Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

'Renegade' poachers ruining it for Hawke's Bay hunters

Gianina Schwanecke
By Gianina Schwanecke
Reporter·Hawkes Bay Today·
25 Apr, 2021 02:29 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Rural officer Senior Constable Pete Gimblett said poaching had been a big problem during this year's roar. Photo / File

Rural officer Senior Constable Pete Gimblett said poaching had been a big problem during this year's roar. Photo / File

Rogue and "renegade" poachers are rife across Hawke's Bay this year.

Rural officer Senior Constable Pete Gimblett has seen too many "near-misses" in his job and worries about firearms safety with people running around with high-powered hunting rifles.

"The risk is there's going to be some harm done to an individual. That's what we are trying to prevent."

More hunters were expected to head into the bush this season, with last year's roar essentially cancelled due to the lockdown.

Despite this, Gimblett said he was as busy as he'd ever been throughout last year and this year was proving to be no less busy.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"This week alone I dealt with three separate poaching incidents."

He said it was "frustrating" and those caught tried every excuse in the book.

"By and large, it's a pastime that hunters are passionate about and do it safely.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"But we have a handful of renegades who float the rules and regulations for their own satisfaction.

"They think they have some kind of right to go wherever they like on private land and hunt at odd hours."

He said it was this group who ruined it for others and contributed to there being "less and less" blocks where people could go hunting.

It was especially frustrating for the hunting fraternity and landowners, he said.

"We don't want that to boil over."

Poaching is an offence which carries a maximum penalty of $100,000 or up to two years' jail time - reflective of the risk posed by the firearms-related offending.

Authorities also have the ability to seize any article used during an offence, including dogs, vehicles, helicopters and firearms.

Those caught poaching might also lose their firearms licence.

Gimblett encouraged people to call in suspicious activity right away so police could begin gathering evidence and warned against people taking the matter into their own hands.

He said safety was paramount when it came to hunting.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Police are not here to be killjoys," he said.

"We want people to pursue their past time in a lawful and safe way so everyone gets home at the end of the day."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

07 Jul 04:25 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

‘He’s smooth. He’s a practised thief’: Former club CEO had a secret criminal past

07 Jul 04:10 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

One lane reopens after diesel spill on Napier-Taupō road

07 Jul 04:03 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

07 Jul 04:25 AM

The winners will be celebrated at Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre on July 31.

‘He’s smooth. He’s a practised thief’: Former club CEO had a secret criminal past

‘He’s smooth. He’s a practised thief’: Former club CEO had a secret criminal past

07 Jul 04:10 AM
One lane reopens after diesel spill on Napier-Taupō road

One lane reopens after diesel spill on Napier-Taupō road

07 Jul 04:03 AM
'Massive cleanup': Fire damages Napier cocktail bar just months after opening

'Massive cleanup': Fire damages Napier cocktail bar just months after opening

07 Jul 04:03 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP