4 September 2009
This submission is made by the New Zealand Deerstalkers’ Association National Office (NZDA). Branches and NZDA members may also make submissions. NZDA asks to be heard in support of the submission.
NZDA is the national body of recreational deerstalkers and other big game hunters in New Zealand. We have 50 branches and a number of other hunting member clubs throughout the country. We have 7800 members, and have been actively advocating for recreational deerstalking and hunting, running hunter training courses, trips, conferences etc since 1937. We maintain ethical standards for hunting. NZDA’s membership has been growing at 7% a year recently, showing that recreational hunting is an attractive recreation for New Zealanders, especially when times are hard, for providing wild meat for the table.
NZDA Branches who hunt regularly in Kahurangi National Park include Nelson Branch (very strong), West Coast, Motueka, Golden Bay and Marlborough. Deerstalker members from other areas may also hunt there. Based on scientist Graham Nugent’s Survey of 1988, (Appendix 1) there are a significant number, probably 50,000 of recreational deerstalkers in New Zealand.
1 Summary:
1.1 Encouraging recreational hunting: NZDA’s main interest in these changes is in how these Plan changes help implement General Policy for National Parks 4.3 (j), 4.3(j) Recreational hunting of wild animals and animal pests should be encouraged where this does not diminish the effectiveness of operations to control them and is consistent with planned outcomes at places and how this complements WARO restrictions in the Park, and other nearby lands administered by DOC.
Before the North West Nelson Forest Park became Kahurangi National Park in 1996, the Mt Arthur Tableland-Cobb Valley-Leslie-Ellis-Pearce and Graham catchment was a large recreational hunting area (RHA). This highlights the regional interest in recreational hunting in Nelson, Motueka and Golden Bay. This interest is still present, and DOC should provide for it.
NZDA is pleased that this former RHA has become a “no WARO” Area within the Park, in terms of the recent national consultation on the new WARO concessions. National parks are set aside “for their intrinsic worth, and for the benefit, use and enjoyment of the public”. This includes for the benefit of recreational deerstalkers.
1.2 Availability of WARO-free areas to encourage recreational hunting:
There need to be more WARO-free areas in the Park to encourage recreational hunting. [GPNP S 4.3 (f)]
1.3 Tasman Wilderness: NZDA disagrees that adequate monitoring or data showing excessive deer browse has been adequately carried out. NZDA proposes that DOC allows recreational hunters air access to areas of the Wilderness that DOC considers deer numbers need to be reduced ie that recreational hunting with assisted air access be used.
1.4 Mountain bikes: NZDA supports the mountain biking tracks proposed, and notes that some will also allow hunters to bike out with their meat.
2 Detailed comments on proposed Plan changes:
2.1 Hunter excluded areas and times (Page 70, Draft Partial Review):
2.2.1 Mt Arthur Tableland/Cobb Valley Flats closure – 23 December- 8 February: This area is excluded from WARO helicopter operations, and was formerly a RHA. NZDA asks that the opportunity for recreational hunters to hunt in areas away from tracks through this high-use time period, as it is also a time when recreational hunters have holidays, and is a traditional area for deerstalking.
NZDA Proposes:
(1) That recreational deerstalkers be allowed to hunt when they are 200 metres back from the Cobb Valley tracks, and the Tableland tracks.
If DOC is not prepared to do this, can you explain why hunting at this time is a danger to the public?
In the Orongorongo River Valley of the Rimutaka Forest Park, which is a much higher use area than the Cobb Valley, recreational hunters can hunt within 200 metres of the river. The Arms Code requires hunters to carefully identify their target.
(2) Maps are needed in the Kahurangi Management Plan, and on hunting brochures, to specifically show hunters where they can and cannot hunt during this time.
2.2 Have more WARO (helicopter) excluded areas: The main WARO-free area in the Park is the former RHA. The Cobb Valley-Mt Arthur Tableland restriction proposed will reduce the WARO-free area. Apart from the 500 metres on either side of the Heaphy and Wangapeka tracks. However this former RHA is aerial 1080-ed regularly, and some of it involves the further access restrictions above.
