From night vision technology to kauri protection protocols, Northland’s local communities were treated to good yarns and amazing wild kai all in the name of community engagement and activation.
The Wild Kai and Kōrero event was a chance to hear some inspirational words from well-known outdoor recreationists and conservation specialists.
Attendees were kept engaged and puku (stomachs) kept full with wild kai delicacies flowing throughout the night. Dishes such as horopito infused pork, and spicy goat bao buns were served to inspire local hunters to become the next MasterChef in their family.
Wild Kai and Kōrero attendees | Alannah Lett
Engaging communities
Threats to our ngāhere (forest) are growing and ever changing. They should challenge us to think differently about our behaviours in the bush.
The Wild Kai and Kōrero event highlighted the need for communities to work together, share local knowledge and values for collaborative conservation efforts to succeed. The event connected hunters, community groups and local hapū, to share important and valuable messages from trusted sources.
Sam “the Trap Man” Gibson opened the night, encouraging everyone to reconnect with the ngāhere, highlighting the damage wild pigs and wild goats cause to our forest ecosystems.
Our conservation experts shared crucial biosecurity insights including the latest information around kauri protection, bird flu and sea spurge.
Out in the bush and see a kauri tree? Attendees were encouraged to “Give Kauri Space” and clean your boots. Each attendee received a Tiakina Kauri pack, full of kauri hygiene gear, enabling all attendees to help protect kauri while out in the ngāhere.
Geoff “Woody” Woodhouse shared his journey from humble beginnings as a local goat hunter to international predator control expert. He showcased the latest in ZIP’s (Zero Invasive Predators Ltd) cutting-edge predator control technology utilising night vision drones and thermal monoculars.
With wild goats and wild pigs damaging forest understory vegetation across Northland, engaging and collaborating with local hunters to help manage pig and goat populations is a priority for the region.
Out pig hunting and see a goat? Hunters were encouraged to target goats and enter your goat’s tail into the National Wild Goat Hunt competition.
Wild kai delicacies
The event featured a mouth-watering wild kai buffet with dishes crafted by local far north Chef Josh Tatu, showcasing wild goat and wild pig delicacies.
Community Ranger Kylie McDowell and Chef Josh Tatu unveiled DOC’s Wild Kai recipe cards – inspiring attendees to control wild pig and wild goat numbers and then turn them into a delicious meal for your whānau. Download the Wild Kai recipe cards.
Chef Josh Tatu’s wild kai buffet delicacies | Alannah Lett
Community activation
Overall, Wild Kai and Kōrero created a unique opportunity to connect people and encourage Northland’s communities to make achievable behavioural changes to help protect and restore our local forest ecosystems.
So, the next time Northlanders are out in the bush and see wild goat, wild pig or a kauri tree – they will give kauri space, target the introduced species, and get them out of the bush and into their belly!
Hiking, camping and hunting with your dog on conservation land.
Image: DOC
If you’re planning on camping, tramping or hunting on conservation land with your best four-legged friend this summer, here’s a quick guide to what you need to know before you go.
PrepareProtectEnjoy!
Prepare
Heading to the hills with your hound can be so much fun, but a successful trip will need a bit of planning and preparation.
Depending on what you’re up to or where you’re headed, your pup might need a permit to be there, or only allowed to be there on lead, or may not be allowed there at all*, so it’s vital you check before you head out: Where you can take your dog and access rules: Dog access (doc.govt.nz)
*You may be issued an infringement fine or prosecuted if you take your dogs into no access areas, controlled areas without a permit, or breach the conditions of your permit.
Visit the Department of Conservation website to find:
Image: DOC
You can also search on the webpages for individual DOC walking tracks and campsites to see what the specific access rules are for the site. For example:
One thing to be aware of is that dogs are not allowed inside DOC huts, so if you’re out on an overnighter, make sure you have a plan to keep your furry friend comfortable, warm and secure from dusk to dawn.
Protect nature
Why is dog access controlled on conservation land?
The short answer is, to protect native wildlife and to protect your dog.
To protect our precious native species, DOC carries out predator control using traps and poisons, and both can harm a dog. Some poisons can be fatal to dogs, so always check for signage and website notifications, and keep your dog on lead to keep them safe in areas where traps or poison are being used.
