Possum hunt in no danger

Te Ranga School's Possum and Pig Hunt has been going for 20 years and there are no plans for it to be scrapped. Photo / Stuart Whitaker

Te Ranga School's main annual fundraiser isn't under any threat of being cancelled.

Last week Orini Combined School in rural Waikato north of Hamilton cancelled its Great Orini Possum Hunt after a barrage of online criticism of the event, mostly from overseas posters, and an online petition.

The possum hunt was to raise money for a class camp.

Te Ranga School has hosted its Possum and Pig Hunt for 20 years and principal Brendan Wilson says the school gets very little negative feedback.

"Te Puke locals are obviously better informed about the the harm possums cause our native flora and fauna," he says.

"Our event is even endorsed by the local council and TB Free NZ who provide prizes for hunters."

Many of the concerns and comments about the Orini Combined School event originated overseas.

"Their emotive statements about celebrating death are quite divorced from the realities of rural New Zealand where hunting and producing meat are part of everyday life.

"At Te Ranga School we employ rigorous health and safety procedures during the Pig and Possum Hunt and the rules promote acting humanely to animals.

"Other schools have asked permission to use our guidelines and rules following 20 successful years of holding the Pig and Possum Hunt. We continue to be grateful to our sponsors who support our school and wish to continue to protect our environment."

Orini School had hoped to raise between $4000 and $5000 from the event, but instead will hold a disco with the expected return about $300 according to board of trustees chairwoman Tracy Fuller.

She says the cancellation was due to "personal attacks" received through school email addresses and the school Facebook page, which were "extremely upsetting" for the people involved.

The petition, which gained more than 13,000 signatures, was started by the organisation Lady Freethinker, a nonprofit group based in Los Angeles that researches animal cruelty around the world and campaigns against it.