Parliament bill
Game Animal Council (Herds of Special Interest) Amendment Bill
- Last checked
- July 15, 2026 15:54
- Source captured
- July 15, 2026 15:54
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What this bill does
The bill passed its third reading 67–55; the vote was not unanimous. According to the bill material, laws allowing herds of special interest in national parks may conflict with the requirement to exterminate introduced animals there as far as possible. The bill aims to remove that uncertainty so designated game-animal herds can be managed for hunting purposes in national parks. For a herd the Minister designates as a herd of special interest in a national park, the bill removes the National Parks Act requirement to exterminate that herd as far as possible.
AI-assisted summary based on the bill text and linked Hansard debates.
Latest voting result
June 25, 2026Ayes 67 · Noes 55
- National Party Aye · 48 votes
- ACT Party Aye · 11 votes
- NZ First Party Aye · 8 votes
- Labour Party No · 34 votes
- Green Party No · 15 votes
- Te Pāti Māori No · 4 votes
- Ferris, Tākuta No
- Kapa-Kingi, Mariameno No
Arguments raised in Parliament
AI-assisted summary of the linked Hansard debates. Each point is grounded in the cited transcript.
Arguments for
Herd managers would replace an extermination duty with adaptive herd-management plans that reduce animals to levels claimed to achieve both environmental and hunting outcomes.
The Fiordland Wapiti Foundation’s management is claimed to produce better environmental outcomes than unmanaged areas, so enabling comparable herd management could improve conservation results.
Hunter-led game-animal management is claimed to apply sound science at low or no taxpayer cost, allowing the Crown to secure management outcomes more cheaply.
Hunters are claimed to improve the conservation estate by trapping to protect native birds and maintaining public infrastructure, so supporting their role would add practical conservation capacity.
Arguments against
Introduced deer would continue consuming native vegetation under the exemption, fundamentally altering forest ecosystems and preventing natural regeneration in national parks.
The bill creates a route to maintain introduced deer inside national parks for hunting, which opponents say conflicts with preserving those protected natural systems.
Parliament would make a significant conservation-law change without inquiry, impact analysis, or cost-benefit analysis, leaving ecological effects insufficiently tested and monitored.
The exemption transfers the relevant decision from the New Zealand Conservation Authority’s statutory role to the herd-designation process, which opponents say weakens independent national-park oversight.
Nuance and qualifications
Supporters characterise the amendment as clarifying an already available national-park herd designation, whereas opponents characterise it as a significant shift in national-park management.
Speakers acknowledge hunters contribute to deer management, but disagree whether that contribution is sufficient to rely on for protecting conservation values.
Bill text
Game Animal Council (Herds of Special Interest) Amendment BillVersion published October 21, 2025 00:00.
Hansard
June 25, 2026Game Animal Council (Herds of Special Interest) Amendment Bill — Legislative Statement · Full day report