Wānaka roar block system

DOC's Tititea/Mt Aspiring National Park Visitor Centre in Wānaka runs an annual ballot system for hunters wishing to hunt during the roar period.

The ballot ensures hunters have access to an area with the knowledge that only one hunting party will be present in each of the blocks for a seven day period.

Dates

In 2026 the roar system will run from Sunday 22 March to Saturday 18 April with the available periods being:

• Period 1 Sunday 22 March to Saturday 28 March 2026
• Period 2 Sunday 29 March to Saturday 4 April 2026
• Period 3 Sunday 5 April to Saturday 11 April 2026
• Period 4 Sunday 12 April to Saturday 18 April 2026

2026 roar application will be posted on this page by Wednesday 1 October 2025.

Blocks

There are 50 blocks available for allocation each roar. These are limited to one party per block for each seven-day period.

• Wānaka roar hunting block overview map 1 (PDF, 575K)
• Wānaka roar hunting block overview map 2 (PDF, 620K)

Block permits

Blocks are allocated through a ballot draw and are allocated for a seven-day period (Sunday to the following Saturday) as listed above.

Applications close at 23:59 (11:59 pm) Friday 31 October 2025.

Ballot draw

The ballot draw will be held on Monday 10 November 2025 at the Tititea/Mt Aspiring National Park Visitor Centre, Wānaka. 

Applicants will be advised by email of the outcome of the draw by Friday 14 November 2025.

Confirmation of bookings

All 2026 allocations are automatically confirmed once we send out the confirmation email. You do not need to email us to confirm.

Reallocating blocks

Applicants who entered the draw but were unsuccessful will have first choice of any remaining blocks. These will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis by lining up in person at our Wānaka office after 8:30 am on Thursday 4 December 2025. Applicants will be issued with an application number that must be quoted when applying for a block.

In January 2026 any remaining blocks will be made available to all hunters who did not enter the draw and a week later to hunters who have existing bookings and want a second block or want to extend their existing booking may also apply for any remaining unallocated blocks.

Permit issue

Permits will be emailed out to successful applicants by the end of January 2026.

Administration fee

At this stage no administration fee will be charged for blocks, although this fee may be introduced in future ballots to cover the costs associated with administering the roar block system.

General information

Helicopter operators are not permitted to undertake venison recovery during the roar period: 23 March to 20 April 2026. If any helicopter is observed recovering venison during that period, note as much detail as possible, e.g. make, colour, registration, and pass to DOC so an investigation may be carried out.

To encourage full use of the hunting blocks, any applicants who do not comply with the requirements of the Wānaka Roar Ballot or hunting permit system will be disqualified from following ballot draw(s). This may include hunters who submit multiple applications or who do not cancel their permits. The success of the system depends on the honesty of those involved.

Be aware that there may be other people in your block who also have right of access to public land. This could include trampers, anglers, farmers, DOC field staff, possum hunters and many others.

Identify your target before shooting.

Previous roar application information

See the roar ballot overview for information on the statistics of previous roar ballots, including the most popular blocks applied for.

Wānaka roar ballot overview 2025 (XLSX, 23K)

Contact

For any other information about hunting in the Wānaka area during the roar period, contact: