Deerstalkers urge a review of firearm safety training
Five hunting-related shootings this year is prompting a call to review firearm safety training for licencing.
The New Zealand Deerstalkers' Association (NZDA) is urging hunters to follow the new anti-COVID rules with a shift to Level 3.
“Under Level 3, hunting and some other outdoor recreation will be permitted, although with tight rules around what is allowed,” says NZDA national president Trevor Chappell.
“Those include only allowing hunting on private land within your own immediate region and bubble, and with the landowner’s permission.
"Overnight trips are not allowed, and hunting must be on foot. Helicopters, quad bikes and other motorised vehicles are not permitted.”
He says the relaxation of the rules on hunting is the result of a concerted effort by hunting organisations like the NZDA, Game Animal Council and Fish & Game to convince authorities that hunting is safe and should be permitted.
“We are disappointed that public conservation land, which the majority of hunters use, is still out of bounds, allowing hunting on private land is a good start,” Chappell adds.
“While we would have liked the new rules to be more liberal, we also appreciate this is just the first step to returning to normal.”
More than 200 people turned out on Thursday, November 21 to see what progress has been made on one of NZ's biggest and most comprehensive agriculture research programmes on regenerative agriculture.
The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) says securing more China label registrations and developing its own nutritional manufacturing capability are high on its agenda.
Stellar speakers, top-notch trade sites, innovation, technology and connections are all on offer at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo being once again hosted in Wairoa in February.
As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make an early November dash to Bologna to the 46th EIMA exhibition.
Livestock can be bred for lower methane emissions while also improving productivity at a rate greater than what the industry is currently achieving, research has shown.
The horticulture sector is a big winner from recent free trade deals sealed with the Gulf states, says Associate Agriculture Minister Nicola Grigg.
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