New Zealand is demonstrating what can happen when governments, hunting organisations and charities work together rather than around each other.
The New Zealand Game Animal Council (NZGAC) – a statutory body established by legislation to represent and promote game animal hunting, has launched Hunt and Share, a coordinated initiative connecting hunters with communities in need.
Rather than relying on ad hoc arrangements, Hunt and Share provides a structured platform that links recreational hunting with food relief organisations and game meat recovery partners.
Importantly, the initiative is backed by partnerships that give the concept real scale and credibility. Hunt and Share works alongside the Wild Game Recovery Trust, helping facilitate the collection and processing of wild game, while major charities including the Salvation Army are actively involved in getting healthy protein to people who need it.
This matters because wild venison is not a waste product. It is premium, lean, iron-rich protein and one of the highest quality wild food resources available. At a time when families are struggling with cost-of-living pressures, and charities are facing increasing demand, it makes little sense for valuable food to be unnecessarily lost through regulatory barriers.
It is a practical example of sustainable use in action: managing wildlife, reducing waste and delivering a community benefit at the same time.
Earlier this year SSAA Victoria staff spent time with leaders from the New Zealand Game Animal Council and saw firsthand the work being undertaken across the Tasman.
The similarities with long-standing proposals in Victoria are obvious.
For years, SSAA Victoria has advocated for a Hunters for the Hungry model and reforms that would create a practical pathway for recreationally harvested wild venison to enter charitable food programs. The organisation has worked with partners including leading food charities and has consistently argued that sensible regulatory reform could unlock major social benefits.
Victoria already has the hunters.
Victoria already has the wildlife management challenges.
Victoria already has the charities.
What is needed now is a framework and political will.
New Zealand has shown this is not a fringe concept or a thought bubble. It is happening now, supported by a statutory authority, charitable organisations and practical delivery partners.
Premium food should not be wasted when it can help people and communities.
The opportunity exists here too.
