A Pongaroa-based husband-and-wife butchery business say homekill meat regulations are restrictive and many people are unaware they exist.
Rebecca Eastwood said she and her husband, Glenn Eastwood, a qualified butcher, have run Eastwood Homekill from a purpose-built butchery for two years.
The business relies on people bringing meat to them, and they do not sell to the public.
“You have to own the animal or hunt the animal.”
She welcomed the Government’s decision to seek feedback on changes to the Animal Products Act 1999 that would make it easier for people to buy an animal from a farmer and get it processed.
The review was announced by Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard on August 31.
Eastwood said she felt the rules needed to be “changed and relaxed to reflect today’s society”.
“Nobody that I have spoken to knew anything about these rules, that you are not allowed to share sausages on a barbecue that have been homekill processed.
“People are doing it because they don’t understand that these rules are even in place.”
The act enables people to process livestock or hunted animals for their own consumption and use outside the regulated food safety system.
However, it prohibits the trade of homekill and recreational catch and restricts who may consume the product.
Under current rules, people can buy a live animal, but before it can be processed by a homekill provider listed with MPI, the buyer has to show they actively cared for it for 28 days.
MPI is seeking feedback on whether it should retain, reduce or remove that requirement.
It also seeks feedback on whether to retain existing rules on who may consume homekill and recreational catch or remove restrictions, enabling broader access.
The third point being consulted on is whether to require listed service providers to label homekill and recreational catch products to provide more information to consumers.
Eastwood said the outdated rules contributed to cost-of-living pressures for those unable to own livestock or go hunting, and was “very restrictive” for those who do not have their own land.
“Some people are capable of actually being able to buy an animal and carry out the slaughter and carry out the processing themselves, but at the moment ... that’s illegal.”
Eastwood has submitted feedback in response to the Government consultation that people should have a choice.
“They should be allowed to decide for themselves if they want to go ahead and eat that home-killed meat or whether they choose to ... buy something from the supermarket that has been through the inspection process.”
Hoggard said the rules hadn’t been looked at in 20 years, despite changes in “the way we live, farm and share food”.
“This is about removing rules that no longer make sense.”
He said homekill can only be eaten by the animal owner, their family or household, and farm employees.
“With the cost of living still biting, people are looking at what else is on offer.”
The consultation also covers whether recreational hunters can share hunted meat more widely.
“We have heard the current rules are vague, and that uncertainty is putting people off donating hunted meat to foodbanks and charities.”
Hoggard encouraged farmers, hunters, processors and Kiwis who value local food to have their say.
“This is a chance to shape practical rules that support local food, not hold it back.”
Consultation closes on October 5, 2026.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.