Parliament has passed legislation enabling the Hunting and Fishing Minister to designate certain pest species as protected 'herds of special interest', shielding them from eradication programmes.
The Game Animal Council (Herds of Special Interest) Amendment Bill completed its third reading after receiving just under 600 submissions on proposals for Fiordland wapiti and sika herds, with more than half in support.
Hunting and Fishing Minister James Meager said the legislation reconciles conflicting requirements between the National Parks Act, which mandates removal of introduced animals, and the Game Animal Council Act, which contemplated special herds in national parks. Meager is expected to decide shortly on whether to grant protected status to the proposed herds.
Forest and Bird opposes the change, arguing it elevates commercial trophy hunting above conservation. Regional conservation manager Nicky Snoyink said deer and tahr damage native vegetation, reducing biodiversity and destroying habitat essential for native species. She warned the legislation risks turning national parks into commercial hunting grounds, with more auctions favouring wealthy tourists over recreational hunters.
"There shouldn't be protected herds of pest animals - elevated above species like kākāriki and kiwi - destroying alpine flowers and forest understoreys in the very places set aside to protect native species," Snoyink said.
Meager dismissed the conservation group's concerns as "unnecessary scaremongering tactics". He said any designation would not increase animal numbers and would prioritise reducing browsing pressure to allow native plant recovery. Special herds would be subject to conservation legislation, including biodiversity monitoring and annual public reporting on herd management.
Meager argued that Forest and Bird's eradication approach would restrict hunting to wealthy private estate owners, excluding ordinary New Zealanders from free hunting access on public conservation land.