Duck season: Kaituna’s new maimai accessible to hunters in wheelchairs

Sally Wenley in the wheelchair-accessible maimai in the Kaituna Wildlife Management Reserve between Te Puke and Maketū.

A weekend duck hunt near Te Puke netted just two birds for Auckland’s Sally Wenley – but she isn’t bothered in the slightest.

Sally was one of the first to use a new wheelchair-accessible maimai in the Kaituna Wildlife Management Reserve between Te Puke and Maketū. The maimai was built as a Fish & Game Eastern region initiative.

“I was overwhelmed by how amazing it was,” she says. “I could drive up in my truck and I got to park 20m away.”

The maimai has been designed with space for turning a wheelchair, benches at the appropriate height and doors the appropriate width.

“I could move around in the maimai. Usually, I just have to sit in a little spot and, let’s be honest, it’s not the most comfortable although it doesn’t matter, I just love it.”

The Kaituna maimai was a different proposition entirely.

“I could go in there independently, I could move around on a flat surface and I could move around to a different angle from where the ducks were coming in rather than being in one spot. Normally I’m a bit limited in what I can have a blast at.”

Brought up on a Hawke’s Bay farm, duck hunting has been a family tradition throughout Sally’s life.

“Ever since I was a toddler I used to go duck shooting on, we called it a dam, at the back of the farm – it was just part of [rural life].”

Sally Wenley taking a shot from the maimai which was built as a Fish & Game Eastern region initiative.

In 1987 she suffered a spinal injury in a fatal bus crash.

But that hasn’t stopped her, although she has had to rely on friends and family.

“They lift me in and out of what we call duck dinghy to go up the Waikato, to a tributary there. They’ve made a little maimai which we can drive into with the dinghy and I can sit in that. That’s what I have been doing for the last 10 years.”

On the family farm, there was an accessible maimai Sally could get to with help and after the farm was sold, the family retained shooting rights on the land.

“It’s always just been part of my life. I love duck meat and I even make pate out of the livers if we get enough ducks. I didn’t this weekend but it doesn’t matter – it’s just lovely to be out there.

“I’m the weird mother in Ponsonby because I fish and shoot and hunt and I’m very happy to do it.”

Still, dry weather wasn’t conducive to good hunting at the weekend.

“If I wasn’t working and busy and if there was a bit of wind and all the ducks came to the wetland, I’d love to come down again – but I definitely will next year.”

Fish & Game Eastern officer John Meikle says, to his knowledge, this is the first purpose-built wheelchair-accessible maimai on public land.

After successfully building several fishing platforms for wheelchair users around Rotorua lakes, John turned his thoughts to the maimai idea.

A view from the maimai which is believed to be the first purpose-built wheelchair-accessible maimai on public land.

“I met a couple of wheelchair users – one who used to work for Halberg Trust and another guy who is a wheelchair hunter – and I designed a plan.

“I met them on site and they thought it was pretty good.”

As he is Rotorua-based, he approached some Rotorua businesses owned by hunters to see if they would help.

“I know four tradies who hunt the Kaituna wetland and asked them to volunteer their time and they said they were happy to.”

John says Fish & Game has a statutory mandate to make hunting and fishing accessible.

“In many cases, being quite honest, until it’s pointed out, quite often you don’t recognise the issues, but once it’s pointed out, it’s not hard to accommodate.

“I can’t get you into the middle of a swamp, but we have built this right next to a roadway.”

He says the maimai is suitable for anyone who may have disability issues and older people who might not be able to get to less accessible hunting spots.

“You can’t get people into the middle of a swamp where you have to walk 200m in mud, but there are opportunities that are still good hunting areas or good fishing areas, you’ve just got to accommodate and build for it.”

Sally was out hunting Friday night, Saturday morning and Saturday evening.

“There were a hell of a lot of ducks flying around and we could hear other people around having a blast, so we got out the duck caller and tried to call a few in – but 99 per cent of them chose other ponds. But that didn’t matter, it was lovely to see so many ducks.”

John says so far the season has been difficult.

“Pretty much everybody has got some birds, I think it’s fair to say, but the weather has been against us – the big thing we need is wind and we’ve just had none.”

Sally has posted details of her trip on social media.

“The response has been huge, with people asking how to book.”

She would like to see other regions create similar facilities.

“I just want to thank everybody who made it possible and encourage other areas where there are shooters to take it up.”