Welcome to the July edition of Pheasant Tales, the newsletter of the New Zealand Game & Conservation Alliance. Yes, I know I said July, and yes, I know this means the season is fast

coming to a close. Even though there is only a handful of shoot days left at most preserves, the teams working there are hard-out making sure that each of these days is a towering success. If you happen to be a Gun at one of the remaining shoots, please take every opportunity of passing on a quiet word of thanks to the Beaters, Pickers, and helpers there on the day. These dedicated folk go quietly about their work in all weather conditions to make sure you have the best possible day. Theirs is largely a voluntary role so a wee thank you is greatly appreciated. 
 

It is with a sense of sadness that the Alliance is saying goodbye to Brittany Edwards our talented, hard-working secretary. Brittany has taken on an exciting role in central Auckland. While we all congratulate Brittany on gaining a prestigious position and wish her every success for the future, I for one, feel like my right hand has been cut off.
 

I am delighted to report that the NZGCA Membership continues to grow. With each successful application our voice becomes stronger. It is pleasing to note how the preserves have displayed our little advertising cards and made the membership application forms readily available for those who have not already joined up. If you happen to see someone on a shoot day proudly showing off a pair of gold garters, you should know they have joined under our Gold Membership category. These folk have been very generous, and the Alliance thanks them for this.
 

Remember we still have some NZGCA Red Garters for sale. They also look really smart and at just $20 for two pair, they are a great buy. If you wish to purchase these garters, you can do so through me at robbiedanks@hotmail.com. I will arrange delivery and an invoice until such time as we appoint a new secretary. 
 

The Arms Bill has been returned to Parliament by the select committee and has passed its second reading. Over 8,000 submissions were made and has been recognized as one of

the biggest consultation responses in recent years. Many practical recommendations have now been incorporated into the revised Bill. It has been noted that several opposition spokespeople are still signaling their desire to see certain firearms banned despite these firearms having been approved for import by the police. It is likely further restrictions are still on the political agenda.
 

The Bill now moves to the committee of the whole house for more debate and possible amendments, before heading to a third reading. It is hoped the Bill will be passed into law with a commencement date of late September, this year. 
Until then current law remains in place.
 

Submissions on the new Conservation Amendment Bill has just closed. This is now with the select committee to conduct their process. Changes are afoot but it’s pleasing to see the Government backed down on sales of DOC land. There is still currently no sign yet of the new Fish and Game Reform Bill.
 

 

I'm sure you are all aware of the discovery of H5 Bird Flu in two birds in NZ in the last week or so. This is a highly contagious disease . 

If you suspect you may have discovered birds suffering from H5 Bird Flu do not hesitate to contact MPI's Exotic Pest and Disease 24 hour hotline 0800 809 966.  Do not handle the dead or dying birds. Pass on the exact location of your discovery.
 

Obviously because of our sport we will be in close proximity to dead and dying birds. Use your common sense. General hygiene, hand washing and and sanitiser before eating etc. is a good idea.

MPI have published a 'Know what to do' and a 'How to protect yourself' on line notification. We suggest you make yourself familiar with the advice provided by MPI.
 

NZ is not the first country in the world which has discovered incidents of Bird Flu. The United Kingdom, for instance, has been dealing with this disease for several years. They have found that the risk to public health is very low. Pheasant shooting in the UK is still going strong. It should be noted that many of the restrictions that were originally put in place by the English, Scottish, and Welsh Governments have been lifted. This, however, does not mean we should not be careful. Keep up to date with information and follow the advice supplied by MPI and Fish & Game. Do your bit to keep yourself safe and help control the spread in NZ. 

 

NORTHMERE: Reece Ronald reports. "The season has gone well so far and we have only six more shoot days left on the calendar. We have, at times, struggled a bit to get the birds to fly higher. This is due to the effects of so much high air pressure. However, everyone seems to have enjoyed themselves. It is very pleasing to report that so many of the guns, new to our sport, have enjoyed themselves so much, they have started making bookings for next year".
 

LIGHTHOUSE STATION: Jamie reports “The days are going smoothly. We could do with some winter weather to tighten the birds up as still, bright sunshine days are a nuisance.

We had Jeff, Bridgette, Family, and Poronui staff up for a day. It was nice to have them here at Lighthouse and they certainly enjoyed themselves. 12 days to go”.
 

