IR-01-25-15237
19 June 2025
[FYI request #30808 email]
Tēnā koe
Request for information
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request dated 23 April 2025. You
requested:
1. The total number of individuals convicted of unlawful hunting offenses in New
Zealand over the past five years (or the most recent period for which data is
available).
If possible, please break the data down by year and region. I am not seeking any
identifying information about individuals — only aggregated statistical data.
Please accept our apologies for the delay in responding to your request.
The offence codes referred to in this response are 6337 Unlawful hunting, and 6338
Unlawful hunting 2nd or subsequent offence. In relation to those offences, Table 1 below
shows the number of individuals convicted between 2020 to 2024, by year and Police
District. An individual may appear across more than one year or district.
Table 1. Number of individuals convicted for 6337 unlawful hunting, 6338 unlawful hunting 2nd or
subsequent offence, 2020-2024, by year and Police District.
Police District/Year of
Final Court Outcome
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
AUCKLAND CITY
-
-
-
-
-
BAY OF PLENTY
10
8
8
17
14
CANTERBURY
3
1
1
1
CENTRAL
7
3
11
11
12
COUNTIES MANUKAU -
-
-
1
-
EASTERN
4
10
5
8
7
NORTHLAND
-
-
1
-
-
SOUTHERN
11
3
10
9
4
TASMAN
7
5
4
5
7
WAIKATO
2
3
3
1
WAITEMATA
-
-
-
1
-
WELLINGTON
-
2
1
-
2
Police National Headquarters 180 Molesworth Street. PO Box 3017, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
Telephone: 04 474 9499. Fax: 04 498 7400. www.police.govt.nz
2. The number of individuals identified by Police as having engaged in unlawful
hunting during the same period but not convicted (e.g. due to insufficient
evidence, diversion, warnings, or other outcomes).
Court outcomes are counted at the charge level, not the individual, therefore I have
provided the court outcomes where a case proven outcome was not obtained (this counts
court outcomes Acquitted (Not Guilty); Administrative Withdrawal; Withdrawn by Leave).
Table 2. Number of charges for 6337 unlawful hunting, 6338 unlawful hunting 2nd or subsequent
offence where a case proven outcome not obtained, 2020-2024, by year and Police District.
Police District/Year of
Final Court Outcome
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
AUCKLAND CITY
-
-
-
-
-
BAY OF PLENTY
4
2
1
1
-
CANTERBURY
-
1
1
-
-
CENTRAL
-
1
1
4
-
COUNTIES MANUKAU -
-
-
-
-
EASTERN
5
1
2
7
1
NORTHLAND
-
-
-
-
-
SOUTHERN
1
3
1
3
3
TASMAN
-
2
2
2
-
WAIKATO
1
1
-
-
-
WAITEMATA
-
-
1
WELLINGTON
-
-
-
3
2
Additionally, Table 2a gives the number of clearances where a non-charge/prosecution
method was used by Police. This includes Police actions such as Warnings; referral to
Te Pae Oranga; and Youth Justice Interventions.
Table 2a. Number of clearances for 6337 unlawful hunting, 6338 unlawful hunting 2nd or
subsequent offence for a non-charge/prosecution method, 2020-2024, by year and Police District.
Police District/Year of
Clearance Entry
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
AUCKLAND CITY
-
-
-
-
-
BAY OF PLENTY
9
10
19
3
14
CANTERBURY
7
9
-
4
6
CENTRAL
13
12
15
6
2
COUNTIES MANUKAU 2
1
-
-
-
EASTERN
34
17
2
9
11
NORTHLAND
2
-
-
-
-
SOUTHERN
28
10
11
8
9
TASMAN
10
21
13
5
7
WAIKATO
6
-
2
3
-
WAITEMATA
5
-
2
-
-
WELLINGTON
-
-
-
2
1
Note that conviction data (Tables 1 and 2) is counted by the year of court outcome; and
clearance data by year of entering (Table 2a).
3. Of those individuals who were convicted of unlawful hunting:
- How many had a prior criminal record at the time of conviction?
- How many had no prior criminal record?
Of the 213 unique individuals (identified in Table 1), this was the first conviction for
13 individuals.
- Of those convicted how many received the maximum penalty for unlawful
hunting (i.e. two years’ imprisonment and/or a $100,000 fine)?
