Hunter Victor Tindale in Fiordland. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Permits for trapping feral cats on conservation land may become easier to obtain.
At present, individuals need to adapt a possum fur trapping permit and contact local Department of Conservation (DOC) offices for permission to trap.
Gaining permission can take weeks, and requires filling out paper forms and supplying maps with trapping areas marked.
In contrast, hunting permits can be obtained by completing an online form on the DOC website, and approval is automatic. A 12-month permit is emailed within 15 minutes of the form being completed online.
Since RNZ reported hunter Victor Tindale's struggle to trap cats in Fiordland, DOC's stance on the matter has changed.
Initially, DOC told RNZ it was satisfied with the current system of adapting the possum permit.
Tindale said he had now received a letter from DOC following his request to make the system simpler, saying the permit system is being investigated. The letter states: "As part of our regulatory modernisation programme, DOC is seeking to improve efficiency and usability of the permissions system. This includes exploring the integration of trapping authorisations and online hunting permits."
The hunter - who trapped five cats, two stoats, a ferret and 18 possums on a recent trip to Fiordland - thinks many hunters would be happy to do some trapping on hunting trips to help out the environment.
He's "rapt" at the positive response from DOC and hopes it results in a consistent nationwide approach for online trapping permits, as he had experienced different attitudes from different regions.
Being able to help native bush out with some trapping during hunting trips, "welcomes more of us as part of a team, without barriers which put us off".
The idea should be well promoted on the DOC permit site to encourage involvement, he said.
"Good hunters care about this sort of stuff and good hunters make great trappers."
Feral cats captured by a thermal imaging camera in Fiordland National Park. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
New Zealand Deerstalkers Association Taupō president Alan Bullick said simplifying the permit system for trapping would be a good move.
Hunters can get vilified as rednecks because they use guns, Bullick said, but "most hunters are ardent conservationists".
"They want the bush to thrive. They want the [feral] cats gone."
Members have told him they've seen feral cats while out hunting and would like to take traps into conservation land to help limit the damage they cause.
"Some people shoot them with a high-powered rifle when they see them, but that also destroys their chances of getting a deer that day."
Bullick said DOC needs to include clear instructions for safe trap setting in any new permit system to avoid by-catch, such as kiwi or weka. He's confident hunters who make the effort to take traps with them would be capable of following instructions related to setting traps high enough to avoid by-catch.
DOC's letter to Tindale said trapping permits will include conditions related to animal welfare, non-target species and public safety.
Tindale is a keen hunter and outdoorsman, eager to protect conservation land from damage caused by pests. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
The letter said the recent addition of feral cats - wild cats which live without human interaction - to Predator Free 2050's target species list, "will likely trigger more interest in making it easier for the public to access trapping permits where feral cats are being targeted".
The inclusion of feral cats in Predator Free 2050's list of target species was promised in a 2023 election debate, and announced after RNZ's reporting on the issue.
Tindale said the current beech mast event, which was expected to be the biggest in seven years, meant it was the perfect time for hunters to lend a hand. The increased seeds from the trees is expected to swell predator numbers.
DOC director of regulatory transformation Joanna Clifford said phase one of the modernisation programme is due to be completed by the end of June 2026. Work to integrate permits into an online system will start after that. In the meantime, people could still apply for trapping permits by adapting the possum trapping permit.
See more about New Zealand's growing feral cat problem in Feral, a special RNZ investigation.
