National President: End of Year Report 2025

Dear Members,

It has been a big year for the NZDA, this has been a common theme recently - there is a lot happening and NZDA is working hard in your best interests to protect hunting and shooting nationwide.

Our National Office team recently went through a restructure and as we come out the other side, it is clear the board’s decision to go through this review was a good one, our team is functioning very well and the output is huge for such a small team. 2026 is looking to be another busy year and it is the Boards intent to support our staff to continue operating at such a high level to best benefit our members and the hunting and shooting public of New Zealand. A big thank you to our hard working staff, I hope you all get the chance to spend time with family and I am excited to see further progress in the new year.

Our NZDA Board has also been across a range of topics, working towards the NZDA’s business plan in an efficient and considered manner, I believe the Board are currently operating the best I have seen, since I first took a seat at the table in 2019. There is still plenty of room for improvement and I am excited to continue on this path. Thank you to our past and present Board members over the last few years for your ongoing contributions to steering the ship and getting us to this stage.

A couple of special mentions, recently past Board member and NZDA Access Committee Chair; Richard Wells was nominated for ‘Outdoor Access Champion’ through the Outdoor Access Commission, Richard was successful. Thanks for your hard work Richard, continually chipping away behind the scenes and making a difference for our access into the back country.

The Goat Competition was yet again a success with over 10,000 goats removed from public and private land nationwide. I am proud to have got this off the ground 3 years ago. A big thanks goes to Board member Trevor Gratton who has taken the reigns and continues to improve this collaboration between NZDA and the Department of Conservation. In 3 year’s recreational hunters have removed 30,000 goats from our back country. This is practical proof hunter led management works, we just need access and collaboration, it is that simple. Thank you to the Department of Conservation and all the sponsors who made the competition happen.

Recently Federated Farmers seem to have teamed up with Forest and Bird and are proactively working against recreational hunters when the solution is staring them right in the face. NZDA members have a 10 million dollar public liability insurance and the NZDA has a land owner assist form - this lets land owners set the rules for hunting on their property, surely this is a good thing?

With Federated Farmers it’s all fallen on deaf ears, despite numerous attempts to collaborate they continue to work against us, and lobby in the wrong direction. Change takes communities working together not attempted high level money grabs without a sustained implementation plan.

Our CEO Gwyn Thurlow continues to do the work of 10 men. Yet again throughout the year he has been across Firearms Reform, Herds of Special Interest, an internal restructure, sector wide support, too many submissions to count and much more. Gwyn is the glue that holds our National Office team together and keeps the pressure on continually over performing.

Last but not least, John Taylor (JT) our National Secretary finished his last day as Secretary this week. Has served as our secretary for the last few years, it’s a thankless task with the heaviest work load within the Board. The role is the glue that holds the Board together, and he’s left big shoes to fill (no pun intended). Thank you JT, for your hard and enduring work as the Board has tackled a wide range of issues effecting hunters nationally.

A big thank you to all our members for your continued support, without our members we wouldn’t be here. Make sure to share the NZDA with friends and family, the more support we get the more we can advocate and protect what matters most to the hunting and shooting public of NZ.

I wish everybody a safe and happy holiday period.

Callum Sheridan,

NZDA National President

NZDA 2025-26 National Board, photographed at the 77th Conference and AGM in July 2025, Invercargill. (Absent S. Langslow, and W. Iglesias)