increase font size
Mark Sarjeant, New Zealand Deerstalkers Association, at work.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) has announced that its annual Pureora Hunting Competition will open on 16 March.
The competition, which started in 1988, will run until a prizegiving at the DOC Pureora Field Base on 28 April.
DOC senior ranger community Ray Scrimgeour says the long-running event is popular among the central and upper and central North Island hunting communities, with a strong focus on participation and camaraderie.
“Although the weight or size of the animals is a key feature of the competition, we always like to ensure every hunter has a chance to win, so there are plenty of spot prizes, average weight divisions, and prize draw categories too,” says Scrimgeour.
Focusing on pigs and deer taken from the Pureora Forest, the competition is free to enter for any hunter with a current DOC permit to hunt in the area.
Scrimgeour says NZ Deerstalkers Association and the NZ Pig Hunting Association are crucial to the success of the event.
“They are key hunting community stakeholders and provide us with excellent advice and support, as well as carrying out the official Douglas measuring at the prizegiving,” he says.
There are four competition categories – deer, pigs, a new junior category (focusing on rats, mustelids and goat tails), and the ‘roaring’ competition.
Entries can be sighted at one of 13 recording centres throughout the competition and all entries registered at the prizegiving are eligible to win category and spot prizes.
Free kiwi aversion training for dogs will be offered at the prizegiving, and DOC is urging hunters to take up the opportunity to help protect kiwi in the wild and contribute to the preservation and protection of Pureora Forest.
Anybody interested in training should email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to register a place. Hunters putting their dogs through kiwi aversion training can also win a family pass to the Otorohanga Kiwi House.
For more information on the Pureora Hunting Competition, including competition categories and rules, visit https://www.doc.govt.nz/pureora-hunting-competition
With the global spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) making headlines around the world, the Department of Conservation (DoC) is taking steps to secure the safety of several endangered bird species that call New Zealand home.
A critically threatened endemic freshwater fish found only in Canterbury has been discovered at a Craigmore Sustainables farm near Timaru.
OPINION: In the latest example of how broken the RMA consents process is, Meridian Energy has paid out DoC, Fish & Game and iwi rather than risk them blocking the renewal of consents that it needs to keep running its Waitaki hydro scheme.
OPINION: Good news for hunters as Forest & Bird have "paused" legal action against the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation and agreed conservation work can continue without the extermination of wapiti.
Wild goats, a growing problem for many farmers and landowners, are in the firing line.
The Good Carbon Farm has partnered with Tolaga Bay Heritage Charitable Trust to deliver its first project in Tairāwhiti Gisborne.
Education union NZEI Te Riu Roa says that while educators will support the Government’s investment in learning support, they’re likely to be disappointed that it has been paid for by defunding expert teachers.
The Government says it is sharpening its focus and support for the food and fibre industry in Budget 2025.
A European Union regulation ensuring that the products its citizens consume do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation worldwide threatens $200m of New Zealand beef and leather exports.
A long-acting, controlled- release capsule designed to protect ewes from internal parasites during the lambing period is back on the market following a comprehensive reassessment.
Healthcare appears to be the big winner in this year's budget as agriculture and environment miss out.
