Online mapping system helps Waikato hunters hit the mark   29 May 2015

Online mapping system helps Waikato hunters hit the mark

Planning a hunting trip in the Waikato just got easier following the introduction of new hunter access information on the free, nationwide Walking Access Mapping System.

The Waikato hunting access points have been made available as part of a collaboration between Fish & Game New Zealand and the New Zealand Walking Access Commission (NZWAC). The Walking Access Mapping System, online at www.wams.org.nz, has been developed by NZWAC to show publicly accessible land across New Zealand.

NZWAC Chief Executive Mark Neeson said the new hunting access information would make it easier for hunters to identify access points in the Waikato, reducing the potential for misunderstandings.

"This will help hunters in the Waikato to easily identify the best ways to access hunting spots in the region’s public forests and major wetland areas. By making this information more readily available, it will greatly reduce conflict caused by uncertainty over public access to the outdoors."

As well as being available on the Walking Access Mapping system, the hunting access point information can be accessed from maps on the Fish & Game website.

Fish & Game Waikato Region Manager Ben Wilson said the joint effort was another valuable step forward in making it easier for hunters to plan a hunt and work out the best access point.

“We move increasingly in an online and connected world and hunters are like us all – making more and more use of websites and online information.”

Information from NZWAC’s Walking Access Mapping System had been integrated into all the maps on Fish & Game’s 12 regional homepages to provide hunters and anglers with invaluable access information, he said.

“We look forward to working with NZWAC on future initiatives that can only benefit our licence holders.”

The Walking Access Mapping System includes topographic maps and aerial photography and identifies public access to the outdoors, including formed and unformed legal roads, marginal strips, conservation land, local government reserves, Crown land and other areas.

Other mapping information displayed on the Walking Access Mapping system includes tramping tracks, fishing access points, cycleways, mountain bike tracks, and Department of Conservation huts and campsites.

ENDS

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