Anyone Hunted in NZ?

[wildfowler.250]

Half considering moving out for a year or two to NZ. Partly to see somewhere different but there also seems to be lots of good hunting over there? Has anyone moved out there or have much experience of hunting over there? Interested to know how easy it is regarding getting licences and shooting public land ect,(they seem to have a lot of it from what I've read) ?


Cheers!

 

[McKenzie]

What work are you planning on doing there & how easy will it be for you to get a work permit?

I ask as the thought is on my mind too just now but I've lived there before for 7 years & have had residency & work permits & also have the advantage of a NZ wife & our children would be entitled to either NZ or UK passports so shouldn't be too complex for me.

I also seem to remember that it was fairly easy to go there if you were 'financially independent' or could invest a significant sum in an NZ business.

Going hunting will be the straightforward part of the trip.

 

[wildfowler.250]

Thanks for the reply! I'm a vet so hopefully should manage to get a permit okay. Biggest issue with the whole plan is that the girlfriend is also a vet so getting jobs close enough together would be an issue I imagine. Did you do much hunting/fishing when you were over there?

cheers again!

 

[McKenzie]

Yes, I've known a couple of vets who have gone out & enjoyed it.

No, I didn't hunt there although I'd done a lot of shooting here before I went out. To be honest I didn't find it a completely easy ride as NZ followed the American employment model with very limited amounts of holidays & I found I was constantly working overtime at the weekends to earn enough (& I fell in the top 25% of earnings). I would imagine that as a vet you will have more control over your working hours which would make it much more attractive but I have to say that the things I missed most were history & the lack of wildlife. The people are great though.

We have lots of family & friends there and some that hunt so let me know where you're going & I'll try & put you in touch with someone if I can.

 

[Taff]

Hunted today as a matter of fact, don,t imagine hunting is like the UK, it's not, it's hard work, but enjoyable, getting a license is easy along with shooting on public land is easy to find, up where I am in Northland , we don,t have deer, but plenty of goats and pigs, below there are deer, goats, pigs, the South Island has it all, but we have the best sea fishing.
I moved out here last year, and don,t think we will be moving back

 

[sws]

I'm going down the same route as a teacher married to a surgeon. All I can say is start the paperwork as quickly as you can. The process of converting qualifications (including degrees and masters degrees from large UK universities) is time consuming.
Meeting the visa requirements without having your qualifications assessed is near impossible.
Good luck

 

[ironsights]

As a Kiwi, I'd say the best hunting is in the Sth Island as this is where we have the tahr and chamois. As far as the local permits go, if you have a firearms license, the actual permit to hunt on DOC land is just a simple online form. No problem, no fees. The game animals are basically defined as pests, so you can hunt all the deer, tahr and chamois you can find. The 'finding' is the hard part. The country where game animals typically hide is steep and difficult, but that's part of the enjoyment of it down here. I don't know anybody who owns a high-seat here. The locals wouldn't consider that 'hunting'. You'd be ruthlessly mocked.
As a Vet, you may end up working on farm animals - if that interests you. If you're working with farmers, then you can be almost certain privilaged doors will open for you (if you're not an offensive idiot): this means that you'll probably get the odd offer to hunt the back of the farm, which for deer is much easier than throwing your lot in with the rest of us on DOC land. Either way, this is one of the best places in the world to hunt and fish, thanks to the easy access to game animals / fish (fishing needs a different license though). If you post on a few local forums, you'll get some offers for help on DOC land - I'm sure somebody will take you out and get you started if you think you need it.

 

[Tryhard]

Hi
Welcome to NZ.
You will like it. Plenty of locum jobs for vets.
If you settle in the province towns like Whakatane, Whanganui, Gisborne you will be close to good hunting on public land.
You won't leave once you get here.

 

[Hawkfish]

Do it, you wont regret it. I came out with my family last year and we wont be coming back! I have thousands of acres of public land on my doorstep I can hunt on whenever I like. Its a different type of hunting, its hard work but worth it. Good luck!

