PHOTO: LAURA SMITH
Doc director-general Lou Sanson said Doc recognised some of the "game-changing" conservation groups from Southland and Otago.
Among the winners were conservation dog handler Sandy King and her detector dog Gadget.
The "nearly 7 years" old Jack Russell-fox terrier cross is a certified detector dog. Her job is to track down unwanted rats on New Zealand's conservation islands.
Ms King, who lives on Stewart Island, said their job was a "team effort".
"Most of the time, our work is a confirmation that the islands are predator-free. Only in two occasions Gadget detected something."
