West Coast farming advocates have blasted a proposal to prevent hunters from killing virile male animals as "ludicrous".
By Vihan Dalal, Local Democracy Reporter
The ACT Party has called for the National Game Animal Council to take charge of managing game animals on conservation land instead of the Department of Conservation, but Federated Farmers West Coast has come out against the Game Animal Council's plans for the role.
ACT says the move would improve hunting access on public land, including using helicopters and drones.
South Westland farmer Andy Campbell, a member of the West Coast Regional Council, has also previously called for ungulates such as deer and goats to be harvested for food, instead of being left to rot on the ground as the regional council decides whether to include pest animals in its next Regional Pest Management Plan.
But there is wide disagreement on how best to manage pest animals.
Federated Farmers West Coast President Simon Cameron said he opposes the proposal, instead calling for a national strategy led by the Ministry for Primary Industries.
"We think there needs to be a national strategy and we envision it being led by the likes of the ministry, and the Game Animal Council certainly having a seat at the table alongside a representative from Federated Farmers, Forest and Bird, etc."
Cameron said he would not support a "ludicrous" call from the Game Animal Council to restrict operators from hunting male animals in order to protect their genes.
Focus on a 'female harvest'
Game Animal Council chief executive Corina Jordan said her council promoted "increased female harvest" to support pest animal management and encouraged the hunting of mature male animals which had "already passed on their genes".
Cameron was also concerned the Game Animal Council might begin charging a fee for hunting licences.
"I have seen other comments from other people, members of the public, that shows concerns and they believe that if the Game Animal Council were to become in control of our game animals in New Zealand, that they would eventually start charging for a hunting licence."
Jordan told Local Democracy Reporting they had no such plans.
"Our approach to management is collaborative, with locally-led solutions to manage animals in alignment with local values."
She said a national strategy to manage game animals would allow for collaboration between the government and landowners.
"A national strategy would support increased collaboration between hunters, landholders, community, agencies, and government. One size doesn't fit all. As such, a national strategy will identify values at place and support local solutions delivered collaboratively."
She said the current approach to game animal population management was not sustainable and noted the lack of co-ordinated management currently.
"Beyond what recreational hunters harvest and the occasional localised control operation, there is virtually no co-ordinated management across land tenures.
"Game animals do not respect fences or property boundaries, so unmanaged populations inevitably spill across, regardless of whether it's private or public land."
Deerstalkers' Association West Coast president Dave Mitchell praised the proposal to shift the management of game animals on conservation land to the Game Animal Council.
"It is a fantastic way forward, I think, from my personal view.
"From the Deerstalkers' Association point of view, I think that is a positive move, providing access is granted to hunters to be able to access the areas, to be able to do what is required."
Mitchell said deer numbers on the West Coast had increased, and access to "specific areas" has been limited for hunters.
"Certainly, there are more deer around now, but the helicopters are not doing the hunting that they used to do and access to specific areas for the general hunter is limited as well.
"You have got private blocks where people are allowing hunting or animal numbers to grow, and only private people can get to it. When the animals need to move because of a shortage of food they move into other areas. That has an impact on conservation. The impact on conservation is in some places quite heavy but in other places it is not as heavy as people say."
Mitchell said the Conservation Department indiscriminately killed animals, whereas hunters were looking to harvest them.
"Hunters have a different way of looking at it. The idea of a hunter is to keep the numbers down so they can be resourced for food value."
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ on Air
SHARE ME