2025 FOCUS
- Remeasure seedling ratio and faecal pellet indices (SRI/FPI) in the Rangitikei Remote Experience Zone (REZ_MU) to gauge the response in the habitat to management efforts.
- Maintain the downward pressure on the reproductive output of the herd in the Rangitikei Remote Experience Zone (REZ_MU), with a hind focused thermal assisted aerial operation in November.
- Establish a baseline SRI/FPI in the neighbouring Waipakihi management unit (WPK_MU).
- Survey the true left Waipakihi mountain beech “die back” and mixed silver/red/mountain beech habitat types in the core of the Kaweka north management unit, to understand current deer densities and locations.
REZ SRI/FPI remeasure
In Feb 2025, the REZ received its first remeasure since the baseline (2023). With ~1100 deer removed between measurements preliminary analysis shows a ~ 49% increase in seedling presence in the short tier (0-30cm) for mountain beech with little to no browse now recorded on mountain beech in the browse tier (0.15m – 2m).
With only two years between measurements maintaining management efforts and continuing to monitor to ensuring seedlings flow into the tall tier is essential. The Sika Foundation is working with DOC to construct a more in-depth technical report.
Monitoring in action in the REZ
REZ Deer management
Due to the team observing a noticeable increase in proportion of juvenile’s being encountered in the initial stages of the November operations, the REZ was allocated an extra 10 hours (45 hours in total) of thermal assisted management. This enabled a thorough pass over the entire 16,000ha REZ with extra treatment in southern “die back” habitat resulting in the removal of 335 hinds, 79 yearlings, 7 stags accidently shot and 3 identified as hybrid or red stags.
Since 2022, 1513 deer have been removed from the REZ as a part of the SF ADM&R plan
Below: Two of 129 sika stags left (mid-November)
*note this number will be an overestimate as high activity areas were reworked.
Autopsy data from animals recovered from the operation confirmed high reproductive rates with all rising two-year-old (R2) hinds now also in fawn.
This change was reflected in the 2024 recreational hunter Jaw sample collected in the REZ, showing the average age of a sika hind harvested in the REZ is now 3.1 years old (down from 6,6 five years ago). Although hunters are now encountering less deer, a higher proportion of young naive animals are available (and easier) to harvest.
Dr Graham Nugent (a leading NZ deer ecologist – now retired)
autopsying a sika hind harvest in the REZ during the 2025 SRI/FPI re measure
Waipakihi (WPK_MU)
The Waipakihi management unit is 10,129Ha encompassing the Waipakihi river catchment with the REZ to the southeast and Umakarikari and Urchin tops to the northwest. With private land boundaries both to the south and northeast.
The habitat through this MU is mixed red/silver beech on the true right and predominantly mountain beech in the head of the valley and true left. Similar to the southern REZ, there are large areas of Mountain Beech die back present (on the true left south of Thunderbolt Creek).
These “die back” sites are now fully collapsed and can become highly favourable sites for sika deer as increased sunlight/rotting vegetation creates further nutrients and cover. Managing sika deer and monitoring forest trajectory and these sites is critical to ensure canopy replacement occurs. In March 2025 baseline SRI/FPI was collected and will be analysed for this MU to understand more about habitat condition.
WPK Survey:
In late November a survey was conducted in the true left mountain beech habitat to understand densities and locations of deer through the “die back” habitat. Higher densities were detected through the “die back” habitat. The Sika Foundation encourages hunters to target hinds in these areas. Heat map can be downloaded here: Deer Management Operations Hot Spots
Waipakihi survey
Recreational hunter with a poor-quality 7-year-old sika stag
2024 harvest in “die back” habitat Parakakariki area
Waipakahi Mountain Beech die back 2018 Parakakariki area.
A sika stag on the thunderbolt range, detected during the survey
Kaweka North (KWN_MU)
The Kaweka north MU is 22,984 Ha of mixed beech, alpine and tussock habitats from Maungaorangi to the northern Kaweka main range. Previous deer management operations associated with the Kaweka Mountain Beech Project that ran from 1998 to 2016 (in the core of this MU) have ceased. Since then, poor herd health indicators have increasingly been observed with also little mountain beech seedling/sapling presence being documented in the 2024 seedling ratio index monitoring.
Wildlife biologist and Sika Foundation Secretary Cam Speedy with a tiny 1+yo sika hind
in very light condition. Te Puke Exclosure area, Feb 2023.
KWN Survey
In late November, a survey was also conducted in the Mangatainoka (lower altitude mixed beech) and Te Puke/Waimatai habitats (predominantly mountain beech) areas to understand thermal assisted technology capability and deer densities in the two main habitat types in the core of this MU. Heat map can be downloaded here: Deer Management Operations Hot Spots.
The Mangatainoka sample detected 9.91 deer per km2 and the higher altitude Te Puke/Waimatai sample detected 16.4 deer per km2. Mountain beech will only regenerate following natural canopy collapse at half the density (~6-8 deer per km2), highlighting the current over abundance and need for management in the core of the MU.
Useful links and more info:
– Adaptive Deer Management & Research Plan Kaimanawa & Kaweka 2022 – 2025
– ADM&R Frequently Asked Questions
– ADM&R plan – 2024 REPORT
– ADM&R plan – 2023 REPORT
– ADM&R plan – 2022 REPORT