Some Hunting Allowed Under Level 3

The Government has announced the rules for hunting under COVID-19 Alert Level 3.

Hunting will be allowed only on private land and with the landowner’s permission. The Government has also stipulated that this must be within your region and bubble, that overnight trips are not allowed and hunting must be done on foot, meaning the use of helicopters, quad bikes and other motorised vehicles is not permitted.

“The Game Animal Council, along with NZDA and others in the hunting sector, advocated for hunting to be permitted on both public and private land under a set of conditions we saw as appropriate with alert level 3,” says General Manager Tim Gale.

“Unfortunately, the Government has decided against allowing hunting on public conservation land and while that is disappointing for many people that do not have access to private land, it is important that we as hunters follow the rules and focus on getting down to level 2 as soon as possible.”

“With hunting able to take place on private land it does mean that hunters can be used to manage animals where they are beginning to encroach and have an impact on farms and other landholdings.”

“The reality is that level 3 is only temporary,” says Gale. “If we continue to make good progress in limiting the spread of the virus then moving to level 2 may only be a few weeks away and at that point hunting will be able to take place on public conservation land also.”

Specific instructions around what activities can and cannot be undertaken at level 3 are available on the Government’s COVID-19 website at covid19.govt.nz.

New Zealand remains at COVID-19 Alert Level 4 until midnight 27 April.

The NZ Game Animal Council is a statutory organisation responsible for the sustainable management of game animals and hunting for recreation, commerce and conservation.

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