Tahr management

Himalayan tahr were first introduced to New Zealand in 1905 as a gift from the Duke of Bedford. They were gifted to New Zealand to support recreation and tourism opportunities.

Tahr are ‘Near threatened’ in their native Himalaya and can be found in the Southern Alps of the South Island. They are highly valued by for:

The experience of hunting a unique and valued game animal in our wild and remote backcountry settings.
Provision of meat.
Their unique horns and mane.
Hunting-based tourism.
Regional economic benefits.

Tahr management is important to the hunting sector – both recreational and commercial – and wider New Zealand. Over recent years, it has been a significant topic of interest.

On this page:

Legislative context

In New Zealand, tahr are classified in two pieces of legislation – as a game animal under the Game Animal Council Act 2013; and as a wild animal under the Wild Animal Council Act 1977.

Tahr are currently managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) under the Wild Animal Control Act 1977 (WAC Act), which provides for the control and eradication of deer, tahr, chamois, wild pigs and goats.

Under the WAC Act, the Himalayan Thar (sic) Control Plan 1993 (HTCP) was written in 1993 and defines long-term objectives for tahr management in New Zealand.

The HTCP set targets for tahr numbers that were thought to be well below that required to achieve conservation objectives within management units.

The HTCP was intended to be an adaptive management plan, able to respond quickly to changing social and environmental context. However, it hasn’t been implemented in this way.

It wasn’t until 2019 that the HTCP was actively implemented by DOC. Implementing the 1993 HTCP in the modern context and with increased hunter activity and interest in tahr, has resulted in significant social and scientific debate of how effective and appropriate current tahr management is.

A key challenge to implementing the HTCP is that the effectiveness of tahr management is unable to be measured. While monitoring is currently undertaken, it does not relate directly to the objectives of the HTCP and is not specific enough to support adaptive management. This means there is no way to know:

Whether the targets for tahr numbers are appropriate for achieving conservation outcomes.
Whether management has been effective at achieving these targets and conservation outcomes.

Annual tahr management

Each year, DOC prepares a Tahr Control Operational Plan (TCOP) to implement parts of the long-term TCOP. It is limited to control, monitoring, and information sharing.

The TCOP is developed following engagement with the Tahr Plan Implementation Liaison Group, of which the Game Animal Council (GAC) alongside a range of other organisations.

View the current 2025-2026 Himalayan Tahr Control Operational Plan here (DOC website)

GAC advice on the TCOP

The GAC provides advice to DOC before each TCOP is developed and provides feedback on each of the draft TCOPs.

This advice brings together hunter knowledge, stakeholder perspectives, monitoring analysis and game animal management expertise. It focuses on seeking a balanced, evidence-based approach to maintain a sustainable tahr resource and quality hunting opportunities, while continuing to protect conservation values.

See TCOP advice here:

Mid-point review

The GAC meets with DOC annually to review progress at the mid-point of official aerial control operations, and to discuss observations and remaining operations. This is called a mid-point review.

The GAC then provides advice to DOC that includes:

Hunting sector insights.
Opportunities to minimise impacts on hunters.
Game animal management expertise.
Recommendations to inform remaining control hours.

See GAC advice on the 2026 mid-point review of the TCOP here.

Tahr maps

DOC publishes maps showing areas where tahr have been controlled and observed.

View tahr observation maps here.

Future tahr management

Tahr management is important to the hunting sector – both recreational and commercial – and wider New Zealand. Over recent years, it has been a significant topic of interest.

The hunting sector has been advocating for nearly 10 years for a review of the HTCP and wider tahr management framework to enable management that provides for hunting and conservation outcomes.

The GAC supports moving tahr management from the current control framework into a values-based, sustainable and truly adaptive management framework under the Game Animal Council Act 2013.

Between 2023 and 2025, the GAC worked with DOC and the NZ Tahr Foundation to explore opportunities for hunter-led management in tahr management unit 1 (MU1), with the goal of supporting a more adaptive values-based approach to tahr management in this area. This work is currently on hold while a Tahr HOSI (Herd of Special Interest) is being explored.

The GAC has received a formal expression of interest from the New Zealand Tahr Foundation, for a Tahr HOSI concept. We will continue to provide advice and support the Tahr Foundation on this work.