In early March all Member Clubs will receive information related to membership renewal for 2021 and nominations for the Executive.

Start thinking now about whether there is someone in your club who would like to join our Executive to advocate on behalf of all our member clubs.

In December last year, DOC announced the first of two rounds of public consultation on the Kawarau/Remarkables Conservation Area’s reclassification. Submissions close 26 February 2021.

Since 2017, FMC has been campaigning for the creation of a Remarkables National Park. Although the Kawarau/Remarkables Conservation Area only covers part of the proposed National Park, we see the reclassification of this area as a crucial step in the creation of a Remarkables National Park. FMC has therefore written a submission on the reclassification of the Kawarau/Remarkables Conservation Area.

We would like to encourage our members to also submit on the area’s reclassification.

Read more

Sign up to D2U for $20, and get four issues of Backcountry magazine plus the FMC Discount Card posted directly to you! But you need to be quick; 19th February is the deadline to get your March issue!

To sign up visit www.fmc.org.nz/D2U

With the support of the Maerewhenua Trust, FMC is continuing to offer $200 cash grants to support young people in achieving youth awards, such as the Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award. 

Applications close 15th of March, June, September and November.

www.fmc.org.nz/youthawardgrant

Believed to be first ‘in person’ mountain film festival held in the world after the pandemic erupted, the 2020 event was very successful, and the team learnt lots about COVID-proofing for 2021. 

FMC is pleased to be supporting the festival again this year. The main event is held in Central Otago, 25 June to 3 July.  See www.mountainfilm.nz for more info. 

A selection of the best films go on tour around the country, providing a fundraising opportunity for several FMC clubs and community groups. If your club would like to host a screening, please contact the festival team to learn more. You can also read “Bringing the festival to you” by Megan Sety of the Wellington TMC.

Plus, FMC support means schools can apply to receive a 45 minute package of films for FREE.  To register your school, visit

www.fmc.org.nz/mountainfilm

We'd really like to encourage clubs and individual supporters who haven't entered before, or in recent years, to have a go in 2021. Club photo competitions are a great social event, building camaraderie and club spirit: as Sally Stockdale from Wakatipu TC says in her Wilderlife article. We've also created resources on "how to run a photo competition" which can help to make it easier to get things organised.

Even if your club isn't able to run a competition, we'd encourage you to consider entering a few images in the 'historic' category. It's a fantastic chance for clubs and members to sift through their archives, wander down memory lane, and enter classic historic images of recreation in our wild places, without needing to organise a competition.

All the information on how to enter is available on our website: www.fmc.org.nz/photo-competition/. 

Entries close for individual supporters on 1st September, and for FMC affiliated clubs on 15th September. If you have any questions, or would like help with your clubs' competition or entries, please contact photocomp@fmc.org.nz

Sir Edmund Hillary’s Himalayan Trust is challenging you to climb 8848m – the height of Everest – in March to help remote mountain communities in Nepal.

You can climb, run, walk or bike it. Complete it solo or share the climb between a team. Go hard out and tackle it in one weekend, or spread the challenge over the month. It’s up to you!

Join the Summit Challenge in 2021 and help bring high quality education, vital healthcare and safe drinking water to the Everest region of Nepal.

Register on www.summitchallenge.org

There are over 50 discounts and offers available to holders, including 30% off the DOC Backcountry Hut Pass. Torpedo 7 are currently offering a sale to our members until 2 March 2021 (see details above).

Make sure you get your card: here’s how.

Didymo is currently spreading around the South Island and is beginning to get into some of our most pristine catchments within conservation areas.

Didymo is only visible when in bloom and can be present in waterways that appear to be clear. It spreads through water droplets at any stage of its life cycle, so it is vital to check and clean or dry every time we move between waterways regardless of what we have observed.

It is recommended that trampers carry a small spray bottle with a 5% detergent/dishwashing liquid solution. This should be used to clean boots and any other gear which has been in contact with water when moving between waterways.

For more information visit

www.biosecurity.govt.nz/check-clean-dry/