About this hunting block

There are seven areas in Northland where game bird hunting is allowed with a permit.

Karikari Peninsula

Karikari Conservation Area

160 ha area on the Karikari Peninsula offering lake edge waterfowl shooting opportunities. The site is locally known as Waimango. 

Access details

Lake Rotokawau Marginal Strip

34 ha area on the Karikari Peninsula, adjacent to the Karikari Conservation Area. The area offers waterfowl shooting opportunities. 

Access details

Lake Ohia Conservation Area

495 ha on the Karikari Peninsula. A seasonally flooded wetland offering waterfowl and some pheasant shooting opportunities. Note: the hunting area is on the west side of Inland Road.

Access is off Inland Road and Lake Ohia Road.

Te Putaaraukai Channel Marginal Strip

25 ha marginal strip on the eastern side of Rangaunu Harbour. Offers waterfowl hunting opportunities.

Other Northland areas

Waitangi Wetland Conservation Area

80 ha area east of Kerikeri township offering waterfowl hunting opportunities.

Access is off Edmonds Road on a shared driveway. Please be considerate.

Wairua River Government Purpose Wildlife Management Reserve

157 ha northeast of Whangārei, the area offers both upland and waterfowl opportunities throughout the season. 

Access is off Swamp Road and crosses private farmland. Be respectful and close gates.

Manganui River Government Purpose Wildlife Management Reserve

214 ha area east of Dargaville. The area can offer good waterfowl hunting opportunities, especially in flood conditions.

Access is off Mititai Road near Manganui River bridge. The reserve is on the north side of the road and is not signposted.

Permit

To hunt game birds in Northland you need a game bird permit from DOC and you'll also need a Fish & Game gamebird licence.

Apply

You can apply for a DOC Northland game hunting permit online. 

Northland DOC game bird hunting permits are valid for the game bird season. Hunting for Canada geese on public conservation land in Northland is also restricted to the game bird season. Fish & Game New Zealand set the game bird season dates. 

Special conditions

• Access onto Peat Bogs is prohibited.
• The permit holder can use up to 3 dogs for the purpose of hunting game birds and must be kept under strict control at all times.
• This permit does not entitle the holder access to Fish & Game Council owned land. A separate permit for these areas can be obtained from Northland Fish & Game fishandgame.org.nz.
• Wairua River Government Purpose Wildlife Management Reserve is a Kiwi area – Kiwi aversion training recommended.
• Waitangi Wetlands is a Kiwi area – Kiwi aversion training recommended.
• Waitangi Wetlands access is by shared driveway – please be considerate of others.
• Vertebrate pesticides may have been used in these areas. Check the DOC Pesticide summary for more information. Check for warning signs at the entry to the reserve and follow the rules.

Access

Access to Karikari Conservation Area and Lake Rotokawau Marginal Strip and Lake is through Pāmu Landcorp Farms. Permission and farm induction are required. 

Contact John Macpherson from Fish & Game on +64 21 858 423 to get the contact details.

Dogs

The Northland game bird permit authorises the holder to take up to 3 dogs for the purpose of game bird hunting on to the specified public conservation land during the game bird season. All dogs must be under the strict control.