Neighbours fired up over novice safari shooting park plan

ROB KITCHIN/The Dominion Post

RURAL RETREAT: David Creed, with a photo of the valley, and Angela, Olivia and Andrew Walker, who do not want a safari park near their land.

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Upper Hutt residents fear they could be shot accidentally if a safari park catering for inexperienced hunters gets approval.

A resource consent application has been lodged with Upper Hutt City Council that would allow people to pay to hunt deer on a 100-hectare property in Whitemans Valley Rd. But neighbours are determined to shoot down the plan.

Residents say they will not be able to go for walks or ride their horses without feeling concerned for their family's safety. Their biggest fear is a child being killed.

The council is seeking legal advice on how to deal with the application because it has never handled such a case.

The safari park would be used about twice a month, with a maximum of four people using the property at any one time. An experienced guide would lead the group.

In an application to the council, property owners Carey Rohloff and Ken Collings say they would target father and son hunters and people who have not "shot an animal in the wild".

Resident Raewyn Haines said though her property did not share a boundary with the proposed area, she could see it from her bedroom. Several other properties were closer. "The [safari park] is only metres away from where our family regularly walks to check our water supply and from where we horse-ride on a regular basis. No one will be able to guarantee a bullet will not ricochet or be inadvertently discharged, with potentially fatal consequences."

Andrew Walker said there could be "disastrous" consequences if inexperienced hunters were let loose.

"They are implying that ... inexperienced hunters are one of their commercial targets. This itself is an obvious potential safety risk given the location and the power of the rifle, not only to neighbours, but all residents within miles.

"We will fight tooth and nail to stop this. It's totally illogical."

The property owners could not be reached for comment, but in their resource consent application, they said the safari park was an alternative method of harvesting animals grown on the property.

"The activity proposed is taking place in a confined valley away from housing and roadways and is a controlled activity. There will be no noticeable effects on the neighbouring properties."

Neighbour David Creed said it would be difficult to guarantee that bullets would not stray from the safari park. "Property boundaries don't stop bullets. This will severely affect my property rights and the use of guns really upsets me."

Council environmental services director Richard Harbord admitted bullets could end up on neighbours' property. "I haven't seen the site yet, but from looking at photos that is certainly plausible ... so we have sought legal advice to consider safety issues."

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