It's all about the lifestyle.

Muzz has always loved the outdoors. Growing up he spent his time shooting slug guns and .22s with cousins whenever he could as well as serving in the Army Cadets from the age of 13. After he finished school, it surprised no one when Muzz went on to join the New Zealand Defence Force. 

He was initially posted to Linton, Manawatū, but served in various parts of the country including Auckland for about a decade. Ultimately though, it was family ties that brought Muzz and his wife Kim back to settle in Manawatū nearly 11 years ago. 

“Swapping city life in Auckland for the open spaces of Manawatū gave me the scope to step away from the army and get started in farming - it’s a region that offered opportunity, support, and some of the best farming country in New Zealand.” 

The benefits of the move became apparent very quickly for the couple, and Muzz likes the ease of living in Manawatū. He has time for passion projects and particularly likes the location for getting outdoors.  

"From here, there are so many ways you can go! You can head out towards Whanganui, or the Ruahine Ranges, or south to the Tararuas, there's lots of options even if you don’t have private land access. Most people hunting public land will hunt it for a few years before they start to see real success, it often takes time and learning before you are consistently coming away with something, but when you do it is very satisfying.”  

“I often end up in the Pohangina Valley or a little further north where there is good public access to the Ruahine Forest Park. From Pedersons Road end, it is a short walk to Alice Nash Memorial Lodge and from there by following the Oroua River you open up a lot of country.” 

Farming, Fencing and Firearms.

After being out of the military for a few years, Muzz came across a part time role with the Mountain Safety Council, which combined his passions and skills, plus the hours complimented working on the farm. 

"Adult education was an important skill in the Army, I knew I could instruct, and I was competent with firearms – it was the perfect fit. Living in the Manawatū has allowed me to build a lifestyle around my interests and I have tried to make the most of that.” 

Working in firearm education for the last seven years, Muzz has seen a lot of changes in the New Zealand hunting scene.  

“I felt a social responsibility to pass on all that you’ve learnt and I enjoyed training, or retraining people through the licensing program. Now there are so many more risks with the advancements in technology and more people in the bush, it's more important than ever to take firearms safety seriously. All the courses I ran, people would come in expecting to sit through a boring course because it was mandatory – but by the end of the day they were (usually) excited and re-engaged.” 

Muzz particularly enjoyed supporting the Whakatūpato programme, a community-based safety training programme for people who live in isolated rural locations and may not be able to attend the Firearms Safety Course. 

“For our isolated rural communities, they can face a lot of hurdles to getting licensed. Whether it’s trouble accessing town or a good internet connection, it can be challenging. These people often use firearms as tools in their everyday lives so it’s important we can reach them.” 

At the end of the day, getting outdoors either on your own or in a group is what it’s all about for Muzz. 

“Hunting for me, is often about decision making. Your success is directly linked to your decisions, and you don’t often get that level of freedom in everyday life. Our days are normally pretty structured around work, family and responsibilities but when it is just you out in the forest looking for a deer – everything is your call.”  

“Hunters are really just trampers with guns and knives, but because the deer aren’t always waiting for you on the track, we often take ourselves to where the animals are. This sometimes involves navigating our way through thick bush and steep terrain.” 

Navigating through the bush safely is key to hunters, with data from a 2017 study (A Hunters Tale, NZ) showing hunting related injuries caused by firearms pale in comparison to injuries caused through falls. In fact, 33% of hunting related injuries were a result of falling while only 2.6% of injuries involved a firearm.  

A piece of advice.

For those looking to get into hunting, Muzz’s first piece of advice is to connect with others. From local clubs and the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association to small outdoors stores, there are loads of people happy to share some tips and tricks.  

“There are lots of local shooting and hunting clubs around Manawatū. They are run by people who know what they are doing and can give you a great way to cut your teeth and get experience using firearms. The likes of Turners Sports in Feilding and other small town outdoors shops can provide advice or point you in the right direction – and make sure you are kitted out in the right Swazi gear as well of course!” 

When it comes to getting outdoors? Muzz says: Take your time, pick the weather and take it in small bites. 

"I know it can be a big hurdle stepping into hunting public land, but it is quite accessible if you do a bit of research.  You don’t need to take a gun the first time you go out. Just go out for a walk with a friend, make sure you can find the car again and work your way up from there. Stick to the tracks at first until you build up your confidence, then you can drop down into rivers. You don’t need to go on a 10-day expedition across the Ruahines straight off the bat – you can build your way into it.” 

A chance to give back.

As well as supporting people getting into hunting, Muzz has done his fair share of giving back to the hunting community with his hut restoration work.  

“Hunting has become very popular, most people like the idea of going out. Similar to fishing, you go out and catch something and eat it. But I’m also keen to ensure we can retain our history where we can.” 

In particular Muzz has been instrumental in restoring some lesser used but well-loved huts around the region, like Toka Biv on the Ngamoko Range. 

"I used to walk up there about once a year – it's about a four hour walk – you've really got to pick your weather, it’s steep gnarly country. But once you are up there you are totally in the wild, it’s cool!” 

Originally built for deer cullers back in the day, the small hut was deemed minimal maintenance, meaning it would be left until it fell apart at which point it would be removed. 

“I felt that was a bit stink, there’s a bit of history there in this two-man, dog box biv, not even enough room to stand up, you just lie down there and that’s your shelter for the night. It’s special, and the whole New Zealand hut scene is really special. They are rustic, isolated, real kiwi back country stuff and we have access there through the Ruahine and Tararua mountain ranges. It is so underrated, and you often get the place to yourself.” 

Through various contacts, Muzz found himself approaching the Back Country Trust for help to rebuild the hut. The trust, established in 2014, has funded the restoration of over 280 huts and 1500km of walking and mountain bike tracks and trails.  

“They came back to me and said yes, they will fund it, if I put the plan together. Luckily, I have some mates from the military who are builders and together we rebuilt it.” 

It was an incredibly rewarding and satisfying project for everyone involved. Since then, Muzz has been involved in another rebuild in the Tararua Ranges alongside The Back Country Trust with a pool of volunteers.  

For more viewing of some epic New Zealand hunting, check out Muzz’s adventures on YouTube and Instagram.