The Conservation Minister's condemning harassment of DOC staff from 1080 opponents.

There have been 54 threats and 96 cases of abuse and harassment against staff this year.

It's prompted DOC to spend another $10.7 million on security

Workers have reportedly been abused on the phone, in public, in their own homes, and even had pictures and personal details being shared online.

Minister Eugenie Sage says the money could have gone towards conservation work, but told Tim Dower the threats forced DOC's hand.

"It's not just DOC staff, it's some of the contractors, those trucking the 1080 bait. There have been a lot of threats against helicopter operators."

She says the harassment is totally unacceptable.

"These people are doing their job to protect our threatened species and our particular forests and landscapes that are really special to New Zealand."