Newshub journalist Patrick Gower says feral cats "need to be shot", "run over" and "wiped off the face of Aotearoa" as he calls for the cancelled children's wild feline killing competition to return.
The North Canterbury Hunting Competition said it was forced to withdraw its new category, where children 14 and under hunt feral cats for a prize of $250.
"Our sponsors and school safety are our main priority, so the decision has been made to withdraw this category for this to avoid further backlash at this time," said a spokesperson.
Discussing the matter on AM panel, Gower said he will always be on the side of native birds when it comes to feral cats "every single day of the week".
"If they're going to hunt, and there are feral cats in the way, then we have to wipe them out. Feral cats need to be shot, they need to be run over, they need to be trapped, they need to be wiped off the face of Aotearoa, New Zealand."
Gower is encouraging Rotherham School to "get the competition back on" and to "get the kids back out there". If they do, he's offering his own reward for children who hunt feral cats.
"I've never done this before but, look, I'll put up some reward as well," he said.
However, Gower wasn't prepared to put a value on his reward yet.
"I have seen these competitions and they do sometimes bring in a lot of animals, so I don't sort of want to put a value on it at the moment in case they bring in heaps."
Gower told AM if the children are from hunting families and are shooting rabbits and possums anyway, then feral cats should be targeted too.
"We need to look at wiping them out and I support Rotherham School and what they're doing."
Watch the full video for more.
