You must have a Wildlife Act authorisation (permit) to catch, handle, transfer or hold in captivity any native wildlife for rehabilitation and release. Find out what authorisation you will need and how to apply.
Apply to hold wildlife for rehabilitation
To apply for a Wildlife Act Authorisation (permit):
- If renewing an existing permit, complete the Renew authority to hold wildlife in captivity form 9e (PDF, 529K) or (Word, 994K)
- If starting a brand new application, complete the General form 9 (PDF, 1,575K)
- Provide required supportive evidence (see below).
- Send to permissions@doc.govt.nz.
Contact our Hamilton office if you would like more information.
Supportive evidence
If you're applying for a wildlife rehabilitation permit we require the following evidence to assess your application:
- A list of the species or groups of wildlife you wish to rehabilitate, eg seabirds, penguins, passerines.
- Description of captive facilities including location and photographs. We may need to view your property and facilities.
- Details of your affiliations with other facilities, societies or associations; and a letter of support from these organisations.
- Completion of the wildlife rehabilitation self-audit checklist (PDF, 348K)
Fees
There is no application processing fee for non-commercial applications.
We charge a processing fee for all other applications based on the time required to process your application and staff hourly charge-out rates. Complex applications cost more as they take longer to process. After you apply, we will assign your application to a processing category that reflects its complexity. Each category has a minimum processing fee.
Learn more about processing categories and minimum fees
If you seek pre-application advice, we can tell you the category and minimum processing fee that will most likely apply to your application. We will confirm your minimum processing fee once your application is accepted and assigned to a processing category. If we expect your processing fee to exceed the minimum fee, we will give you a non-binding fee estimate before processing begins.
We will usually invoice your fee after processing is complete. If you withdraw your application, you will be charged for any work already done.
If your application is approved, ongoing permission fees may apply.
Release of wildlife
Wildlife rehabilitation permits allow holding of wildlife up to three months. If you need to hold the wildlife for longer than three months, seek approval from your local DOC office. Further wildlife release conditions are specified in your permit.
Annual returns
Your annual return details the wildlife held that year. You must complete your annual return by 30 June each year.
Complete the Annual return – wildlife rehabilitation form (Word, 36K) and submit to permissionshamilton@doc.govt.nz
Permanently injured wildlife
Wildlife that is permanently injured and unlikely to survive in the wild should be euthanised. Follow the guideline policy statement on euthanasia of birds from the New Zealand Veterinary Association.
Wildlife which are unable to be released may be held in long-term captivity only if:
- they are part of an approved captive management programme
- they are kept for advocacy purposes and the animal will have a good quality of life.
If release is unlikely for a threatened species, you must inform DOC. Contact your local DOC office.
Process for dealing with dead native wildlife
If you are in possession of dead native wildlife contact DOC. A post-mortem examination may be required. Protected species may be used for cultural purposes and/ or research purposes.
Training
Training in Avian Frist Aid, Wild Bird Rehabilitation and other short workshops occur across the country run by several organisations, including:
For specific avian techniques such as blood sampling, crop tubing or bandaging, you can take our free Wildlife Health online course or review our downloadable guides.