High numbers make for quacker opening
With higher than average duck numbers this year, shooters across the country are looking at a bumper opening season this weekend.
However, licensing issues due to processing delays by police could affect “thousands” of shooters, the Act Party claims.
Police Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming accepted the delays were frustrating and unacceptable but a move to modernise its processes had meant “new systems, forms, and training for our staff, and more quality assurance processes”.
Duck hunting season kicks off on Saturday and experts say a combination of the weather and duck population has set it up as a big weekend.
Fish & Game NZ spokesman Richard Cosgrove said there was a buzz just in the fact that the season was able to kick off as normal, with it being delayed for most regions last year due to Covid-19.
There was not only an increase in duck numbers but also gun licences which were up between 10 to 15 per cent compared to 2019 nationally.
“The population trend counts that I’ve seen, numbers are up about 10 per cent in places like Otago, Taranaki a bit of Canterbury.”
He put that down to a good breeding season; which saw good amounts of consistent rainfall in key areas over summer.
He also knew there was concern from duck shooters about the delays by police in processing their licences.
“There’s delays with police and the relicensing department so we’re obviously concerned if people haven’t been aware of that.
“A stat I saw the other day; about 40 per cent of firearm licence owners were only putting in for relicensing just before it expired, like the day, or a month before, but police are saying you should be putting aside four to six months for relicensing.
“The numbers concern us but we haven’t able to quantify how much of an impact that has been so we’re just telling people to check.”
If they were busted, it would put an end to their season, he said.
“We don’t want someone to be caught out and have their duck hunting interrupted because they can’t legally possess their firearms because their licence has lapsed . . . we want people to be able to participate.”
Fish & Game and police did joint ranging duties in many key duck
shooting areas and Cosgrove said he just wanted duck shooters to avoid any “uncomfortable discussions”.
Act’s Fair Firearms Law Reform spokeswoman Nicole McKee said “thousands” could be affected by the “unacceptable delays in processing firearms licensing applications”.
“Figures obtained by Act show thousands of people are waiting months for both new applications and licence renewals.
“Police have said the most helpful thing to do is apply four months in advance, but the figures we obtained show almost 5000 applications have taken longer than six months and 1382 have taken 12 months or longer.”
McSkimming said its new processes, coupled with the impacts of Covid, and demand for licences, had led to the delays in processing.
“We appreciate people’s patience and want to assure applicants we are working on solutions to reduce the pipeline of applications.”