Te Urewera/Connection
Be Safe
Come prepared to this nahere. Conditions change quickly and support may be far away.
Try “hunting permit”, “Great Walk huts”, “track closures”
Te Urewera/Connection
Come prepared to this nahere. Conditions change quickly and support may be far away.
Whether you are tanata whenua returning home or arriving here for the first time, you belong.
Te Urewera is home to many folds of time, people, creatures, ideas and dreams. For Tūhoe it is identity and belonging.
Come prepared to this nahere. Te Urewera is remote. Conditions change quickly and support may be far away. Good judgement, preparation and awareness are as important as the gear you carry.
Know the area you are entering. Plan your trip. Carry what you need. Move with respect for the whenua, the nahere and the people around you. Respect for the whenua is a gift you give yourself. Leave Te Urewera better than you found it so that together, we may enjoy her bounty forever.
Conditions here change quickly.
Check weather, road conditions, incidents and closures before you travel. Most of how a trip goes is decided before you leave home.
Fine turns cold, wet and windy in a short time. Rivers rise. Visibility closes in. Check the forecast, then prepare for it to be wrong. Carry the clothing, food and equipment the season and the country require, not what the forecast promised.
Your safety is yours to carry. Carry the right gear. Know your route. Consider a Personal Locator Beacon. If something goes wrong, stay calm, assess, and act deliberately. Help may be a long way off, and in remote country it takes time.
A closure means there is a hazard: flooding, slips, fallen trees, damaged structures, and risks you will not see until you are standing in them. Closures are not advice and they are not there to inconvenience you. Turn around.
“Opportunities flow from meeting our obligations and responsibilities”.
Hunting and gathering in Te Urewera exist to serve the forest.
That is the order of it. Hunting is one of the ways the forest is kept in balance. What is taken, when it is taken, and how much, these are decided by what the nahere can carry, not by what the hunter wants.
Like humans, introduced animals eat this forest. They take the young trees before they can stand, strip the understorey, and empty the ground of what the birds and the insects depend on. A forest can be full of green and still be failing. Hunting answers that. Done well, it is work on behalf of the nahere and the wai.
Gathering follows the same measure. Take what the place can give up without being diminished. Leave the source stronger than the take. Some things are not available at all, and knowing which is part of belonging here.
Kai matters. Whānau are fed from this whenua and always have been. But the reasoning runs one way: the people are sustained so that the people can sustain the forest. Kai, knowledge, skill and the passing of these to the next generation are what keep tanata whenua present and capable. A forest with no one able to work it is not protected. Provision and protection are the same obligation seen from two ends.
None of this is a restriction, rather a reason that hunting is welcome.
Hunting and taking is earned by responsible conduct, and that continues for as long as that responsibility continues.
Apply for your hunting permit before entering Te Urewera. Permits are issued for four months from the date of application and will be sent directly to you. Not all areas are open to hunting. Restrictions apply. Your permit identifies where hunting is permitted and where it is not. Understand these conditions before you head out.
Hunters using pig dogs must follow the separate pig dog permit process.
Te Urewera Board supports hunting practices that are safe, responsible and consistent with the wellbeing of Te Urewera.
In Te Urewera, you are responsible for knowing where you stand. This is a remote and shifting landscape. Tracks fade, conditions change, and not everything is marked.
Carry the right maps and know how to use them. Do not rely on chance or assumption. Move with awareness of the whenua and the boundaries around you. Good navigation is part of good judgement. Plan your route, know your limits, and respect the lay of the land.
Come prepared. Stay aware.
Te Urewera hunting maps ↗A firearm demands discipline, awareness and control.
You are responsible for your actions at all times. Poor decisions place yourself, other hunters and the nahere at risk. Know the rules. Handle firearms safely. Stay alert.
Hunters bringing firearms into Te Urewera must comply with the Arms Act 1983.
Access to Te Urewera with pig dogs is a privilege, not a right.
The use of dogs carries additional responsibilities. Dogs can pose a serious risk to kiwi and other ground-dwelling birds, and lost dogs can become a long-term problem for Te Urewera.
Only pig dogs are permitted, and only under the conditions set by Te Urewera Board. Every dog brought into Te Urewera must be accounted for when it leaves. These conditions help protect the nahere while allowing hunters to contribute to pig control.
Before applying for a permit, make sure you understand the season dates, permit requirements and your responsibilities as a dog owner.
The pig dog season in Te Urewera runs from 1 May to the Friday before Labour Weekend. A map of approved pig dog hunting areas can be viewed here.
The single-most important thing you should do is ensure all of your dogs return home, and any lost dog is promptly reported to the permit issuing office. Failure to report lost dogs may result in no further permits being issued to the owner.
Hunting and gathering in Te Urewera carries responsibility.
Through good judgement, respect for the whenua, and care for each other, we help ensure future generations can continue to gather kai, maintain their connection to Te Urewera, and contribute to its wellbeing.