Ranger (Fixed-Term)

Department of Conservation - Te Papa Atawhai; Aoraki / Mount Cook; On-site; NZD 62,000 - 67,000; Full time

Job summary

Department of Conservation - Te Papa Atawhai seeks a Facilities Ranger in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. You will manage visitor pressure, maintain facilities, and support compliance and visitor experience across front-country sites, including White Horse Hill carpark and campground.

The role focuses on campground/carpark maintenance, visitor information, and regulatory education, with the team ensuring safe, accessible access to iconic tracks and sites within a remote, alpine landscape.

Qualifications

• Strong customer service skills engaging with visitors
• Clear and effective communication
• Ability to work with diverse cultural backgrounds; additional languages an advantage
• Calm, approachable with sound judgement in compliance/emergency situations
• Interest in conservation and National Park values
• Practical maintenance or field-work experience
• Competence with technology including Office and booking/reporting systems
• Ability to work independently and in a team
• Current First Aid certificate
• Full NZ driver’s licence

Responsibilities

• Assist with campground, carpark, and visitor facilities maintenance
• Manage vehicle parking at White Horse Hill carpark during peak periods
• Monitor parking behaviour and report issues including overflow onto Hooker Valley Road
• Engage with visitors, explain paid parking requirements and park regulations
• Inspect and maintain parking infrastructure (solar, batteries, kiosks, signage)
• Troubleshoot equipment and liaise with hardware providers
• Download and report traffic data to DOC insights teams
• Provide visitor information across front-country tracks and sites
• Educate visitors on bylaws and elevate compliance issues
• Undertake campground fee compliance checks
• Perform concessionaire compliance checks with tour operators
• Support track and facility maintenance projects in the National Park

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Diversity awareness

Compliance

Maintenance basics

Technology use

First Aid

Driver’s licence

Tools

Microsoft Office

Booking/reporting systems

Job description

Work where it matters - Spend your days in the stunning Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, helping protect and manage one of New Zealand’s most iconic visitor destinations. Varied and hands-on role - A mix of visitor engagement, campground and carpark operations, compliance activities, facility maintenance, and conservation support ensures no two days are the same.

Salary: $62,192-$67,446 depending on skills and experience.

Contract: Full-time fixed-term position December - May 2027.

Location: Aoraki Mt Cook, shared accommodation options available.

Our vision

Nature is thriving in Aotearoa | Te Oranga o te Ao Tūroa Mō te tūranga.

About the role

As a Facilities Ranger, this position plays a key role in managing visitor pressure at high-use sites, maintaining facilities, and supporting compliance and visitor experience outcomes. You will work across front-country areas, engaging with visitors, managing infrastructure, and contributing to the smooth operation of the White Horse Hill carpark and campground.

The position will be focussed on:

• Assist with maintenance of campground, carpark, and visitor facilities
• Manage vehicle parking at White Horse Hill carpark during peak periods to optimise space usage
• Monitor parking behaviour, and report on any issues, observations, and insights including overflow onto Hooker Valley Road and across the park
• Engage with visitors, providing information on paid parking requirements and park regulations
• Conduct inspections and basic maintenance of parking infrastructure (solar, batteries, cameras, kiosks, signage)
• Troubleshoot equipment issues and liaise with hardware providers as required
• Download and report traffic data to DOC insights teams
• Provide visitor information across front-country tracks and key visitor sites
• Educate visitors on National Park bylaws (e.g., dogs, drones) and elevate compliance issues where required
• Undertake campground fee compliance checks at White Horse Hill campground
• Carry out concessionaire compliance checks with tour operators and guides
• Support track and facility maintenance projects within the National Park

Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako | Skills and experience

• Strong customer service skills and ability to engage with a wide range of visitors
• Clear and effective communication skills
• Ability to work with people from diverse cultural backgrounds (additional languages an advantage)
• Calm, approachable manner with sound judgement in compliance and emergency situations
• Interest in conservation and understanding of National Park values
• Practical skills or experience in basic maintenance or field-based work
• Competence using technology, including Microsoft Office and booking/reporting systems
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Current First Aid certificate
• Full New Zealand driver’s licence

Even if you don’t tick all the boxes but believe your skills and experience closely align, then we still encourage you to submit an application.

Mō te tīma | About the team/Location

You will be based in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, working alongside a small team across Visitor Centre and Community, Heritage and Visitor, Search and Rescue, and Local Body Services. This role assists with maintenance of the campground, carpark, and visitor facilities, with the busiest facilities being at White Horse Hill, a key access point to popular tracks such as Hooker Valley, Kea Point, and Mueller Hut. The adjacent campground is DOC’s most visited, with around 102 campsites. Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is part of the Te Waipounamu UNESCO World Heritage Area, covering approximately 70,000 hectares of alpine landscape including Aoraki/Mount Cook, Tasman Glacier, and Hooker Valley. The village is a small, remote community with around 300 residents in summer, located 70km from Twizel and 200km from Timaru.

He aha ngā pāinga mōu? | What’s in it for you?

DOC is committed to a culture where everyone can participate, thrive, and grow. We’re driven by our values and behaviours, and are working towards being an organisation that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive by default.

Rā whakakapi | Applications close at 11:59 pm on Wednesday 11 November 2026

Additional information

Salary: $62,192-$67,446 depending on skills and experience.

Eligibility: You must hold a valid NZ work visa that covers the duration of employment.