An ambitious $3m campaign to tackle all of Fiordland National Park's 'out of control' red deer, has been launched by the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation (FWF).

Red deer numbers have been increasing exponentially since commercial helicopter recovery operations ceased in the early 2000s, threatening both the park's native vegetation and vulnerable ecosystems.

The FWF is a hunter group internationally recognised for its management of New Zealand's wild Wapiti deer herd within 175,000 hectares of the Fiordland National Park's 5.5 million hectares.

Fiordland Wapiti Foundation general manager Roy Sloan is fronting an ambitious plan to control Fiordland National Park's 'out of control' red deer population. Photo: FWF

FWF general manager Roy Sloan said the campaign was being crowd funded, with 60% already raised, and would see a 350sqm venison plant built and operated off Te Anau’s Sandy Brown Road, to process the red deer from the wider national park for domestic markets.

Some 20% of the meat would also go to foodbanks around the country.

Sloan says the foundation now had wapiti under control, but red deer numbers were “out of control, big time” in the other 1 million hectares where there’s “very minimal management”.

These rapidly increasing red deer populations are causing major havoc, destroying the park’s vegetation and ecosystems and the foundation has “serious concerns” that they need to be brought under control.

He says DOC and the government recognise, and have acknowledged, the problem but there’s no funding to deal with it.

“We have been talking to them as we think there’s an opportunity for them to get involved with this project,” Sloan says.

“We’re challenging them to have a crack and take a risk on us as we’ve shown we can do it with wapiti.”

Sloan says the foundation’s wapiti control work is now regarded as the best deer management programme in the world.

“If we could spread our work to the rest of the park, we could greatly reduce those red deer populations,” Sloan says.

An artist's impression of the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation processing plant in Te Anau. Graphic: FWF

In the meantime, the 1.2million-hectare UNESCO World Heritage Park’s future is under serious threat due to mismanaged red deer populations that are damaging native flora and placing immense pressure on the park’s ecosystems.

The meat will be sold to the domestic market, as has been done with the wapiti - served up in top restaurants, on Air NZ International and at Burger Fuel.

It’s hoped 20% of the venison production can go to foodbanks around the country to feed those in need, as has also been done with the wapiti.

In the past 20 years the foundation has made massive inroads in the Wapiti Area of the park and Sloan says that species is now under control.

It’s time to turn their attention elsewhere.

They’ve already got a quantity surveyor offering to help and a large, national construction company, Apollo Projects, based in Christchurch and its sub-contractors have pledged $2m in building materials, design work and services.

“We’ve only just gone public and that $2m has come in. Somebody there saw the work we’ve done, and they were inspired by it,” Sloan says.

“This is a large NZ company and the subbies who work for them, plus others in the industry. It’s great to have that support.”

The foundation is now encouraging other NZ companies, particularly Southland companies, to get on board and donate to the project.

A Wapiti bull within Fiordland National Park's FWF managed area. Photo: FWF

It’s gone international to connections around the world to find more corporate or international sponsors.

Fiordland National Park is a special place for the south and for Te Anau, Sloan says.

“It’s a community project so we’re hoping Te Anau and Southland will get behind it.”

The plant is expected to process 5000 to 6000 deer a year, and Sloan says they hope it will be up and running by the end of this year.

They’ve already purchased the land.

“We’ve had this idea for several years but have been waiting on the right timing."

"It’s another progression to deer management in Fiordland.”

At its full capacity the plant will employ seven people.

Deer recovery and logistics staff will also be required and there will be business opportunities with retail staff needed.

He says there’s just no other financially viable way to control deer numbers in 70% of the park.

“So, we need a funding mechanism, and our charitable trust will go to the source,” he says.

“There are just too many deer and they’re having a real environmental impact.”

Last year the foundation removed 1300 deer from its Wapiti Area.

“Since Covid we’ve given 30 tonnes of venison (wapiti) to foodbanks around NZ,” Sloan says.

The foundation also does a lot of predator trapping.

To help or donate to the project see: Back the Project — The Fiordland Project – www.fiordlandproject.co.nz

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Sue Fea is a senior journalist with more than 40-years experience covering police, social and general news in the southern regions.