Hooker-Landsborough and Adams winter tahr ballot

Find out information about the tahr ballot for the Hooker-Landsborough and Adams Wilderness areas.

Important update for the 2027 Tahr Ballot

A predator control operation is planned within the Landsborough Valley during the 2027 hunting season.

As a result, the following ballot sites are only available during Period 1 from 24 to 30 April 2027:

Baker Creek Lower/Baker Creek Upper
Upper Zora
Opposite Percy
Hinds Tarn
Shelter Hollow
Arbor Rift
Dechen Creek
Bubble Creek
Rubicon Rock Biv

Parties drawn for one of these sites in later hunting periods will receive a refund of their ballot application fee and remain eligible for the second-chance draw at no additional cost.

Sites not affected

The following sites remain available throughout the season:

Mahitahi
Jacobs
Edison River
Upper Otoko

All hunting sites within the Adams Wilderness Area are also unaffected.

More information about the Landsborough predator control operation

Why is predator control needed?
Timing of the operation and impact on hunting

The 2027 tahr ballot has been drawn

Applicants should review the information, including permit conditions and important updates relating to predator control operations in the Landsborough Valley.

For ballot or booking enquiries:

Email: haasthuntingballot@doc.govt.nz

Phone: +64 27 303 4890

Successful ballot holders must confirm allocation

Successful applicants must complete and return their confirmation form, including any updates to party details, by 4 pm Thursday 26 November 2026.

All successful ballot holders must confirm that they accept their allocated site. Any sites not confirmed by the due date may be cancelled and reallocated.

Cancelled and unconfirmed sites

Any sites that become available following the confirmation process will be offered to unsuccessful applicants.

From 9 am Wednesday 2 December 2026 until 9 am Friday 4 December 2026, available sites will be offered online only to parties unsuccessful in the initial ballot.
From 9 am Thursday 10 December 2026, any remaining sites will be added to the booking page as they become available.
DOC does not maintain a waitlist.
All new bookings incur the standard non-refundable $60 booking fee.
Applications are only accepted online.

Application restrictions

Only one application per party leader, multiple applications will be voided with no refund. Party Leader must be hunting and is responsible for their group. No transfers of permit.
Hunters using a firearm must abide by the New Zealand Police Arms Code and the Arms Act 1983 and have a valid firearms licence.

There are party-size limits for safety and to minimise impacts on campsites.

Minimum size 2
Maximum size 6

The 2027 season is divided into nine hunting periods:

1st period: 24 April – 30 April 2027
2nd period: 1 May – 7 May 2027
3rd period: 8 May – 14 May 2027
4th period: 15 May – 21 May 2027
5th period: 22 May – 28 May 2027
6th period: 29 May – 4 June 2027
7th period: 5 June – 11 June 2027
8th period: 12 June – 18 June 2027
9th period: 19 June – 25 June 2027

Open Area Hunting Permit

All members of the hunting party must also obtain an Open Area Hunting Permit before hunting.

Apply for an Open Area Hunting Permit

Hunting and Aerial access

In the 2027 ballot, recreational hunters will have some managed aerial access into the Hooker/Landsborough and Adams Wilderness Areas. This was made available under the terms of the ‘Himalayan Tahr Control Plan’, approved by the Minister of Conservation in 1993.

This reflects the identification in the plan of recreational tahr hunting as one of the primary controls for tahr in particular areas. No landings are permitted outside these sites.
Most areas have one designated landing site but there is provision at several sites for an alternate campsite if snow and weather conditions allow. Where areas have an alternate landing site, there is only one heli landing opportunity per party, as no other party is permitted in that area at the same time
List of landing sites
Landing site permits will be issued in March 2027.

Aerial operators

The right to fly recreational hunters into these sites will be issued to approved operators. Hunters are free to select a servicing operator from this list. Operators not appearing on the list may not be used. List of DOC approved aircraft concessionaires for tahr services.

Hunting diary

A condition of your permit requires you to complete a hunting diary for each hunting party within two weeks of completing your trip. This information is essential for the ongoing management of the tahr ballot programme.

Combine observations from separate hunters each day to avoid duplicating daily tallies and enter total for week.
The NZ Tahr Foundation kill App that has been released is a voluntary return and does not fulfil your DOC permit obligations.

