Online NZ hunter training platform launched

Developed by the Game Animal Council and supported by funding from Jobs for Nature, Better Hunting is designed to provide hunters with free online training on the fundamentals of hunting and hunter safety in New Zealand.

“Better hunting is designed to help new and inexperienced hunters be safe and successful, recognize their responsibilities as hunters, understand modern New Zealand game animal management principles and play a positive role in supporting the conservation of our native species,” says Game Animal Council general manager Tim Gale.

The course is made up of 28 separate modules that cover important aspects of hunting like navigation, weather forecasting, outdoors safety, firearms safety and technique, game animal management, and conservation.

Gale says that traditionally there has been a gap for new hunters between getting a firearms license and learning the necessary skills to hunt safely and successfully.

“Better Hunting is designed to fill that theory gap and assist inexperienced hunters to gain a reasonable foundation of knowledge before taking the next step into practical training and practice,” he says.

“Because it has been designed with the sole objective of helping hunters learn and improve their skills and knowledge, Better Hunting is absolutely free to use,” Gale adds.

The platform is built to be used on a laptop, tablet or phone, says developer Larry Blair.

“Courses can be downloaded for offline use through the free app as well,” he adds.

“Learners can simply create an account and get into the 28 individual learning modules as well as skill-building games, digital trip intentions, ballot calendars and more,” Blair says. “The platform saves your progress as you go so you can dip in and out as often as you like.”

Gale says that while the Game Animal Council is ultimately responsible for the development of Better Hunting, they received contributions from 20 other organisations including government agencies, hunting sector organisations and outdoor safety experts.

“We are very grateful for their help and support and also wish to acknowledge the many hunters that helped us with the pilot testing phase,” he says.