Dogs have also been known to get themselves into situations with dangerous wildlife such as sea lions and come out worse off. Keeping your dog under control or on a lead can mean the difference between an upsetting day out versus an awesome one.
Consider what’s best for your dog to keep them safe in all scenarios. Accidents and incidents can happen when out and about exploring nature.
Becoming a wildlife-wise dog owner helps to keep our wildlife and your dog safe in nature.
Vulnerable native wildlife
Dog attacks can kill or injure species such as kiwi, penguins, and fur seals. For sensitive species like kiwi, even one death can have a devastating impact on their recovery. It is illegal for dogs to injure or kill native wildlife in New Zealand and there is risk of fines and prosecution for owners.
Non-fatal attacks can also have large impacts. Penguins and seabirds may be scared away from nests and abandon eggs or chicks.
Dogs (and other pets) aren’t allowed in some conservation areas, like National Parks, as the risk to native wildlife is too great. In other areas dogs are allowed but must be kept on a lead. Visit the DOC website to find tracks and campsites where dogs are welcome.
Image: DOC
Dogs on beaches
While your pooch might love a day at the beach, it’s important to remember that lots of native wildlife makes their home on the foreshore.
If you’re hunting with dogs on public conservation land, there are some rules you need to follow. For example, your dog may need to have avian avoidance training and a permit before it can come with you to the hunting block. For more info: Hunting with dogs: Hunting (doc.govt.nz)
Enjoy!
Summer holidays are even better with your dog. They love nothing more than hanging out with you in nature and having an adventure. So – check off what you need to know to keep them safe and legal, make sure you’ve given some thought to how you can protect New Zealand’s native wildlife while you’re out an about, and you’re good to go!
The summer season is upon us once again, and with that brings the festive spirit, family time, relaxation and many adventures. Many kiwis, nation and bird alike will be taking pause, time to themselves and looking to recuperate before the new year.
Whether you are an advanced tramper, or a complete amateur when it comes to our national walks, lakes, forests and wildlife, the same rules apply, we urge you to consider and respect the wildlife that call the environment surrounding you, home.
Always remember DOC HOT. Our emergency hotline that operates 24/7.
Call 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) immediately if you see anyone catching, harming or killing native wildlife.
Here are 7 important top tips we have compiled for hanging out with the wildlife this summer:
1) Take time before you go to research, plan and understand the different wildlife that inhabit where you are planning to go
One of the most important tips to take with you, is having a clear plan of action ready and available to you when you are on your tramp/hike/bike or swim. New Zealand is precious – everyone who lives and travels here has a responsibility to look after it.
Make sure you are utilising all information available to you on our website, detailed tips and tricks for your desired destination.
Take care of Aotearoa, and alwaysbe prepared for your trip: – Weather – Maps – Land Safety Code – Take a distress beacon – Gear lists
Alerts: find out about changes in conservation areas that might affect the safety or enjoyment of your trip
Protect nature: keep your distance and don’t feed wildlife (more on this below). Follow any rules restricting dogs, fires, drones and vehicles. – How to behave around wildlife – Dog access – Pets on public conservation land – Fires on public conservation land
Over the days, weeks, months of your travelling/tramping/exploring, protect our precious native species by keeping your distance and not feeding them.
Don’t share your picnic with birds, no matter how convincing they may be, especially our cheeky kea.
Our birds evolved without human food and aren’t used to it – it can make them sick and can even be fatal. Wildlife congregating in areas known for human food can also spread disease. If kākā or kea eat food such as nuts and seeds they may develop metabolic bone disease.
So, don’t feed our wildlife – even if they ask.
3) If you want a picture, don’t get close – use your zoom instead
Getting too close stresses wildlife.
Top tip: enjoy marine mammals – from a distance. Especially seals and sea lions.
Keep at least 20 m, the length of two buses, away from seals and sea lions. If you are too close, they may panic and stampede, hurting themselves in the process. Some may become aggressive, especially if you are blocking their escape route to the sea or near their babies.
They can move as quickly as you can.
Although they look cute, they have a nasty bite. Their resting time on land is important, so try not to disturb them.
If you are in the water, on your boats, jet skis, paddle boarding or even just swimming – and you are lucky enough to see one of our marine mammals (e.g. dolphins or whales), it is important to stay back and give them space.
If you come across a roped off or signposted area, it may be a nesting ground for one of our critically endangered species, like dotterel or black billed gulls.
