Ban proposal upsets Fish & Game
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Fish and Game is unimpressed with a proposal to ban hunting dogs from the Ashley Rakahuri River estuary during duck shooting season.
The Waimakariri District Council is consulting on a new Northern Pegasus Bay Bylaw, which includes banning all dogs on the spit and the Ashley Rakahuri River and Saltwater Creek estuary.
The bylaw governs what activities are allowed on the district’s beaches.
The new rules will remove an exemption which has allowed holders of Fish and Game hunting licenses to take their dogs into the estuary area during gamebird hunting season.
The measures are designed to protect ecological values and bird habitats around the estuary and wetlands.
But Fish and Game North Canterbury game bird specialist Matt Garrick was not impressed with the proposed ban.
He said he corresponded with the council a year ago, but had not had any further contact.
‘‘I explained that duck season does not overlap during critical, sensitive periods, such as nesting, so there would be no conflict with dogs used for game bird hunting.’’
He said he requested data to demonstrate game bird hunting and dogs in the winter was having an effect on the estuary's bird life, but had heard nothing further.
The estuary is home to threatened bird species including wrybills, black-bill gulls, banded dotterels, black-fronted terns and pied oystercatchers, some of which are also endangered.
A council spokesperson said staff reached out to Fish and Game North Canterbury in January and May last year to inform the organisation it was conducting a review of the bylaw.
‘‘Based on feedback we received from the public consultation on the bylaw, which ran for three months over summer of 2023-24, we are now proposing to exclude all dogs and this would include hunting dogs.
‘‘We welcome any feedback on the proposed changes to the bylaw from Fish and Game and any other group or individual.’’
Submissions can be made at letstalk.waimakariri.govt.nz... until June 14.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
A reminder this hunting season
As thousands of hunters are making their plans for autumn – the Roar – recreational firearms groups are urging hunters to always be 100% sure of their targets.
Te Tari Pureke - Firearms Safety Authority NZ, which chairs the Recreational Firearms Users Group, has begun a public information campaign reminding hunters everywhere of Rule #4 of the Firearms Safety Code: to identify their target beyond all doubt.
Director Communities and Corporate, Mike McIlraith, says there is an estimated 50,000-60,000 New Zealanders involved in big game animal hunting each year, and the Roar is the key event for many hunters each year.
“The Roar is a fantastic time of year for hunters to get out into the hills after a trophy animal but hunting safely and making sure everyone gets home in one piece, still must be the most important goal of every trip,” says Mike McIlraith.
“The consequences of not fully identifying your target beyond all doubt can be catastrophic. Our message to hunters is a really simple one: If you are not sure, then don’t shoot.”
Mike McIlraith says while hunting fatalities are thankfully rare, research has shown that misidentification of the target is the largest firearms related risk to New Zealand deer hunters, and 80% of the time this involves members of the same hunting group.
The Authority says hunters should not feel pressured to take a shot: “Instead, hunters should take the time to analyse their target, wait and see if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how many points does its antlers have? Identifying your target means never firing at sound, shape, colour or movement alone.”
Mike McIlraith says good hunters will slow down, and run through some simple mental checks:
- Can I see the whole animal, or could this be another hunter?
- Where are my hunting companions – could this be them or someone else?
- How much of the animal can you see, if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how - many points does its antlers have?
“Taking a little extra time to identify your target and check the firing zone is the key to safer hunting. No meat or no trophy is better than no mate,” he says.
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