GLEN MASSEY: Helen signs in with “The season at Glen Massey is going well. A strong start with plentiful birds has settled in to some very enjoyable days with shooting to stretch the gunline and mostly fine weather.
 

We are blessed with a super team of very keen shoot helpers, whose average age would break at well below that of many other preserves. Not many of the team have only one job on shoot day, versatility is the name of the game here at Glen Massey. We really appreciate how everyone gets on with the tasks that need to be completed before Dickie’s speeches at the end of the day. This has nothing to do with avoiding the fines session of course……nobody gets away with that! We are looking forward to seeing the helping team dressed in their finest attire on Beaters Day on the 8th of August. We hope they can show the regular guns a thing or two”.
 

TOTARA LODGE: Will contributes “The end is near and the finish line is in sight. This has been a very interesting season with weather great for the guns and the shoot staff, with no one needing raincoats or jumpers. Sunglasses have been a vital part of the kit bag. As keepers we always moan about the weather and chasing the perfect day. Having said all that, it has still been a very successful season here at Totara Lodge. I would like to thank everyone for their support in making it so. All the best to all the other shoots and particularly the keepers that go into August”.

 

PORONUI: Ben reports: “The Poronui Gamekeepers are having a wee break and are on tour. As I write this I am sitting here at Lighthouse Station. Jeff has very kindly invited all 3 of us to shoot here today. Apart from that the season has gone very well. With only half a

dozen days left we are near the end. This means we are starting now to analyse this season with an eye on how to improve what we do for next season”.
 

TE KONINI: Andy writes “We are really racking through the shoot days now. I don’t mean to brag to the other Gamekeepers in NZ, but we actually had a shoot day with the perfect weather conditions. Granted it was book ended by very wet and then very hot shoot days.

Outstanding effort by keepers and beaters to keep trickling out pheasants at this late stage of the season with very little crops. Top work! Bring on the end of the season”.
 

LAGOON HILL: Malcolm is firing on all cylinders to make sure everything goes well for the remainder of the season. He apologizes that he has not been able to prepare a progress report.
 

CRAIGMORE: Oli comments: We are nearly done for the year. This has been one of our tougher years, but there has still been plenty to smile about. For various reasons we were unable to put down as many birds as we would have preferred and this obviously had an impact as the season advanced. We all worked hard to make each day the best it could be. Oddly, one of the real highlights was the appointment of a new chef. There was never a complaint about the quality of the hospitality or the food. We are resetting our goals and procedures for next year. Onwards and upwards.
 

This month our roving gun or super sleuth has presented a report on a day at Northmere. I’m looking forward to this.
 

A GRAND DAY AT NORTHMERE
 

The excitement and anticipation for a shoot day never diminishes, but when it’s for your first day on a new shoot, it ramps up to the highest level. The drive to Northmere, which is located west of Whangarei, takes you through beautiful landscapes with stone wall farms and some

lovely bush and dairy country.
 

On arrival you are greeted by Charlie Adair, arguably the most enthusiastic shoot owner in the country. His relaxed and friendly nature puts you at ease, and you are welcomed into the woolshed for coffee and a hot snack, before you start the day. Read June’s Pheasant Tales newsletter for the great background story on Charlie and his new gamekeeper Reece Ronald.

This is the second season at Northmere, but the first under gamekeeper Reece. Together, Charlie and Reece have created a driven shoot that mirrors what you would find on a quality day in England, with a landscape familiar to those who have been privileged enough to shoot over there.
 

It fits perfectly into the NZ scene and offers something for every level of shooter. I experienced some wonderful birds presented from timber clad ridge lines to hilltop cover crops that tested the guns across the line. 

Reece is an excellent keeper and from all accounts has made a real difference this season. Talking with him you get a sense that he will provide some even better sport in the years to come.

 

Northmere is ideally located to attract new and experienced shooters to our sport. Northland has a large number of shooting\ enthusiasts and I’m positive Charlie and Reece will introduce new people to the sport of driven pheasants, and will be able to grow not only their base but ours as well. The drive time from Auckland is around 2 and a half hours and I would expect they will attract plenty of sporting shooters from there.
 

I thoroughly enjoyed my day, loved the hospitality, and had great fun shooting with a terrific team of guns. I was impressed with the beating and picking team, and as we have come to expect in the NZ shooting world, the food was outstanding.

I will be back. 
 

