The Government’s clear intention at this stage is that fishing and hunting are prohibited during the Alert Level 4
lockdown period. If and when we receive other advice from the Government we will change our position.
Therefore, Fish & Game New Zealand are urging all anglers and hunters to do the right thing and stay at home while New Zealand is at
COVID-19 Alert Level Four.
"Unfortunately, being at Level 4 means that anglers and hunters aren’t able to do the pursuits that they love," Fish & Game New Zealand Chief Executive Martin Taylor says.
"The advice we have is that at Alert Level 4 anglers and hunters should not undertake activities that expose them and
others to higher levels of risk. We are also advised that DOC huts and campsites are closed as they do not meet minimum
separation requirements."
New Zealand Search and Rescue (NZSAR) is asking people to stick to simple outdoor exercise and avoid areas where they
could get lost or require search and rescue. NZSAR want to ensure that emergency services are available to help those in
the greatest need. Fishing and hunting, even close to home, inherently carry a degree of risk and it is important for
anglers and hunters not to further burden our emergency services and healthcare system. Staying in and around home is
simply the right thing to do.
"It is heart-breaking to not be able to spend time in the outdoors, especially as for many of us this is our main way to
destress, but we all have our part to play to beat COVID-19," Mr Taylor says.
"The point of the next four weeks is to kill the virus in New Zealand so that life goes back to normal as quickly as
possible. Let’s stay home for four weeks then we can get outdoors and back into angling and hunting."
The Level 4 lockdown period is scheduled to end prior to the start of the game bird season, and if we are all
responsible during the next four weeks the game bird season is on.
We ask for your patience while we piece together the complexities of what we are facing. In particular, we will have
further advice on pegging day as soon as possible.
Please keep up-to-date with all the most recent Government guidance around COVID-19 at www.covid19.govt.nz.