NZ govt wants to cut off hunting access

Public land was set aside for free access by generations whom recognized NZ's best feature is the natural environment and this now has extra costs under the user pays and access blocked future

Not everyone has money at the end of the week these days and many hunters go every weekend. They aren't like trampers, they really go off the tracks to live the good keen man adventures their forefathers told them about.

You pay rates and taxes on goods and services and income and assets and even future income in the form of provisional tax and here comes another for access to what was intended to be free access to our great NZ natural environment.

Recently DoC decided to end 3 monthly renewal of hunting permits which now require yearly renewal. This was the result of nearly a decade of various hunting organizations such as GAC, Deerstalkers and individuals with common sense questioning DoC's officious reasoning without any evidence of merit supplied by DoC.

If you wish you can register your cat. There is no verified identification requirement. Only possible reason is the framework will be used with a future fee attached. Besides registering cats, contact them for your hunting history which they claimed was their reason for the permit every 3 months and there is no responce from DoC.

A pilot program is in place where Department of Conservation (DOC) will offer a 20-minute grace period for locals and an annual parking permit option for $60. Tourism operators can also apply for parking fee exemptions during the pilot,

The outdoor range on the Ōwairaka maunga has been a fixture since the early 1950s. The club also has an indoor range at the Badminton Hall in Massey, West Auckland.

In 2014, the tūpuna maunga (ancestral mountains) were given to a combination of mana whenua (Māori) and the Auckland Council to co-govern. Since that time, the club has worked closely with the Tūpuna Maunga Authority.

Kelly Atkinson, past president and current committee member of the club and current president of the Auckland District Archery Association, said that while club members are disappointed at the outcome, they are trying to stay positive.

“MGAC supports the vision of the Tūpuna Maunga Authority to govern the maunga,” Atkinson told the Herald.

“It’s really unfortunate for us that their vision will cause significant disruption to our club as we now have to find a new home, and fast.”

From Deerstalkers

"The government’s plan to introduce access fees threatens our egalitarian ethos that all Kiwis have the ability, regardless of their financial means, to access our outdoors and go hunting.

Public land has always been free for us to hunt, connect with nature, and put food on the table—especially vital in today’s cost-of-living crisis. Charging hunters risks pricing out families, reducing access for the average Kiwi, and even undermining our role in big game management.

We say: fund conservation through international visitors, not local hunters who already contribute so much through taxes and volunteer effort. As we all know, hunting is conservation.

Say NO to hunters paying for access – Submit by this Friday the 28th February 2025. "

The DoC Hunting permits which have no practical value will be used to coerce payment for public hunting access. DoC claims their permits are to collect data.

$17 was allocated for track maintenance off Clements road one of NZ most hunted spots so this shows Doc doesn't refer to them for statistics to improve hunting and by extension pest control.

The Quarry road branching off Clements was a multi million $ investment if created today has been abandoned to deteriorate into unusable state due to simple not keeping culverts clean by a shovel. Though if it was too a fancy place for foreign hikers would it be treated the same? Those tracks and access roads are all well maintained.

They never replaced the hut up Te Iringa in the highest visited hunting zone in NZ yet are happy to build cabins for tourists whom do nothing to control pests not to mention Doc themselves using it for work? All they'll do is take your hard earned $ and fly in more 1080. The hut was also offered by locals to replace for free and they refused.

Folowing is is another example of one of the directions public access is going from the Herald 25/1/26

"Anti-co-governance campaigner Julian Batchelor says he has launched legal action against a company that has diverted a popular walking track around his land, depriving him of a $3 per walker “source of income”.

Until late last year, the first few hundred metres of the 16km Cape Brett Track in Northland crossed Batchelor’s land.

Cape Brett hikers are charged $50 to do the walk, which is payable to the Department of Conservation (DOC). Batchelor, the organiser of 2023’s “stop co-governance” roadshow, said he had a legal agreement with Cape Brett Walkway Ltd, which manages the walk, that he receive a $3 share.

But some time around November last year, the route changed. Instead of crossing Batchelor’s land, trampers were pointed to a diversion via Oke Bay: a steep track down the cliff and along the beach."

ends

The lawyers of NZ prosecuted the Berryman's in the 90's and recently the owners of White Island for responsibility for the deaths which of course would cause any sane person to refuse access through their land to public land.

To further stop public access one of the last questions was do you think council land access should be paid for. They want to copy the US. In the US they discuss the cost and bureaucracy of public access;

Another revenue exersize by govt currently National, Act and NZ First. We emailed National and it's Hunting and Fishing minister James Meager, details;

Thank you for your email dated 21 May 2025 regarding the ability of recreational hunters to access and enjoy Public Conservation Land (PCL).

My top priority is to enable New Zealanders to go hunting and fishing. Access is an important part of that, which is why the Government released the Access Charter for Recreational Hunting and Fishing on Public Conservation Land last year. This Charter outlines the Government's commitments to ensure that recreational hunting and fishing on PCL is recognised and safeguarded. This includes maintaining access routes to PCL, while respecting private property rights.

Your email referred to the Government's public consultation that explored charging for access. The Government is not proposing to introduce charging across all PCL. Our view is that most conservation land should remain free to access, and that we should only introduce charging in strategic sites, such as those that are facing unsustainable pressure from visitors.

The public consultation closed in February 2025 and received over 7,400 submissions. The Minister of Conservation is currently considering advice and next steps for access charging based on the feedback received. One of the key decisions that the Government will take in the coming months is whether to progress this work, and if so, whether access charges will apply to New Zealanders, or just to international visitors. If the Government decides to charge New Zealanders for access to certain sites, we will look at how this would impact different users, including recreational hunters. Any impacts could be managed through measures such as discounts, exemptions or differential pricing. No decisions have been made at this time.

