The Game Animal Council Act 2013 provides for Herds of Special Interest (HOSI) to be designated by the Minister for Hunting and Fishing (the Minister).

This page has information about the GAC’s role in phase one of the HOSI process (proposal development):

Supporting proposers

The GAC supports HOSI proposers during phase one of the HOSI process by providing information on the HOSI designation process, providing technical advice, and liaising with the Department of Conservation (DOC) to support the development of HOSI proposals.

Evaluating proposals

The first phase consists of the GAC working closely with the proposer and taking advice from DOC to develop a HOSI proposal.

The GAC undertakes evaluations during phase one of the HOSI process to establish whether the proposal addresses the requirements set out for HOSI designation under the GAC Act.

These evaluations largely follow this format:

  1. HOSI concept: An application is submitted to the GAC with a high-level outline (concept) of the proposed HOSI. The GAC decides whether to endorse the concept and support the development of a full HOSI proposal. This is done following GAC evaluation of whether the HOSI idea is likely to meet the first two requirements of a HOSI designation; that the animals are of special interest to hunters and the animals can be managed for hunting purposes.
  2. HOSI proposal: Once a full HOSI proposal has been drafted, the GAC undertakes another evaluation to establish if the HOSI proposal addresses all of the requirements of a HOSI designation. The GAC decides whether to endorse the full HOSI proposal for submission to the Minister. If the proposal is endorsed by the GAC, we provide a letter of support to the Minister, for the proposal to move into phase two.

GAC HOSI Policy

For a HOSI to be designated, the Minister needs to be satisfied that the game animal herd is of special interest to hunters and can be managed for hunting purposes in a way that is consistent with the wider conservation framework.

To enable consistency and provide transparency we have developed a GAC HOSI Policy that outlines our approach when undertaking our role in HOSI.

The GAC HOSI Policy is applied by us when preparing advice to the Minister regarding the designation and management of HOSI, including evaluating the viability of HOSI proposals and assessing the costs of managing HOSI and recommendations on ways to recover those costs. The details of the GAC HOSI Policy will be available here soon.

External assessment of our approach

In 2025, we engaged an external contractor to assess our approach to project management of phase one of the HOSI process. As this is the first time that phase one of the HOSI process has been implemented, the GAC wanted to understand where improvements could be made to ensure a robust, efficient and consistent HOSI phase one process. Read the report here. Some of the high-level findings include:

  • The general approach to HOSI proposal development taken by the GAC is rigorous, complex, well thought out and designed to provide proposals with the best chance of success.
  • The complexity is necessary, considering the legislative requirements for designating a HOSI, the absence of a statutory process during the HOSI proposal development phase, and the unique role of the GAC in advising the Minister and supporting proposers in developing HOSI proposals.
  • The GAC’s approach strongly emphasises quality due diligence, which is likely to provide a high level of confidence that the GAC’s endorsement of a HOSI proposal is justified.
  • The investment of GAC resources is likely required to ensure that HOSI proposals have the best chance of success.

Learn more about HOSI