A new collaborative approach to managing wild deer in Ruahine Forest Park aims to reduce pressure on native forests while recognising the important role hunters and local communities play in caring for this special place.
The newly finalised Ruahine Adaptive Wild Deer Management Plan (2025–2030) sets out a five year, evidence based programme of work developed with iwi and supported by a locally representative advisory group.
Monitoring shows deer numbers are above levels needed for forest recovery in parts of the park.
Department of Conservation Manawatū Operations Manager Moana Smith-Dunlop says Ruahine Forest Park is highly valued for recreation, livelihoods and wellbeing, but its unique ecosystems are under increasing pressure.
"Our forests give us clean water, healthy soils, and the beautiful places people love spending time naturing in," says Moana.
"In parts of Ruahine, high deer numbers are putting real pressure on forest regeneration. If we don't act, we risk losing values that matter to all of us.
"Deer tend to browse plants they prefer, and monitoring shows we're not seeing those species coming through the understory. Overtime, that changes the composition of the forest."
Recreational hunting has long been part of the Ruahine, with hunters removing thousands of deer each year. Despite this effort, monitoring shows wild deer numbers remain too high in some areas, particularly where forest values are most at risk.
DOC Wild Animals Manager Mike Perry says the plan brings people together around a shared goal to give forests a chance to recover and uses a coordinated mix of tools.
"While the plan was being developed, this collaborative approach was trialled. Through a mix of organised management hunts, a commercial harvest trial, and targeted DOC led management, a further 951 deer were removed from the park alongside ongoing recreational hunting," says Mike.
DOC led management is focused in the high value north-west part of the park, while recreational and commercial hunting will continue to contribute across the wider landscape.
"This is adaptive management in action," says Mike. "What we do each year will be guided by monitoring, shared learning and local knowledge.
"Nature can and does recover when pressure is reduced. This plan is about people taking practical action for nature together. We won't see change overnight, but when iwi, hunters, communities and DOC work together, the results are stronger, more visible and longer lasting."
The plan replaces outdated earlier planning documents, while existing access, concessions and statutory processes remain unchanged.
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