NZDA Policy on Heli-Hunting
NZDA’s current position on heli-hunting
(Conference 2010, Palmerston North, adopted in the Annual Report)
- NZDA is opposed to the practice of ‘heli-hunting, as it defines that activity, on all public lands.
- Heli-hunting is defined by NZDA, as "the Carriage of hunters involved with the searching for, shooting or immobilising and recovery of wild animals, where such carriage of hunters does not allow opportunity for fair chase of wild animals".
- The Association supports the use of helicopters for well-managed and legitimate Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO), as defined in conditions of current WARO Concessions, granted by the Department of Conservation.
- The Association supports the reasonable use of helicopters for transport, by recreational hunters, hunting guides and their clients, for access to defined, pre-determined landing sites or zones.
- The Association is, in principle, supportive of guided hunting. However, it is NZDA National Policy "to strenuously oppose commercial exploitation of the wildlife and natural resources of New Zealand, wherever and whenever such action is deemed to jeopardise, restrict or conflict with the public usage thereof, or to be contrary to sound conservation practice".
- The Association believes Heli-hunting constrains public usage of wild game animals and wild places. We assert that it is a male-biased harvest which does not contribute to herd management. It impinges on the availability of trophy animals for the public, and seriously diminishes the ‘quiet enjoyment’ of our back-country by hunters, trampers, climbers and other back-country user groups
This Policy was ratified most recently by annual conferences up to and including the 2017 Conference.