An odd response..

just a slight correction the Motu would have been run from Opotiki Area Office-and their Regional Office was Rotorua ( also for Gisborne Wairoa Murupara Tauranga and more ) but an ill informed lazy awnser from Opotiki Office - sorry to be a pedantic prick - DOC just do not have a good history with Recreational hunters period- with a few exceptions - I once called into Ohakune Office for a permit asked about some local Reserves down Ruatiti way was told by an older hatchet faced woman : we dont have that sort of information " her whole demeanour was off just could not be bothered - how about I will just ask a colleague in the Office - I then told her I was with DOC and at our office we make an effort to give out information - she just stared at me

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Originally Posted by gimp

Which office?

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Rotorua and surrounds

I once spent about half an hour on the phone being passed around 3 DOC offices trying to get a permit for a conservation area. Each denying that was on their patch. Suspect it was probably a goto deer spot for the closest office. Gave up in the end.

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Originally Posted by Ned

I once spent about half an hour on the phone being passed around 3 DOC offices trying to get a permit for a conservation area. Each denying that was on their patch. Suspect it was probably a goto deer spot for the closest office. Gave up in the end.

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hope that the new DOC system gives you better service - it is who you get in the local office as to how good a service you get - Ned you got the wrong staff simple as that- but Ned you are so wrong in saying that it was probably a go to deer spot for the closest office - only one or two in that office could care less - might be one hunter in that office - no DOC need a damn good boot up the arse and start to deliver a service to recreational hunters - hopefully our new Minister for hunting can change things

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Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

with contract hunters the normal method these days likely most DOC offices wont be holding any ammo supply's - when I was running culling operations I would have had at least 5.000 rounds of .222 in store but no we never gave it out - just would not have been allowed to

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Different rules for Different areas i assume Barry, when I was at school doc couldn't pay me for culling but they certainly gave me a shit load of ammo !

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I had reason to contact DoC in Hawks Bay a year or two ago, I had a picture of an insect I was unsure of and just sent it randomly to their office enquires address.
TBH the response was exceptional, my email was forwarded to a number of different departments, always CCing me in as they tried to find the right entomological expert and addressing me by name in the email chain.

In the end it was a type of native wasp of the non stinging variety but everyone agreed it was a huge bugger.

So yeah, they are not all like @AlwaysLearning 's experience

Wanting to comply with the rules and regs, I rang the ChCh DoC office for a small game permit, and a gamebird/canada goose permit for a couple of the local catchments. "Well, where do you want to shoot?" I replied that I wanted to comply, and at times go for a walk with the shotgun for birds, and maybe sometimes a 22 for rabbits, in 2 of the local riverbeds "But yeah, where do you wanta shoot?" I said there was no particular area as we walk quite some distance at times so would like a permit to allow us to hunt rabbits and birds in those catchments. "Well we dont administer those riverbeds" "Yes you do administer a number of green marked areas. When I look at the maps online there is a number of smaller areas marked as PCL that have either water for birds, or good looking area for rabbits" "Well name them" This sort of shit went on and on for about 15 minutes, the guy was either a complete fuckwit, or wasnt interested in the slightest with dealing with a hunter. In the end after 20+ minutes of my life I will never get back I told him ever so politely not to worry about it, I would just go hunting anyway permit or no permit. And then I hung up on said fuckwit.

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Originally Posted by BRADS

Different rules for Different areas i assume Barry, when I was at school doc couldn't pay me for culling but they certainly gave me a shit load of ammo !

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yes days gone by likely get away with that lot more budget

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Originally Posted by imaca

I had reason to contact DoC in Hawks Bay a year or two ago, I had a picture of an insect I was unsure of and just sent it randomly to their office enquires address.
TBH the response was exceptional, my email was forwarded to a number of different departments, always CCing me in as they tried to find the right entomological expert and addressing me by name in the email chain.

In the end it was a type of native wasp of the non stinging variety but everyone agreed it was a huge bugger.

So yeah, they are not all like @AlwaysLearning 's experience

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yes but you were dealing with the we save birds woke variety - that type cant be bothered with a hairy non descript ugly recreational hunter --- big no huge differnce

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Originally Posted by imaca

I had reason to contact DoC in Hawks Bay a year or two ago, I had a picture of an insect I was unsure of and just sent it randomly to their office enquires address...

