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Scoop
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Government Wants Fiordland Wapiti A Special Herd - Forest And Bird Is Appalled
Hunting and Fishing Minister James Meager will consider formally designating Fiordland National Park's wapiti herd as a 'herd of special interest'. However Forest and Bird is appalled. The organisation's chief executive officer Nicola Toki accused the concept as letting 'a North American deer species use the national park as a glorified veggie patch - eating away at the very natural heritage that these sanctuaries have been legally designed to protect.' But Forest and Bird's strong opposition to the wapiti being managed as game animal received a similar backlash. Laurie Collins convenor of the Sporting Hunters Outdoor Trust said Forest ands Bird's opposition 'bordered on the ideologically idiotic.' 'The strident rhetoric shows Forest and Bird is out of touch with reality,' he said. Laurie Collins has visited the Fiordland wilderness on numerous occasions since the 1970s with his last visit just a year ago. He described Fiordland's vegetation as particularly aggressive under the warm, very wet environment which has seen the highest recorded annual rainfall in Fiordland, specifically in Milford Sound, is around 9 metres (29.5 feet), making it one of the wettest places on Earth. Normally the rainfall is about seven metres. 'Even Forest and Bird's founder amateur botanist Leonard Cockayne acknowledged New Zealand's vegetation is aggressive in growth and regeneration,' he said. 'Management of a special wapiti herd embraces management of numbers and quality.' Hunting and Fishing Minister James Meager said a managed special wapiti herd represent an opportunity for economic growth in regional New Zealand. 'Better, healthier deer herds provide opportunities for domestic and international visitors to hunt the only free-range wapiti herd outside of North America,' said James Meager. But Forest and Bird were adamant. 'Undermining the incredible landscapes and habitats of Fiordland National Park so that a few hunters can shoot a small number of deer each year, is catering to a handful of vested interests at the expense of all New Zealanders,' said Nicola Toki. 'We are equally clear that putting precious time and taxpayer money into a Herd of Special Interest is not a priority.' Laurie Collins said Forest and Bird's opposition ignored that New Zealand's vegetation had evolved under intense browsing over 50 million years by large moa numbers and other vegetarian birds such as kokako, takahe, kakapo and wood pigeon (kereru). 'One eminent New Zealand ecologist Dr Graeme Caughley estimated the several moa subspecies totalled several million, meaning high browsing pressure,' he said. Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations spokesman Tony Orman said Forest and Bird was simply basing its opposition on it's long-held ideology of 'anti-introduced phobia.' There was ample scientific evidence that Forest and Bird did not acknowledge or selectively chose to ignore and he cited the 1949 New Zealand-American Fiordland Expedition which out researched the relationship of red deer/ wapiti and to the environment. 'The scientists pointed to a change from the natural vegetation (as after moa and before deer) towards a new vegetation still composed of native species but more stable in the face of animal browsing and grazing, was in progress,' said Tony Orman. 'What they said in essence is that vegetation species palatable to the browsers become less but are replaced by non-palatable species. It would've happened with moa, now it's happened with wapiti and deer.' The 1949 Fiordland scientific research concluded that although the composition of the forest is somewhat altered, 'no changes of economic consequence (through the continued presence of wapiti and deer) can result. Large areas of forest will remain in their pristine condition through inaccessibility despite the continued presence of deer and the number of animals present cannot increase too any extent since the numerical strength of herds is vigorously controlled by the limited area of good browsing range available.' Tony Orman said the late 1940s when the scientific expedition carried out their extensive research was significantly acknowledged as the peak population years of deer. Research in the late 1950s by eminent biologist Thane Riney examined an 'unhunted' red deer population in Fiordland and found animal numbers naturally low and had attained balance with the habitat's carry capacity. 'Nature achieved ecological equilibrium on her own. There's no reason for Forest and Bird's hysteria over deer management and in this case of wapiti as a managed herd,' he said.
