Staff from DOC’s Te Kuiti office, which manages the Pureora Forest Hunting Competition red deer hunting event, opted to cancel the month-long competition on Tuesday, March 17 given the rapidly evolving situation with the COVID-19 virus and New Zealand’s response to it.
The competition’s prizegiving, scheduled for April 19, was expected to have drawn a large crowd of hunters, their families and interested observers, and was considered the main area of concern for DOC staff managing the event and the competition.
Hunters with permits for the Pureora Forest Park can continue to hunting and are urged to take the usual precautions for any hunting forest activities.
