Hayden
Conservation House
18 Manners Street
PO Box 10420
fyi-request-33885-
Wellington 6140
[email address]
doc.govt.nz
Ref: OIAD-6150
Tēnā koe Hayden
Thank you for your request to the Department of Conservation (DOC), received on 2 March
2026, in which you asked for:
The annual cost to DOC of pest animal control for each of the following species, for each
of the past 5 financial years: deer, pigs, goats, tahr, chamois, wallaby, and possums.
DOC's estimate of the number of pest animals (by species) removed by recreational
hunters annually, and any assessment of the monetary value of this pest control
contribution.
Any analysis by DOC of whether enabling the commercial sale of recreationally hunted
pest animal meat would increase recreational hunting effort and thereby reduce pest
animal populations.
Any analysis of whether the current prohibition on private sale of recreationally hunted
wild game meat acts as a disincentive to recreational hunting effort.
Any correspondence, submissions, or briefings between DOC and MPI regarding the
commercialisation or regulated sale of recreationally hunted wild game meat.
Any assessment by DOC of the TB risk from wild deer and wild pigs, by region —
specifically, whether the TB-free status of Southland's wild deer population supports a
differentiated regulatory approach to wild game meat sale.
Recreational hunters remove significant numbers of pest animals annually at no cost to
the Crown. Enabling a regulated pathway for local sale of pest animal meat would
increase the economic incentive for hunting, potentially reducing the Crown's direct pest
control expenditure. I am establishing whether DOC has assessed this co-benefit.
If any information is to be withheld, please specify the grounds under the OIA for each
withheld item.
We have considered your request under the Of icial Information Act 1982.
On 6 March 2026 we contacted you to clarify the timeframe applicable to your requests. You
responded that it was five years for all of your requests. We also asked you to clarify whether you
were interested specifically in information held by DOC, rather than the public service as a whole.
We noted that if you were interested in information beyond that which is held by DOC that we
would need to partially transfer your request to other agencies.
We did not receive a response in regard to this query, and we have therefore, based on the
wording of your requests and the fact that you have a similar request with the Ministry for Primary
Industries, interpreted your request as seeking information on undertakings by DOC only. We
have however noted where information is not held, or activities are not undertaken by DOC where
you might like to direct further requests.
Your questions and our responses are listed below:
1.
The annual cost to DOC of pest animal control for each of the following species, for each
of the past 5 financial years: deer, pigs, goats, tahr, chamois, wallaby, and possums.
You requested the annual cost to DOC of control for deer, pigs, goats, tahr, chamois,
wallaby, and possums for each of the past five financial years.
DOC does not hold complete or nationally consistent records of wild animal management
expenditure by species. Many management operations are designed with a primary target
species in mind, such as deer or goats, but other managed species encountered during the
course of an operation may also be controlled where practical. Costs are generally recorded
at an operation or programme level, rather than apportioned to each species controlled
during the operation. As a result, in many cases it is not possible to reliably separate
expenditure by species.
Exceptions exist where a species is managed through a dedicated programme — for
example, Himalayan tahr are managed under the Himalayan Thar Control Plan 1993 which
is implemented through dedicated annual Tahr Control Operational Plans.
We have provided the core information DOC holds for ongoing business‑as‑usual wild
animal management. Providing full, nationally consistent, species‑specific expenditure
beyond this, including region‑specific, time-limited or standalone projects, would require
substantial manual compilation from multiple systems and regions. This would involve
significant research and collation and is therefore refused under section 18(f) of the Of icial
Information Act 1982.
The listed expenditure provided for 2025-2026 includes the forecasted total expenditure
expected for this financial year.
Deer, Goats, Chamois, and Pigs
Most wild animal management expenditure over the past five years has been directed
toward deer and goat management.
Pig and chamois management is undertaken where practical and is generally delivered as
part of broader wild animal management programmes, rather than as a standalone activity.
For this reason, DOC does not hold national, species‑specific expenditure data for pig or
chamois management for the past five financial years. This part of your request must
therefore be refused under section 18(e) of the OIA, which applies where the requested
information does not exist or, despite reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found.
2
Financial Year Expenditure ($) for operations Expenditure ($) for operations
primarily managing deer
primarily managing goats
2021-2022
454,373
5,851,341
2022-2023
687,022
5,297,828
2023-2024
668,846
5,704,663
2024-2025
529,027
4,958,287
2025-2026
6,278,523 combined deer and goats operations
DOC has undertaken additional wild animal management in areas where wild animals,
particularly pigs and goats, may contribute to the spread of kauri dieback disease.
Expenditure ($) for
Financial Year wild animal
management in kauri
areas
2021-2022
400,000
2022-2023
400,000
2023-2024
400,000
2024-2025
400,000
2025-2026
403,000
As it is a significant standalone project - we have separated the deer control DOC has
underway, in partnership with local iwi/hapū, Northland Regional Council, the deer farming
industry, and landowners, to deliver the Wild Deer Free Te Tai Tokerau programme, an
eradication strategy for Northland. This programme was established in the 2022/2023
financial year. Annual fluctuations in expenditure are due to differences in each eradication
operation, such the size of the control area, terrain, and herd size.
Expenditure ($) for
Financial Year wild animal
management in
Northland
2021-2022
N/A
2022-2023
260,000
2023-2024
1,295,735
2024-2025
869,980
2025-2026
736,982
Tahr
Per above, Tahr are managed under the Himalayan Thar Control Plan 1993 which is
implemented through dedicated annual Tahr Control Operational Plans. These plans set
out how tahr numbers wil be managed within each Tahr Management Unit, using a mix of
DOC‑led control and recreational hunting.
