News

By Corina Jordan, Chief Executive, New Zealand Game Animal Council A belated happy New Year to you all. I hope you are having a nice summer, and if you got out for a hunt, have been safe and successful. I’ve spoken before in these updates about how the GAC is seeking changes to current management…

The next meeting of the Game Animal Council will be held on 11 February 2026 commencing at 9.30am at Rydges Wellington Airport. Members of the public are welcome to attend. Please contact info@nzgac.org.nz if you have any questions. See information about the meeting, and previous meeting papers on this page.

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…

By Corina Jordan, Chief Executive, NZ Game Animal Council Summer is a chance for many of us to slow down and enjoy time in the backcountry, however the fundamentals of safe and ethical hunting don’t take a holiday. Weather in the backcountry can change quickly, even on blue-sky days so check the long-range forecast, take…

The summer edition of our email newsletter ‘The Stalk’ has just hit inboxes. There are heaps of updates in it, including: Quarterly update from GAC Chair Grant Dodson Herds of Special Interest CEO update Firearms Better Hunting And more! Read the summer 2025-2026 edition of The Stalk here. Didn’t receive it straight to your inbox?…

The Game Animal Council (Herds of Special Interest) Amendment Bill (the Bill) passed its second reading in Parliament on Thursday 20 November 2025. You can watch the video of the second reading on NZDA’s YouTube channel here. The Bill aims to make the law clear, in that the Minister for Hunting and Fishing can establish…

The Minister for Hunting and Fishing is currently consulting 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. HOSI represents a new approach to the management of New Zealand’s most valued game animal herds.…