Next month, FMC will be launching its election campaign at the Backbencher in Wellington. Tentative details are as follows:

Date: Friday 19 June
Time: 7pm onwards
Location: The Backbencher, Molesworth Street, Wellington
Note: Light refreshments will be provided

The event will only go ahead if such gatherings are permitted under Alert Level 1. We will be confirming the event details closer to the time. 

The environment spokespersons for eight political parties have been invited to attend and to talk with our membership about their party’s recreation and conservation policies.

We would like to extend the invite to representatives of our member clubs and to FMC individual supporters to attend.

At Alert Level 2, New Zealanders are once again able to head into the hills for overnight trips!

Huts and campsites on public conservation land are open to the public again, albeit capped at 10 people per hut. Bookable huts only have 10 beds available for online booking. For larger non-bookable huts, people should take tents and be prepared to camp in case the hut is already at 10 people when they arrive. Hygiene is paramount and people are encouraged to take their own supplies of hand sanitiser/soap and cleaning products instead of relying on hut supplies.

We encourage all outdoor users to use their judgement when planning trips into the backcountry. Conditions will have changed markedly since lockdown began, and DOC visitor centres will have limited, if any, information about current track conditions. Be prepared for trips to take longer than you might normally expect.

Contact tracing is hugely important during Level 2, and intentions books at roadends and huts need to be filled out by all individuals passing through. We urge all outdoor users to provide accurate information in intentions books to enable contact tracing to take place.

We’ve had some enquiries from clubs about how car-pooling might work under Level 2. We advise clubs and groups to check the covid19.govt.nz website for up-to-date guidance before finalising travel arrangements. Up-to-date information about the use of DOC facilities is available on the DOC website.

Again FMC thanks the outdoor community for their patience as we’ve navigated the different alert levels. It’s been a long few weeks being limited to day walks in our local foothills and forests, but it makes that next overnight trip all the sweeter.

Stafford Strategy have been engaged by DOC to develop a Development and Investment Framework for potential enhancements to Arthurs Pass National Park, which also incorporates the Arthur’s Pass Village, and the journey along State Highway 73 from Springfield to Otira.

FMC is actively looking into what the project will cover and who feedback is being sought from. We are not entirely comfortable with the outsourcing away from New Zealand government agencies, and with many of the questions asked in the surveys, and their implications. We are addressing these issues via separate channels.

At the same time, we are pleased stakeholders are being consulted, and we welcome the community’s feedback on what is being proposed.

If you don’t undertake day walks or overnight tramps please just fill out the stakeholder survey. If you are a member of a tramping club etc., or just a regular or occasional tramper or day walker in Arthurs Pass National Park and/or the various tracks along sites on State Highway 73, please complete both surveys by 16th May 2020.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AP_StakeholderSurvey

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AP_TrampingSurvey

It was great to see several clubs having a go at running their photo-competitions online during the lockdown. As the restrictions continue to ease, and clubs look toward meeting again in the future, don't forget to keep your photo competition on your club calendar!

All the information is on our website, including how to enter and how to host it all online if you want to.

The competition closes 1st September for Individual Supporters and 15th September for clubs.

Snow Farm has recently joined FMC's member benefits scheme, offering discounts on show shoe rentals and trail passes. NZ's only cross-country ski area, Snow Farm has groomed trails for cross country (nordic) skiing, snowshoes for hire and 3 cozy bookable huts.

There's also the rest of the Pisa Conservation Area (and Kirtle Burn DOC Hut) just over the river for those who want to explore further! Learn more about this and other discounts on our member benefits page.

We've had a pleasing response from our call for contributions; our Wilderlife team are working through them, with the aim of publishing one a week. We're always delighted to receive more contributions, so please do get in touch with us if you wish to contribute.

The festival team are making their final preparations for a down-sized three day show in Wanaka and Queenstown, 26-28 June.

If you can't make it to the southern lakes, some sessions will be broadcast live on the festival's Facebook page, and for others you can buy tickets to watch at your convenience.

The festival is still working with FMC clubs and other organisers around NZ to bring the films on tour to a venue near you in the second half of the year.

Keep an eye on the festival website for more details.

Does your club have a great resource for trip leaders to plan menus for club trips? A great cook-book that you wouldn't mind sharing with the rest of FMC? If so, please get in touch with us; it's the topic for our next outdoor community resource.