Both Barrels June 2023

If you are in the South Island this weekend, join the Shortest Weekend Duck Hunt. 

Get out this weekend for the shortest weekend duck hunt

The 24th and 25th of June is the weekend Fish and Game are encouraging all hunters to get out hunting game birds again. 

With it being so close to the shortest day, it makes sense to maximise your hunting opportunities by getting out there this weekend. 

Treat it like a second opening weekend, in essence. 

Birds will have settled well since the opening day in May, and it may be worth checking your regular spots for large concentrations of birds. 

With day licences available, it's also a great chance to introduce someone new to the sport.

At Fish & Game, we try and act as ambassadors for game bird hunting, so when anyone expresses an interest in hunting, we act on it quickly. 

This led to the team at North Canterbury Fish & Game helping Wellington Office colleague Ann go on here her first hunting trip when in Canterbury recently. 

Check out the regional articles above for Ann’s trip, plus all of our regional pages offer some great hunting tips and tricks for all hunters. 

Ann out on her first-ever duck hunt.

We also want to point out that Ann was seven months pregnant when she went on her first hunt (all ok’d by her midwife too!)

So if a seven-month pregnant mum-to-be can get out there hunting for the first time - what’s your excuse for not taking some of your mates who've never hunted before hunting? 

As well as the shortest weekend hunt, July also has the Matariki Holiday weekend on 14 July, giving you a chance for a long weekend of hunting with a high propensity that the weather will be in our favour being in the depths of winter. 

It gives you a chance to plan a hunting mission with your mates and family and get a few more birds for the plate. 

North Island game bird hunters will soon start their pilgrimage to the South Island to maximise their hunting opportunities by utilising the long South Island season. 

As the team at Central South Island Fish & Game point out, they don’t have a lack of birds; they have a lack of hunters!

If you’ve never been to the South Island to hunt, reach out to the Fish & Game Offices in the region you are considering visiting, and they will be quick to offer you advice and tips for hunting their region.

Super dog Whio retrieves the first paradise shelduck of the day

Also, reach out to fellow waterfowlers on Facebook groups like NZ Waterfowler and Duck Hunting NZ; they are great communities for hunters and are often more than willing to offer assistance and advice to prospective travellers. 

Our Future Campaign 

Last week, we launched a public campaign calling for changes to a proposed law to replace the Resource Management Act (RMA). 

The Government’s Natural and Built Environment Bill (NBEA) aims to create a new legislative framework for how New Zealand manages its natural environment, including freshwater, biodiversity and resources.  

We’re extremely concerned about the Bill’s implications for the sustainable management of New Zealand’s natural environment and the future of game bird hunting and freshwater fishing. 

Our online campaign, Our Future, encourages anglers, hunters and New Zealanders who enjoy the great outdoors to send their concerns about the Bill directly to the Government and Members of Parliament.  

Fish & Game is seeking the following changes to the Bill: 

• The reinstatement of the protection of the habitat of trout and salmon as a priority outcome.
• Recognition of recreational and enjoyment values for freshwater and the natural environment.
• Recognition for the angling values for freshwater.
• The provision for meaningful participation for hunters, anglers and those that enjoy the outdoors in shaping how the natural environment is managed at a regional and catchment level. 

We have been following due process and engaging proactively with decision-makers regarding the concerns Fish & Game has on the Bill, including providing planning, ecological, and legal expert evidence.  

We’ve already had over 9000 people sign up for our campaign, and over 3000 people have sent their messages to the politicians. 

It is important to remember that this campaign is about addressing an issue, and in no way reflective of individuals. 

We will remain open to working collaboratively across all of our stakeholders to build solutions and maintain enduring relationships. 

The Firearms Registry – live on Saturday 

In case you haven’t heard the news, the new Firearms Registry is being launched this Saturday – 24 June. 

The Te Tari Pūreke/The Firearms Safety Authority team has asked us to pass on the message below to hunters. 

The Registry is one of the ways the management of firearms is being strengthened. in New Zealand. 

With responsible firearms licence holders doing the right thing and filling in the Registry, it will help keep track of legally owned firearms and help prevent them from falling into the hands of criminals and gangs. 

