Boffa Miskell biosecurity supports Christchurch City Mission

With help from a team of volunteers, on-going delivery of a deer control operation has benefitted both the environment and the community.

Following initial deer surveys completed by Boffa Miskell in late 2020, Christchurch City Council engaged our biosecurity team to plan and implement a carefully controlled culling operation to remove deer which had descended into the Cashmere/Worsleys Valley from the surrounding Port Hills of Ōtautahi.

Culling operations reduce the deer population to a manageable level in order to protect native biodiversity and aid the survival of new planting sites, such as the wetlands being established in the lower Cashmere Valley.

Stringent health and safety measures are in place to ensure public safety, including hunting only at night with a thermal imaging equipment, signage across all major access points and discussions with key residents who border the operational area.

The deer carcasses were processed by professionals on site so that all consumable meat could be collected. These retrieval teams included volunteers from the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association (NZDA), who aided in the recovery and transport of the meat. to Halswell Butchery for processing.

Over the past two years, these operations have produced over 200kg of mince, which has been donated to City Mission, and given to families in need across the city.