Hunting NZ > Takahi Shooting

A letter.......

Letter to the Editor in reply to Saturday July 5th  Dominion Post Weekend article. “Just 225 left alive – and D.O.C. shoots one”

D.O.C.’s ARROGANCE

What the hell is going on!! How come D.O.C. and their workers are above the law of the land? If I want to shoot Pukeko I need to buy a hunting licence $75.00 for a hunting season 1st weekend of May to this year 29th June inclusive. I must use a shot gun not a .22 rifle. I must use steel shot within 300m of a swamp, streams or open water where water birds dabble. Lead shot is outlawed, most .22 projectiles are lead but a D.O.C. worker is able to shoot Pukeko and Takahi with a .22 rifle no doubt with a lead projectile and in close proximity of swamp land on Mana Island. Is the D.O.C. estate under a different law to the rest of New Zealand, or is this just D.O.C.’s arrogance, showing us they know best. Just like their blanket 1080 poison drop to kill opossum and anything else that eats it, like Deer, Goats, Sheep, Horses, Dogs, Native and introduced Birds, and who knows what insects.

It seems to me D.O.C. can eliminate anything they deem as not wanted “by them” and by any means they wish, frankly I am more and more disgusted by D.O.C.’s high handed arrogance.

Graeme Hunter

and Fish & Game's response.....

Under the rules for game bird hunting, game birds can only be hunted with a shotgun, within the gazetted season, designated areas and harvested to applicable bag limits, and by a hunter with a game bird hunting licence.  The game bird hunting regulations apply to hunting game birds listed on schedule 1 of the Wildlife Act  (includes pukeko)  and vary from region to region in terms of season length and bag limits. 

Under section 54 of the Wildlife Act, the Director General, DOC, may issue an authorisation to  control the numbers of game birds.  Such authorisations are regularly issued throughout the country, often in relation to Canada geese and Pukeko (but for other species such as paradise shelduck and mallards as well), where bird numbers are causing problems.  This authorisation can also include the use of control techniques other than shotguns, and can permit the use rifles, poison, use of helicopters etc.  This tool allows management of game bird populations in situations such as reducing the risk of bird strike around airports, significant crop and pasture damage, and public health issues. 

Mana Island is not within a Fish and Game region and this means that any game species on the island  are not under the management of Fish and Game New Zealand.  Clearly DOC identified a need to manage Pukeko numbers on Mana island, and selected an appropriate method. Using a .22 rifle is one of the most effective methods of managing pukeko numbers – it’s quiet, selective and cost effective.  On Mana island they have no other real alternatives – certainly poisoning or trapping is not a starter, and using a shotgun and only shooting flying birds (Takahe don’t fly) would be a waste of time and money (and may pose greater threat to non-target species). 

DOC (and the staff involved) must be gutted at this recent event.  They were simply caught out by the permanent, ubiquitous and statistically inevitable condition of ‘human error’.  It would be nice if no one ever made a mistake, but then most of us would be out of a job and we’d all have missed out on a bunch of serendipitous discoveries. 

That DOC quickly advised the public of the Mana Island incident openly and honestly should be acknowledged and welcomed. 

Regards

Ric Cullinane
Communications and Marketing Manager
Fish & Game New Zealand
Phone: 04 499 4767
Mobile: 021 994768
Email: rcullinane@fishandgame.org.nz

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