Wildlife Act 1953 (No. 31 of 1953).

This Act is composed of 73 sections and 10 Schedules. The principal aim of the Act is to provide for the protection and control of wild animals and birds, the regulation of game shooting seasons, and the constitution and powers of Fish and Game Councils.
Part 1, entitled "Protection of Wildlife", contains sections on wildlife sanctuaries, wildlife refuges and wildlife management reserves. Conservation management strategies and plans are spelled out in sections 14B to 14I.
Part 2 on game regulates open and closed seasons for hunting and killing in game areas, licences and the sale of game and shooting rights which are prohibited.
Part 3 on administration allows for the creation of wildlife districts, determines the powers of rangers, including Fish and Game Council rangers, and the powers of the Minister and Director General of Conservation. The Act establishes the New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Trust Board, as a body corporate whose functions, among others, are: to primarily improve New Zealand's game bird habitat and secondarily to improve the habitat of other wildlife; to identify and evaluate areas of New Zealand worthy of protection, restoration, improvement, creation, or procurement primarily as game bird habitat and secondarily as habitat for other wildlife; and to negotiate, where appropriate, the protection, restoration, improvement, creation, or procurement of game bird habitat with landowners.
Part 4 regulates the destruction of injurious birds and Part 5 contains general provisions such as on ownership of animals, homing of pigeons and powers to authorize taking or killing of wildlife for certain purposes. The remainder of the Act concerns offences and penalties, repeals, savings and consequential amendments to other Acts as well as a series of schedules listing different categories of wildlife.