Game Animal Council (Herds of Special Interest) Amendment Bill
This bill changes the rules about hunting in national parks. Right now, the law says introduced animals — like deer — must be removed from national parks as much as possible. This bill creates an exception: if a group of game animals is officially designated as a 'herd of special interest', they can be kept and managed for hunting instead of being removed. The Minister of Conservation can make this designation without needing approval from another body called the New Zealand Conservation Authority.
What this affects
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The bill creates an exception to the rule that introduced animals like deer must be removed from national parks, allowing them to be kept in designated areas for hunting instead.
If a herd of special interest is designated in a national park, section 4(2)(b) of the National Parks Act 1980 does not apply to that herd.
The requirement would still apply to animals that are not designated as HOSIs and to HOSI animals that leave the designated area.
Without the amendment proposed by the bill, maintaining a healthy population in a HOSI for hunting purposes in a national park could be considered inconsistent with the requirement to exterminate introduced species as far as possible.
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
This bill is open for public submissions to the Environment Committee. Anyone can tell the committee what they think, and you don’t need to be an expert. Submissions close 23 July 2025.
Bill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.