1st September 2006
NZDA’s main interest is in valued recreational wild animals, specifically the various species of deer – Red, Sika, Fallow in Hawke’s Bay, as well as wild/feral pigs.
Hawke’s Bay is a very attractive area for deerstalking, having many areas of public conservation land on which deerstalking is available eg Ruahine and Kaweka Forest Parks, Urewera National Park, and many smaller areas of public conservation land.
There are six NZDA Branches in Hawke’s Bay – Napier, Hastings, Tutira, Ruahine (Dannevirke), Kaweka, Bush (Pahiatua), Wairoa and a number on the boundary - Taihape, Taupo, Wairarapa, Manawatu. Other deerstalkers in the North Island also go to the Hawke’s Bay mountains to hunt eg Aucklanders, Waikato and Bay of Plenty to Urewera National Park, Taranaki stalkers to the Kawekas and Ruahines.
1. Deer and Pigs not necessarily pests:
NZDA is concerned that deer and pigs are often treated as pests by authorities. So we welcome the Strategy’s classification of them as “Site specific control animals”. This means that specific landowners can gain subsidies for these species if they wish. But in most cases wild deer and feral pigs will not be at densities to be a threat to native biodiversity.
Certainly, on public conservation lands, deer numbers have been kept generally at very low numbers by the combined efforts of recreational harvesting, and commercial carcass recovery for the last 30 years. This highlights too that deer are valued recreational and commercial natural resource, and are not a pest. On public conservation land, it is the Department of Conservation’s responsibility to manage wild deer and pigs, rather than the HBRC.
2. Animal Health Board Tb Eradication Activities:
These activities are far more pervasive than HBRC pest removal activities. On public land they usually involve aerial spreading of 1080, and significant by-kill of deer, and contamination of the meat. NZDA opposes poisons that contaminate the wild game food chain, and consequently seeks species-specific pest control that avoids poison contamination. Consequently NZDA greatly appreciates the positive consultation that HBRC has offered to deerstalkers regarding its AHB contracted operations, and expects that they will continue in future. Though deerstalker interests cannot always be accommodated, we appreciate your efforts.
Hugh Barr, National Advocate