You need to avoid these places to protect our species.
Make sure your dogs are kept away as well.
It is important to remember, not all birds nesting spots are marked, so stay alert while walking on dunes or riverbeds and avoid any birds you see.
Driftwood provides good cover for New Zealand dotterel chicks and eggs Image: Mithuna Sothieson | DOC
5) Take extra care if you have dogs with you
Having your best friend on your adventure seems like a great idea at first, unless your best friend is furry and four-legged with a nose for investigating! Do yourself a favour, make sure you know where you can take your dog and access rules – different areas have different rules on if you can take your dog there or not. Some areas allow dogs, others require a permit, and some do not allow dogs at all.
Birds get stressed when chased by dogs. One panicked seal can start a chain reaction in a breeding colony, where pups are at risk of being crushed by adult seals rushing to the sea for safety.
A wildlife scan makes a good game plan.
Some of the wildlife on our beaches can be quite camouflaged. Sleeping fur seal/kekeno, or sea lion/pakake can look a lot like a log or bit of driftwood from a distance. Visually scan the area so you are always one step ahead of your dog and you can plan where to walk.
Example of fur seals/kekeno being well camouflaged. There’s a lot of seals in the background, can you spot them? Image: Shellie Evans
Different coloured leads
You might start noticing more traffic-light-coloured leads around the place because of Lead the Way. These are a bonus for dog safety as they let others know the temperament of your dog.
Green is friendly with dogs and people
Orange is caution sometimes nervous/reactive with new dogs or people
Red is often nervous or reactive with new dogs or people
Yellow is disabled so vulnerable to some interactions
It’s always good practice to ask an owner permission first before approaching their dog – no matter what colour lead, bandana or collar a dog might be wearing, if they say no, please respect their dog’s need for space.
Not all dogs like other dogs or people.
If you ignore dog access rules or conditions, you may be issued an infringement fine or prosecuted if you take your dogs into no access areas, controlled areas without a permit, or breach the conditions of your permit.
A dog may be seized and impounded or destroyed if it is found in a national park or controlled dog area without a permit.
Report dogs where they are not allowed to Animal Control or DOC:
Animal Control: +64 7 348 4199
0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468)
Cats are not allowed on national conservation land under any circumstances.
6) Keep New Zealand clean
Take all rubbish with you and use toilets where provided. Be a tidy kiwi, as you would do in your own home, our beautiful nature and wildlife deserve the same respect.
Like all waste, it’s important to properly dispose of used period products when tramping. Take used tampons and pads away with you and know how to properly empty menstrual cups in the backcountry.
Help keep our natural environment free of litter. Litter harms our environment and wildlife. This includes food scraps which feed pests like rats, stoats and mice.
Do not discard plastics, nylon fishing line and other types of rubbish at sea. Like whales, large filter-feeding sharks and rays can accidentally ingest these, and all species suffer from entanglement in marine debris.
7) Finally, be respectful
Respect others, respect culture.
Help everyone enjoy the outdoors by being considerate of others when you’re out in nature. Make space for others, keep noise down and read up on tramping hut etiquette.
Bikes, dogs and drones can really impact on other people, so make sure you are following the rules and being considerate to others.
Cultural heritage sites are places in the landscape that tell the physical, spiritual, and cultural stories of our past. They are places we value and connect to as New Zealanders. When visiting a heritage site please treat it with care and respect, so it can be enjoyed for many generations to come.
For Māori, public conservation land is a taonga (treasure) and of special significance. Many of these places are wāhi tapu (sacred to Māori) and need to be treated with respect. If you are visiting a place that is wāhi tapu, there may be restrictions on access. There may also be tikanga (protocols) in place, such as not eating, running, or making loud noises while at the wāhi tapu site. Respect these tikanga.
Be a good kiwi and help keep our land clean and free from harm.
This time of year, has snuck up on most of us, we know! So, make sure in all the last-minute adventures you are undertaking, you have made time to plan, prepare and are ready to protect. Act responsibly and safely for yourself, as well as those of all species, sizes and forms in the environment surrounding us that need our help to keep Aotearoa their home.
The competition brought hunters, farmers, and the conservation sector together to collectively help raise awareness of the damage wild goats can cause to native plants and farmlands and encourage hunters to target wild goats.