It will give licence holders more confidence when buying or selling firearms as the Registry will let them know if they’re dealing with a current licence holder and if the firearm has been reported stolen. 

If you’re a firearms licence holder, you’ll have five years, until 24 June 2028, to register firearms in your possession. 

However, there are some activating circumstances where you are required to provide information for the Registry in a shorter time frame, such as applying for a licence or buying or selling a firearm. 

You can find more information on these and other activating circumstances and timeframes on the Te Tari Pūreke website under When to register your arms items. 

There is no charge to register your firearms or undertake any other activity in the Registry. 

Security and privacy of the information you enter into the Registry has been top of mind as the Registry has been built. 

The design and build of the Registry meets or exceeds Government security and privacy controls. 

It will have the same controls as, for example, online banking. Any personal information you provide for the Registry will be held and managed in accordance with the Privacy Act. 

You can find out more about how Te Tari Pūreke is managing and protecting your personal information on their website under What you must record in the Registry. 

Check out this video that demonstrates how quick and easy it is for licence holders to register firearms on the Te Tari Pūreke website. 

Register anytime from 24 June by going to firearmssafetyauthority.govt.nz and clicking MyFirearms. 

Otherwise, our Registry and Services team will be available by phone to help during business hours (Monday to Friday, 8.30 am to 5 pm). 

Find out about the Registry and your obligations as a firearms licence holder by visiting the Te Tari Pūreke website at firearmssafetyauthority.govt.nz/registry. 

Golden clam alert 

Hunters in the Waikato region must be rigorous with their Check, Clean and Dry procedures now that the invasive golden clams have been discovered in the region. 

You can report any sightings here if you detect golden clams in your hunting waterway. 

You can learn more here if you need advice on what to do or how to Check, Clean, and Dry. 

Time is running out for Kiwis to apply for financial help to support wetlands 

Got a wetland project you need help with? See if the Game Bird Habitat Trust might be able to help out.

New Zealanders are being urged to apply for funding to support wetlands on their properties. 

Applications for grants from the Game Bird Habitat Stamp programme, which raises funds for the protection and enhancement of game birds or other wildlife habitat, close on June 30. 

$5 from every game bird hunting licence sold goes to the Game Bird Habitat Trust for the programme. Any person or organisation can apply for funding for relevant wetland projects. 

Approximately $22 million has been invested in restoring wetlands, mainly on private rural land, in partnership between hunters and landowners. 

“Wetlands add amazing value to properties, and they’re critical for the wellbeing of the environment,” says Corina Jordan, chief executive of Fish & Game. 

 “They are a key mitigation tool in a farmer’s toolbox to support the efforts of catchment communities, but also provide a source of stock drinking water in dry weather. 

“Protecting and restoring wetlands is a key focus for Fish & Game. Only three per cent of New Zealand’s original wetlands remain, so any work makes a difference in supporting our indigenous flora and fauna as well as our game bird species. That, in turn, creates recreational opportunities for rural communities and for hunting.”

For details on how to apply for the funding, click here. 

The Game Bird Habitat Stamp Photo Competition is now open! 

Have you got a great photo of a game bird?

Want to share in $2500 in prizes? 

Enter the Game Bird Habitat Trust's photo competition and get your photo on the 2025 Game Bird licence and Habitat Stamp. 

Generously supported by Kilwell Sports, you have to be in to win! 

Find out more here: 

Upland game seasons around NZ 

Tussock happy with his riverbed outing in the Manwatu

Have you ever been upland game hunting? Our Fish and Game regions all have excellent upland game hunting opportunities. 

Upland game hunting is an excellent challenge for those used to hunting waterfowl, it will test your reaction speed and is also a great work out for you and your dog. 

You can check out some tips and tricks in this Fish & Game Magazine article here. 

Cookbook 

What better way to honour the harvest of your game birds than by using some of the Fish & Game Cookbook recipes?   

Packed with 200 pages, there’s more than just recipes in this award-winning book; there are articles on how to process your game, plus the history of our game birds in New Zealand. 

Click on the link above to get your copy direct from Chef Angelo.  

Warm barrels 

The team at Fish & Game