Recreational hunting, food access and consumption

Abstract

This study builds upon the research reported in a forthcoming LEaP report which explores the relationships between recreational hunting and food access and consumption in New Zealand. • Twenty-five hunters who had completed the cross-sectional online survey in 2022 were interviewed to ascertain the ways in which hunted meat contributes to their household food. • It was found that meat, though a prized outcome of hunting, is rarely the sole reason for a hunting trip. Rather, wild meat is valued alongside other benefits as a cheap source of low-fat protein that is eaten and shared with pride. Its absence would be felt both culturally and financially, particularly in those households that have come to rely on it.