You also raised the issue of hunting permits. The Government has no plans to increase hunting permit fees. Most hunting on PCL (88.5% total area) is covered by the open area hunting permit, for which there is no fee. There are fees for restricted hunting permits and ballot applications, to support limited cost recovery for the Department of Conservation. The Department is currently reviewing all restricted hunting blocks to see if some of these should be migrated to open area hunting areas, which would improve access for recreational hunting. The Department is also piloting an improved permit booking system for restricted hunting permits to improve user experience for hunters.

With respect to hunting infrastructure, huts and tracks across public conservation land are maintained by the Department, often with the help of volunteers. In January of this year, $4.2M of International Visitor Levy funding was invested into The Community Hut Programme. This is a partnership between the Department and the Backcountry Trust to improve the backcountry hut and track network. .

The responce avoids referencing govt "how much money is there out there that you will agree we can grab" questionnaire that Deerstalkers and other public access users groups are publicly posting and asking for help to assist defending.

A look at the funny side of what govt are capable of culminating within NZ courtesy of the Taxpayers Union;

$4,027,020 on the Oranga (Wellbeing) Project - including treating Kauri dieback with potions made from Whale-oil and music from whale song (yes, seriously) as part of the MBIE-administered National Science Challenges.

Research methods in this project included healing Kauri trees through using "sonic samples of healthy whales to construct a tapestry of rejuvenation and wellbeing.”

Commenting on this, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Jordan Williams said “when did science become a laughing stock?”

“Kauri dieback is a natural disaster. I’m no biologist, but I can confidently say a whale-song mix-tape isn’t going to stop it. Nor are pagan potions made from whale-oil on the basis, apparently, that whales once walked the Earth and are the brothers of Kauri trees.”

“At the same time the Government’s plugging economic growth through science and innovation, we find out that the Strategic Science Investment Fund has been used to play nautical noises at trees.”

“The Taxpayers’ Union are all for blue-sky thinking. But if the Government’s chucking millions at any ‘research’ project which comes begging, a common-sense check might be needed if even this one’s made it past the keeper.”

Interview with Jack Tane recently. Ruth Richardson from the Tax Payer Union used the Kauri whale songs for 4 million as one obvious example of where govt spending can be saved. Jack Tane TV1 whalloped her with his gotcha reply "the researchers were collecting data". Richardson cited TV1 should have been sold earlier as it is currently loosing money.

The facts are the whale song data whisped away into the hills along with the funding..alternatively locals would have better used for a hut and clearing the culverts on the multi million dollars Clements Quarry road and not ruined by water erosion indicating the data collected from the hunting permits also whisps way into the hills and DoC has not thought of consulting hunters for help and also refuse it.

Clements Quarry road is the perfect example, in a very high hunt zone and over the years hunters get their chansaws out and kept it clear. After a big Cyclone went through the road was blocked in dozens of places and was clean again within the next two months thanks to hunters for free.

Culvert debri traps cleaning unfortunately wasn't understood, most folks drive past until it's a problem they can see like a tree across the road as these culverts ends are off direct sight and can't wait for irregular clearing due to storms happen and then need the timely care so the water doesn't overflow and shoot down the wheel ruts but would have been cared for as shown by the free tree clearing if educated about it and organised.

This recipe of fail has happened all over central north island.

So much for the hunting permits data to improve hunting exprience aye. Real reason for the permits is they expect you to pay taxes for nothing and really should be had up for aiding the destruction of public property. Less to maintain for them is a cost saving for their books and hunters rate at the bottom for access.

Pureora used to employ a man who used to make and replace the wood culverts. After banning logging the roads had no heavy traffic wear and needed less maintenance. This network went the same way after they retired him, same as the Quarry road but these days would be full of bike riders and Kokako protectors filling bait stations. A tourist attraction lost.

Huka Civil offered a free digger and qualified drain layer to fix a culvert for them and got turned down. Reason was stakeholders comprising DoC and Maori couldn't agree, no mention of hunters.

A feature of the Quarry road now a track is that there is a quarry at the end that was used to supply metal for the main road aswell. The metal quality was good and also didn't need a crusher. Clearly these roads have been planned to be abandoned as there is not a better example of a useful road for hunters and the quarry itself was stopped under these new conservation values and stakeholders that limited taking a few hundred meters from the billions of conservation meters to save the road.

They must have banned the shovel sometime. Risk of back injury?

We used to clear them after the public purse snapped shut on public access to public land. Also seems to be general lack of wisdom in the population as I wasn't the only user. They were happy to pull out a chainsaw to remove trees. I took out one with a 4 foot trunk with the saw made into rounds and winched off the track. But the culverts would fill up and they just drove passed as they expected DoC to look after their million dollar capital investment and were not informed DoC have abandoned it.

That is clearly true as there has been no notice from DoC to public land users to advise them to simply clear a culvert. Which is really silly and not explainable.

$17 per year don't cover downpours. That requires inspection either during or atleast after it. Maintenance is a lost art.

Recently they drove a grader down Clements road. It's not certain if their idea was to destroy the road but they filled in the culverts. Of clourse no one checked, no one cleaned and presto big down fall and the washed out the the main Clements Mill road.

New Zealand Infrastructure Commission Chief Executive Geoff Cooper stated the problem wth NZ infarstructure too much is spent on new and not enough on maintenance.

To end on a good note there is now more deer than ever.