By Corina Jordan, NZ Game Animal Council Chief Executive Officer

This is my very first column as CEO at the Game Animal Council (GAC). I’ve had my feet under the desk for a couple of weeks now and am enjoying getting to know staff, Council members, and those across the sector. It’s a privilege to work with people who are so passionate and knowledgeable about hunting and the sustainable management of game animal species. Over the next few months, I am looking forward to continuing to get out and about and catch up with sector leaders and hunters from across the country.

A bit about me

I grew up in rural Taranaki and now live just one region over in a small rural community in the Manawatū with my German Shorthaired Pointer, horses, sheep, cattle and pigs.

Over the last three years I have been the CEO for New Zealand Fish & Game. This has provided me with opportunities to work with some amazing hunters and anglers, which has enriched my knowledge of the sector. I’ve been lucky to have opportunities to hunt and freshwater fish in some remote areas and have picked up a few more skills along the way due to the patience of some experienced mentors. The passion for hunting and fishing developed in my early 30’s and has been growing ever since. Since I came to the sector relatively later in life, I can understand the barriers to participation for those of us who didn’t have traditional pathways.

Over the last 30 years, I’ve worked across molecular ecology, freshwater ecology, sportfish and gamebird management, genetics, natural resource management, and agriculture. I am very much looking forward to bringing those skills to the sector along with strategic insights and political networks to ensure hunters have a strong voice and their aspirations and needs are recognised and embedded into policy for current and future generations.

Introduced species are valued

We’ve all heard at one point or another, the rhetoric that ‘introduced species are bad’ but this really doesn’t reflect reality. Introduced species are a part of New Zealand’s ecosystems and their presence results in direct benefits to health, wellbeing, provision of food, conservation and economy.

These benefits are valued, and this value is what must be reflected in policy and legislation in order to manage them sustainably. Where valued introduced species are impacting on indigenous flora and fauna, then these impacts should be managed to provide for conservation outcomes. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t acknowledge and consider the value, it just means we need a different way of approaching management.

Including people’s values alongside science-based decision-making in game animal management policy and legislation has the potential to completely transform how we manage game animals in New Zealand. Herds of Special Interest provides a powerful statutory tool which places sustainable game animal management at the heart of conservation, recognising the value of these herds, and empowering hunter-led management approaches. This values-based approach to policy enables communities to take a lead role in managing the most highly valued game animal herds.

In my view, this is the direction we need to be heading.

Coming up

The GAC has been busy setting out the 2025/2026 work programme. The hunting sector has worked hard over the last few years and we’re feeling positive about what’s possible, and what’s next.

The challenge lies in a small team of people with lots of things on the ‘to do’ list. As Council confirms our priorities, I look forward to providing an update for you in a later column. There will be some priorities continuing, such as Herds of Special Interest and Better Hunting, with some potentially new ones too.

What remains critical for the GAC though, is connecting with hunters. This is a big part of what guides our work. I’m looking forward to connecting with as many of you as I can, and hearing about your experiences and aspirations for hunting, game animal management, and the GAC. If you see me out and about at meetings or events, please come and introduce yourself and share your thoughts.

All the best,

Corina