A balance must be struck between conservation and the quality of game animals for hunters and trophy hunters and a new framework is trying to achieve this sweet spot. 

Iwi, hapū, whānau, the NZ Game Animal Council (NZGAC) and the Department of Conservation (DOC) will implement the framework Te Ara ki Mua (TAKM) together, guided by the overarching direction of Te Mana o te Taiao (the Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2020).

DOC wild animals manager Mike Perry said TAKM, which covers goats, deer, pigs, tahr and chamois, was recently released and DOC is in the early stages of implementation and engagement.

“[The framework] aims to reduce browsing pressure to support ecosystem resilience by improving monitoring, delivery, and evaluation of wild animal management, and coordinating efforts and enhancing capacity across the people, organisations, and agencies involved,” Mike said.

“There has been a positive response from hunting stakeholder groups at a national level and we’re looking to engage at a more regional level from here.”

No regional plan has yet been developed for Otago, but it will be developed collaboratively with iwi and stakeholders at a local level, including regional councils, DOC, landowners, conservation and hunting groups.

Mike said those wanting more information at a local level could contact the NZGAC.

Central farmers The Central App spoke to had not heard anything about the new framework but were keen for more information when available.

Ida Valley sheep and beef farmer Al McKnight said it had been startling to see deer numbers “exploding” in the past six or seven years.

“It’s a nuisance value to us mostly… There is an economic impact when deer get into big enough numbers and then they start to damage crops, or destroy bailage and silage.

“The sorts of things that cause problems are them getting tangled up in electric fencing… or imagine the damage 20-30 hinds galloping around in a field full of newborn lambs could do.”

Al said he and other local farmers are doing what they can to control deer numbers.

He gives permission to hunters he knows and trusts; he has a group every weekend hunting deer on his 5,500ha high country farm.

“More hunters is not the answer…We can’t have too many more, you can really only have a group at a time.”

He organises regular helicopter operations to control the deer population on his farm.

“The last outfit took all the meat for human consumption…When we do this we want to retrieve all the animals. It ended up being no cost and all the meat was used [commercially].” 

Al’s property adjoins the Hawkdun ranges and a DOC managed public park. He would like to see more action from DOC to keep deer numbers at a sustainable level on the Otago side of the park.

“We suspect [the deer] are coming down to the lower country for the winter and getting into crops like swede… and then they bugger off out to the park in summer.”

Another Maniātoto farmer said he was controlling the population on his farm by carrying out occasional small scale hunts himself.

NZ Game Council general manager Tim Gale said hunting was increasing in popularity.

NZ Game Council general manager Tim Gale

“All over the country new people are getting involved in hunting and many see it as a way they can contribute to good management and conservation outcomes while also providing mahinga kai for their families and communities.”

The management of deer populations is a major challenge for New Zealand. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to this as different populations in different places present unique challenges. 

Some populations are already being effectively managed by hunting organisations working alongside DOC while others require more intensive management to bring their populations down. 

Tim said the recently released framework provides the opportunity to more closely align hunting sector efforts with official management and design programmes that suit local communities and best utilise our available resources.

Deer numbers in New Zealand have been building over the past couple of decades, as the population swells, deer have moved into new areas to find food.

Red deer are hunted at all times of the year from the far south to near Auckland 

The result has been damage to native forests, and in sub alpine areas tall tussocks and wildflowers like alpine buttercups. This influences the environment, reducing biodiversity, for example if understory plants are decimated by deer browsing, the habitat for birds who need a thick understory will be depleted.

Read more on the Te Ara ki Mua Framework for adaptive management of wild animals (wild goats, deer, pigs, tahr and chamois)

The NZ Game Animal Council is a statutory organisation responsible for the sustainable management of game animals and hunting for recreation, commerce and conservation.