New Zealand Executive Government News Release Archive

The Minister of Conservation, Denis Marshall, has approved the Kaimanawa Wild Horses Plan.

"The plan strikes a good compromise between the protection of important conservation values and sustaining a viable wild horse herd," he said.

The plan aims to ensure the future of the horse herd, that their welfare is taken into account and that their impacts on natural features are kept to a minimum.

In the northern sector of the current horse range, nationally important conservation values will be protected by removing the horses, while a herd of about 500 horses will remain in the southern range.

"Reducing horse numbers is also essential this winter to prevent those remaining from starving to death. The onset of winter is already slowing plant growth in the area, and the anticipated feed shortage will lead to many deaths."

"The RNZSPCA has already written to me, urging me to allow the horses to be culled, so the horses don't go hungry."

If a suitable site is found a second herd of at least 300 horses will be established to provide an alternative means of retaining the herd.

After three years, the sustainability of both herds will be assessed and the herd that best meets the goals of the plan will be retained. If the herd is to remain on Army land then the Army will take over the herds management.

"This will be an improvement on current management as the Army will be able to incorporate the day-to-day management of the horses into their other land use decisions, such as weed and pest control," Mr Marshall said.

Research will continue into both the ongoing management of the herd, the environmental impacts the horses have in the southern area and the benefits of removing horses from the northern area. This will include the current fertility management work being carried out by Massey University.

To ensure that the horses are treated humanely, the plan contains a set of criteria that must be satisfied before any management method is chosen.

The plan was developed with the help of a working group consisting of representatives from the RNZSPCA, the Kaimanawa Wild Horse Preservation Society, Forest and Bird, the Rangitikei-Hawkes Bay Conservation Board and the Department of Conservation. The International League for the Protection of Horses withdrew from the process at a very early stage.

Attached: 1. Executive Summary from Plan. 2. Background information on Plan.

Executive Summary of Wild Horses Plan.

The Kaimanawa Wild Horse Working Party concluded there are four aspects to resolving the conflicts surrounding management of the Kaimanawa wild horses.

They are:

1. Eliminating the impacts of the horses on important conservation values,
2. Ensuring all treatment of the horses is humane,
3. Establishing ways to preserve and control the horse herd long term to eliminate the negative and retain the positive values they have,
4. Deciding who is best to carry out long term management.

Many of the recommendations proposed relate to policy rather than practical applications of wild horse management. These recommendations therefore require follow up work before they can be implemented.

1. Eliminating the Impacts of the Horses on Important Conservation Values

A need to remove all the horses from parts of the district and management problems in other areas have led the working party to propose a zero density area covering about 70% of the current range.

A relocation of 300 horses to an area outside the current range has been proposed to see if a relocated herd retains the intrinsic values currently associated with the wild herd.

Further research is needed to determine if a reduced herd can coexist within the modified red tussock ecosystem in the south of the range. The majority of the horses are found in the Argo zone. It is in this area that a herd of approximately 500 horses will be left and managed while research is undertaken to determine if and at what density their impacts are minor or acceptable on the ecological values in the zone.

This plan allows three years from implementation to complete the research. The Department of Conservation will be responsible for controlling population growth of the herd and for monitoring the outcomes.

A review is proposed three years from implementation, to analyse all aspects of relocation and in situ management, to decide which option to pursue.

2. Ensuring all Treatment of Kaimanawa Wild Horses is Humane

The working party reviewed various techniques for managing the horses (pages 63-67). Rather than advising on methods of implementing each part of this plan, the working party developed criteria for all handling and culling of the horses, to ensure their treatment is humane.

3. Mechanisms for Preservation and Control of the Herd

The herd retained in the Argo zone will continue to be subject to immunocontraception research being undertaken by Massey University, to determine if it's a feasible technique and to develop its use to control horse reproduction. Until immunocontraception is able to be applied to management of the whole herd, annual (or biennial) culling operations will be necessary to maintain a stable population. Humane treatment criteria (Appendix V) must be satisfied at all times. A Kaimanawa Wild Horse Trust will be established and agreements/contracts will be negotiated with the army and the Trust which will bind possible future managers to act in accordance with the objectives of this plan.

4. Who will Manage the Herd in the Future?

The working party recommends the removal of the protected area for the Kaimanawa wild horses as it is no longer serving its intended purpose and is a restrictive management tool.

If the Kaimanawa Wild Horses are Retained on Army Land

It is recommended that a management contract or agreement between the army as land manager and the Minister of Conservation be established. This will define the role and responsibilities of the parties bound by it. It will replace the Schedule IV listing and act as security for the horses, as it will be an agreement to manage the horses in accordance with the objectives of this plan. The Department of Conservation will conduct reviews of the effectiveness of management and will also be able to review the terms of the contract/agreement.

