Hunter charged with unlawful hunting on Tasman meditation retreat land

A man faces fresh charges of unlawful hunting after he was caught on CCTV entering a rural retreat and meditation centre. Photo / 123rf

When Tyler Beattie was caught on CCTV driving his ute onto land owned by a private meditation retreat centre in remote Tasman, he had two dogs on the front and a dead pig on the tray in the back. An hour later and there were two dead pigs.

Now the 29-year-old, who already had convictions for unlawful hunting, has been convicted on three fresh charges arising from several incidents in June this year.

Beattie and an associate were each charged under a section of the Wild Animal Control Act that carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison or a $100,000 fine after they were caught hunting on private property in the Wangapeka area of the Tasman District.

They were caught on surveillance camera after heading first to the Wangapeka Retreat Centre, which is a purpose-built study and retreat centre used for healing and meditation.

It was around 9am when Beattie and an associate were at Wangapeka River Rd in Tapawera and Beattie drove his ute onto the land belonging to the centre.

A man charged with unlawful hunting was caught on CCTV after driving on to the grounds of the Wangapeka Study and Retreat Centre in the Tasman District. Photo / Google

He had dogs on the vehicle’s bonnet and a pig carcass on the ute’s tray, while the associate went in on foot.

Just over an hour later, Beattie was seen on CCTV driving out of the property with another pig on the back of the ute.

The pair then went down the road and on to a 127-hectare farm, which the police said was clearly marked as being private property.

The police said Beattie was known to enter blocks of land to hunt feral pigs and tracked his dogs using a GPS tracker, moving between properties chasing the dogs and bailing the pigs.

He was also trespassed from three large forestry blocks in Tasman, which police said had caused him to unlawfully hunt on private land.

Around 12.15pm, the farm’s owner saw Beattie’s associate on the property with two dogs and a tracking device.

The farmer confronted the man and asked for his name, but he refused to say it and started to walk off the property.

The farmer followed him off the land and noticed what was later identified as Beattie’s black Ford Ranger ute parked up and waiting, with three pig carcasses on the back.

Several days later Beattie returned to the Wangapeka Retreat Centre property, with two dogs on the front of the vehicle and was seen on CCTV soon after chasing a feral pig into the bush with the vehicle.

The police said because a vehicle was used in the offending, they are seeking to have Beattie disqualified from driving.

Judge Tony Zohrab convicted Beattie and remanded him on bail for sentencing on October 13.

Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.