http://www.continuous.co.nz
0800 501 993Your on-site spouting specialists
I hope the tahr ballot block weather worked more in your
favour than it did in ours. We had Speculation Creek the 3rd
week in May and it was a complete washout, no-one was able to get
in. Oh well, back to walking in when the weather is more suitable,
which is more our style anyway. We’ve had some great success off
camera since then, doing shorter trips driving in up the East Coast
rivers, thinking we won’t film this as we probably won’t find anything
very mature. Murphy’s law of course and we managed to find the
Garmin guys (one of one of our sponsors and true good barstards in the
NZ outdoor industry) a cracker bull up an often forgotten headwater.
Look out for that story in a future issue.
There’s much to be done politically in the next little while,
with the second tranche of firearms legislation not far off
being released, and the tahr management plan for next
year about to be formulated. While the initial changes to the
firearms legislation (being pragmatic) have been probably as good
as we could have expected in the circumstances. No, none of us are
happy about having legitimate firearms confiscated and being made by
some in the media to look like villains by association with some nutcase
from Australia - who never should have got a firearms licence in the
first place. This next set of proposed changes could be quite different.
We will have to be very vigilant we don’t get dealt an unwieldy, very
expensive and impossible-to-be-done-properly firearms registration
system. Judging by overseas experience that will be an even further
case of pointless laws for the lawful.
Tahr control operations have been in progress since the
start of July and so far DOC, AATH offsets and one of the
contracts for culling let by DoC have been undertaken. As
you’ll read in the GAC update, we have been checking up on one of the
DoC culls to ensure the operators doing the culling are sticking to theagreed procedure. We’ll keep you posted on the outcome of this. DoC
must have the system to record and include the recreational hunters
tallies up and running before the spring hunting season when so many
are out and about tahr hunting – a time of year that is just as important
in recreational hunter effort as the rut.
DoC is currently having meetings with a number of
individuals and groups prior to a control plan for next year
being formulated. We are concerned about this approach and
sincerely hope this is not a case of the old divide and conquer strategy
of the past. The reason a consensus was reached on a workable tahr
operational plan for this past year was due to the collective workings
through the Tahr Liaison Group, with leading input from the GAC. I
really do worry about what DoC will come up with if they go back to
dreaming up plans behind closed doors as they have in the past. That
is what caused the whole tahr debacle last year in the first place. Watch
this space and be ready for action if we need it.
The spot the logo winners are Trish Breen and Kyle Hagen.
The logos were on page 14 in the Hardy Engineering advert and on
page 85 in the Tuff Gear advert.
Remember the Sika Show is on in Taupo on the 28th and
29th of September. We’ll be floating round
somewhere, so we’ll see you there!A Word from
the Editor
Greg
Visit http://www.nzhunter.co.nz for this issues "Spot the Logo" Competition. You are looking for
Two prizes of $100 H&F vouchers to be won2 NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE ~ August / September 2019http://www.continuous.co.nz
0800 501 993Your on-site spouting specialists
I hopethetahrballotblockweatherworkedmoreinyour
favourthanit didinours.WehadSpeculationCreekthe3rd
weekinMayandit wasa completewashout,no-onewasabletoget
in.Ohwell,backtowalkinginwhentheweatheris moresuitable,
whichis moreourstyleanyway.We’vehadsomegreatsuccessoff
camerasincethen,doingshortertripsdrivinginuptheEastCoast
rivers,thinkingwewon’tfilmthisasweprobablywon’tfindanything
verymature.Murphy’slawofcourseandwemanagedtofindthe
Garminguys(oneofoneofoursponsorsandtruegoodbarstardsinthe
NZoutdoorindustry)a crackerbullupanoftenforgottenheadwater.
Lookoutforthatstoryina futureissue.
There’smuchtobedonepoliticallyinthenextlittlewhile,
withthesecondtrancheoffirearmslegislationnotfaroff
beingreleased,andthetahrmanagementplanfornext
yearabouttobeformulated.Whiletheinitialchangestothe
firearmslegislation(beingpragmatic)havebeenprobablyasgood
aswecouldhaveexpectedinthecircumstances.No,noneofusare
happyabouthavinglegitimatefirearmsconfiscatedandbeingmadeby
someinthemediatolooklikevillainsbyassociationwithsomenutcase
fromAustralia- whonevershouldhavegota firearmslicenceinthe
firstplace.Thisnextsetofproposedchangescouldbequitedifferent.
Wewillhavetobeveryvigilantwedon’tgetdealtanunwieldy,very
expensiveandimpossible-to-be-done-properlyfirearmsregistration
system.Judgingbyoverseasexperiencethatwillbeanevenfurther
caseofpointlesslawsforthelawful.
Tahrcontroloperationshavebeeninprogresssincethe
startofJulyandsofarDOC,AATHoffsetsandoneofthe
contractsforcullingletbyDoChavebeenundertaken.As
you’llreadintheGACupdate,wehavebeencheckingupononeofthe
DoCcullstoensuretheoperatorsdoingthecullingarestickingtotheagreedprocedure.We’llkeepyoupostedontheoutcomeofthis.DoC
musthavethesystemtorecordandincludetherecreationalhunters
talliesupandrunningbeforethespringhuntingseasonwhensomany
areoutandabouttahrhunting– a timeofyearthatis justasimportant
inrecreationalhuntereffortastherut.
DoCis currentlyhavingmeetingswitha numberof
individualsandgroupspriortoa controlplanfornextyear
beingformulated.Weareconcernedaboutthisapproachand
sincerelyhopethisis nota caseoftheolddivideandconquerstrategy
ofthepast.Thereasona consensuswasreachedona workabletahr
operationalplanforthispastyearwasduetothecollectiveworkings
throughtheTahrLiaisonGroup,withleadinginputfromtheGAC.I
reallydoworryaboutwhatDoCwillcomeupwithif theygobackto
dreamingupplansbehindcloseddoorsastheyhaveinthepast.That
is whatcausedthewholetahrdebaclelastyearinthefirstplace.Watch
thisspaceandbereadyforactionif weneedit.
ThespotthelogowinnersareTrishBreenandKyleHagen.
Thelogoswereonpage 14 intheHardyEngineeringadvertandon
page 85 intheTuffGearadvert.
RemembertheSikaShowis oninTaupoonthe28thand
29thofSeptember.We’llbefloatinground
somewhere,sowe’llseeyouthere!A Word from
the Editor
Greg
Visit http://www.nzhunter.co.nz for this issues "Spot the Logo" Competition. You are looking for
Two prizes of $100 H&F vouchers to be won2 NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE ~ August / September 2019