The army would be responsible for the management and preservation of the horses.

A Kaimanawa Wild Horse Trust will be set up so that the public can continue to have a role in the preservation of the herd. The Department would consult with the Trust during any review of the effectiveness of army management of the herd.

It is envisaged that the Trust's role in this relationship would be an advisory one, in which representatives of an interested/concerned public are kept informed on management of the horses and on their welfare, and in turn are available to provide help and/or guidance when the army requests it.

If the Kaimanawa Wild Horses are Relocated to a New Site

It is envisaged that if the horses are relocated to non-army land, then the Kaimanawa Wild Horse Trust will take over responsibility for their management and preservation. To provide security for the herd, a contract/agreement between the Kaimanawa Wild Horse Trust and DOC, similar to that with the army, can be established. Secure leases will be needed from the landowner of any new site, (if the Trust does not own it).

A Future for the Kaimanawa Horses.

The Government has approved a plan for the future management of the Kaimanawa wild horses. The herd roams over an area of mostly Army land, southeast of Tongariro National Park. In the future the plan envisages a managed herd of about 500 horses retained in as wild a state as possible.

Why the need for management?

The herd is now 10 times bigger than it was 15 years ago and numbers about 1800. It is taking a toll on the environment. Much of the area where the horses live has not been farmed for decades nor converted to pasture, so it has a lot of native plants and plant communities that have been lost elsewhere. The area is also geologically and climatically unusual. As a result many special plants are found there, including at least 11 species of plant that nationally have a rare, vulnerable, critical or endangered status. A further 10 are found nowhere else in the North Island. The tenth was discovered early this year and others might yet be waiting to be found.

What does the Plan say?

Over the next two years the plan is to remove all the horses from the northern area of the current range, where most of the special plants are. Five hundred will be kept in the southern area while research over the next three years finds out if such a number can live in harmony with the environment there. As well, a herd of 300 may be located if a suitable site can be found nearby. Ultimately, either the southern area or the relocation site will be chosen as the best long term option for both the horses and the environment.

Why only 500?

The working party took advice from geneticists who say that, because the herd is not a distinct breed, 300 horses are enough to ensure the sustainability of their genetic material. A limit of 500 horse was chosen to avoid the risk of damage to the environment.

What about the others?

They will be removed by whichever methods are deemed humane. The plan requires that horse welfare issues remain paramount and that principles of humaneness are adhered to. Methos may include shooting and/or mustering for sale, with unsold horse going to the abattoir.

Are contraception, relocation or fencing options?

The immunocontraception trials are continuing but the plants need to be protected now and a model for long term population control won't be ready for a while yet.

Relocation doesn't solve the major problem of the horse herd getting too big and the need to find an area to take them.

Fencing is impractical. Fencing the area would be the equivalent to DoC's national annual fencing programme. Fencing would restrict the effectiveness of Army training. Fences need to be regularly maintained and fences themselves can pose a danger to horses. It also doesn't answer the problem of an ever growing herd.

Will the horses be protected and free?

They will have the same protection as other animals under the Animals Protection Act. It is proposed to set up a Kaimanawa Wild Horse Trust to oversee the health and welfare of the herd. The Army restricts access to its land, so is able to prevent unauthorised interference with the herd.

The main aim of the plan is to keep some horses as wild and free as possible to retain their intrinsic value and special place in the hearts of many New Zealanders.

Are they genetically special?

Research by Kentucky University in America, assisted by Massey University geneticists, has shown that the horses are not genetically significant. They are most like the Thoroughbred breed but are mixed breed horses with diverse genetic influences.

Who will manage the herd?

The Department of Conservation will continue to manage the horse while research continues. If the horses ultimately remain on Army land, the Army will manage them with advice from the department, which will consult with the Kaimanawa Wild Horse Trust. The Army already has a land management plan and aims to protect the special plant areas. It is controlling weeds and pests, including Pinus contorta and rabbits. The Trust will manage the horses if they don't remain on Crown land.

Who developed the plan?

The working party that developed the draft plan had representatives from the Kaimanawa Wild Horse Preservation Society, the RNZSPCA, Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society, Rangitikei/Hawkes Bay Conservation Board, and the Department of Conservation. Public submissions were sought and about 4,800 people contributed to submissions.

Can the public have a say in the future?

The plan proposes the setting up of a Kaimanawa Wild Horse Trust, which would provide advice to the Department of Conservation and may become involved in management. Such a trust would require public support.

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