The Department of Conservation (DoC) has referred the case of two men who shot four takahe on Motutapu Island to the police.

Photo: 123RF / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-3.0

The birds were shot in August during a pukeko culling operation involving local members of the New Zealand Deerstalkers' Association.

The two men were both experienced hunters, who had been well briefed to identify their targets and only shoot flying birds, DoC said.

DoC's deputy director-general of operations, Mike Slater, said a detailed forensic examination, including analysis of pellets found in the birds, confirmed the shots came from the men.

Mr Slater said by failing to identify their targets, the pair had breached the firearms code, and it was now for police to decide if they should be allowed to keep their firearms licences.

The department, however, stopped short of asking the police to look at charging the two volunteers.

As a result of the incident, DoC has developed new national guidelines for future culling operations, Mr Slater said.

Report into shooting released

The department's comments followed the release of its report into the takahe shooting incident.

The cull was not the first to take place on the island. Previous culls in 2012 and 2013, both carried out by the New Zealand Deerstalkers' Association, killed 770 pukeko without incident.

This year's hunt took place from 12 to 14 August and included cullers, selected by the association, who ranged in age from 56-79. Some had taken part in previous culls, others hadn't.

The report found this year's briefing was more detailed than in previous years, and included the difference between the two birds' appearance and habits.

"The indications are that there was a thorough briefing of the cullers with regard to identifying the takahe, and to confirm the purpose and rules of the cull," it said.

"Throughout the organisation of the hunt there had been persistent messaging that pukeko were only to be shot on the wing."

It said the idea any birds would be shot while they were on the ground was not seen as a possibility.

"It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the takahe deaths were caused by someone not following the instructions to only shoot on the wing and also failing to identify their target."

Shooter 'absolutely shocked at the situation'

Deerstalkers' Association national president Bill O'Leary said it was unlikely those responsible could be charged.

"Under the Conservation Act, for an offence to be committed, there would have to be a clear intention to commit that offence - and there's absolutely no intention that these birds were shot."

Mr O'Leary said the takahe might have been mistaken for injured pukeko.

"Pukekos would have been shot on the wing if they were flying. When a bird is shot on the wing, it's not necessarily killed outright, and becomes a wounded bird on the ground.

"And the probability is - and this is from me, talking from a great distance - that a mistake was made in shooting a bird which was assumed to be a wounded pukeko," he said.

Mr O'Leary said he had spoken to one of the men on the phone.

"[He's] absolutely shocked at the situation, distressed. Two people who have been promoting safe shooting for many, many years and now they've ended up in a situation where they're alleged to have done something that breaks one of the fundamental rules."

Are there other options?

Meanwhile, the trust responsible for managing Motutapu Island is calling for changes to the way pukeho are culled.

Motutapu Restoration Trust chairman Brett Butland said he would be happy to have the Deerstalkers' Association back on the island in time, but changes have to be made.

"If pukeko could be controlled in a way that didn't require shooting, that would be preferential. We could look at trapping, whether that's going to be effective or not we don't know, but I think there's still quite a bit of work in that space," he said.

Mr Butland said pukeko numbers should be maintained at comfortable levels but also needed to kept at levels where they could not do damage to young native plants and seedlings.

"Pukeko pull out young seedlings that we have planted ... We've had many, many situations where we'll plant up to 1000 seedlings a day, and by the end of the afternoon, when we come back, pukeko have moved through and there could be 20 percent that have been pulled out."

He said the pukeko pulled out the seedlings for fun.