25/07/2026
Today, I am proud to launch ACT’s Backing Hunters policy that we will take to this years’ election.
The people who understand the land, value the animals, and are already doing the work should have more responsibility for making decisions.
The current approach fails to recognise the value of game animals. DOC cannot manage an estate this large on its own. It should stop pretending that it can.
ACT will treat hunters and the animals they value as part of the solution, not the problem.
Our nine point plan has been developed by hunters, for hunters, and will benefit all New Zealanders through better protection of the natural beauty this country has to offer.
1. Empowering hunter led management
Game animals on conservation land are managed by the one agency whose default is to control or exterminate them. The Game Animal Council was created to give hunters a real say but was handed a seat at the table rather than a hand on the levers.
ACT will transfer responsibility for managing game animals on conservation land from DOC to the Game Animal Council, meaning hunters will set the targets rather than just being consulted. This will include full funding for all their current and proposed duties.
2. Protect our most valued herds
The law still treats introduced game animals as pests to be exterminated “as far as possible,” and treasured herds like Stewart Island whitetail deer and Himalayan tahr have no plan recognising their value. The current Government is already recognising valued species like Wapiti and Sika, we should continue this work.
ACT will recognise game animal and gamebird species as valued natural resources to be sustainably managed in relevant legislation, and designate New Zealand’s most valued game herds as Herds of Special Interests, starting with the Stewart Island whitetail deer.
3. Fund the volunteers who maintain the backcountry
DOC manages over 950 huts and 15,000 km of tracks but is failing to deliver on their upkeep. DOC faces a 30% maintenance shortfall and has issued more than 2,300 closure alerts since 2021. Hunting, tramping, and conservation groups already restore huts and maintain tracks at a fraction of the cost using volunteers and common sense but survive hand-to-mouth on annual discretionary grants.
ACT will require DOC to give the first right of funding to community groups, if they can provide a competitive option. This would allow for multi-year contracts, giving Kiwis a hand in maintaining and protecting the back country amenities they enjoy.
4. Reward hunters for pest control
Recreational hunters are already in the hills running trap lines and removing predators, but the new nature-credit market does not recognise their efforts, and they are routinely shut out of pest-control decisions affecting them.
ACT will open the Voluntary Nature Credits Market to accredited hunting groups so they can earn nature credits for verified results and ensure the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association (NZDA) and Game Animal Council (GAC) are formally represented in predator removal decision-making.
5. Fairer venison recovery
DOC should not be attempting to duplicate the Civil Aviation Authority by deciding which types of helicopter are safe to operate. Aviation safety is the CAA’s job.
ACT will leave aircraft safety with the specialist regulator and stop DOC dictating which type of helicopters recovery operators may use.
At the same time, commercial recovery must not be allowed to remove all the trophy animals valued by recreational hunters. We will empower the Game Animal Council to restrict commercial take by gender where necessary, allowing commercial operators and recreational hunters to share a well-managed resource fairly.
6. Open the backcountry from the air
For rugged backcountry like the West Coast a helicopter is the only time efficient way in, yet huge areas are closed by no-fly and no-landing zones, defined by legacy lines on a map with no clear conservation or safety reasoning.
ACT will allow the Game Animal Council to designate sensible, accessible landing sites and require DOC to adopt clear, public and uniform testing processes for simplistic assessment.
7. Making hunting access a priority
Public land should be genuinely accessible to the public. It is not enough to tell New Zealanders that they own the conservation estate while allowing access routes to disappear or become impossible to navigate.
ACT will direct the Outdoor Access Commission to prioritise hunting access in its work programme.
8. Stopping dangerous interference with hunting
Hunters acting safely and within the law can be deliberately obstructed by people who step into the line of fire to stop a shot being taken. This is dangerous and a deliberate disruption of a lawful activity, yet no specific offence addresses it.
ACT will create an infringement offence for deliberately standing in the line of fire of a lawful hunter, deterring dangerous sabotage and keeping the wetlands and hunting areas safe for everyone.
9. Protecting game bird shooters from harassment
Drones or helicopters can be used by activists to deliberately scatter or flush out game birds. This disturbs the birds and is often used to simply try to sabotage a lawful hunt. There is currently little legal remedy to deal with this.
In a democratic society people are entitled to oppose hunting. They are not entitled to endanger others or use aircraft to deliberately disrupt an activity that Parliament has decided is lawful.
ACT will create an infringement offence for harassing game bird shooters in an attempt to prevent lawful hunting from occurring. For me it’s simple, if you don’t like hunting, don’t hunt, but don’t put your ideological views on those going about a lawful activity.
Taken together, these policies represent a fundamental change in direction.
ACT backs the people who are already in the hills – the hunters, volunteers, clubs, and community groups who look after the land we all own.
We trust them to manage it for conservation, recreation, and the regions instead of continuing to lock them out. ��We need an increase to our party vote this November to make these policies a reality.
