By Corina Jordan, CE, NZ Game Animal Council
The Game Animal Council (GAC) has recently published a new information resource focused on New Zealand’s recreational hunting areas (RHAs). This is the first time that information on all eight of our RHAs can be found in one spot.
RHAs cover around 178,000 hectares of public conservation land and are areas where recreational hunters can enjoy and harvest from without commercial competition. They were formally gazetted between the early and mid-1980s, following the hugely successful commercial recovery boom.
There are four RHAs in the North Island – Pureora North, Kaimanawa, Kaweka and Haurangi/Aorangi; and four in the South Island – Lake Sumner, Oxford, Blue Mountains and Greenstone-Caples.
Our new RHA information resource provides hunters with practical information about each RHA, including the game species present, access, huts and tracks, hunting opportunities, local NZDA branches and local hunter efforts.
A big thank you must go to the local NZDA branches and hunters who contributed their knowledge to help inform the project.
Current RHA management
RHAs are currently managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) under the Wild Animal Control Act 1977.
The RHA management framework explicitly allows for further control measures to be undertaken by the statutory manager (currently DOC) where animal impacts become too high. While the ability to undertake control exists, there is limited information and coordination to deliver better hunter outcomes while continuing to protect conservation values.
RHAs need to be managed with focused leadership to address challenges and provide coordination. The lead management agency must understand hunter values and be able to work closely with local hunting communities.
If provided with the mandate to manage them, RHAs provide a significant opportunity for recreational hunters to demonstrate what hunter-led game animal management can look like.
The recently designated Sika and Wapiti Herds of Special Interest (HOSI) gives us a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate that at scale, and our RHAs provide further opportunities for hunters to do this all around the country.
Hunter support key to Sika HOSI success
The Sika HOSI was designated in July and we’re currently working closely with the Sika Foundation to implement the Sika HOSI herd management plan. This includes working alongside hunters, mana whenua, and community.
The HOSI model is built around adaptive management. We monitor the herd, the forest, and hunter satisfaction, understand what is happening, undertake the appropriate management, and then adjust things as the evidence tells us more.
And this is where recreational hunters have a really important role. A key part of the Sika HOSI’s success will be hunter engagement and support. We will be working closely with hunters on herd management and will be seeking hunter information on the health of the herd, their satisfaction, and the overall hunting experience. Together, this enables us to be able to shape management in a way that provides for hunters while continuing to protect conservation values.
Ultimately, we want to achieve a high-quality sika herd, a healthy forest and enjoyable hunting opportunities. That means ensuring we get the balance right.
We will be sharing more information on what the operational work plan for the rest of 2026, and 2027 looks like, and where there’s opportunities for hunters to get actively involved in the Sika HOSI management framework. Keep an eye on our channels for further updates.
Tahr hunting – your feedback
We are keen to hear from tahr hunters about what sort of experiences you have been having. If you are comfortable sharing your experience, please get in touch by sending us a message on social media, or emailing media@nzgac.org.nz.
We’d like to know:
- Number of animals seen
- If you were hunting in a ballot area
- State of the environment
- Harvest success (or not)
- Trip satisfaction (high/medium/low) and why
Understanding hunter experiences is crucial to the GAC being able to represent the views of hunters and advocate for actions that improve hunting and game animal management in New Zealand. Thanks to those who have already provided their feedback.
Tahr are currently managed by the DOC under the Wild Animal Control Act 1977. This is done through the Himalayan Thar (sic) Control Plan 1993 (HTCP). The GAC has, for a number of years, provided advice to DOC on how control can be done in a way that minimises impacts on hunters as far as possible. This includes things like targeting females during control and putting more emphasis into areas that are less accessible for recreational hunters.
The hunting sector has been advocating for nearly 10 years for a review of the HTCP and wider tahr management framework to enable management that provides for hunting and conservation outcomes.
The GAC supports moving tahr management from the current control framework into a values-based, sustainable and truly adaptive management framework under the Game Animal Council Act 2013.
See the GAC’s previous advice on tahr management on our website here.
All the best,
Corina