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The Tahr Plan Implementation Liaison Group (TPILG) provides advice on the development
and implementation of the TCOPs and includes representation from recreational hunting
interests. As part of this approach, DOC has been progressing work to increase the
contribution of recreational hunters in certain units, including trialling hunter‑led
management where appropriate and consistent with the objectives of the Control Plan.
Further information on Tahr Control Operational Plans, including current and past plans, is
publicly available on the DOC website: https:/ www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-
recreation/things-to-do/hunting/what-to-hunt/tahr/tahr-control-operations/
Financial Year
Expenditure ($) for tahr
2021-2022
830,000
2022-2023
720,000
2023-2024
850,000
2024-2025
1,100,000
2025-2026
802,000
Wallaby
DOC does not incur operational costs for wallaby control. DOC’s involvement is limited to
in‑kind participation in the Tipu Mātoro National Wallaby Eradication Programme.
Accordingly, DOC holds no species‑specific operational expenditure for wallaby control for
the period requested and your request must be refused under section 18(e) of the OIA.
We understand that you have contacted the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), who lead
the national wallaby control programme, with a similar request. You may also wish to contact
the relevant regional councils (Bay of Plenty, Environment Canterbury, Otago, Waikato, and
Auckland), which lead deliver operational wallaby control.
Possums
Possums are primarily managed under DOC’s National Predator Control Programme. This
work simultaneously controls possums, rats and stoats. The lower expenditure in 2021/2022
was due to Covid-19 restrictions that halted planned field work.
Financial Year
Expenditure ($) for possums
2021-2022
8,841,000
2022-2023
19,798,000
2023-2024
25,500,000
2024-2025
25,209,000
2025-2026
26,113,000
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2.
DOC's estimate of the number of pest animals (by species) removed by recreational
hunters annually, and any assessment of the monetary value of this pest control
contribution.
DOC does not hold an estimate of the number of wild animals removed annually by
recreational hunters, as they are not required to provide information to DOC on this. DOC
has not undertaken any assessment of the monetary value of this contribution and your
request must be refused under section 18(e) of the OIA.
You may wish to contact the New Zealand Game Animal Council, which has some statutory
functions relating to hunting and may hold information relevant to your request.
3.
Any analysis by DOC of whether enabling the commercial sale of recreationally hunted
pest animal meat would increase recreational hunting effort and thereby reduce pest
animal populations.
With regards to your questions addressed in points 3-7, DOC does not regulate the
commercial sale of wild animal meat. These functions sit with the Ministry for Primary
Industries (MPI) under food safety and animal products legislation.
DOC’s role relates to managing wild animals on public conservation land. This includes
granting concessions for commercial Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO). It does
not include assessing commercial pathways or economic incentives for the sale of meat
from recreationally hunted animals, nor evaluating whether such commercial settings would
influence recreational hunting effort or associated population outcomes. Your request is
therefore refused under section 18(e) of the OIA.
4.
Any analysis of whether the current prohibition on private sale of recreationally hunted
wild game meat acts as a disincentive to recreational hunting effort.
DOC holds no analysis on whether the current prohibition on private sale of recreationally
hunted wild animal meat affects recreational hunting effort. Your request is therefore
refused under section 18(e) of the OIA. Per above, responsibility for policy and regulation
relating to the sale of wild animal meat sits with the Ministry for Primary Industries.
5.
Any correspondence, submissions, or briefings between DOC and MPI regarding the
commercialisation or regulated sale of recreationally hunted wild game meat.
DOC holds no correspondence, submissions, or briefings with MPI regarding the
commercialisation or regulated sale of recreationally hunted wild game meat. This part of
your request is therefore refused under section 18(e) of the OIA.
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6.
Any assessment by DOC of the TB risk from wild deer and wild pigs, by region —
specifically, whether the TB-free status of Southland's wild deer population supports a
differentiated regulatory approach to wild game meat sale.
DOC has not undertaken any assessment of the tuberculosis (TB) risk from wild deer or
wild pigs by region. DOC has also not analysed whether the TB‑free status of Southland’s
wild deer population would support a dif erentiated regulatory approach to the sale of wild
animal meat. This part of your request is therefore refused under section 18(e) of the OIA.
Management of TB in New Zealand’s livestock and wildlife populations is the responsibility
of OSPRI, through delivery of the National Pest Management Plan for bovine TB. Regulation
of wild animal meat in relation to biosecurity and food safety — including any implications
of regional TB status — is administered by MPI.
As these matters sit outside DOC’s statutory responsibilities, you may wish to contact
OSPRI and MPI for any information they may hold related to your request.
7.
Recreational hunters remove significant numbers of pest animals annually at no cost to
the Crown. Enabling a regulated pathway for local sale of pest animal meat would
increase the economic incentive for hunting, potentially reducing the Crown's direct pest
control expenditure. I am establishing whether DOC has assessed this co-benefit.
DOC has not assessed the co‑benefit you describe and must refuse your request under
section 18(e) of the OIA. You may wish to direct your query to MPI as the responsible
agency.
In making my decision, I have considered the public interest considerations in section 9(1) of the
Of icial Information Act and determined there are no public interests that outweigh the grounds
for withholding.
You are entitled to seek an investigation and review of my decision by writing to an Ombudsman
as provided by section 28(3) of the Official Information Act.
Please note that this letter (with your personal details removed) may be published on DOC’s
website.
Nāku noa, nā
Ben Reddiex
Director Biodiversity National Programmes
Department of Conservation
Te Papa Atawhai
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