Latest news with #GameAnimalCouncil
Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Game council wants role in national parks
The Game Animal Council says existing conservation law is outdated, needs to recognise the contributions of hunters to the environment and it wants to take over the operating of game animals in national parks. The council yesterday released its submission to the select committee on the Game Animal Council (herds of special interest) Amendment Bill which closed last Thursday. The Bill, if passed, would allow the minister for hunting and fishing to establish herds of special interest (Hosi) in a national park and therefore exempt the herd from extermination or eradication requirements under conservation legislation. The council was fully supportive of the Bill. It said in its submission to achieve effective and inclusive conservation, hunting needs to be integrated into "our conservation narratives". "By engaging hunters as partners in conservation, we not only harness their expertise but also embody a more comprehensive approach to environmental stewardship. "Hunters play a crucial role in controlling game animal populations, harvesting more than 350,000 big game animals annually (including deer), which exceeds government pest control efforts." The council said hunters and conservationists were often seen as opposites, but they shared common aspirations for protecting nature — driven by different motivations, but united in purpose. Current conservation law and policy did not recognise these different motivations or values that people held for conservation land. The Hosi mechanism enabled game animal management while protecting biodiversity on public conservation lands. It aimed to support hunting while preserving conservation values, the council said. Hosi were designed to focus on herds highly valued by hunters. So far two applications had been made — for sika deer in the Kaimanawa and Kaweka Forest Parks and wapiti deer in Fiordland National Park. Game animals were only currently referenced in terms of extermination. Having a Hosi in a national park was a new way of thinking about conservation. The council said recreational hunting supported about 2500 jobs and the guided hunting sector directly employed more than 530 people and generated more than $100 million in annual foreign sales. "There is a growing interest in sustainable, wild-harvested meat. Using taxpayer money to remove a reliable source of high-quality protein undermines public benefit," it said. "The management of the quality and quantity of game animals harvested by hunters has the potential to offer more effective control than an expansion of government control efforts." The council in its submission said hunters were only permitted to reduce or exterminate the very animals hunters sought to access. The submission also said game animals did not stay within mapped boundaries. Without physical barriers, game animals would cross between land ownership boundaries. Limiting Hosi management to one land ownership would lead to inconsistent and inefficient management. The council wanted to adopt a more unified approach that spanned all land ownership types and it needed more power to assist the minister in establishing and managing a Hosi. A Parliament spokesman said it was unable to say how many submissions were made to the Bill. The number would be released by the Environment Committee which would hear submissions. — APL
Scoop
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Last Chance For Hunters To Have Their Say On Big Game Bill
The Game Animal Council (GAC) is calling on hunters to speak up for the future of big game hunting in New Zealand, with submissions on the Game Animal Council (Herds of Special Interest) Amendment Bill closing Thursday 24 July. 'This is a crucial moment for New Zealand,' says GAC CEO Corina Jordan. 'The Bill is a major step forward in recognising the value of New Zealand's big game herds and giving them the legal protection they deserve, particularly in areas like national parks where their future is currently under threat and where some of the best hunter-led management is currently occurring. The Bill will allow the Minister for Hunting and Fishing to exempt a Herd of Special Interest from section 4(2)(b) of the National Parks Act, which currently calls for the extermination of all introduced species 'as far as possible'. 'This change would enable management of high-value big game herds, like deer, tahr, and chamois. It would mean that instead of elimination, a proactive and practical approach can be taken, where they are managed for conservation, recreation and economic outcomes. 'It's about taking a balanced and sustainable approach,' Jordan says. 'Hunters have a real chance to shape how New Zealand manages valued introduced species. 'This isn't just a technical legal change. It's about the role of big game animals in our national identity, our recreation and the rural economy. 'Hunters care deeply about these herds, and the environment. It's time to show that by making a submission,' Jordan says. The GAC has published a fact sheet to help hunters understand the Bill and submit before the deadline. Submissions close at 11.59pm on Thursday 24 July. Visit for more information and a step-by-step guide to making a submission. Submissions can be lodged via the Parliament website or by emailing The NZ Game Animal Council is a statutory organisation working to improve the sustainable management of game animals and hunting for recreation, communities, commerce and conservation.
Scoop
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Hunters – Have Your Voices Heard On The Future Management Of Highly Valued Game Animal Herds
The Game Animal Council Act 2013 (GAC Act) is the first piece of legislation in New Zealand to recognise game animals as valued introduced species and enable them to be sustainably managed while also achieving conservation outcomes. This is made possible through Herds of Special Interest (HOSI), whereby the Minister for Hunting and Fishing can delegate management responsibilities to the Game Animal Council (GAC). GAC Chair Grant Dodson says HOSI is a legal tool that enables management of a high value game animal resource, for hunting and conservation outcomes. 'HOSI is only made possible under the GAC Act,' he says. GAC CEO Corina Jordan says that hunters are passionate boots-on-the-ground conservationists who contribute significant efforts to environmental initiatives. 'Not only that, but hunting benefits physical and mental wellbeing, gets kids outside and off devices learning practical skills, while providing free-range meat for whānau and communities. 'When HOSI is fully implemented, it will empower hunter-led management of valued introduced game animal herds in a way that recognises and protects their values at the same time as achieving conservation outcomes,' Jordan says. What's the issue? 'Current law for national parks focuses on exterminating game animals as far as possible with the aim to achieve natural state. Natural state means unmodified by human activity or introduced plants or animals. Essentially that national parks are the same as they were before people arrived in New Zealand,' Dodson says. Natural state also precludes climate change. 'Since the law was put in place almost 50 years ago, we have learnt that the dream of exterminating valued introduced species from national parks is not practically or financially feasible, and that hunters play an important role in protecting biodiversity and responsibly managing game animals, including in national parks. What's being proposed? 'The Government is currently consulting on a change to the GAC Act through the Game Animal Council (Herds of Special Interest) Amendment Bill,' Dodson says. 'The Bill aims to make the law clear, in that the Minister for Hunting and Fishing can establish a HOSI in a national park. If the Bill is passed, it will enable sustainable management of highly valued game animal herds in national parks, benefitting both hunting and conservation,' he says. 'This will enable continued volunteerism from the hunting sector that has proven itself able to contribute much more than just managing deer, with substantial predator trapping and hut and track work being undertaken in many areas. 'The Fiordland Wapiti Foundation provides a living example of the benefits of hunter led conservation. They have achieved sustained management of wapiti in an area of Fiordland National Park, protecting Fiordland's unique biodiversity first, and providing for hunting purposes second. All done at minimal, or no cost to the taxpayer. 'The Foundation also manages six backcountry huts and over 500 predator control traps, protecting native birds like kiwi and whio (blue duck). They have recently established a charitable trust enabling hunters to gift the venison they harvest to food banks. 'This is a proven conservation model that has been working for 20 years, and the GAC believes should be empowered and enabled across other areas of New Zealand. It provides an effective and economically efficient tool to aid conservation outcomes while managing game animals on public conservation land,' Dodson says. What's the opportunity? 'This Bill is a significant opportunity for hunters to have their voices heard by the Environment Select Committee, and shape New Zealand's future legislative framework for the benefits of hunting and conservation,' Dodson says. 'HOSI is the first game animal management tool that incorporates hunter values alongside conservation goals. 'So, we encourage you to make the most of this opportunity, to submit, and to help enable sustainable, hunter led game animal management in New Zealand, including national parks. 'Have your voice heard. Submit on the Bill before 24 July.' The NZ Game Animal Council is a statutory organisation working to improve the sustainable management of game animals and hunting for recreation, communities, commerce and conservation.
