Police have launched an investigation into hunters accessing several rural properties in Wairarapa.
In a public appeal for information yesterday, police released grainy footage of a pair of hunters on social media.
The post said police would like to speak to the men in “relation to hunting activity in Wairarapa”.
The blurry images depict two men in camouflage attire walking through scrub.
One man is holding a rifle, while the other appears to be carrying a dead animal on his back.
A police spokesperson said Wairarapa police were actively working with “several rural property owners” who had reported people accessing their properties.
Police declined to comment on whether the pair were being sought in relation to suspected poaching, and did not elaborate on where and when the footage was captured.
“In relation to this file, it is an active investigation, so police can’t comment on it further.”
Last year two Masterton men, father and son Daniel and Justin Mullen were convicted of unlawful hunting and fined $2000.
The charges related to unlawful hunting on a Tinui property during New Zealand’s first lockdown.
Earlier this year, the Times-Age reported on illegal hunting activity in Mataikona.
Okau Station hunting operator Boyd Vermeer said the family-owned farm was a regular target for poachers until cameras were installed, after which “the problem pretty much dropped overnight”.
He said previous reports to police had failed to catch unlawful hunters.
“You basically have to sit up in the bush 365 nights a year.
“It’s a real hard thing to catch.”
In yesterday’s public appeal, police urged anyone with information about the pair to come forward.
“If this is you, or you know who they are, please call 105 and quote file number 220929/1005.”
Police hunt hunters in appeal to public
