The NZ Game Animal Council (GAC) welcomes the appointment of Matthew Clarke to the Council.
The Minister for Hunting and Fishing is responsible for appointing Council members.
Matt is a lifelong recreational hunter, having grown up on the Coromandel Peninsula in a family of keen outdoorsmen. Joining his older brothers on hunts from an early age and gaining his firearms licence on his 16th birthday, he has hunted many regions of New Zealand over more than 40 years.
Matt has made his home in the hunter’s paradise of Nelson and regularly hunts the red deer herds throughout the top of the South Island, with one or more of his four, equally keen children.
Mr Clarke has built his career in the aviation industry, and is the Chief Executive of Wellington Airport, a longstanding Director of Nelson Airport and the Chairman of the New Zealand Airports Association in addition to other non-executive positions.
Throughout his career he has been deeply involved in navigating complex regulatory environments, local and central Government relations and complex stakeholder management. Mr Clarke relishes the opportunity to bring these skills to bear to continue the important work of the GAC. His clear goal is to ensure that the hunting opportunities he has enjoyed are not remembered as the ‘good old days’. Hunting in New Zealand must be valued, managed and progressively enhanced for the next generation and those that follow.
“Matthew joins the GAC at an exciting time for hunting and game animal management in New Zealand,” GAC Chair Grant Dodson says.
“With herds of special interest, and the Game Animal Council Amendment Bill, there’s some big bits of work on the horizon and we’re looking forward to bringing Matthew up to speed and having his expertise on Council,” he says.
Council members Peter Swann (Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata East Coast, Tairāwhiti, Tūranganui a Kiwa) and Melissa Jackson (Uenuku, Ngāti Rāhiri Tumutumu, Ngāti Maniapoto) have both been reappointed to the GAC for another three years.
Tui Keenan (Ngāti Porou) has chosen not to stand for reappointment, as she focuses on further education.
“Tui has been a dedicated and valued member of the GAC throughout her tenure, serving under four ministers during her three-year term,” says Dodson.
“She is a strong advocate for connecting communities to where their food comes from, supporting food sovereignty and is deeply committed to uplifting others in a culturally grounded and practical way.
“Tui promotes a “hand-up” model rooted in manaakitanga, mātauranga, and whanaungatanga. She has a legacy of service, generosity, and unwavering leadership grounded in tikanga and aroha. Tui is a genuine wahine toa and a positive role model for many,” Dodson says.
Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi
With your food basket and my food basket, the people will thrive
This whakataukī emphasises the importance of collaboration and sharing resources for the collective wellbeing of a community. Tui has shown time and time again how she brings people together to mahi tahi (work together) for the benefit of the community.
“We look forward to seeing how the GAC can support Tui and the incredibly important mahi she’s doing into the future,” Dodson says.
The NZ Game Animal Council is a statutory organisation working towards the sustainable management of game animals and hunting for recreation, communities, commerce and conservation.
To learn more about GAC Council members, head to www.nzgac.org.nz/who-we-are
Contact
Kim Whitwell
Communications Advisor, NZ Game Animal Council