The South Canterbury Deerstalkers Association and the Timaru Pistol Club shared clubroom on the edge of Patiti Point is under attack from Pacific Ocean. Photo: RNZ / Nicholas Pointon
The Deerstalkers Association (NZDA) are hoping their knowledge of New Zealand's back country will persuade those voting on a Members' Bill to award them a seat on the Conservation Authority if the bill is drawn from the ballot.
Under a proposed Members' Bill from ACT Conservation spokesperson Cameron Luxton, the NZDA would be awarded a seat on the Conservation Authority, alongside representatives from iwi, the Royal Society, Forest and Bird, and Federated Mountain Clubs.
NZDA president Callum Sheridan told Morning Report the bill would not change the day-to-day work of the NZDA, but having representation at the table would mean hunters that do a lot of the grassroots work, including trapping work, would get a say on conservation efforts in New Zealand.
"Hunters overall, enjoy the outdoors and are passionate about seeing biodiversity thrive in the native environment.
"First and foremost, we really look after that stuff, like river systems and blue ducks and everything that goes with that."
Sheridan said giving hunters a say in conservation matters would be a win-win.
"We work quite a lot with the Department of Conservation, last year we set up a nationwide goat competition and over 10,000 goats were shot, so that was a huge effort for conservation."
If the bill gets drawn, Luxton and the ACT Party will need to get support from other MPs for the bill to pass. This is something that Sheridan is hopeful of, given hunters knowledge of the back country.
"Being off the beaten track, we actually see what's going on in our bush and around, and we really understand it.
"If we can get that message through to the people who are deciding whether this bill should go through, then that's going to make a huge difference."
At the moment, the NZDA say they do not have a lot of overlap with Forest and Bird, who currently have a seat on the authority, but it is something that it is open to.
"We'd love to hear from them (Forest and Bird) and see how we could collaborate and work together.
"Whichever side of the fence you sit on, whether you're a hardcore NZDA member or a hardcore Forest and Bird member, it can't really be argued with the amount of conservation work that goes into these projects."
