UPDATED 11.35am: Department of Conservation rangers are in line to get police-like powers.

Legislation enacting the changes is due to go before Parliament this week.

Under the proposed measures rangers will be given the power to intervene to stop offending, the power to stop people, the power to require offenders to give their ID and date of birth, as well as the power to seize materials used in offences.

Also in the mix is a limited power of arrest that will allow rangers to temporarily arrest suspected offenders until they're held in police custody.

Forest and Bird spokesman Kevin Hackwell says at the moment we have a situation where DOC Rangers can't take any action themselves when they come across an offender.

"They have these powers they can go through with searching but also detaining someone who they suspect is actually taking some of our endangered, protected wildlife. It's a good move."

The Green Party is backing the creation of extra powers for DOC rangers, but is worried the Department won't have the resources to use them properly.

MP Kevin Hague said his party will support enabling legislation due before Parliament this week, as it gives conservation officers the power they need to enforce the tougher penalties that now apply to wildlife smugglers.

But he said DOC needs to be properly resourced and get a significant cash injection, as well as an increase in its baseline funding.

"Without that these powers will be of limited extra use, and certainly they will be useful but they won't have the effect that they could have had in actually protecting the species that New Zealanders love and want to protect."