You will recall that earlier in the year, with the help of the preserves, we offered two free shoot days as an incentive to join the NZGCA for 2026 / 2027 financial year. John Pilcher was the lucky winner of a day at Lighthouse Station. John decided not to take shoot day himself but

instead offered it to his good friend Andrew Speed. Andrew has graciously sent a report of how the day went. 

"John Pilcher actually won the prize but chose to make it available to me. This was very generous of him, as it was of James Kellow of Lighthouse who had offered up the day. My sincere thanks to you both.

I shot on the 23rd of June with James, together with a team of guns I know and have shot with before. We had a bit of a breeze to contend with, not too little and not too much. Even better there was no sign of rain.

For those who have not yet shot at Lighthouse Station, let me tell you it is a fabulously picturesque sheep and beef station at the end of the Manukau Peninsular. It offers outstanding views over the Manukau Heads and its treacherous bar. It is handily located an hour and half from Auckland City by car, or only 10 minutes by helicopter.

The shooting was, as always, very challenging with some high curling birds shot and missed! I have to confess it took me a couple of drives before I had any feeling that I wasn’t just wasting a lot of shotgun cartridges. The day ran like clockwork under head keeper Jamie Little and his indefatigable team. They presented 5 wonderful drives of varying difficulty. I was able to take my dog Alfy, who was most grateful for the entertainment and was typically uncomplaining about the scarcity of retrieving opportunities I provided.

The hospitality is second to none with chef Bob serving up some exquisite game dishes, tempting us to overeat with his plentiful variety of irresistible morsels at morning tea. This was followed at the end of the shoot programme with a resplendent lunch. We then whiled away the evening with a few more post shoot drinks. All very entertaining. The next day we left in a howling Northeasterly gale, which we had luckily avoided.

I’m very grateful to have had such a wonderful day at Lighthouse Station and will definitely be back next year. My thanks go to all who made this day possible for me”

 

Andrew.

Craigmore Station currently occupies 10,300 acres in the foothills of the Southern Alps, not far from Timaru. It has been owned by the Elworthy family since 1864. What a history it has.
 

Edward Elworthy left Somerset, in England, for New Zealand in 1862. He settled at Holme Station just outside of Timaru in 1864. He secured leases to surrounding properties and before long he was farming over 70,000 acres. Edward became one of the pre-eminent producers of sheep, beef, cropping, and dairy in NZ. Over time he sold selected parcels of land to concentrate his assets and to free himself from debt. When he passed away in 1899 he left 10,000 acres to each of his three sons. Craigmore Station was handed down to his

son, Herbert.

Herbert was also a very ambitious and proactive farmer. Over time he acquired the properties of Mt. Possession, Hakatere, and Mt. Potts Stations. (Fans of the Lord of the Rings movies will recognize\ Mt. Potts Station as the site of the Riders of Rohan village). Herbert also had the Homestead built in 1907 and added a second storey in 1910. 

 

Herbert passed the property down to his son, Harold, sometime between the two World Wars. Harold and his wife, June, farmed the land before handing it down to their three sons, Peter, Jonathan, and Robin.
 

Peter, in time, bought out his brothers. He was an incredibly active man. He was one of the pioneers in deer farming in NZ. He also became President of Federated Farmers and chairman of the Independent Directors of the Reserve Bank of NZ. His influence in business circles was wide with directorships in numerous major companies including Ravensdown Fertiliser Co-op, Huttons Kiwi Ltd, BP NZ LTD, Sky city Entertainment, and Skellerup. He was a founding member of the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers (now known as the ACT Party). Peter was Knighted for Services to Agriculture in 1985. If you have time, check out the life of Sir Peter Elworthy, he was an extraordinary New Zealander. 
 

Sir Peter died suddenly as the result of a heart attack in 2003, and Craigmore Station was inherited by his son Forbes. Forbes is another incredibly busy Kiwi. He founded Craigmore

Sustainables in 2009, a company which works with global capital partners to acquire, develop, and manage farms, orchards, and forestry businesses throughout NZ. At last count in 2025 Craigmore Sustainables had 39,168 hectares under direct management, and still

growing. As well as his involvement in an international company, a large and successful family sheep, beef and deer operation, Forbes has also found the time and energy to support a pheasant preserve on Craigmore Station.
 

Craigmore Station pheasant preserve is currently the only commercial pheasant shoot in the South Island. It is not as big as some of the preserves in the North Island but it is professionally run by the outstanding team of head keeper Oli Worth, under keeper Harry Colthart and ably supported by a legend in pheasant shooting circles, John Brownlie. The team breed and rear the birds for their shoot. Their shoot days are renown in the South Island for the birds they present and particularly for the hospitality they offer. A wonderful touch is that the shoot meal is often attended by Lady Elworthy. Guns who attend certainly enjoy the experience of a day at Craigmore.
 

