NZGAC Hunter Education. Enabling better education and safer hunting practices.
NZ Hunter Education Course:
Module 1: ROLE OF THE NZ HUNTER
The Role of the New Zealand Hunter
In the past, New Zealanders, and especially hunters, have generally viewed introduced wildlife as a pest, but we are now beginning to see that game is a valued and renewable resource that requires management and control as a balanced part of the natural environment. This has required a shift in perspective for Government agencies and for NZ hunters and for both parties a consequent need for re-education and a commitment to responsible management, conservation and ethics.
The role of the hunter has therefore changed from a ‘controller of pests’ to the following:
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Hunters will be an effective wildlife management tool as they work more with the Department of Conservation as it makes sensible and appropriate research based decisions about the need for control and management of valued wildlife.
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Because hunters spend significant amounts of time in wildlife areas that few others visit, they are in a unique position to observe firsthand the health of our wilderness environment. As firsthand observers they will need to be educated and empowered to take a greater responsibility in the management and care for these natural wilderness resources.
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Hunters will be providers of information from the field that wildlife managers need.
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Hunters have a love for the environment and the game they hunt that is unmatched and as such they are in a unique position to value and commit to conservation and management projects. In fact, in many countries it has been hunters who have made the greatest commitment to conservation projects.