Special places for recreational hunters
Recreational hunting areas (RHAs) are some of New Zealand’s most important public land hunting areas.
RHAs are areas of public conservation land where recreational hunters can enjoy and harvest from without commercial competition. They were formally gazetted between the early and mid-1980s, following the hugely successful commercial recovery boom.
The strong advocacy of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association (NZDA) was key to the establishment of these areas and the creation of RHAs remains one of the important achievements of organised recreational hunting advocacy in New Zealand.
RHAs continue to be some of the most highly valued hunting areas in the country.
There are currently eight RHAs across New Zealand, covering approximately 178,000 hectares of public conservation land.
Please click on the specific RHA below to learn a little bit more about it, the species present, key access points, hut networks, hunting tips, NZDA branch activities and other useful information.
North Island RHAs
A large and accessible central North Island RHA, Pureora North Block offers a mix of red deer, pigs and goats across forested ranges and river valleys, with multiple entry points and a strong local hunting community.
The Kaimanawa RHA provides classic backcountry hunting in the Central North Island, within a vast and remote landscape. The Kaimanawa RHA applies to red deer only, with sika being managed under the Sika Herd of Special Interest (HOSI).
A well-known North Island hunting area, the Kaweka RHA combines rugged terrain with easy access from Hawke’s Bay, making it a popular and productive hunting destination. The Kaweka RHA applies to red deer only, with sika being managed under the Sika Herd of Special Interest (HOSI).
Covering the full Aorangi Forest Park in the southern Wairarapa, this RHA offers rewarding hill-country hunting for red and fallow deer, as well as multi-day backcountry trips in close proximity to our capital city.
South Island RHAs
Classic Canterbury high country hunting. Lake Sumner RHA is known for its red deer population and accessible and challenging alpine terrain accessible from a state highway.
Located close to Christchurch, the Oxford RHA provides quality foothill hunting for red deer in beech forest and open tops, making it a popular area for locals.
The Blue Mountains is best known for its quality fallow deer hunting, with restricted permits used to manage hunting pressure and access through forestry land.
One of New Zealand’s premier fallow deer hunting areas, the Greenstone-Caples RHA near Glenorchy combines a ballot-based system with stunning valleys and iconic alpine terrain to make for a special hunting experience.
RHAs and hunter contributions
RHAs are established under the Wild Animal Control Act 1977 to be areas of public conservation land where recreational hunters can enjoy and harvest from without commercial competition.
A wild animal control plan is issued for each RHA, which must be reviewed at least every five years, and further control measures can be used where animal impacts become too high.
NZDA branches and local unaffiliated hunters contribute to the management of game animals in many RHAs through things like club hunts, volunteer management hunts and hut, track and access maintenance.
Hunters also play an important role in the control of rodents, possums and mustelids within RHAs.
You can read more about this current work by visiting the page for each RHA. If you want to get involved in helping to manage and look after an RHA, contact one of the local NZDA branches listed on each page.
The development of information on each RHA page has been supported by NZDA and its local branches.