There’s a bit happening with the Rangitahi/Molesworth Recreation Reserve (in South Marlborough) which may be of interest to hunters, so we’ve asked DOC to provide a quick update.
The Molesworth restricted hunting blocks will be moving onto DOC’s new online permit system in November. This is the same easy system used now for getting an open hunting permit, or for booking Rakiura Stewart Island restricted blocks. There will be more info added to DOC’s webpages for these blocks in the coming weeks. Any existing block bookings will automatically transfer across to the new system. See an information sheet about these changes here.
You may have seen Molesworth Recreation Reserve in the news recently. The current farming lease with Pāmu Farms of New Zealand expires in June next year and DOC will be running a competitive allocation process to determine the next farming operator. DOC’s currently defining the scope of the commercial opportunity to be offered – which will involve farming but may include other opportunities like guiding or accommodation alongside it.
Molesworth is an important area for recreational hunters, offering an amazing high-country experience in a vast landscape of rugged mountains and wide river valleys. Recreational hunting will continue to be a key part of the reserve.
Through the scoping work, DOC will take a look at how hunting can best fit alongside the farming operations, and whether we can allow for better public access generally without affecting the financial viability of the farm.
If you’re planning a hunt in the Molesworth, please note Bovine TB has been detected in the farming operations – more info on what that means for pig and deer hunters is here.
Learn more about the Molesworth Recreation Reserve hunting block on the DOC website here.