Feral cats emerge as major threat on Canterbury river as cat-hunting contest returns

Monday, 29 June 2026

A controversial feral cat category at a North Canterbury hunting competition has again ignited debate over whether hunting contests are an appropriate response to the threat cats pose to native wildlife.

The Ashley-Rakahuri Rivercare Group’s latest monitoring report found cats and hedgehogs were the predominant predators recorded at 58 monitored bird nests along the river, an important habitat for threatened braided river bird species.

The Ashley-Rakahuri River was not an isolated example of a place where cats are the predominant predator, said a spokesperson for the Bioeconomy Science Institute, whose predecessor Landcare Research carried out the study with the rivercare group.

Earlier DOC research in the Upper Waitaki Basin also identified cats as being among the leading causes of mortality for nesting birds.

The spokesperson said the Ashley-Rakahuri was complicated because it sits within the range of owned, stray and feral cats.

“It is difficult to disentangle the combined and overlapping effects of different predators on bird populations around New Zealand.”

Pim de Monchy, manager of DOC’s Predator Free programme, said feral cats were among the country’s most significant introduced predators and had also been identified as major threats in braided river habitats including the Tasman and Clarence rivers.

They have also been linked to declines in other native species. Feral cats and stoats killed equal numbers of monitored kea in parts of the South Island between 2019 and 2021, according to DOC, while cats are considered the leading predator of pukunui/southern New Zealand dotterel on Stewart Island.

The growing concern is reflected in the revised Predator Free 2050 Strategy, which this year formally added feral cats to its target species list.

This Matariki weekend, the North Canterbury Hunting Competition will again include a feral cat category, offering prizes for the heaviest cat and the highest number caught.

Competition organiser Matt Bailey said the category had become one of the biggest drawcards.

The category attracted international attention in 2023 when organisers proposed a children's feral cat-hunting section before withdrawing it following backlash. It was later reinstated.

“We've sort of given everyone the big middle finger that we don't worry about those that don't understand the issue,” Bailey said.

Organisers believed the competition had helped highlight the impact feral cats have on wildlife.

“We take the side of the kiwi and the kea and all the lizards.”

However, opponents remain unconvinced.

Two petitions calling for animal-killing contests to be outlawed argue such events normalise animal cruelty and fail to address the causes of cat overpopulation.

Researchers at the Bioeconomy Science Institute favoured a broader approach.

“A systematic approach to cat management is best, not just for Canterbury but nationally,” the spokesperson said.

Effective management required a mix of measures, they said, including trapping feral cats, responsible pet ownership, desexing and reducing roaming by owned cats.

DOC said feral cat control was already being used to protect vulnerable native wildlife, carried out in a targeted and humane way to meet animal welfare standards.

Conservation groups use trapping, shooting and toxic baits to control feral cats, describing them as the most effective and humane techniques available, a DOC spokesperson said.

In the meantime, support for a law requiring pet cats to be contained in their owners’ properties is growing, says conservation group Predator Free NZ.

Cat rehoming organisation Kitty Kingdom Canterbury has asked Waimakariri District Council to create a bylaw to address the issue, and the council is examining if a wider animal control bylaw was needed.

“If this is the case, our intention would be to consult on this later in the year.”