The Hunters, the Hounds, and the Deep Bush

At first light, the bush is already moving. The dogs are twenty metres ahead — you cannot see them but you can hear them: the crack of undergrowth, the rustle of ferns, then a change in the sound that the experienced hunter reads instantly. The dogs have found something. They are working toward it. In a few minutes you will know if they have found a pig or a scent trail going cold. The dogs are doing something they have been bred to do for a century in this country — hunting in terrain that no other animal, and no technology, navigates as effectively.

The New Zealand Pig Hunting Association (NZPHA) is the primary national body for pig hunters. It is not a government-registered organisation — there is no requirement in New Zealand to register as a pig hunter. The NZPHA operates from its Christchurch headquarters, maintains public liability insurance of NZD 5 million per event, and represents a community that estimates its active participant base at around 25,000. That figure is approximate: because registration is not required, precise numbers are unavailable.

The dogs who do the work

Pig hunting with dogs uses three functional dog types, each bred for a specific role in the hunt. The finder — typically a pointer-type cross or purpose-bred finder dog — works by scent at range, quartering the bush ahead of the hunters and locating pig by air scent. The bailer — often a Cattle Dog, Labrador or Greyhound cross — closes with the pig, bays it in place by circling and barking, and maintains that pressure without making contact. The holder — typically carrying Bull Terrier bloodlines — makes the final contact, gripping the pig's ear or tusk to hold it until the hunter can make a dispatch.

The Bull Arab deserves specific mention. Developed in Australia and widely used in New Zealand, it is typically bred at 50 percent Bull Terrier, 25 percent Greyhound, and 25 percent German Shorthaired Pointer — combining the grip of a Bull Terrier, the speed of a Greyhound, and the scenting ability of a pointer. A well-bred Bull Arab can detect a pig by scent at a range of four to six kilometres in favourable conditions, making it among the most capable scenting dogs used in any working role.

The conservation argument

Feral pigs are classified as a pest species under the Biosecurity Act 1993. They root up native forest floors — destroying the seedling layer that regenerates native plants — predate the nests and eggs of ground-nesting birds, destabilise riparian zones by wallowing in stream banks, and compete with native fauna for food resources. The Department of Conservation uses aerial 1080 drops and ground trapping as primary control methods, but these do not reach all terrain. Pig hunters, in this context, argue that they access country that government agencies cannot manage cost-effectively, and that the sustained hunting pressure they apply constitutes a form of pest control. It is a legitimate argument, accepted by DOC in principle — though the conservation credentials of specific hunters vary widely.

The law and its grey zones

A DOC permit is required to hunt with dogs on Department of Conservation land, and some areas — particularly in active kiwi management zones — are closed to dogs entirely or require dogs to have completed Kiwi Aversion Training. There is no closed season for feral pigs in New Zealand. However, there is a legal ambiguity at the heart of pig hunting with holder dogs that has not been fully resolved.

Dog welfare in the deep bush

Working pig dogs face genuine welfare risks in the field. Tusk wounds from boars are the most common serious injury — a large boar's tusks can cause deep lacerations, particularly to the neck, chest and abdomen. Broken limbs from falls in steep terrain, snakebite (not applicable in NZ), and infectious disease from exposure to wild animal carcasses are additional risks. The response from the pig hunting community has been pragmatic: GPS collars for rapid recovery of injured dogs, Kevlar-reinforced collars to protect the neck, and purpose-designed protective vests for holder dogs. Most serious pig hunting operations now carry a basic veterinary kit in the field. As one experienced hunter summarised: 'Your pig dog knows the bush better than you do. You look after it.'

A tradition older than the country

The dogs that work these hills are among the most capable animals on four legs anywhere in this country. They navigate terrain that defeats human walkers; they locate quarry by scent at distances that exceed the capacity of any comparable technology; they work in partnership with a handler whose job is largely to follow and trust them. Jean de Surville's pigs have been here for 256 years. The tradition of hunting them with dogs has been here for most of that time. It will, almost certainly, outlast the current political debate about what dogs are for.