A Department of Conservation (DOC) promotional video showing a woman sitting on her front porch shooting a possum from a tree has been taken down in response to a complaint.
The video titled 'Marjorie's helping. Are you?' is part of DOC's Always Be Naturing campaign and focuses on pest control.
The agency confirmed it had "paused" the video in response to questions.
The video showed a woman in a fur hat with a rifle on her lap sipping tea then shooting a possum from a pohutukawa tree - the possum falls to the ground.
Deer Stalkers Association national president Callum Sheridan said it raised concerns with DOC about the video on Wednesday.
"The concern is it violates DOC's own permit conditions and it also violates firearm safety and the arms code," he said.
"If it was us, we probably would have got dragged across the coals for it so we made sure that we communicated that with DOC."
Sheridan said anyone killing possums on conservation land had to apply for trapping permits, "you don't just shoot them out of trees".
He said the rifle depicted was more powerful than needed and there was no safety backdrop.
"When you pull the trigger, you're responsible for where that bullet lands, and in that scenario that bullet could have landed anywhere," Sheridan said.
"It could have been a hunter or a tramper, or anybody walking a great walk over the hill. There was no clear backstop to where that bullet was going to land."
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He said it sent the wrong message about gun use.
"They did a good job in terms of a video. It was the messaging that wasn't correct."
DOC's deputy director general public affairs Sia Aston said the videos created for the campaign were positive, quirky and used humour to engage with people.
"We understand there have been a couple of questions, so we have paused the video while we chat those through," Aston said.
"We're clearly having a bit of fun with the campaign and the only thing people should take seriously is the message that nature is under threat from pests and other pressures."
Aston said the overwhelming reaction to the campain had been positive.
She said DOC had launched the Always be Naturing campaign to focus attention on nature, the pressure that nature was under and what people could do to help.
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