Email to haasthuntingballot@doc.govt.nz.

You need to return the diary even if you've not hunted. If you couldn’t access your site due to bad weather, mark your diary 'not hunted due to bad weather' and return. Failure to return a hunting diary may affect eligibility to participate in future tahr ballots in the Hooker-Landsborough and Adams Wilderness Areas

Help control tahr

Managed aerial access is being provided to position recreational hunters and will be for a limited period of April to June. This period was selected to limit effects on other wilderness users and to coincide with the tahr rut and the period when skins are at their best.

Recreational hunters are being given this access to help reduce tahr densities to the target levels set in the tahr control plan. While a hunter’s chief objective may be trophy bulls, the Department encourages all hunters to remove nannies and juveniles in the process and to reduce group sizes to less than five animals.

Aerial access to these areas is a privilege – look after the opportunity

Future access is reviewed annually and will depend on the way all parties involved co-operate to achieve the tahr density objectives set out in The Himalayan Tahr Control Plan. Access must be managed to minimise effects on the wilderness values that these areas have been set aside to protect. Effects on these values will take longer to determine.

Post-season inspections locate hidden rubbish such as burnt tins, plastic, string, bags of coal, unburied toilet waste, offal and just poorly rehabilitated campsites. Remember these sites are inhabited for the entire ballot period and it can be very unpleasant for the Parties towards the end of the season.

It is imperative to see an increasing number of sites being left clean and tidy with minimum impact, as this is the key to continued hunting access.

Exclusive rights

Successful ballot holders do not get exclusive rights to hunt a particular area like a roar block. You can hunt in the wilderness area you have the landing site in. However, it's courtesy to only hunt the area around your landing site bounded by its natural boundaries.

What is being offered is the exclusive right to fly to a specific landing site for a particular period.

Anyone is free to walk in and hunt in these areas if they have an Open Area Hunting Permit for the region.

Where your fees go

These charges are solely to recover the costs of managing and administrating aerial access systems in a way that ensures the wilderness values of these areas are maintained and that there is adequate liaison with participating hunters. The charges levied do not include any permit or access fee.

Costs include labour for administration and post-season campsite inspection, and helicopter hire for post-season camp site inspection.

Adam's Flat conservation programme

DOC has an active conservation programme underway in the Adam's Flat area, including monitoring of kiwi. DOC staff may be camping and working in the area during the ballot period. We will do our best to inform successful ballot holders of planned work and staff presence prior to each period changeover. Your understanding and cooperation are appreciated.

Permit conditions

Read and understand the permit conditions below and on your landing site permit.

In addition to the standard conditions shown on your permit, the following conditions shall also apply:

This is a Wilderness Area – dogs must not be taken into these areas.
All rubbish is to be flown out. This includes all plastic string, burnt tinfoil and camp improvements.
Vegetation is not to be cut for any reason (dead, fallen timber only is to be used for firewood).
Only those aerial operators as noted hold contracts to service recreational hunters in these areas. No other operators may be used.
All toilet waste should be buried and is to be kept clear of all waterways.
No structures other than tents are to be erected. Do not forget to remove all evidence of camping and dismantle fireplaces.
No chainsaws or building materials such as black polythene etc. are to be taken in.
If, on arrival at your campsite, you find that a fireplace has been established by a previous party, make use of it – do not build another.

Party leaders are responsible for all party members adhering to permit conditions.

Cancellations

If for any reason you are unable to use your balloted tahr landing site, contact haasthuntingballot@doc.govt.nz or the Department of Conservation, Haast as soon as possible so that it may be released back onto the booking site for someone else to use.

Notifying your helicopter company that you are no longer able to use the site is not enough as the balloted party leader will be held responsible if a compliance issue arises from someone else using your site, this could result in the party leader being refused entry in future tahr ballots.

AATH (Aerial-Assisted Trophy Hunting)

Under the terms of the current AATH permit using a helicopter for Aerial-Assisted Trophy Hunting is excluded from ballot areas during the ballot.

No helicopter wild-animal carcass or live recovery for deer, chamois or tahr is allowed during the ballot period in the Wilderness Areas. If you see any of this happening, record as much information as possible including helicopter registration (numbers and letters displayed on the machine) photos or video footage, and report this to the nearest DOC office as soon as possible so there can be an investigation.

