“They pulled up, bombed up with high-powered rifles, right on the road, right in front of his driveway, shooting goats down in front of me.
“They just keep coming. Every single night, from daylight to dusk, there will be poachers coming through here,” he said.
He said his neighbour had taken videos and vehicle licence plate numbers to send to the police.
The Gisborne Herald asked police if they were aware of incidents of illegal hunting in the area recently. A police media spokesperson said they were “not aware of any recent issues” in the area.
In April this year, police arrested two men after search warrants were executed at addresses in Te Karaka in relation to unlawful hunting in the region.
A police statement at the time said, “Poaching and unlawful hunting continues to be an ongoing issue across the wider district, not only for personal safety reasons but also for the flow-on effect from the damage caused to the forestry and farmers’ properties.”
Gisborne District councillor Colin Alder said he had been contacted twice by an East Coast resident frightened by the activity.
“Large numbers of people come up the road looking for deer and they ... trespass into forestry blocks and, apparently, they’re not afraid of cutting locks,” Alder said.
With police “probably a good three-quarters of an hour away”, Alder said the residents were feeling “quite vulnerable”.
Some of the hunters were probably looking for a cheaper means to feed their family, Alder said.
“In hard times, you totally get why people want to go and get some cheap bush meat.”
He advocated setting up an organised system for that sort of hunting, “as long as it’s co-ordinated and they’re steering well clear of people that are living up there”.
East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick said she also heard from people affected by illegal hunting on private property.
“There is a real issue in our community, with people poaching stock and wild animals on private property that clearly does not belong to them,” Kirkpatrick said.
“I am aware that there are some instances which are becoming very intimidating and unsafe for people. This is not how people in our rural communities should have to live.
“I have spoken to farmers who are losing up to 50 head of stock per annum from highly visible parts of their farm. Just because it is easy to get, does not make it yours,” she said.
She said she will speak with police to see what could be done.
“I urge people to be vigilant, to report the incidences as they come up and to always keep safety foremost in their minds.”
Federated Farmers provincial president for Gisborne and Wairoa, Charlie Reynolds, said poaching and stock theft appeared to be increasing.
“It does appear to be focused more up the Coast and along the Old Motu Rd,” Reynolds said.
“It is concerning to us that these poachers are willing to risk people’s lives by going on to farmland and forestry [blocks] illegally, while people who have permission to be there are also hunting in the area.”
He said stock theft had a wide impact on the region.
“It’s not just the farmer who has lost income but the flow-on – the transport industry that would have carted the stock to the plant where people would have been paid to process those animals.”
Hunting guidelines
There are rules when it comes to safe and legal hunting. These include how to obtain a firearms licence, what precautions are needed and the arms code.
The Department of Conservation (DoC) website shows where you can hunt and what the rules are in each location, including species you can hunt, permit requirements, seasonal restrictions and dog access rules.
According to DoC, each person in a hunting party needs an individual permit, whether they are hunting with a firearm, bow or knife.
More information about firearms permits can be found on the Firearms Safety Authority website.
