Wildlife Act 1953

Game

16: Notification as to conditions on which open season declared

You could also call this:

"Rules for Hunting During Open Season"

When an open season for game is declared, you will be told what game you can hunt, where you can hunt, and how many game you can take. You will also be told how many decoys you can use and how many game you can have in your possession. The person in charge can set other conditions for hunting game during the open season.

If you hunt or kill game outside of these conditions, you can be charged with an offence and penalised under section 67E(3). You must follow the rules, or you might get in trouble. The rules are in place to help manage game hunting.

If you are caught with too many game, you can say it is not your fault if you can prove someone else caught the extra game. You must have a label on the game with the names and addresses of the people who caught them, their game licence numbers, the name of the Fish and Game Council that issued the licences, and the date the game were caught. This label helps show that you did not break the rules. You need to have this information to avoid getting in trouble.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM277292.


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15: Open season for game, or

"When you can hunt game animals in New Zealand"


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17: Hunting or killing in game areas, or

"Rules for hunting in areas near water, like rivers or lakes, to protect waterfowl like ducks"

Part 2Game

16Notification as to conditions on which open season declared

  1. Every notification of an open season for game, shall specify—

  2. the particular species or sex of game that may be hunted or killed during that open season:
    1. the areas (if any) declared to be closed game areas:
      1. the number of decoys that may be used by any person for the purpose of hunting or killing any game:
        1. the number of game that may be taken or killed by any one person on any one day:
          1. the number of game which may be had in possession by any one person on any one day; but different numbers may be so specified in respect of different days in the open season:
            1. such other conditions (if any) as he thinks fit to impose respecting the hunting or killing during that open season of game or any particular species or sex thereof.
              1. Every person who hunts or kills game, or during any open season has in his or her possession any game, otherwise than in terms of a notification, commits an offence against this Act and is liable on conviction to the penalty set out in section 67E(3).

              2. In any prosecution for an offence that the defendant has in his or her possession a number of game in excess of the number specified in a notification, it is a defence if the defendant proves that the excess game were taken by some other person or persons and all the game in the possession of the defendant have affixed or tied to the game a label on which the following particulars are legibly written:

              3. the names and addresses of the persons by whom the game were taken; and
                1. the numbers of the game licences held by those persons; and
                  1. the name of the Fish and Game Council by which those game licences were issued; and
                    1. the date or dates on which the game were taken.
                      Compare
                      • 1921–22 No 57 s 10
                      Notes
                      • Section 16(1): amended, on , by section 5(1)(a) of the Wildlife Amendment Act 1996 (1996 No 2).
                      • Section 16(1)(bb): inserted, on , by section 4(1) of the Wildlife Amendment Act 1964 (1964 No 63).
                      • Section 16(1)(cc): inserted, on , by section 5(1) of the Wildlife Amendment Act 1959 (1959 No 49).
                      • Section 16(1)(cc): amended, on , by section 5(1)(b) of the Wildlife Amendment Act 1996 (1996 No 2).
                      • Section 16(2): replaced, on , by section 8 of the Wildlife (Penalties and Related Matters) Amendment Act 2000 (2000 No 43).
                      • Section 16(3): replaced, on , by section 8 of the Wildlife (Penalties and Related Matters) Amendment Act 2000 (2000 No 43).
                      • Section 16(3)(b): amended, on , by section 88(1) of the Electronic Interactions Reform Act 2017 (2017 No 50).
                      • Section 16(3)(c): amended, on , by section 88(2) of the Electronic Interactions Reform Act 2017 (2017 No 50).