Fish & Game hunting regulations booklets
Fish & Game New Zealand reproduces the conditions contained in the Notice in the form of North and South Island booklets as free guides for game bird hunters.
To view the latest season and bag limits for each region please select here.
Fish & Game NZ regulates game bird hunting throughout New Zealand. The regulations are amended each year to suit changing sporting and environmental conditions.
Local regulations
Each region has its own set of regulations working in conjunction with the national regulations.
Please be aware of and adhere to local regulations at all times - they are designed to ensure the sustainability of game bird hunting and fishing, and the wonderful natural resource that is the New Zealand environment.
New Zealand Game Notice and hunting regulations
The purpose of the Game Notice is to set out the conditions under which a licence holder may hunt for game birds in each Fish & Game region.
As soon as practicable after the notice for each season is approved by the Minister of Conservation, the NZ Council is required to publish the notice in the New Zealand Gazette. Fish & Game New Zealand reproduces the conditions contained in the Notice in the form of North and South Island booklets as free guides for anglers and hunters. Hunters should ensure they obtain a booklet when they buy a hunting licence.
Click on the link to download a copy of the current Game Notice
The Licences, Fees and Forms Notice
The Licences, Fees and Forms Notice is issued under the authority of the Acts and Regulations Publication Act 1989. Each notice is signed by the Minister of Conservation and administered by the Department of Conservation. The notice:
- fixes the forms and classes of licence
- fixes the scope and effect of those classes of licence
- provides for the licences issued for any region to be available in all other regions
- fixes the fees payable to fish and game councils for licences
The notice is a form of regulation. Under Standing Order 314 all regulations are subject to examination and possible investigation by the Regulations Review Committee. This means that the New Zealand Fish and Game Council must respond to questions raised by the Committee on each of the two notices and report its responses to the Committee via the Department of Conservation.
Click on the following link to view the current Game Licences, Fees, and Forms Notice