Golf club moves to save face over duck killing

Golf club managers yesterday scrambled to stem a wave of bad publicity over the killing of a pet duck in the lead-up to New Zealand's top golfing event.

Gulf Harbour Country Club director Peter Wall said the death of Daphne the paradise duck in a bird cull at the Whangaparaoa course was a mistake the club "deeply regrets".

"We stuffed up in this instance. We certainly weren't targeting a tame duck," he said.

The club, hosting the $1.5 million New Zealand Open from next week, would donate $2000 to longtime conservation group Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi as a gesture of goodwill, he said.

"Controlled shoots" of paradise ducks were carried out at the course because the birds were grass-eaters who destroyed expensive putting greens. About 18 of 30 ducks were shot during last week's cull.

Mr Wall denied that the shooting was done in preparation for the Open but said because of the extra workload on staff, nearby residents who would have removed tame birds were not given enough notice.

Both Daphne and her mate wore yellow bands, designed to prevent them being shot. Daphne lived most of the time at Tiritiri Matangi Island wildlife sanctuary in the Hauraki Gulf, 5km away, where she was a star attraction.

She was a regular visitor to Gulf Harbour in the moulting season.

Jude Smidt-Cox, who tamed Daphne, said yesterday that she had not seen the pet duck's mate since the cull.

She said although residents were upset at Daphne's death, they did not want to ruin Gulf Harbour's big event.

Department of Conservation Warkworth area manager Rolien Elliot said her office was investigating the cull at Gulf Harbour to check that conditions of a permit to shoot the birds had been met.