Another interesting feature on Craigmore Station was the discovery of early rock art, hand drawn in charcoal on the ceiling and walls of rock shelters. These drawings were created by the Waitaha people some 700 to 1000 years ago. The drawings feature images of Moa and the now extinct Giant Eagle that once inhabited the South Island. To visit and see these drawings is really an emotional experience.
 

(I am continually amazed by the success stories that have been produced and developed in this fantastic country of ours. The hard work, courage, and seemingly never-ending drive of individuals and their families should be an inspiration to us all. The next time you are out driving in the countryside and see an interesting name on a farm gate, google it. You might be surprised by what you discover). 
 

Oli was born in Truro in the beautiful county of Cornwall in south west England. Truro is the southern-most city in the UK. It is best known for its stunning Gothic Revival Cathedral. Cornwall itself is steeped in mythology, most notably as the legendary birthplace of King Arthur at the dramatic Tintagel Castle. Oddly it has its own language, flag, and of course it has the Cornish Pasty. On the subject of food, it is the home base for many famous chefs such as Rick Stein. My wife, Margot and I had a meal at his restaurant in Padstow. An outstanding seafood meal that I’m still paying off! Oli’s early schooling took place initially in Lanlivery village and then on to secondary school in the port town of Fowey. I get a kick out of English place names such as Readymoney Cove, a sheltered beach near to Fowey.
 

Oli’s father was a keen shot and Oli with his brother and mate soon learnt the skills of shooting. Anything that flew or even dared to move was a fair target for the boys. Oli’s uncle reared birds and produced approximately 100,000 pheasants and partridge for sale. Maybe it was this that encouraged Oli to make an early decision that Game keeping was where his future lay. He started helping out rearing the birds and joined local syndicate shoots as a beater. A Gamekeeping and Wildlife Management course at Duchy College was the next move. When he could he helped the keeper at Lanhydrock Estate to gain experience.

An advertisement in the “Shooting Times” for a job at Rathmoy here in NZ caught his eye. While his application was unsuccessful the Keeper at Rathmoy passed Oli’s details on to John Brownlie the keeper at Craigmore. In 2012 John phoned Oli with a job offer which was readily accepted. On the first available plane he jumped, and headed for NZ. The only information he had was to meet John, ‘the only guy wearing tweed at the airport’. They raced back to Craigmore to pick up eggs. It was here that Oli met his future wife Iona, who happened to be John’s niece.
 

After the year at Craigmore Oli returned to England. He accepted an underkeeper role on Sandringham Estate. This Estate had been designed for pheasant shooting. Interestingly they also held driven hare shoots. These were wild hares and up to 1000 were shot each day a drive was held. Oli spent a year at Sandringham before ‘Itchy feet syndrome’ saw him move to Aberarder Estate, just south of Loch Ness, in Inverness shire in Scotland. Here the Estate held 32 pheasant shoot days, 12 days on the grouse moors, and offered up 50 Red and Roe deer trophy shoots. Oli worked here for 4 years before the need to return to NZ had him packing bags again. Oli arrived in 2020 in the middle of covid and had to spend two weeks in quarantine. He found employment with Iona’s father on a dairy farm for 2 years. Finally in 2022 John Brownlie decided to step back from head keeper duties on Craigmore and offered Oli the role. 

Oli is now well established and working hard to build on John’s legacy. 
His goal is to offer the best pheasant shooting possible.

Oli is taking bookings for next year. Give him a call to discuss details.
 

Oli Worth | Craigmore Station Head Keeper

PH. 0272361608

Harry first saw light of day in the village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire, Scotland. This village has a population of somewhere between 500 and 739 residents. It must depend on who is counting. It is built around the confluence of the Tilt and Garry rivers on what is about the only flat land in the midst of the Grampian Mountains. Another interesting fact is that for some reason the ownership and responsibility for maintaining the water supply was taken up in 1911 by Scottish Rail. This was done as the Rail needed a good water supply to service the steam trains that run nearby. Scottish Water finally took over the water supply in 2006.

 

From an early age Harry was keen on anything to do with the outdoors. He helped out as a beater while at school (weekend shoots, of course). This was about all it took to make up his mind that it was only ever going to be a keeper’s life for him. 

