Richard Wells recognised for outdoor access work
One of our own has been recognised for years of work opening up and protecting public access for hunters. Richard Wells, a former NZDA board member and the current Chair of our National Access Committee, has received an Outdoor Access Champion Award from the Outdoor Access Commission, presented at a ceremony at our National Museum in Wellington on 13 June.
Richard set up the National Access Committee to give the Association a single, coordinated voice on access issues across the country, building on the earlier South Island access groups that formed during tenure review. Since then the committee has taken on everything from forestry easements to proposals to charge hunters for access to public conservation land, and it has earned a seat at the table with DOC, the Commission, and Ministers.
It is well-deserved recognition for steady, facts-based advocacy that has made a real difference for hunters' access to places like Tongariro, the Ruahine Ranges, and Lake Sumner Forest Park. Congratulations Richard.
The full media release from the Outdoor Access Commission is below.
Hunters' champion recognised with national outdoor access award
Media release - Outdoor Access Commission
04 June 2026
A Nelson hunter who has spent years advocating for hunters will receive an Outdoor Access Champion Award from the Outdoor Access Commission, Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa.
Richard Wells, previously a board member of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association (NZDA) and Chair of its National Access Committee, will receive the award at a ceremony held at the NZDA's national museum on 13 June.
The Outdoor Access Champion Awards recognise New Zealanders who have made significant and lasting contributions to public access to the outdoors, whether through securing new legal access, championing public rights, trail building, or helping others understand their access rights and responsibilities.
Outdoor Access Commission Chief Executive Dan Wildy said Wells' contribution to outdoor access stood out for both its breadth and its lasting impact.
"Richard has brought a disciplined, strategic approach to access advocacy that has made a real difference for hunters across the country. He saw a gap in how the Deerstalkers Association was organised to tackle access issues, and he built something durable to fill it."
Following in the footsteps of the previous and more regional South Island NZDA access groups, which had formed particularly due to tenure review processes and the threats to public access that these posed, Wells established the NZDA's National Access Committee, which he currently chairs, to coordinate the association's advocacy on public access across New Zealand. Under his leadership, the committee has engaged on many issues, including forestry easement access submissions, the Cape Palliser unformed legal road case, and proposals to charge hunters for access to public conservation land. The committee has met directly with Ministers of the Crown. It works closely with DOC, the Outdoor Access Commission, and other agencies, advocating for improved hunter access to Tongariro National Park, Richmond Forest Park, the Ruahine Ranges, and Lake Sumner Forest Park, as well as smaller areas that are part of the public estate and have value for recreational hunting.
Wells, whose favourite hunting spot is Molesworth Station, says he is most proud of enabling an organised, process and facts-based team to advocate for public access. "There are lots of existing but corroded legal rights of way that we advocate to get re-established", says Wells. "It's great to see the government and other agencies accept and engage with the NZDA's National Access Committee."
ENDS
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