A Katikati man has admitted hitting a black swan with a jet boat and causing distress to six others on Boxing Day last year near Tauranga.
Carl Williams, 36, pleaded guilty in Tauranga District Court to two charges under the Animal Welfare Act, including the wilful ill-treatment of an animal.
The summary of facts read in court said there was footage which showed a high-powered jet boat being steered towards black swans, with one seen to pass below the bow and afterwards appearing to be seriously impaired.
Williams will be sentenced on 3 October.
In a separate case, he pleaded not guilty to another charge relating to a separate incident in May 2011, where a goat was allegedly thrown in the air and shot.
That matter has been adjourned to October.
