Make the most of your time in New Zealand by joining the NZ Game Animal Council (GAC) on a pre-congress adventure.

On this adventure you will:

Tour a premier New Zealand game estate.

Tour a free-range red deer hunting property.

Hear from local hunting estate managers and New Zealand professional hunting guides.

Learn from experts conducting wild deer research and management across New Zealand.

Spend some extra time discovering spectacular Queenstown, before being transported to the world of wild deer and hunter management in New Zealand. Who knows, you might just see ‘your deer here’!

Keep an eye out for more information on this event at nzgac.org.nz

Day One Field trip (Tuesday)

The field trip will visit a commercial deer farm producing both venison and velvet antler. We will see the farming operation, stags in full antler, deer handling facilities and talk about the role of deer farming in New Zealand.

The second stop will be at Orokonui - a local wildlife ecosanctuary. We will have the opportunity to see rare and endangered species such as the Takahe up close, and the world’s only living dinosaur, the Tuatara. The visit will highlight the challenges of conserving indigenous species in New Zealand.

Day Two Field trip (Wednesday)

The second field trip will visit the Invermay Research Centre. Invermay established a deer research programme over 50 years ago, to assist an emerging deer farming industry. We will see new developments in greenhouse gas measurement and genetic technologies, visit the research farm and deer herd, and tour a venison processing plant.

Delegates will be able to book field trips once they are finalised before the end of February 2025.