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Wildlife Act 1953

Administration - Wildlife districts

37: Wildlife districts

You could also call this:

"Areas in New Zealand where the government controls wildlife"

The Governor-General can declare a part of New Zealand to be a wildlife district. You can find more information about what this means in the Legislation Act 2019. The Governor-General can also change or cancel this declaration.

The declaration can include rules about who controls the wildlife in the district. This can include the Department or a Fish and Game Council having control over certain species.

If the Department has control over game in a wildlife district, the same rules apply as if it were an area under the jurisdiction of a Fish and Game Council. The Director-General has the same powers as a Fish and Game Council in that area.

Some declarations, like a Proclamation, are considered secondary legislation, which has its own publication requirements as outlined in Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM277800.

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Part 3Administration
Wildlife districts

37Wildlife districts

  1. The Governor-General may from time to time, by Proclamation, declare any portion of New Zealand to be a wildlife district for the purposes of this Act, subject to such conditions as may be specified in the Proclamation or as may be prescribed by regulations made under this Act, and may in like manner revoke or vary any such Proclamation.

  2. Without limiting the general power conferred by subsection (1), any Proclamation or regulations made under or pursuant to that subsection may provide for any of the following matters:

  3. the vesting in the Department or a Fish and Game Council of the control of all species or of any specified species of wildlife (other than game) in the wildlife district:
    1. where no part of the wildlife district forms part of an area under the jurisdiction of a Fish and Game Council, the vesting in the Department of the control of game in the wildlife district:
      1. where a part of the wildlife district also forms part of an area under the jurisdiction of a Fish and Game Council, the vesting in the Department of the control of game in such part of the wildlife district as does not form part of that area:
        1. the prohibition in the wildlife district of the hunting, killing, taking, or disturbing in any manner whatever of wildlife other than game by any person without the express written consent of the Director-General.

          1. Where the control of game in any part of a wildlife district is vested in the Department under this section, the provisions of this Act relating to game shall apply with respect to game in that part of the district as if that part were an area under the jurisdiction of a Fish and Game Council; and for that purpose the Director-General shall in that part have all the powers of a Fish and Game Council under this Act.

          2. The following are secondary legislation (see Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019 for publication requirements):

          3. a Proclamation under subsection (1):
            1. a revocation or variation of a Proclamation under subsection (1).

              Notes
              • Section 37: replaced, on , by section 75 of the Conservation Law Reform Act 1990 (1990 No 31).
              • Section 37(4): inserted, on , by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).