NZDA H&W 198 WEB

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President’s Report President’s Column Bill O’Leary – National President, New Zealand Deerstalkers’ Association Bill O’Leary (right) presents National Secretary Chaz Forsyth with his commendation as a new NZDA Life Member. See Conference reports, page 6-15. The theme for the National Conference was “Growing the business”, and by “growing” we mean better, bigger and stronger. Our mission statement spells it out quite clearly: “To retain, enhance and create opportunities for the enjoyment of responsible recreational hunting and the sport of shooting for the members of the Association”. I touched on this in my last column, pointing out that the bigger we are the more influence we can have on vital matters like firearm ownership and game management. Our fundamental aim is to ensure that recreational hunting is organised and managed by sportsmen and sportswomen. Accordingly, NZDA seeks the status and recognition as the national body speaking on behalf of recreational hunters generally. For the wider issue of managing game animals for the benefit of all game animal interests (including deer farmers and safari operators and other commercial interests as well as us private hunters), we have the Game Animal Council, on which recreational hunters are represented and in which NZDA plays an active role. Every member has some ideas of their own as to how NZDA should achieve its management aims, and this year our National Conference provided an opportunity for debate and input to the NZDA’s National Executive (Natex). Natex has an overarching responsibility to look wider and to plan strategically for the future. This means Natex sets out to anticipate and identify problems looming on the horizon, in addition to the ones that are “in your face”. One big issue that people often take for granted is the right to hunt. Unlike in some other countries, NZ hunters and firearm users do not retain the right to enjoy our recreation by virtue of a constitutional right. We are a minority who retain that right by virtue of a social licence granted by the majority. Society as a whole allows us to hunt and own firearms – under strict conditions. However, the wider population out there is very quick to criticise any misuse of firearms, including unintentional (“accidental”) shootings, and many of them deeply object to so-called “blood sport”. There are even extremists who would like to see all hunting and firearm ownership totally banned, ignoring the long history of recreational hunting as a legitimate sport and healthy leisure activity. So we need to be very cautious about protecting that social license, and remember that in a society where people are increasingly urbanised and removed from everyday contact with the natural world, many people are unsympathetic with or uninterested in our sport. You have only to look at the statistics on firearm ownership: for example, the Tasman police district (Marlborough, Nelson, West Coast) has one firearm licence holder per eight head of population – while in Auckland the figure is just one licence holder per 80 people. New Zealand hunters (all types) probably number less than a hundred thousand in a national population of over four million. We’re a potentially vulnerable minority. We need the continued approval of society to possess a firearm, to carry it onto publicly owned land and to hunt. 4 NZ Hunting & Wildlife 198 - Spring 2017
For the past 10 years Natex has pursued a strategy of building relationships with key organisations like the police, Federated Farmers and DOC, and playing the long game to protect hunters’ social licence. Natex has represented hunters (and NZDA in particular) as “good citizens” with a legitimate stake in the outdoors, and made rational, constructive contributions to policy development and decisionmaking on issues affecting firearm possession, access, animal welfare etc. NZDA is “in the tent” with all the major game animal interests. NZDA members have contributed, and continue to contribute to, the operation of pest controlprogrammes and development of huts, tracks and other facilities. We maintain a healthy dialogue with other stakeholders and even if we don’t always agree, it’s a lot better than being out in the cold. These days, when NZDA takes a firm stand on the real issues, we find that more often than not, other organisations support us too. They find there is more mileage to be had through collaboration (and making the occasional compromise), rather than the suspicion and automatic opposition of a past era. This was clearly evident at Conference, with representatives from several of our key fellow stakeholders present and delivering presentations that were well received (see conference report, page 6). NZDA is doing more business. In military terms we are in a phase of “forward engagement”. We are not sitting in defensive positions. With key allies we are retaining and enhancing and creating opportunities. Lastly, we learned just as this issue was going to press that the Hon Peter Dunne will not be seeking re-election this year and is retiring from politics. During his many years in parliament Mr Dunne (most significantly from our viewpoint as Associate Miniser of Conservation) has consistently been a friend of hunters and a staunch supporter of outdoor recreation. In particular, he was responsible for setting up the lengthy process that began in 2004 and culminated in 2013 with the passing of the Game Animal Council Act. We wish him all the best in his next endeavours. Bill O'Leary - National President CHARTERS • BLUFF Hunt Stewart Island Scenic Trips • Fishing • Hunting • Diving • Tramping 47ft Morgan Hull charter vessel, 650hp V8 Fiat engine, cruises at 12-13 knots. Bob Hawkless: ex commercial fisherman for 25 years plus 20 years hunting experience on Stewart Island. Hire equipment: 12ft Stabi Crafts, 12ft dinghys, outboard motors, camping equipment, gas bottles & dive bottles. Contact: Bob & Chris Hawkless Ph: (03) 212 7254 - Fax: (03) 212 8321 - Mob: 0274 335 801 Email: mana.charters@xtra.co.nz Web: www.manacharters.com PHYSIO & REHAB Physiotherapy Pain Management Work Rehab Medical Specialists Rehabilitation www.tbihealth.co.nz • 0800 TBI Health NZ Hunting & Wildlife 198 - Spring 2017 5
Page 1 and 2: Hunting NEW ZEALAND SPRING ISSUE 19
Page 3 and 4: Joshua Keen, Tahr, 3rd, G Jamie Fai
Page 5: Contents News and features Reports
Page 9 and 10: Kirstie Wilson and Sue van den Bers
Page 11 and 12: Speech by Hon Peter Dunne, MP for
Page 13 and 14: Tale material produced a number of
Page 15 and 16: Keith Milne, "Purple Flower", 1st,
Page 17 and 18: Mandatory consultation As a statuto
Page 19 and 20: Joshua Keen, "Frosty Morning", 2nd,
Page 21 and 22: TREVOR CHAPPELL TROPHY - Wild sheep
Page 23 and 24: Game management Sika poised for Her
Page 25 and 26: forests at higher altitude within t
Page 27 and 28: Four management units A mixture of
Page 29 and 30: POWER & PRECISION FOR A DEVASTATING
Page 31 and 32: A closer look at Pete’s trophy. T
Page 33 and 34: Jack and Alfie’s first tahr hunt
Page 35 and 36: KIDS' PAGE Stephanie Waghorn (14) s
Page 37 and 38: the things that don’t go as well
Page 39 and 40: Game animal management Wakatipu whi
Page 41 and 42: Action plan What actions could be i
Page 43 and 44: “A change of tactics was called f
Page 45 and 46: World Benchrest Championships prepa
Page 47 and 48: for the Chinese. It could be argued
Page 49 and 50: The pathologist at work: Jim used e
Page 51 and 52: McCONACHIE TROPHY (chamois) & EGMON

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