Advocacy & Access
Past Submissions Archive | Club Recreation Advocacy Plan and Policy
The focus of this committee is ensuring that the Club's views were made known on such matters as access to public lands, proposals for new national parks, park and reserve management plans, guiding and concessions policies etc. The intention has been for the Club to establish itself with local authorities and central government as a party requiring consultation on all important high country and alpine environmental matters. Issues are often brought to the attention of the Club by Sections, or the Federated Mountain Clubs. Club submissions are often, though not always supportive of positions taken by the FMC.
Mt Aspiring National Park Management Plan Review
Consultation on the current Mt Aspiring National Park Management Plan (MANPMP) has just been completed (30 June 2009). The Club submission (PDF, 53KB), principally focussed on issues surrounding helicopter access to Bevan col, and bolting in the national park.
Linked to this management plan review, the Department of Conservation undertook a survey of alpine climbers in the Mt Aspiring area. For a full copy of this survey, click on the link below:
Mt Aspiring Alpine Climbers survey 2006-2007 (PDF, 792KB)
Darran's Air Access Issue
The Club's quarterly magazine 'The Climber' carried an article on the issue of air access to the Darran Mountains in Issue 44. A large amount of correspondence was generated as a result and responses can be view in summary.
Original Climber #44 Article on Darran's Air Access
Summary of Responses to Climber 44 Article
Other Background
Copies of the Club Environmental Policy Statement can be obtained from the National Office (see also NZ Climber #9, 1994, pp35-36).
The statement covers:
- New Zealand Public Lands (access, conservation and development, concessions, mining, sale and transfer of public lands, private and leasehold land)
- Environmental Codes (New Zealand alpine climbing, rockclimbing, overseas climbing/Antarctic expeditions)
History of the Recreation Advocacy Committee
The Environmental Sub-Committee as it was known then was set up in 1990 with the primary purpose of preparing a Club Environmental Policy Statement which would act as a guide for, but not dictate, Club responses to proposals affecting conservation lands. Before this time environmental issues had generally been dealt with on an ad hoc and reactive basis, with submissions made to the relevant authorities directly from the Club Committee or from Sections of the HQ, or both, as information became available at the Section or national level. The committee was renamed in 2001 to help clarify its role.
