on the environment
- Enable conservation tasks that otherwise would not have been done, to be completed through the assistance of volunteers
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