While the ability for the Minister for Hunting and Fishing (the Minister) to designate a Herd of Special Interest (HOSI) has existed since the Game Animal Council Act was established in 2013, no HOSI has ever been designated.

The reasons for this are complex and include political considerations, insufficient resources and lack of a formal process for considering proposals and developing draft herd management plans.

Since 2022, the Game Animal Council (GAC) and the Department of Conservation (DOC) have been working on establishing processes and tools so that HOSI may be proposed and considered for designation by the Minister.

Anyone can propose a HOSI. It is expected that proposers will have a vested interest in, and knowledge of, the herd and land area being considered. The process for establishing a HOSI can be broken down into three phases:

  1. Proposal development.
  2. Statutory consultation.
  3. HOSI designation.

Phase one: proposal development

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.

Phase two: statutory consultation

The second phase is where a herd management plan (HMP) is drafted. Individuals, groups, and organisations will have an opportunity to submit/provide feedback on any HOSI HMPs. Broadly speaking, phase two will follow these steps:

  1. Consideration on whether to progress a HOSI designation – the Minister will receive advice from key parties on whether animals are of special interest to hunters and can be managed for hunting purposes. Key parties include the GAC, DOC, any relevant regional council, the New Zealand Conservation Authority, any relevant conservation board and any other representative organisation(s) the Minister considers appropriate.
  2. Drafting of a HMP – a draft HMP that is consistent with existing conservation legislation will be prepared. Key parties are consulted as part of development of the draft. This may include seeking advice on proposed delegation of HOSI management powers to the GAC and funding.
  3. Public consultation – the draft HMP will be released for public consultation. Officials will support the Minister to analyse submissions and consider feedback and the GAC will support the Minister by providing advice and recommendations.

Phase three: HOSI designation

The Minister will decide whether to designate a HOSI, implement the HMP and any relevant delegations of powers to the GAC. This will be formalised by the Minister through the Gazette notice process. Implementation and reviews of the HMP will follow. The HMP must be reviewed at intervals of not more than five years.

Learn more about HOSI