More about Aerial Assisted Trophy Hunting.

Predator Control

It is your responsibility to check current online pesticide summaries for the area/block you’re applying for and/or hunting.

ZIP and Predator Free South Westland project

Zero Invasive Predators (ZIP) is working to eliminate possums, rats and stoats from over 107,000 hectares in South Westland. The project area includes the Perth catchment within the Adams Wilderness Area.

ZIP's work will continue during the tahr ballot season. Activities mostly involve maintenance of field devices and are minimally intrusive, mostly along the Barlow and Perth Rivers. Helicopters are used for staff transport.

Affected hunting areas that overlap with ZIP work areas include:

ZIP has no aerial 1080 operations currently planned during the ballot. However, ZIP has approval for highly localised 1080 use if rats are detected.

If needed, DOC will notify permit holders directly. Any treatment is likely to be below the bush line and focused near rivers. Alternative sites will not be offered to affected parties.

Find out more about the ZIP and Predator Free South Westland project.

Landsborough predator control

Why is predator control needed?

Predator control in the Landsborough Valley began in 1994 following evidence of significant impacts from predators on native bird populations. Since then, DOC has maintained trapping networks and undertaken aerial 1080 operations when rodent numbers increase. These efforts have delivered substantial benefits for native wildlife, including mohua/yellowhead populations, with the Landsborough Valley now supporting one of the strongest mohua populations in New Zealand.

A significant beech mast event occurred across many New Zealand forests during 2025/26, including the Landsborough Valley. These events cause rapid increases in rodent numbers, followed by increases in stoat populations, creating heightened pressure on native birds and pekapeka/long-tailed bats.

DOC completed a pre-mast aerial 1080 operation in November 2025. Following the operation, rat tracking fell to 0% and mouse tracking to 0.9%. Rodent numbers have since increased, with October 2026 monitoring recording rat tracking at 5.5% and mouse tracking at 52.9%.

Based on these trends, an increase in stoat numbers is expected, making predator control in May 2027 important for protecting mohua, pekapeka and other native species.

Timing of the operation and impact on hunting

DOC recognises the value hunters place on access to Landsborough ballot sites and the important role hunters play in managing tahr populations.

The timing of post-mast predator control is critical. Undertaking the operation too early can reduce effectiveness while seed remains widely available to rodents. Delaying the operation further into winter increases the risk of weather and snow disrupting delivery and reducing protection before the 2027 bird breeding season.

When selecting the operating window, DOC considered both the tahr ballot and other hunting opportunities. The proposed timing allows the first tahr ballot period to proceed at affected Landsborough sites while avoiding the South Westland roar ballot period.

Alternative timings were assessed but did not provide the same balance of effective predator control, suitable operating conditions, and retained hunting opportunity.

Available evidence indicates that aerial 1080 operations do not have a material population-level effect on tahr. Recreational hunters will continue to play an important role in managing tahr impacts in future seasons.

Kea and kea survey

The designated tahr helicopter landing sites and campsites fall within the kea’s natural alpine habitat, the mischievous and inquisitive nature of the birds often draws them into campsites, sometimes leading to tent or gear damage.

Keep your excess gear stowed away and the campsite clean. In extreme cases tents may have to be packed up and securely stored daily while you’re away from camp to prevent damage.

DOC, the Kea Conservation Trust and NZ Tahr Foundation are working together to measure trends in kea numbers across the country and into the future. As you board your helicopter you will be provided with a Tahr Information Pack, which includes a Kea survey.

You can choose to fill this out whilst you’re onsite or you can download a form after your trip: Kea survey (PPTX, 57K)

Email it to haasthuntingballot@doc.govt.nz.

Safety is your responsibility

Terrain and weather

Check the specific hunting blocks webpage to find out specific terrain conditions.

Communications

Good communication devices are essential to keep you safe if something goes wrong. We recommend taking:

satellite phones
personal locator beacons

Why you should take a communication device.

2028 ballot

Information for the 2028 ballot will be available online from August 2027.

Contact

Send correspondence for the tahr ballot to haasthuntingballot@doc.govt.nz.

Previous tahr ballot information

See the tahr ballot overview for information on last year's tahr ballot, including the most popular sites applied for.

Tahr ballot overview 2024-25 (XLSX, 17K)