Mark Heath brings a strong mix of environmental science expertise and practical hunting experience to his new role as Senior Policy and Project Advisor with the NZ Game Animal Council (GAC).

Raised in Stratford, Taranaki, Mark grew up immersed in sport and outdoor recreation. Whether it was rugby and swimming or fishing for trout in the Pātea River and casting for kahawai off the coast, the natural environment has always been central to his life. That early connection to the outdoors would go on to shape both his professional and personal journey.

Mark moved to Wellington to study Environmental Studies at Victoria University, eventually completing a PhD in Ecology and Biodiversity, specialising in toxic algal blooms. Over the past 15 years he has worked as a freshwater scientist and has been involved in freshwater monitoring and reporting, freshwater limit-setting processes, national freshwater policy implementation, and supporting robust, science-based decision-making. He believes lasting environmental solutions come from good data, clear communication and collaboration.

Alongside his scientific career, Mark has been deeply involved in the hunting community. He has been a member of the Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Deerstalkers’ Association for almost a decade and currently serves as branch Vice President. As a qualified HUNTS instructor, he leads training courses, organises branch hunts, and helps manage Roaring Stag Lodge and Cattle Ridge Hut in the Tararuas, a region he considers one of New Zealand’s most underrated for hunting.

Mark views hunting as both a privilege and a responsibility. For him, it is a sustainable source of food, a connection to landscape, and a way to spend meaningful time with family, something he hopes to share increasingly with his daughters in the years ahead.

His vision for game animal management is grounded in balance. He sees hunters as a key part of the solution and recognises that enduring outcomes require collaboration between hunters, landholders, mana whenua, conservation groups and government. He supports adaptive, locally informed approaches such as Herds of Special Interest (HOSI), while acknowledging that effective management requires monitoring, accountability and sometimes difficult trade-offs.

Mark joins the GAC staff motivated by a desire to help build management systems that strengthen a responsible and enduring hunting culture for future generations, while protecting New Zealand’s native ecosystems.

He sees his role as supporting and enabling the organisations already doing significant work on the ground, such as the Sika and Wapiti Foundations, assisting to remove barriers, and adding value to the hunters and others looking after our game animal herds and indigenous species. Mark’s also looking forward to helping bridge the gap between science, policy and practical management so that future management decisions are informed, balanced and enduring.

The GAC Senior Policy and Projects Advisor role was established in 2025 in response to the increasing need to engage in policy and legislative changes that recognise hunters, game animals and their management, and support increased operational delivery of key workstreams.

The role will focus on:

  • Engagement with hunters and the wider hunting community.
  • Project management and delivery.
  • Increasing capacity to deliver sustainable game animal management.
  • Supporting the development of national frameworks and strategies for sustainable game animal management.
  • Providing advice to the Minister on sustainable game animal management, the views of the hunting sector and legislative and policy changes and frameworks that support hunters and hunting.