The Country 05/03/26: Alex Tait talks to Jamie Mackay

During the Roar, ACC data shows severe hunting injuries double compared to an average month, with 40% affecting the knee or shoulder. These injuries result in an average of 76 days away from work. Northlander Alex Tait, a man with a colourful sporting background as a former Black Cap and professional golfer, shares why hunting, done responsibly, still matters.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
For all you keen hunters out there, the raw is
about to get underway now. ACC data shows severe hunting
injuries doubled compared to the average month, with forty percent
affecting knee and shoulders. Now we're going to discuss this
with a very keen hunter, a very keen golfer, and
a very good cricket player Alex Tait former Black Cap

(00:23):
of course, professional golfer, or was a professional golfer these days,
almost a professional caddy and a keen hunter, Alex. I
just want to start with the story of the day,
and you're probably too busy to have a look at it.
But those black Caps for No Allen one hundred off
thirty three balls? Did that happen in your day when
you were playing for ND and the black Caps.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
It's a different game now, Jamie. I'm quite glad I'm
not playing it these days. It really is is just
a twenty twenty version either. It's where you're talking about
Test Metchell fifty over cricketers. Just a completely different, completely
different game to what we played back in in the nineties.
Two hundred and forty was a pretty decent score back
in nineteen ninety six, so pretty glad I'm not playing

(01:08):
it these days.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
Yeah, you're real all around there. You're a very good golfer,
a very good cricket player, you were a very good
squash play Any good on the end of a rifle?
Can you shoot straight?

Speaker 2 (01:19):
I'm not too bad. I guess you'd have to ask
a few of my hunting buddies whether I'm any good
or not. But yeah, I've been a keen hunter for
probably twenty five twenty six years now. It was always
a neat little getaway from me when I had a
week or two off from sports. So still enjoy it,
Still enjoy it, Still get out the want I can now.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
In the commercial break when we were teeing up this interview,
I didn't realize that. I said to you, because you're
a Northland through and through, and I said, has the
raw started yet in Northland? And you told me there's
no deer north of Auckland. I didn't realize that.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
No, it depends what. Hall Forest is probably the most
northern deerherd in New Zealand, so places like Helensville and
caw Copp, places like that. You'll get a few private
farms that have had a few strays come out of
Wadhall Forest. So and if you're talking in that's fellow Dere.
If you're talking about red Dere, I would guess port

(02:18):
Whykadow or the Kimies something like that. Is probably as
far north as red deers ventured in New Zealand at
the stage. So as far as I know, DOC are
not particularly keen on any any deer and northern at
this stage. But yeah, that's about as far north as
they come.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
The stats aren't good, and as I said at the beginning,
severe injuries double compared to your average month. This is
when the raws are on. These injuries result in an
average of seventy six days away from work.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
I mustn't I've touched wood. I've been pretty lucky as
far as that's concerned. Probably since I've been working here
at Tarah Eddy, I've I've been going hunting with three
or four three or four friends or sort of southwest
North Island. So but previous to that, I was, you know,

(03:09):
I didn't have the luxury of having any hunting hunting companions,
so I spent a lot of time in the Chimis.
I lived in Meta Meta for five years. Spent a
lot of time in the chimise, which is pretty thick stuff.
So I guess I had to be a little more
careful than a lot of guys that have got hunting buddies.
But as I say, the last seven or eight years,

(03:31):
I've been lucky enough to have three or four guys
that I go in with all the time.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
Now, So tell me about Alex Tate, the golfer, the cricketer,
the professional caddy, what you're up to? Are you living
the dream at tara ETI caddying for the rich and famous.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
It's I do enjoy it. I do enjoy it, especially
like I'm nearing the mid fifties now. So I basically
walk ten to twelve kilometers every day, which keeps me
reasonably fit. And because we're not actually employed by Tari,
we're outside contractors. So if I want to go fishing tomorrow,

(04:06):
I just put across in the notebook and I go fishing.
If I don't work, I ain't get paid. So it's
but basically up to me what days I work, how
much I work, when I go fishing, when I go hunting,
So I'm not sort of strapped into a nine to
five job as it is.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
So yeah, last last weekend you were at Millbrook, you
were caddying for I think Paul Blackwell, one of the
leading business people in this country. He's been a sponsor
of Dan Elliert. You were in that same group. Must
have been a thrill. How good does that young man
flush the ball?

Speaker 2 (04:42):
He's one of the best of scene. And I said
that to Paul the first time we played with him
back in twenty twenty, just especially as irons someone that
h's the ball so far, he's accurate, distance, distance controls
just incredible. But literally every time he hits a goal

(05:03):
for you can just tell that it's just it's just
been hammered. It really is good fun to watch them.
And like I said to you, we had Stevie Williams
in our group again and he made a prediction. After
about nine holes, we're sort of talking about his ball
striking and Stevie just looked at me and said, mate,

(05:25):
there's something different about him this year. He just looks
more composed, he looks a little bit more mature now
he's had a bit of time in Europe. He just
said he shoots twenty five this week and wins it.
And he was three shots out. He shot twenty two
under and won it, and that was after nine holes.
So here's you an idea of of how good he is.

(05:47):
If someone like Stevie Williams can make a comment like that.

Speaker 1 (05:51):
Yeah, and Ash Barty was in your group as well.
You are mixing with the rich and famous. Final question
for you, Alex State, because I know you've got to
go away and do some caddy and get in New
Zealand's most prestigious golf course, Tara eighty. Who's the most
famous person you've cadded for?

Speaker 2 (06:07):
I have he carried too many famous ones, a lot
of all blacks, a lot of cricketers, but I have had.
I didn't carey for him, but I have been in
the same group as Alice Cooper. He was here a
few years.

Speaker 1 (06:20):
Ago and he's a good golfer.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
Here's a good golfer. He actually played this is going
back I'm guessing four or five years now. He actually
played it on his seventy second birthday. I think it
was February the fourth, from memory, and it was his
seventy second birthday and he was saying the previous year
he had played one hundred and ninety one concerts in

(06:44):
a calendar year at the age of seventy one, so
pretty fit. Sort of a guy, but yeah, now he's
a good golfer, an interesting story, so it's good to
have him in the group.

Speaker 1 (06:55):
Hey, Alex Tate, I could chat all day. Former black cap,
former professional golfer these days, professional caddy at Tara Etie.
You're living the dream and if you're out there hunters,
be careful during the war. Thanks for your time, Alex Pleasure,
Thank you, Jamie