Wildlife Act 1953 is an Act of Parliament in New Zealand. Under the act, the majority of native New Zealand vertebrate species are protected by law, and may not be hunted, killed, eaten or possessed. Violations may be punished with fines of up to $100,000. Wildlife are classified under a number of schedules; all vertebrate species not included in these lists are protected by default. The schedules are occasionally amended; for example the kea was granted full protection in 1984, whereas the spur-winged plover, an Australian species which naturally established itself in New Zealand in the 1930s, had its protected status removed in 2012. The Act also provides for wildlife sanctuaries, refuges and management reserves.
This group comprises commonly hunted waterfowl and introduced game birds, including pheasant, quail, chukar and partridge. These birds may be hunted during the open season, which begins in early May and lasts approximately four weeks.
Schedule 2 - Partially protected wildlife
This group comprises just the little owl, the silvereye and, on the Chatham Islands only, the brown skua. These birds may be shot by landowners if they pose a threat to crops or livestock, without any need for a permit from the Department of Conversation. This group formerly included the kea, which has been blamed for attacking sheep, but is now considered endangered.
Schedule 3 - Wildlife that may be hunted or killed subject to Minister's notification
This is a large group that includes many common domestic and introduced species, many of which are regarded as pests. It includes numerous land mammals and birds, three species of Australian Litoriatree frogs, the Australian rainbow skink and the North Americanred-eared slider turtle. The only species on this list that occur naturally in New Zealand are the southern black-backed gull and the spur-winged plover, both of which present a significant risk of bird strike.
Schedule 6 - Animals declared to be noxious animals subject to the Noxious Animals Act 1956
This group consists of the chamois, the Himalayan tahr, and all species of deer, goats, and pigs. All are considered harmful to New Zealand's native forests and may be hunted without restriction.
Schedule 7 - Terrestrial and freshwater invertebrates declared to be animals
Under the original legislation, the word "animal" referred only to land-based vertebrates. Schedule 7 was added to give protected status to a number of native invertebrates, most of them endangered. The species include two native grasshoppers, many species of beetle including the Cromwell chafer and the coxella weevil, all giant wētā, the katipō spider, the Nelson cave spider, and several kinds of native snails including all Powelliphanta and Placostylus.
Schedule 7A - Marine species declared to be animals
Similarly, this list gives protected status to a number of marine species, including some corals, several sharks, and two species of grouper.
