The Professional Hunting Guides Association is welcoming the High Court decision on DoC’s controversial tahr campaign.

The High Court in Wellington was asked on Wednesday by the Tahr Foundation for a judicial review of DoC’s plan to kill thousands of Himalayan Tahr in the Southern Alps.

In a decision released this afternoon, the court ruled in the Tahr Foundation’s favour over the lack of consultation with hunting groups.

Professional Hunting Guides Association president James Cagney says the decision is a huge relief.

“Allowing DoC to go ahead with its plan would have been a body blow for our industry and threatened hundreds of businesses and jobs which rely heavily on hunting tahr to survive,” Mr Cagney says.

“Tahr hunting pumps tens of millions of dollars into our remote rural communities every year and DoC was going to remove that much-needed income, just when we needed it most because of the Covid crisis.

“We are pleased common-sense has prevailed.”

James Cagney says what is needed now is to DoC to properly consult with the hunting sector.

“We have had enough of court cases. It would have been much easier for DoC to sit down with us in the first place and recreational hunters and agree on a workable plan to reduce tahr numbers and properly manage this unique herd,” he says.

“These animals are worth tens of millions of dollars to our economy and livelihoods and support small businesses and hundreds of individual jobs.

“It is not right for a government organisation to unthinkingly wipe out these jobs without any consideration. The South Island has already suffered enough from job losses this week with news of the Tiwai Smelter closure. We don’t need any more misery.”

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