A former police detective has landed the Wakatipu Basin's top conservation job.
Geoff Owen is the Department of Conservation's new operations manager for the district.
Instead of starting as a ranger and climbing the ladder, he joined the department only three and a-half years ago as its national compliance manager, based in Wellington.
In what he calls a "new adventure'' for himself, his Norwegian partner and their three children, they have set up house in Cromwell while he gets to grips with the new job.
He oversees 27 full-time staff, managing more than 20% of Doc's concessions - permits that underpin the Wakatipu's tourism and screen industries.
Born and raised in Hawera, Mr Owen has moved south after 40 years in the capital, the first 18 with the police.
He was in charge of the Wellington fraud squad when he quit the force in 1992, embarking on a two-decade second career in law enforcement-type roles in the private sector and with government agencies.
Another big leap came in 2012, when he joined Doc to lead its policing of conservation.
Mr Owen said compliance and enforcement remained an important part of his new job, but he was a strong advocate of the department's increasingly collaborative approach.
"No one agency can do all the work. It needs help, and we need the community, commercial partners and iwi all in the sandpit together working through the issues.''
His staff worked closely with concession and permit holders to overcome the inevitable tensions that arose between Doc, concession holders and recreational users.
While recognising the Wakatipu was the jewel in the country's tourism crown, Doc's bottom line was protecting its natural capital "because without it there is no economy''.
His early impressions of the Wakatipu's conservation scene are favourable.
He was impressed by the department's corporate partnerships and the strength of voluntary groups like the Wilding Control Group and Queenstown Trails Trust.
After several rounds of restructuring in recent years, it was time for Doc's Wakatipu team to consolidate, he said.
"The staff that have been around through those reviews are at a point where they're a bit change-fatigued, and just want to move on and do the work.''
The latest round, which came into effect in November, had tidied things up, including the redefinition of his role, making it clear to the public where the buck stopped.
Mr Owen acknowledged Doc was "under pressure financially'' to deliver its services.
Species protection was a high priority, but weed and pest control came under pressure when funds were tight.
Maintaining tracks and huts to a high standard in the face of high and rising visitor numbers was another challenge.
"But I think for the moment, in terms of our plans for this year, we're OK.''
