This month the Department of Conservation released its annual introduced wild animal management report. It sets out the scale of control work last year and the system DOC is building to coordinate deer, goat, tahr and pig management across public land.
There are positives. The report reflects a growing recognition that recreational hunters have a role to play and it acknowledges NZDA’s national wild goat competition, which removed 12,935 goats across the country. That result is worth pausing on. In the same reporting period, comparable DOC-led work in a major focus zone removed around 1,600 goats. In short, volunteer hunters removed roughly eight times more animals for a fraction of the public cost. Likewise, the Ruahine pilot where NZDA members accessed blocks and provided GPS data resulted in 81 deer removed in three days, demonstrating that organised recreational hunting can deliver meaningful conservation outcomes while maintaining public recreation.
However, despite these success stories, the dominant delivery model in the report remains helicopter and contractor-led culling. DOC also received an additional $10 million in funding through the International Visitor Levy and is directing most of it into expanding internal operations, rather than scaling up hunter involvement. A commercial ‘incentivised venison’ trial in Fiordland also underperformed, reinforcing what we already know: recreational hunters are the most efficient and motivated wild animal management workforce in the country.
Hunters care deeply about our backcountry, and we want thriving native species and healthy, sustainably managed game animals. That means balanced management, not eradication by default. It also means meaningful partnership, not ad-hoc invitations. NZDA has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to mobilise skilled volunteers, collect usable data, and support conservation without compromising hunting values or public access.
Our ask is simple and constructive: DOC and Ministers should back the proven partner. Expand collaborative hunter programmes, fund structured hunter access and monitoring, and invest in the community capability that already exists. If we are serious about cost-effective, science-based wild animal management and about preserving hunting heritage, then hunters must be at the centre of the solution, not on the fringes of it.
I encourage members to read the report, see where progress is being made, and stay engaged. NZDA will continue advocating for a modern management system where volunteers are valued, our herds are properly managed, and the public gets the best conservation return on its investment.
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