 

[Rasputin]

Whats the deal in NZ how much is a reasonable salary? I work for myself and can do my business from anywhere. As a single bloke smashing up the town and hunting/fishing a lot could you you live reasonably on £50/75/100k ?

 

[John Gryphon]

If you want a real life changing (from UK) experience head straight there,clean air,clean water,some of the most majestic scenery,great friendly people,fantastic hunting although if you are an over weight hedgerow hunter you may find many parts too challenging as the high country will bring anyone undone at times.
I love the place and I love the food,only this week I bought four kilos of Greenies from NZ.
The kiwi boys will tell you straight away what and how good they are.
Although I`m a Victorian,my favourite beer is brewed in Sth Oz,nice scotch behind it too...alas empty now!

 

[John Gryphon]

read on.

Wellington NZ: City poaching Australian tech talent

 

[dave1372]

Whats the deal in NZ how much is a reasonable salary? I work for myself and can do my business from anywhere. As a single bloke smashing up the town and hunting/fishing a lot could you you live reasonably on £50/75/100k ?

If I were you then I would be definitely heading to New Zealand! Better quality of life . How the UK should be!

 

[john.d.m]

The hunting is free, hard but great.
Lifestyle is amazing, very family orientated, we still got to pay tax, moan about the cost of fuel (which is cheap),moan about cost of shopping bills, but wouldn't change it for the world. We got nice lifestyle block about 30 mins from town, couple of cattle for the freezer and a couple of those highly efficient machines that turns good quality grass into horse ****, ( my missus calls them horses) and suits us down to the ground.
But, it doesen"t suit everyone, if you come out here and want to have a little England forget it, we speak English, sort of, come out, embrace the culture, the freedom, the wide open spaces and enjoy it, it is a wonderful country and people.
As for earnings, as vet you will be ok, but same as everywhere else in the world, live to what you earn.

 

[McKenzie]

Income tax seemed high as there is no initial £10,000 tax-free income as here, but on the flip side there's no Capital Gains tax or Inheritance Tax.

 

[Taff]

I agree with john, but one thing you need to consider, if you have enough money to buy a house here then, you can live without working overtime, but if you will need a mortgage then you will need both of you to be working , the difference is when you are not working you make the most of it.

 

[RuralLondoner]

It's the best! I did a 5 day trip with a guy called Josh James - Kiwi Bushman. He's got a great channel on YouTube - check it out.

They have a forum similar to SD over ther called huntnfishNZ (or similar) check it out - very friendly guys and they'll point you in the right direction.

Himalyan Tahr ..... Yes!!!!

J

 

[sws]

Can I ask those of you who made the move how you imported your firearms?
Ive yet to decide between taking them over on a 1yr visitors permit and then applying for a full licence or the other option of leaving it at customs and then collecting once i have a full permit.
Many thanks

 

[john.d.m]

I got a dealer mate in UK to hold my rifles until I got my license over here, then he sent them over and I picked them up from tpt firm in the local town, easy as. Could have sent them in the container with all our stuff, but would have had to wait, and could, just could have caused a few raised eyebrows if the container was inspected or x rayed by customs.

 

[Rasputin]

The hunting is free, hard but great.
Lifestyle is amazing, very family orientated, we still got to pay tax, moan about the cost of fuel (which is cheap),moan about cost of shopping bills, but wouldn't change it for the world. We got nice lifestyle block about 30 mins from town, couple of cattle for the freezer and a couple of those highly efficient machines that turns good quality grass into horse ****, ( my missus calls them horses) and suits us down to the ground.
But, it doesen"t suit everyone, if you come out here and want to have a little England forget it, we speak English, sort of, come out, embrace the culture, the freedom, the wide open spaces and enjoy it, it is a wonderful country and people.
As for earnings, as vet you will be ok, but same as everywhere else in the world, live to what you earn.

Hi John do you think you could shed some light on my question about salaries? I did a look online and saw a rough idea but then I also spoke to a mate who said if you want to live in Auckland you need a shed load more? I can work wherever but as my hobbies are Skiing, Fishing and hunting closer the better.

Do you need any govt qualifications to hunt i.e. could you take a DSC 2 over? Thanks