Just over one month to go!

Taonga Lands and Waters: Conservation and Recreation for the Future

Queenstown Memorial Centre, 1 Memorial Drive, Queenstown. 29 - 31 October 2021.

It is shaping up to be a fantastic weekend, with 20 high-caliber speakers, including experts in conservation law, natural science, recreation, Te Ao Māori, wild rivers and leaders from across the outdoor recreation and conservation community. We have just released the speakers program on our website, so check that out!

FMC is pleased to welcome Hon Kiritapu Allan, Hon David Parker, Hon Jacqui Dean, Hon Eugenie Sage, Hon Simon Court and Hon Angie Warren-Clark to speak at our 90^th anniversary celebration.

There will also be organised tramping trips in the local area, with a chance to meet and mingle with FMC executive members and other like minded folks from FMC clubs.

Don’t miss out on a spot; registrations are limited. Secure your seat online now: www.fmc.org.nz/90th. 

All the details, including registrations, speakers program, tramping trips, discounted accommodation, commemorative T-shirts and more, are available on www.fmc.org.nz/90th.

Victoria Bruce and her daughter Emilie (aged 7) are about to embark on a six-month journey walking the length of the Te Araroa Trail, from Cape Reinga to Bluff.

FMC is pleased to be supporting the mother-daughter duo, the first such pair to attempt the trail. We will be sharing their stories and videos online on our Wilderlife blog:

Adventures with Emilie  

Along the way, Victoria and Emilie will be raising funds for both the FMC Mountain & Forest Trust and the Mental Health Foundation.

You can donate on their Givealittle page.  

We’re delighted by their efforts and proud to be supporting them in return.

A big shout-out to the New Zealand Walking Access Commission for releasing Pocket Maps, a mapping app for smartphones that displays public conservation land, unformed legal roads, easements and other information about the status of the land.

The app is available for Apple and Android. Features include GPS positioning, Draw and measure routes, Public access area viewings and Offline capability.

The public access layer contains NZ road parcels, Reserve land, Walkway easements, Esplanade Strips, Esplanade Reserves Easements and DOC public conservation land.

This app should make it a lot easier for users to identify public access to the outdoors.

The New Zealand Geographic Board has publicly notified a proposal to amend the following geographic names:

To alter Mackinnon Pass to Omanui / McKinnon Pass

To alter Lake Mackinnon to Lake McKinnon

To correct the positions of four names, the spelling of two of them, and assign a further name, in the Darran Mountains

All three proposals are open for public submissions, the first two until 30 November 2021, the third one until 30 September 2021.

As part of our long-running interest in Gazetted Wilderness Area establishment and protection, we’re compiling stories to provide inspiration for people to go and visit them. 

wilderlife.nz/category/wilderness-areas/

If you have any trip reports detailing adventures into these areas, we’d love to hear from you. We can re-publish them on Wilderlife, or simply link to where they are currently published.

Contact development@fmc.org.nz

We are pleased to welcome Venture Outdoors to the FMC Member benefits scheme.

Venture Outdoors offer a good selection of freeze dried foods from several companies, muesli bars and cooking gear.  FMC members can get a 15% discount on any of the products on their website, by using the code FMCMEMBER15. 

The FMC Discount Card gives you access to over 50 discounts. You can see them all on our website.

Does your club have a lodge, gear hire service, van or anything else you would like the wider outdoor community to use? A reunion or event you would like to advertise to all Backcountry readers?

FMC 'Little Ads' appear at the back of each issue of Backcountry. Activities or services which aren't intended to make a profit (i.e. reunions) are free; all other club ads are charged 50% of the normal advertising rates. 

Visit our website, or contact Dan Clearwater adverts@fmc.org.nz 021 215 7059 to place an ad. 

FMC's online magazine Wilderlife has a page dedicated to upcoming outdoor events:

wilderlife.nz/gig-guide/

The page contains links to events organised by member clubs around the country. It is searchable by date, keyword, type of activity and geographical region.