None of those listed above received the maximum sentence/fine.
4. Over the same five-year period (or the most recent period for which data is
available), how many firearms licenses were suspended or revoked where
unlawful hunting was cited as a contributing factor?
It is important to note that, as part of Te Tari Pūreke's continuous eligibility scanning
processes, offending behaviour (including unlawful hunting) is subject to a thorough
review. This process involves evaluating whether the firearms licence holder continues to
satisfy the ‘fit and proper’ requirements as stipulated in the Arms Act 1983. During this
review, temporary suspension and revocation of the licence are among the actions
considered.
However, due to how this data is recorded, identifying this would require a manual search
of individual licence holders to determine if a firearms licence holder was suspended or
revoked with unlawful hunting as a contributing factor. Therefore, this part of your request
is refused under section 18(f) of the OIA as it would require substantial research and
collation to provide the information requested.
Of those cases, how many involved individuals who were convicted of unlawful
hunting?
Tables 3 and 3a below provide a breakdown of the total firearms licence holders
suspended or revoked over the past five years who have also been charged and
subsequently convicted of unlawful hunting during the same period. As above, due to how
this data is recorded, it is not possible to identify if a firearms licence holder was
suspended or revoked and the unlawful hunting charge was a contributing factor.
A licence holder that has been suspended but not revoked wil only appear in the
suspended column. A licence holder that has been suspended and subsequently revoked
wil appear in both the suspended and revoked columns.
The information provided in Tables 3 and 3a also includes licence holders who may have
been revoked or suspended prior to the unlawful offence or were not an active licence
holder at the time of the offence as additional manual interrogation of individual records
would be required to exclude these.
Table 3. Total suspended licence holders convicted of unlawful hunting.
Police District/Year of
Clearance Entry
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
AUCKLAND CITY
-
-
-
-
-
BAY OF PLENTY
-
1
3
3
1
CANTERBURY
-
-
-
-
-
CENTRAL
-
-
3
-
2
COUNTIES MANUKAU -
-
1
2
1
EASTERN
-
4
1
3
-
NORTHLAND
-
-
-
-
-
SOUTHERN
-
1
3
-
-
TASMAN
-
1
1
-
-
WAIKATO
-
-
-
-
-
WAITEMATA
-
-
-
-
-
WELLINGTON
1
-
-
1
-
Table 3a. Total revoked licence holders convicted of unlawful hunting.
Police District/Year of
Clearance Entry
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
AUCKLAND CITY
-
-
-
-
-
BAY OF PLENTY
-
1
2
3
1
CANTERBURY
-
-
3
0
2
CENTRAL
-
-
-
1
-
COUNTIES MANUKAU -
-
-
-
-
EASTERN
-
4
1
2
-
NORTHLAND
-
-
-
-
-
SOUTHERN
-
1
3
-
-
TASMAN
-
1
1
-
-
WAIKATO
-
-
-
-
-
WAITEMATA
-
-
-
-
-
WELLINGTON
1
-
-
1
-
This includes offence codes of 6337 – Unlawful hunting, and 6338 – Unlawful hunting
2nd or subsequent offence where the offence was entered between 01/01/2020 and
30/04/2025 and the licence was suspended or revoked during the same timeframe.
Suspended and revoked is based on a licence status change to revoked or suspended
status. ‘Convicted’ is based on the most recent court outcome and includes outcomes of
‘Convicted and Sentenced’ and ‘Convicted and Discharged’.
How many involved individuals who were not convicted, but were stil considered
for suspension or revocation based on evidence of unlawful hunting?
Due to how this data is recorded, to identify if a firearms licence holder was considered
for suspension or revocation based on evidence of unlawful hunting would also require a
manual search of each individual entry. Therefore, this part of your request is also
refused under section 18(f) of the OIA.
Note that data contained in this report is drawn from a dynamic operational database and
is subject to change as new information is recorded or updated.
As part of its commitment to openness and transparency, Police proactively releases
some information and documents that may be of interest to the public. An anonymised
version of this response may be publicly released on the New Zealand Police website.
I trust this information is satisfactory in answering your request. If you are not satisfied
with the way I have responded to your request, you have the right to seek an investigation
and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information about how to make a
complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi
Zane Kearns
Director Data and Performance Insights (acting)