The collective effort has resulted in the removal of over 10,000 wild goats! The competition also sparked some great organised hunts and events held across the country.
Nearly 700 people entered the competition, and many reported they were more likely to hunt wild goats because of the competition.
Competition entrant Jesse O’Gorman saw a flyer in his local Hunting & Fishing store and thought it would be a good thing to give a go.
“It’s good exercise and fun to get out in the bush, while knowing what you’re doing is helping the environment. I collected 54 tails from properties around the Wellington region”. – Jesse O’Gorman
Jesse O’Gormon with the 54 wild goat tails and heads he entered
Jesse said he dropped flyers into letterboxes of landowners to ask if he could hunt on their land. This led to gaining permission to hunt wild goats on a large forestry block and QEII blocks. He also shoots hares for the forestry manager.
NZDA spokesperson, Callum Sheridan, says “It’s been great to see such enthusiasm for the competition. Hunters often start out their hunting career by shooting wild goats, but often move to deer and then overlook wild goats.”
“Wild goat terrain is rugged and tough going – offering a great backcountry adventure”.
21 Hunting & Fishing stores, 24 DOC Offices and visitor centres, and 15 NZDA Branches.
In Kaitaia the local Hunting & Fishing store, DOC office, and Fish & Game teamed up to run a ‘Bush to Belly’ event. The event was used as a promotional opportunity to inform the local public about why goats are a threat to our native ngāhere and encourage hunters to enter the competition. A goat butchery demonstration was led by a couple of local hunters and attendees enjoyed a gourmet goat sausage barbeque and goat curry.
Kaitaia Bush to Belly event butchery demonstration
The Red Stag Timber Hunters removed some goats for a local farmer, honed their hunting skills and made delicious food using the goat meat. If you haven’t seen the episode, the show is free to stream inside New Zealand through SKY Go.
The competition closed 26 November, with the national prize giving on 15 December 2023. Check out our website or NZDA’s website to find out who won. There were over $50,000 worth of prizes up for grabs, and Hunting & Fishing NZ Ltd was a proud sponsor.
“It’s been great to be involved in the National Wild Goat Hunting Competition and increase entry accessibility for New Zealanders,” says Chris Sharland, Marketing Manager.
“If we can symbiotically enjoy the outdoors, promote hunter-led conservation, and put food on the table, then everyone wins.”
Apart from honing hunting skills, many have been making the most of the wild goat meat. The series of recipes featuring wild goat meat, created specifically for the competition were hugely popular. Dariush Lolaiy, chef and co-owner of the wild food specialist restaurant Cazador, developed these recipes.
According to Lolaiy, “Wild goat is a versatile protein well suited to the coal grill, slow braises, and even charcuterie. Given the transport and ammunition costs associated with hunting wild goats, finding tasty ways to use of the meat is important”.
For the competition Hunting & Fishing NZ Ltd. also partnered with James the Tattooed Butcher on how to break down and butcher a whole goat at home:
Wayne Langford, Chair of Federated Farmers New Zealand says, “Wild goats and other pests are a huge issue right across the country. They eat pasture, spread disease, and undermine a lot of the good environmental work that’s being done in communities.”
“The challenge is that being wild means these animals don’t stay in one place. They roam freely across both public and private land, so we all have a shared responsibility and role to play in keeping numbers under control.
“Federated Farmers were proud to be a part of this initiative because it brought farmers, hunters, and the government together to try and do something about the problem.”
The Minister for Hunting and Fishing, Hon Todd McClay also sent a message congratulating those who took part in the competition:
Although the competition is over, wild goats breed quickly. Continuing to target wild goats will help to protect the environment.
NZDA and DOC would like to thank the 2023 sponsors: • Founding sponsor: Hunting & Fishing NZ • Major sponsors: NZ Hunter and Huntech • Supporting sponsors: Taeger Grills, Back Country Cuisine, Lowa Boots, InfiRay, Te Tari Puureke Firearms • Safety Authority, Tatonka, Bushnell, LEDLenser, Thorlo, and Topo4GPS.
The competition was a joint endeavour by the Department of Conservation and the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association to help raise awareness of the wild goat problem, build relationships across sectors, and encourage hunters to target wild goats. It was supported by Federated Farmers of New Zealand, and Hunting & Fishing NZ Ltd.
