19-E-0160
docCM: 58943323
26 March 2019
G T Potaka
[FYI request #9818 email]>
Dear Mr Potaka
Thank you for your Official Information Act request to the Department of
Conservation, dated 10 March 2019. You have asked for the following:
“1) What is the current legal status of the Wild Kaimanawa Horse Herd?
2) If the Kaimanawa Wild Horse herd has no legal protection any more are they
able to be hunted on DOC lands?
3) What happened to the 37 horses (30 adults and 7 juveniles) documented in the
Northern Zone 2017 count?
4) Were these shot? If so was this carried out by DOC staff or were private
contractors engaged?
5) How many horses from the Kaimanawa herd were shot with DOC knowledge or
consent in - a) 2015, b) 2016, c) 2017 d) 2018
6) When was the latest Kaimanawa Wild Horse "count" carried out and what was
the official number recorded a) In Northern Zones and b) in Southern Zones?
7) Which specific areas or zones are the 16 plant species listed as endangered found?
(I request a map with detailed distribution of the affected plants)
8) What documented detrimental effects have other introduced animals (Hares,
Pigs, Deer) had on the endangered plant species and what interventions have been
employed to mitigate or eliminate these effects.
9) What studies and counts have been undertaken of deer and pigs in the same
areas as the Kaimanawa Wild Horses and the effects on the endangered plant
species? Please give numbers and dates.
10) Why are the annual counts not made public and why is the Kaimanawa Wild
Horse Management Plan not up to date?”
This letter is to advise you that we are extending the 20 working day period to
respond to your request, as allowed under section 15A(1) of the Official Information
Act 1982. We require an additional 10 working days to respond to your request. We
will send you a response no later than 19 April 2019 0r earlier if possible.
The extension of time is necessary as the consultations necessary to make a decision
on the request mean that a proper response to the request cannot reasonably be made
within the original time limit.
You have the right, under section 28(3) of the Official Information Act to make a
complaint to an Ombudsman about the extension.
If you wish to discuss this response to your request, please contact Dave Lumley,
Operations Manager on phone number
027 474 6332 or by email
[email address]
Yours sincerely,
Damian Coutts
Director Operations, Central North Island Region