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Yeah, insects they'll turn themselves inside out for. The whereabouts of 4 legged food type animals are of far far less interest to them.

In the late 1990's I almost trod on an enormous skink when moving a rock. About a foot long type thing.Mentioned it in passing to a DoC type a few months later and he almost started frothing at the mouth..."Where where where!!!!" sort of stuff. I said 'bugger off'. You'll just close the area and make it hard for us to get in there in future."
I neglected to tell him I was moving the rock so I could get my XR250 over the rock lip that was preventing me getting the bike all the way to the Rangitikei river:o

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Originally Posted by XR500

Yeah, insects they'll turn themselves inside out for. The whereabouts of 4 legged food type animals are of far far less interest to them.

In the late 1990's I almost trod on an enormous skink when moving a rock. About a foot long type thing.Mentioned it in passing to a DoC type a few months later and he almost started frothing at the mouth..."Where where where!!!!" sort of stuff. I said 'bugger off'. You'll just close the area and make it hard for us to get in there in future."
I neglected to tell him I was moving the rock so I could get my XR250 over the rock lip that was preventing me getting the bike all the way to the Rangitikei river:o

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Funny that - I had the same sort of thing happen as well. Was hunting a nice little gully, had a good idea there were some deer in the matagouri below us so started to tip over a rock to send down the hill to spook them out. Good thing I was looking cos under that rock was a cool looking lizard about 30cm long, all pinkish on the upper and a bit darker red on the underneath. Carefully replaced rock and looked for another. Well bugger me, there was another under that one as well, about 20cm long, pinkish on top and kinda red crimson on the bottom. Some time later I asked a DoC fella about lizards, big lizards, pinkish lizards. Turns out theyre kinda rare, and very special and must be DoC thing cos he was frothing too. Of course he's badgered me about it time and again to let him know the location. But I figured those lizards had been in that area for yonks, maybe forever, and very few people know about them. They have survived and continue to do so. I dont roll rocks down the hill in that area anymore though.

A Ways Back-

1980 had to apply for a permit, to hunt an area SF42 the permit was for 7 days. Given some advise about a dangerous gully river system (later took the lives of a School group) also be aware there is an outdoor pursuits complex in the area. Given some info about deer numbers lately.

Group of 3 froze our asses off mid winter, but we new no one else was in the area legally hunting, plus much info for everyone’s safety was brilliant. Took a deer each, took much joy from easily scoring a table at the trendy busy nearby, Chateau ski field bar, we must have reeked, swandrys and all.

Anyway trying to point out, and have mentioned to a senior DOC staff member, another Woody of the same intake, I’m not impressed with this open permit situation.

The way it was done back then was brilliant, they knew who was in a certain area. Replied to the Ranger Station about our week, it just added into more info, which benefited all.

DoC don't have the resources to be managing who's entering an area at the mo - they are actively looking at what roles to be shed and what can be cut to meet budget. Allocations meetings from what I hear might as well be a "what do we save and what do we not" meeting - they can't do everything with the funding and people resources they have on tap. Sad times...

Try getting a permit to set a couple of traps to get a stoat I saw in an area with rare birds when hunting. The guy I spoke to is constrained by bureaucracy and the HSW Act.
I don't even want to set them on an official track but the risk that a member of the public will see the trap, stick their hand down the tunnel and hurt their hand must be militated against.
He at least is trying to find a way to make it legal, so kudos to him.


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Without defending the bullshittery of it all I've known quite a few DoC workers, some rangers, some office folks, and boy do they ever deal with some shitty bureaucracy.

DoC just has way way too much that it's responsible for, with an extremely measly budget. And then they use that budget for pretty silly things while people feel very job-insecure.
It means the staff are often strung out or stressed. Not to mention each regional office can have it's own odd internal culture.

All to say, some of these folks are right, I think you spoke to the wrong person, and maybe the right person isn't there at every office.

A lotta good people in DoC. But I've seen quite a few get burnt out and fed up feeling pretty ineffective.