He undertook a degree in Upland Moorland Management before accepting a role at Invergeldie, a highland estate, which specialized in deer and grouse shooting. Here he called home a caravan, which happened to have no heating. One could only imagine how uncomfortable no heating would be in the highlands. It didn’t take Harry long to move to a more acceptable arrangement. He found this at Holylee Estate near Selkirk. After thawing out he settled in here for 3 seasons The rolling hills and deep gorges here provided for challenging high pheasants and partridge. The moorland area offered up some exciting grouse. ‘Itchy Feet’ and the time to move, which affects so many keepers, struck again. A move to Raeshaw Shoot which specialized in Grouse shooting on the Scottish Border moors saw Harry busy for two seasons. 

 

It was here that Harry met Jamie Little (now head keeper at Lighthouse Station). When Jamie accepted the role at Lighthouse and came to NZ, he brought Harry with him. The opportunity to work with Oli at Craigmore Station was compelling and Harry made the move south. Harry is well established here.
 

John Brownlie is from Peebleshire in the Scottish Borders. This area is also known as Tweeddale as the river Tweed is nearby. The Tweed is of course world famous for its Atlantic Salmon fishing. It is interesting to note that the Tweed is the only significant river in Britain that does not require the angler to possess a fishing licence. 

 

John grew up on a dairy farm which ran 60 to 70 cows and 9000 chickens. He was self-confessed mad keen on shooting and whenever he could he helped out as a beater at nearby pheasant and grouse shoots. At age 16 he found a job rearing pheasants at Cow Hill Estate. There was no accommodation at the Estate so had to find ‘digs’ elsewhere. This job didn’t last long as he was paid $12.50 a week, while his ‘digs’ cost $13.50! After a stint back home, he found a position at Kinrara Estate which offered Red Grouse, Deer and Rough shooting Pheasants. Rearing of birds was important at this Estate and the hatching of eggs was carried out under ‘broodie’ hens. John used to travel the countryside exchanging laying hens for ‘broodie’ hens. 

 

John met Judy, a kiwi girl, on a grouse moor and in 1989 they married. Judy convinced John to come to NZ. Here they travelled the South Island with John picking up a variety of jobs to put ‘tin in the bin’. Fruit picking in Alexandra. Working in shearing gangs for Peter Lyons. He worked for the Otago regional Council as a pest controller. He also worked on Earnscleugh Station shooting rabbits. 12 men, line abreast with shotguns. Dangerous!! They did find a lot of Moa eggshells, gizzard stones and bones. 

 

John finally took a full-time position as a pest controller at Little Hill Station. In 20 months, he accounted for 26,000 rabbits, 3,500 possums, and 350 goats. After this work the station manager noted a significant increase in sheep and wool weights.

 

‘Itchy Feet’ and it was back to Scotland for 11 seasons at Kinveachy Estate. He started as under keeper but a year later was promoted to head gamekeeper. He was in charge of grouse shooting on the moors and deer shooting in the higher hills. While there three children arrived on the scene. 

 

In 2002 he and his family were on the plane back to NZ and a position at Craigmore. He also helped out at nearby Dorset Downs shoot, which put down 2100 birds and held 6 shoot days.(one of these days happened to be my first experience shooting driven pheasants). When Dorset Downs closed in 2007 John approached Forbes Elworthy about releasing birds on Craigmore Station. The first birds were released in 2008. 400 put down with 85 shot. It was decided to get a little more serious. For the following 4 years 3,000 birds bred and reared by Nigel Clark were put down. After Nigel gave up rearing birds John had to learn the skills of hatching and rearing the birds himself. No easy task but with good advice, John was soon producing about 7,000 birds for Craigmore. 

 

In 2012 Oli arrived on the scene. John continued with the hatching, rearing, and releasing programme as well as the shoot schedule until 2022. At this time, he executed his exit strategy and brought Oli back as head gamekeeper. John now keeps himself fully occupied looking after the gardens and native trees at Craigmore. He does, however make himself available to help whenever required. So long as Oli asks nicely. John says ‘life is grand’.

 

I am still waiting to receive entries for the best story of the year. Remember, I am putting up one bottle of fine HB wine to the story teller and one bottle to the victim. I can’t believe

no one has put their foot in it so far. The story teller can be kept anonymous if that is your wish. Send your entry to robbiedanks@hotmail.com