RNZ News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Move to protect Fiordland elk draws ire of Forest and Bird
Wapiti deer - or elk. Photo: RNZ/Cosmo Kentish-Barnes Forest and Bird has criticised moves by the government to protect a herd of wapiti deer - or elk - in Fiordland National Park, accusing it of "changing the law to let a North American deer species use the national park as a glorified vege patch". On Monday, Hunting and Fishing Minister James Meager said he would consider formally designating the population as a 'herd of special interest' in Fiordland National Park, as an opportunity for economic growth. The label refers to a herd of game animals on public conservation land which are to be managed for hunting. "Better, healthier deer herds provide opportunities for domestic and international visitors to hunt the only free-range wapiti herd outside of North America," Meager said. No herds of special interest exist in New Zealand currently, although the law enabling them was passed 12 years ago. This is the second to be considered this year, after the sika herd in the Kaimanawa and Kaweka Forest Parks was announced in April . Forest and Bird chief executive Nicola Toki called the decision "questionable", pointing out the deer species was feral, introduced, and contributing to biodiversity damage within the park - home to endangered species like kākāpō, kiwi, kea, pīwauwau/rock wren and whio/blue duck. "What's next?" she said. "A sanctuary for stoats?" Meager explained maintaining herd numbers would allow the hunter-led Fiordland Wapiti Foundation to continue its work for years to come. "Not only do they undertake regular culling and manage the popular wapiti ballot, they maintain tracks and huts, and carry out thousands of hours of trapping to better protect vulnerable native species like whio/blue duck." James Meager. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone But Toki said it was catering to a handful of vested interests at the expense of all New Zealanders. "There's no mandate for this," she said. "This is a handful of people for a handful of deer, at the expense of the wildlife and the wild places that New Zealanders across the country love so much." She clarified Forest and Bird was not anti-hunting - in fact, hunting remained a useful tool for tackling numbers of browsing animals damaging the bush - but believed herds of special interest should not be a priority for time and taxpayer money. The public would have the opportunity to submit on the bill at the select committee stage. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
ACT Backs Legal Certainty For Fiordland's Successful Hunter-led Conservation
ACT Conservation spokesperson Cameron Luxton is welcoming the Hunting and Fishing Minister's moves toward designating wapiti as a Herd of Special Interest in Fiordland National Park, calling it a win for conservation, regional tourism, and common sense. 'The Fiordland Wapiti Foundation has spent years doing what government departments struggle to do. They manage the herd, trap pests, maintain huts, and protect native species like the blue duck/whio. And they do it all without asking taxpayers for a cent,' says Luxton. Forest and Bird has opposed the move, comparing it to creating a 'sanctuary for stoats.' 'That sort of rhetoric says more about Forest and Bird's eco-fundamentalist ideology than the facts. We're never going back to a pre-human ecology. Allowing hunter-led management of the wapiti population frees up DoC resources to deal with greater threats to native wildlife, such as stoats and rats. "Forest and Bird needs to wake up and realise that hunters are conservationists too." Luxton says ACT backs the Government's move to ensure Herds of Special Interest can be recognised in national parks, as originally intended. 'When passionate hunters are already getting the job done, the role of government should be to get out of the way. Or at the very least, provide legal certainty so they can keep going." Note: Cameron Luxton is the sponsor of the Conservation (Membership of New Zealand Conservation Authority) Amendment Bill, which would ensure hunters and fishers are represented on the Conservation Authority, just as Forest and Bird is already. The Bill is currently in Parliament's member's bill ballot. Using Scoop for work? Scoop is free for personal use, but you'll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features. Join Pro Individual Find out more
RNZ News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Move to protect Fiordlank elk draws ire of Forest and Bird
Wapiti deer - or elk. Photo: RNZ/Cosmo Kentish-Barnes Forest and Bird has criticised moves by the government to protect a herd of wapiti deer - or elk - in Fiordland National Park, accusing it of "changing the law to let a North American deer species use the national park as a glorified vege patch". On Monday, Hunting and Fishing Minister James Meager said he would consider formally designating the population as a 'herd of special interest' in Fiordland National Park, as an opportunity for economic growth. The label refers to a herd of game animals on public conservation land which are to be managed for hunting. "Better, healthier deer herds provide opportunities for domestic and international visitors to hunt the only free-range wapiti herd outside of North America," Meager said. No herds of special interest exist in New Zealand currently, although the law enabling them was passed 12 years ago. This is the second to be considered this year, after the sika herd in the Kaimanawa and Kaweka Forest Parks was announced in April . Forest and Bird chief executive Nicola Toki called the decision "questionable", pointing out the deer species was feral, introduced, and contributing to biodiversity damage within the park - home to endangered species like kākāpō, kiwi, kea, pīwauwau/rock wren and whio/blue duck. "What's next?" she said. "A sanctuary for stoats?" Meager explained maintaining herd numbers would allow the hunter-led Fiordland Wapiti Foundation to continue its work for years to come. "Not only do they undertake regular culling and manage the popular wapiti ballot, they maintain tracks and huts, and carry out thousands of hours of trapping to better protect vulnerable native species like whio/blue duck." James Meager. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone But Toki said it was catering to a handful of vested interests at the expense of all New Zealanders. "There's no mandate for this," she said. "This is a handful of people for a handful of deer, at the expense of the wildlife and the wild places that New Zealanders across the country love so much." She clarified Forest and Bird was not anti-hunting - in fact, hunting remained a useful tool for tackling numbers of browsing animals damaging the bush - but believed herds of special interest should not be a priority for time and taxpayer money. The public would have the opportunity to submit on the bill at the select committee stage. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
