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Fish & Game

Fish & Game NZ manages, maintains and enhances sports fish and game birds and their habitats in the best long-term interests of present and future generations of anglers and hunters.

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We're rewilding Aotearoa

Join us and 'rewild' yourself!

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Licences on sale

Fish & Game's game bird hunting licences are valid for use throughout New Zealand.

Our mission

Effective management of New Zealands sports fish & game resources

Fish & Game manages, maintains and enhances sports fish and game birds, and their habitats, in the best long-term interests of present and future generations of anglers and hunters. We are a not-for-profit organisation, funded through the sale of fishing and hunting licences.

FGNZ7385a Nine year old Blake Marrett had success with wormfishing on Lake Opuha with this lovely brown trout

Want to fish?

Fishing seaons opens
 October 1st each year

Choose your licence

Find your Spot

Local Fishing Regulations

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Want to Hunt?

Game Bird Season opens first Saturday in May

Choose your Licence

Find your spot

Local Hunting Regulations

Let's get Started

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Choose your Licence

Your licence is your ticket to adventure. By law, every single freshwater fisher must have a licence to fish in our rivers and lakes.

Standard licence options
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Types of fishing

There are different types of fresh water fishing. Spin fishing is the easiest and quickest way to get fishing.

Types of fishing
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Getting your Gear Sorted

Rods, reels...spinners, sinkers...it's quite a list. Taking up a new sport can be a lot, but there is no need to be overwhelmed.

Getting your gear sorted
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Choose your licence

Your licence is a permit to hunt game birds in line with the regulations governing the Fish & Game New Zealand region you're hunting in.

Your licence is your ticket to adventure. By law, every game bird hunter must have a licence to hunt.

Buying your licence
TBB2May16. Fish Game Rangers visit a well constructed maimai on opening day.
'How to' Hunt

Here we share general hunting advice plus tips to help you with your shooting aim. Practice makes perfect and 'getting your eye in' before opening will make it much more successful!

'How to' Hunt
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Getting your gear sorted

Know the game, know the gun - different game and different hunting styles require different arms and ammunition.

Getting your gear sorted

Environment

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NZ Game Bird Habitat Trust

The New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Trust, established under the 1953 Wildlife Act, exists primarily to improve New Zealand game bird habitat and secondarily to improve…

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Protecting NZ Fish & Waterways

Fish & Game New Zealand has a statutory duty to help protect the country's natural freshwater resources, which provide the habitat to support healthy fish populations…

BBcsiMay3 Rodney Herrick and spaniel Ash out hunting in the Waitaki Valley credit Rhys Adams 1
Protecting NZ Game Bird Habitats

New Zealand provides a wide range of game birds with suitable habitat, from rugged upland scrubland to lush wetlands filled with plant life.

TBB2May16. Fish Game Rangers visit a well constructed maimai on opening day.
Maimai’s status in Natural Wetlands

Implementation of the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater (NES-FW) in August 2020 has affected game bird hunters by limiting what you can do to build and…