Game Animal Council (Herds of Special Interest) Amendment Bill

The Game Animal Council (Herds of Special Interest) Amendment Bill was passed in June 2026. It makes a change to the Game Animal Council Act 2013, allowing the Minister for Hunting and Fishing to establish a HOSI in a national park and therefore exempt the herd from extermination or eradication requirements in other pieces of legislation. This results in benefits for the herd, for hunters, for conservation and for community.

Read the Game Animal Council (Herds of Special Interest) Amendment Bill here.

Why it’s important

The Game Animal Council Act 2013 is the is the first piece of legislation in New Zealand to recognise game animals as valued and allow them to be sustainably managed through Herds of Special Interest (HOSI).

This approach is very different to the traditional management approach, which focuses on control or eradication of game animals across all public conservation land.

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 (the Minister) to be managed for hunting, while ensuring conservation values continue to be protected. A HOSI is made possible by the GAC Act. HOSI is used to manage highly valued game animal herds in specific locations to improve hunting, conservation and community outcomes.

HOSI represents a shift towards a future management framework that recognises the value of game animals and supports and empowers hunter and community led conservation efforts. By shifting from a model focused solely on control or eradication, we can promote sustainable, respectful, and collaborative environmental stewardship of New Zealand’s natural environment while benefitting from these species.

Learn more about HOSI here.

Timeline

12 May 2025: Bill introduced.
24 June 2025: First reading.
24 June 2025: Select Committee, including public consultation.
20 November 2025: Second reading.
24 June 2026: Committee of Whole House.
25 June 2026: Third Reading.
WE ARE HERE Royal Assent (this is when the Bill becomes law).

GAC Submission

The GAC provided a written and oral submission during consultation on the GAC (HOSI) Amendment Bill in June 2025.

The full GAC written submission can be found here (PDF File).

Key recommendations:

The GAC supported the intent of the proposed changes in the GAC (HOSI) Amendment Bill; however, recommended further amendments to eliminate any confusion about whether designating a HOSI within a national park is appropriate.
The GAC Act should allow flexibility to develop formal agreements with private landowners and/or representatives, should they want to collaborate on management of a valued introduced game animal herds within their property.
The wording ‘consistent with’ overriding considerations (which include pristine or pre-human) should be replaced with the less rigid ‘must have regard to’. This would create an appropriate amount of flexibility, given that the GAC Act is more modern than the current conservation framework.
More functions should be added to the GAC for advising the Minister for Hunting and Fishing on the establishment of HOSI, providing GAC with the functions of developing herd management plans, and implementing a HOSI after it has been gazetted by the Minister. This aligns with the broader legal framework and ensures that the GAC can effectively perform its duties.

The GAC submission was supported by expert evidence from several leading experts in game animal management and hunting in New Zealand. This evidence can be found from page 24 of the submission.

Following the written submission, the GAC presented to the Environmental Select Committee. You can watch the GAC oral submission here:

Sector submissions

The GAC was humbled by the huge amount of interest and support not only from hunters, but also the wider community. There were 2,946 submissions received, of which 52% were in clear support of the Bill.

20% of submissions opposed the Bill. 28% of submissions did not express a clear position on the proposed amendment, however the majority expressed support for HOSI, game animals and hunting more broadly.

Over ninety submitters presented to the Select Committee in person or online, representing hunters, conservationists, iwi, and environmental NGOs.

The most common reasons for supporting the Bill included:

Support for hunting activities generally, including the potential for HOSI to enhance these (32%).
The amendment would allow for maintained and/or improved native biodiversity protection (26%).
Support for hunter-led management of game animals (25%).
Recognising herds of value within New Zealand (21%).
The economic and tourism benefits of hunting (14%).

Of note, 10% of submissions in support noted that efforts to eliminate game animals are either unnecessary or ineffective.

Those who did not support the Bill raised concerns relating to:

Native biodiversity protection (76%).
Integrity of national parks and/or the National Parks Act (50%).
The decision-making and/or oversight role of the NZCA (31%).
The UNESCO World Heritage Area status of Te Wāhipounamu (28%).
The effectiveness of hunter-led management (27%).

In addition, 12% of submissions that opposed the Bill discussed the climate change implications of continued browsing of indigenous forests. However, research by Manaaki Whenua (PDF File) has clarified that overall, game animals do not reduce forest carbon sequestration.

Archived updates

See previous updates from the GAC on the GAC (HOSI) Amendment Bill below. These were correct at the time of publication and have been loaded as PDF Files.