NZDA proposes:
(1) Additional WARO-free areas to encourage recreational hunters be provided in accessible areas of the Park, away from places DOC 1080s. This would go some way to meeting the requirements of GPNP Policy 4.3 (j). Additional consultation with local recreational hunters would be needed to identify the best areas that met these requirements. The Waingaro and Baton Valleys should be considered, along with other suggestions from local hunters.
(2) A map of WARO-free areas of the Park, including the former RHA, and any other areas, be shown on a map in the Plan. (See also the Golden bay Branch, NZDA Submission).
2.2 Support for mountain-biking tracks (Section 4.1A, page 76-91): NZDA supports the three mountain biking track proposals. This will broaden the public interest in the areas the tracks run through. The Flora-Barrons track will be helpful to hunters taking their harvested meat out, as will access along the Heaphy Track.
2.3 Tasman Wilderness WARO ops and recreational hunting (S 4.1.1, Pages 92-95): NZDA asks for the information on deer browse that DOC has collected in the Wilderness area. All NZDA has seen is the February 2007 report by botanist Shannel Courtney. This review identified a large number of species present, at the western end of Grange Ridge, near to and above the bushline. No threatened plants were present in the survey area.
NZDA notes that this survey site is a very small site in the 80,000 Ha Tasman Wilderness. It is by no means a reason for having WARO operators throughout the Wilderness. And is not even a reason for having them in this small area.
The present WARO system, with over 200 helicopters able to fly anywhere, is more like the Battle of Britain, than a wilderness area, and is not appropriate.
NZDA proposes:
(1) That recreational hunters be the first option for reducing deer numbers in the Tasman Wilderness, and to that end, DOC allow or provide helicopter access to parts of the Tasman Wilderness, where evidence shows deer numbers are threatening rare native plants. This would be most appropriate during the Roar, as deer are easier to locate then.
(2) If recreational hunters were not able to control numbers, then, to keep helicopter noise and intrusion to a minimum in the Wilderness, consider a single capable and committed WARO operator. This will minimise helicopter noise, given this area is the only gazetted wilderness in the upper South Island. Also any permitted WARO activities should be carried out at times when public use of this Wilderness is low.
(3) Western boundary able to be hunted by recreational hunters: If a survey showed that deer
browse was unacceptably heavy in this western boundary area, east of the Heaphy Track, eg Mt Barr, then this area is readily accessible by hunters accessing by the Heaphy Track. If this is the case, DOC should approach hunters in that area to help. The area should not be available for WARO unless targeted recreational hunting is not effective.
4) Roar exclusions: The proposed South Island WARO concessions all have a Roar exclusion period over all lands administered by DOC of 23 March to 20 April inclusive. NZDA asks that the Plan keep with this new exclusion zone, to give consistency across the South Island.
3 Commercial deer and chamois hunting (S 4.2 Concessions, page 104):
3.1 Chamois: The National WARO concessions no longer include chamois recovery, and are only for Red deer. This change needs to be acknowledged and the heading etc changed accordingly.
3.2 WARO - Commercial deer recovery in the Park (Page 104, 2nd Para): NZDA opposes unlimited WARO within the Park. Instead, as described in Section 2.2 above NZDA argues for additional WARO-free areas that are accessible to hunters, and where they can carry or helicopter out the meat harvested. NZDA proposes the Baton and Waingaro for being WARO-free.
The GPNP S 4.3 (j) says that DOC will encourage recreational hunting where they can be effective. NZDA proposes that DOC allow recreational hunters to fly into the Tasman Wilderness to assist control deer in areas where the evidence indicates deer numbers are high enough to damage rare native plants.
4 Conclusion: NZDA concludes DOC’s responsibility to implement GPNP Policy 4.3 (j) of encouraging recreational hunting in the Park has not been carried out adequately in this Review. NZDA asks that the proposals made in this submission be added to the Plan.
NZDA requests to be heard in support of this submission.
Yours truly
Alec McIver
National President
Dr Hugh Barr
National Advocate
© 2011 New Zealand Deerstalkers' Association