The Minister for Hunting and Fishing recently consulted on draft herd management plans for New Zealand’s first ever Herds of Special Interest (HOSI) – the proposed Sika HOSI in the Central North Island and Wapiti HOSI in Fiordland. Submissions closed 8 December 2025.

About HOSI

A HOSI is a herd of game animals on public conservation land that has been formally designated by the Minister for Hunting and Fishing to be managed for hunting, while ensuring conservation outcomes are achieved.

HOSI is important for hunters because:

  • It is the only legal management tool that recognises a herd of game animals as valued for hunting.
  • A HOSI herd management plan should recognise the value of the herd and protect it into the future.
  • Hunters should be involved in the management of a HOSI.

It is intended to be locally grounded and designed to integrate hunting and conservation – aiming for enhanced hunting experiences along with improved conservation outcomes.

HOSI is made possible through the Game Animal Council Act 2013 (GAC Act) – the first piece of legislation in New Zealand to recognise game animals as a valued introduced species and enable them to be sustainably managed.

Learn more about HOSI here.

GAC submissions on draft herd management plans

The GAC provided submissions on both draft herd management plans for the proposed Sika and Wapiti HOSI. We have collated our key feedback below, as both submissions focused on similar issues and recommendations.

Overarching position

The GAC supports HOSI under the GAC Act and the designation of these two herds as HOSI.

We aim to ensure HOSI herd management plans are compliant with the GAC Act – that means recognising the value of the herd, recognising hunting values, and facilitating adaptive and sustainable management. This differs from Wild Animal Control Plans under the Wild Animal Control Act 1977 (WAC Act) which focus on control and eradication.

Our feedback

The GAC’s feedback on the Sika and Wapiti HOSI draft herd management plans focused on compliance with the GAC Act and sustainably managing these herds for current and future generations. It included:

  • HOSI herd management plans legally bind the GAC, so they must be consistent with the GAC Act, the GAC’s statutory functions, and the interests of hunters.
  • Shifting from a control/eradication focus to sustainable herd management and embedding genuine adaptive management principles.
  • Ensuring objectives reflect hunter values and a clear link between management and these values.
  • Ensuring ecological objectives relate directly to herd management (e.g., deer browse) and do not impose unachievable obligations.

These recommended changes would enable effective, compliant, and balanced plans that support high-quality recreational hunting and conservation values, providing lasting benefits for the wider community.

Next steps

Over the last two years, the GAC has undertaken significant work to establish the HOSI process, and to support the preparation of the Sika Foundation and the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation’s comprehensive HOSI applications.

To support the drafting of HOSI herd management plans, we also provided DOC with a values-based framework showing how hunter, community and mana whenua values should be incorporated to meet GAC Act requirements.

The GAC will be providing further advice to the Minister for Hunting and Fishing on changes to the draft herd management plans, in line with our functions.

The GAC understands the Minister intends to decide whether to designate a Wapiti or Sika HOSI in the first half of 2026.

Supporting documents

Draft Wapiti HOSI herd management plan submission

Draft Sika HOSI herd management plan

Learn more