Before you hunt
Hunting licence and permits in New Zealand
There is no general hunting licence for deer, pigs, goats, tahr or chamois. What you need is permission for the land you hunt on, a firearms licence if you use a firearm, and a licence from Fish & Game for game birds.
What you need, by what and where you hunt
| You want to | You need | From |
|---|---|---|
| Hunt deer, pigs, goats, tahr or chamois on conservation land | A hunting permit for that area | DOC, online |
| Hunt on private land, or cross it | The landowner’s permission | The owner |
| Hunt in a forestry company’s forest | That company’s permit | The company |
| Hunt a balloted or booked block (Molesworth, Haast, Stewart Island…) | A ballot draw or booking | See the ballots |
| Use a firearm | A firearms licence | Firearms Safety and Education NZ |
| Shoot ducks, geese, pheasant or quail | A game bird licence (and a DOC permit on DOC land) | Fish & Game |
| Shoot rabbits or hares on conservation land | A DOC small game permit | DOC |
Conservation land: a DOC hunting permit
“To hunt on any land in New Zealand requires the permission of the landowner. On public conservation land, this permission is obtained by getting a hunting permit from DOC.”Department of Conservation, Hunting permits and licences
DOC’s open hunting permit is applied for online, for the region you want to hunt. Some areas are restricted blocks with a ballot or booking instead; those are on our ballots page, with every date checked against DOC each day. The permit comes with conditions, such as where you may not fire near huts and tracks.
Apply for a DOC open hunting permit · DOC: permits and licences · Find conservation land on our map
Private land: the owner’s say-so
“You need to get permission from the landowner to cross private property to get to public conservation land if there is no public access.”Department of Conservation, Rules for hunting on public conservation land
Off conservation land, the permit is the owner’s permission. Our map shows property boundaries, and from any block you can write to the owner to ask, in a few minutes.
Forestry and other managed land
Plantation forests are private land, and many forestry companies issue their own hunting permits, often with an induction. These are the ones we track, each with how to apply quoted from the company’s own page:
- Ernslaw One forests Ernslaw One
- Kaingaroa and Rotoehu forests First Security
- Te Urewera Tūhoe
- City Forests — Waipori and Silverpeaks City Forests
- Tasman Pine Forests TPFL
- OneFortyOne forests OneFortyOne
- Rayonier Matariki Forests Matariki
- Aratu Forests Aratu
- Port Blakely forests Local clubs
- Greater Wellington parks and forests Greater Wellington
- Juken forests Clubs and iwi
Booked rather than permitted: Stewart Island/Rakiura hunting blocks.
Firearms licence
“If you are hunting with a firearm you need a valid firearms licence to get a hunting permit.”Department of Conservation, Hunting permits and licences
“You need a firearms licence to possess and use standard firearms, ammunition and specially dangerous airguns without supervision.”Firearms Safety and Education New Zealand
Game birds
“You need a game bird licence from Fish & Game New Zealand and a game bird hunting permit from DOC to hunt game birds on public conservation land.”Department of Conservation, Hunting permits and licences
Away from DOC land, the Fish & Game licence is what you need, with the landowner’s permission. Seasons, bag limits and the non-toxic shot rule are set region by region; our game bird guide explains how it works.
Rabbits and hares
“You need a small game hunting permit from DOC for the recreational hunting of small game on public conservation land. Small game includes hares and rabbits.”Department of Conservation, Hunting permits and licences
Also worth knowing
- Hunting with dogs on conservation land can need a separate DOC dog permit. DOC
- Taking a trophy home:
You may need CITES documentation to enter or leave New Zealand with your hunting trophy.
DOC - The seasons: when the roar is, and when ballots open and close, are on the hunting year.
Quotations read from DOC and Firearms Safety and Education New Zealand on 27 October 2026 and re-read every week. This is a guide, not legal advice: DOC, Fish & Game, FSE and the landowner have the last word.