Tackling Illegal Hunting in Southland
Southland Police are teaming up with the Department of Conservation (DOC) and farmers to target illegal hunting and trespassing in the Mid Dome Conservation Area.
‘The Mid Dome Poaching Project’ brings puts poachers in the spotlight and focuses on educating hunters, in order to protect private property, and ensure the safety of hunters and farmers.
The Mid Dome area has seen a rise in illegal hunting activity since 2022, with hunters breaching DOC permit conditions and trespassing onto privately owned farmland.
Senior Sergeant Peter Graham says farmers bordering the Mid Dome Conservation Area have reported repeated incidents of poaching and safety concerns. “This project is about working together to educate hunters, enforce the law, and protect Southland’s rural communities,” says Senior Sergeant Peter Graham.
Department of Conservation Ranger, Jono Airey says hunting permits are issued for public conservation land only. “Hunters must respect boundaries and seek permission before crossing private property, were committed to working with police and landowners to ensure responsible hunting practices,” says Jono Airey.
To help Police identify and hold poachers accountable, we ask anybody to report suspicious behaviour to us, including suspicious vehicles or people in your local area.
If it is happening now, call 111.
If you are reporting information after the fact, call 105 or go online.
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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36.5% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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63.5% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
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