Fiordland hunters are celebrating a milestone as the wapiti deer that inhabit the region have been declared a herd of special interest (HOSI), the first of its kind in New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Hunting and Fishing Minister James Meager announced the collaborative effort between conservationists and hunters at the Fiordland community centre in Te Anau yesterday.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018This is an exciting and logical step for valued introduced species which have significant heritage and cultural values important to many Kiwis.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
HOSI is a legal designation for specific herds of introduced game animals which allows management for hunting and conservation purposes.<\/p>\n
The Fiordland wapiti will be managed by local hunter groups with culling, predator trapping and track maintenance.<\/p>\n
Mr Meager said the designation would enable \u2018\u2018hunter-led herd management within Fiordland National Park while continuing to protect and enhance its treasured landscape\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
There were numerous organisations involved in getting the classification off the ground, including the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation, Game Animal Council, and the Department of Conservation (Doc), he said.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018It all builds on the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation\u2019s excellent long-standing work which includes regular culling, management of the popular wapiti ballot track and hut maintenance,\u2019\u2019 Mr Meager said.<\/p>\n
Game Animal Council chief executive Corina Jordan said after two years of collaboration, it was a historic day to see their work pay off.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018We look forward to continuing to work with the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation, hunters, Doc, Ng\u0101i Tahu, papatipu r\u016bnanga and the wider community.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
The HOSI classification would allow practical and hunter-led animal management, \u2018\u2018while ensuring conservation values continue to be protected\u2019\u2019, she said.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018In the case of Fiordland wapiti, this builds on a long-running management model that is largely self-funded, with hunters and the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation meeting much of the cost of herd management, monitoring and wider conservation work.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Foundation general manager Roy Sloan said it was not only a monumental day for the hunters, but also for the wapiti.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018This is for those who came before us . . . [we] are simply the latest caretakers of the wapiti and the environment they live in.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Tomorrow we will still roll up our sleeves, carry out deer culling by helicopter and walk those big cold valleys checking traplines.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
However, not all conservationists have welcomed the move to protect the introduced species.<\/p>\n
Forest & Bird Canterbury West Coast regional conservation manager Nicky Snoyink said the HOSI classification existed to \u2018\u2018protect pests for trophy hunting inside national parks\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018With deer at plague proportions, what New Zealand urgently needs is co-ordinated action to get these pests under control.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Deer eat the native plants that native animals need and deer populations need to be at a very low level to protect biodiversity.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018We will be looking closely at how exactly the wapiti herd management plan intends to deliver genuine biodiversity gains in Fiordland.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
She acknowledged Mr Meager\u2019s openness to work with Forest & Bird and said they welcomed collaboration.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018[We] welcome the minister\u2019s willingness to engage with us on co-ordinated pest control to improved the ecological outcomes necessary to protect and restore indigenous biodiversity.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n