Mueller Hut. (c) Glen Howey, Wakatipu Tramping Club.

FMC has been working with the Department of Conservation regarding their recent direction to install fire alarms in all huts with six bunks and over.

FMC believes DOC have incorrectly interpreted the relevant legislation, and that this costly rollout is unnecessary and will not meaningfully improve the safety of people staying in backcountry huts. Furthermore, we are concerned at the lack of consultation with clubs and organisations which own huts situated on public conservation land and are affected by the change.

FMC have requested DOC put a pause on the work until they have clarified the legality of the rollout, and until a proper consultation has been completed. The Department has indicated they are currently completing a review of the decision and we are expecting a more comprehensive response from them within the next couple of weeks.

If you are an incorporated society you should now be starting work on drafting your new constitution, in preparation for mandatory re-registration under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022. This has to be done before April 2026, but after drafting your new constitution you will need to submit it for your members' approval at an AGM, so we recommend you aim to do this during 2024, keeping your 2025 AGM as a contingency. Or you could target it for a Special General Meeting instead if that is more convenient.

The good news is that the Companies Office has now produced a Constitution Builder tool that provides a draft of what is required without you having to digest the full requirements of the Act. We have found the draft constitution produced does need revision to make it more focused to a typical club's operation, so we have produced some template constitutions that you may find useful. These are available in the Outdoor Community section of our Wilderlife website.

Read that article and then get started on creating your own constitution.

Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa produces digital maps that show publicly accessible outdoor access. Their GIS team have recently updated these maps and added new functions for outdoor recreationists to use.

The maps are a free public service. They display public access areas, hunting and fishing locations, property information, hydro parcels, tracks and trails.

As trampers, climbers and other recreationalists, you can use the maps to plan out a new or short route to areas that you might not have visited previously, draw it online using the drawing and export tools, download the GPX file and either upload it to the Pocket Maps app or to your own GPS device.

Contact Stephen for information about the maps and / or if you are interested in a short presentation to your club.

The best way to enjoy your planned summer trips is to ensure your outdoor gear is in good condition and that you have a great variety of provisions.

But before doing that, make sure you know about the many discounts available to FMC members. Check out our website to see what is on offer. You will see that all major outdoor gear providers give us at least a 10% discount. That sure beats paying the full marked price!

If you are not an FMC member, now is the time to join, because you will very quickly recoup your membership fee, as well as helping to support an organisation that works hard for everyone in the outdoor community.

Leaning Lodge Hut, Rock and Pillar Range. Photo: Supplied.

The Leaning Lodge Trust, on behalf of the Otago Tramping & Mountaineering Club (OTMC), are very proud to inform FMC members of the progress of the hut rebuild.

Over $200,000 in donations has allowed construction of a new hut adjacent to the old one high up in the alpine area of the Rock and Pillar range (behind Middlemarch). Steel framed, steel clad, a really magnificent 10 bunker now nestles nicely amongst the alpine flora and is all but completed, with an opening date planned for early 2024. The hut will have solar bunk lighting, cellphone charging, an online weather station, and a very nice new loo too.

We’ll keep you posted...

The Southland Tramping Club recently held its 75^th jubilee (a year late due to Covid restrictions) and produced a publication to celebrate the event. The book includes stories from the last 75 years as well as newspaper articles from the 1930’s when there was another club of the same name in existence.

The publication is available in electronic form as a .pdf file, A4 in size and 110 pages. It has a registered ISBN Number and is free to anyone who would like a copy. It can also be purchased as part of a one-off print run for $50.00 plus $6.00 postage (GST inclusive), delivered anywhere in New Zealand. Printing is done on an inkjet printer.

To request your copy contact Barry Smith at stc75jubilee@gmail.com.

We are on the hunt for stories about adventures, misadventures, discoveries, reflections and curious encounters from the wild!

Send us your stories - the best ones will be published on Wilderlife and you'll receive a copy of Not Set in Stone by David Vass or Erebus The Ice Dragon by Colin Monteath.

Entries should be 800-1200 words, with 4-5 captioned photographs. FMC is the judge of the competition, and our decision is final. Runners up will still have their stories featured on our Wilderlife blog. By entering you give permission for FMC to publish your entry on our website. Please send your stories to communications@fmc.org.nz.

Thank you to the numerous club reps who attended the last club kōrero at the beginning of the month. The next one will be held in February 2024, date TBC. Clubs are encouraged to think in advance about questions they would like to ask the FMC Executive.

“We must closely guard the welfare of our National Parks and Reserves. These should not be regarded as the property of our minister or the government. They belong to the people of today and tomorrow. We must fight for their protection if necessary.” Fred Vosseler – Inaugural FMC President (1932)

Copyright © 2023 Federated Mountain Clubs NZ (Inc), All rights reserved.

Editor: Danilo Hegg. Feedback welcome to eo@fmc.org.nz

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