Victim's family: Why are people still being shot?

Matthew Purchase at work on the Dorset family farm four years after the accident. Photo / Purchase family

A British man who survived being shot in the head in a hunting accident while in New Zealand says he has not forgiven the man who shot him as he has never contacted him.

And Matthew Purchase's family say they cringe every time they hear of another shooting in New Zealand. They believe the courts need to take a harder stance against irresponsible hunters.

In 2007, Mr Purchase, an agricultural student from Dorset, travelled to New Zealand on an exchange scheme.

He was studying towards a dream of becoming a farmer and taking over the family farm back home.

That dream was shattered when the then 22-year-old student was shot at point-blank range in the back of the head while rabbit hunting in Waikato.

He had brain surgery and was in a critical condition for weeks.

However, the Danish tourist who was charged with careless use of a firearm - and later cleared - always maintained that he did not think he shot Mr Purchase and subsequently has never contacted the family.

Speaking from Britain, Mr Purchase told the Herald this week that it had been a difficult and, at times, traumatic journey for him and his family over the past five years.

During that time, the man who ultimately changed his life has never been in touch - something that still weighs heavily on his mind.

"I've never heard an apology from him and, as far as I know, he blames me for what happened.

"To say 'forgive' is quite hard ... it's quite hard to forgive a man who hasn't even tried to contact me," he said.

"I don't really hold any bitter grudges against him because it's quite a destructive emotion. I'm still walking, I'm still breathing and I've still got a life so I've got to live it."

Mr Purchase said memories of what happened to him flooded back every time he heard of an accidental shooting or hunting accident - particularly in New Zealand.

The latest happened just before Christmas, when a 23-year-old man was accidently shot and killed by his best friend, aged 24, in Wanaka after being mistaken for a deer.

"It just reminds me of what I've been through. I remember how hard it was for my family and of what those families are now going through."

Matthew's father, Ian, said there needed to be big changes of attitudes amongst hunters and the court system.

"Some of the circumstances are just inconceivable.

"You never shoot if you haven't clearly identified your target ... a lot of the cardinal rules have been broken. Courts also need to take tougher action - they need to be prepared to convict."

Ian Purchase said seeing what his son had gone through brought him strength at times and also, heartbreak.

"A few months after his accident a disfigured Matthew asked me, 'how is anyone going to want to marry me now that I am like this?' As a parent, how do you answer such heart-rending and upsetting questions without shedding a tear?"

Matthew Purchase wanted people to think carefully before choosing to get a gun licence in the first place.

When the accident happened, doctors did not expect him to be able to walk or talk, let alone recover.

Today, the 25-year-old is living as independently as he can in a renovated cottage on the family farm.

He has given up on his dream to take over the family farm; resigned now to the fact that he will have to take up a more managerial role, rather than being out on the farm.

Despite the accident, he said he was very much still in love with New Zealand. "I'd love to come back some time in the future. I absolutely love the scenery and the people."