Get ready for the second season of loving our huts and tracks. Photo (c) Chun Fei Chin. 

Our network of public huts is calling – and Love Our Huts is gearing up for its second season! Thanks to the amazing energy of over 1800 volunteers last summer, we proved that Kiwis care deeply about our backcountry huts. With 550 huts registered and hundreds shown some love, the message was clear: our huts matter, and together we can do our bit to help care for them.

Now it’s time for Love Our Huts Edition 2, running from November 2025 to March 2026. This year we’re adding more ways for everyone to be part of showing how important the huts are:

• Making sure all non-wardened huts receive the love – around 800 in total!
• Spot prizes and supporter giveaways.
• Simplified hut health checks – no hutbook audits needed this year.

Whether you’re in a club, out with mates, or introducing the next generation to the joys of hut life, this campaign is about community, not credit.

Mark your calendar: registrations open on 1 August. Together, let’s show our huts some love.

 A call to open up some of Waitākere track has been proposed to the Auckland City Council. Photo (c) Tony Walton. 

With strong support from FMC, Te Kawerau ā Maki has put forward a practical proposal to Auckland Council to reopen key Waitākere tracks immediately.

Backed by Friends of Regional Parks Auckland and other recreation groups, the plan outlines tracks that could be upgraded and reopened immediately – restoring a connected network for diverse users, including more loops, full east–west and north–south routes, and converting Te Ara Tūhura / Hillary Trail into a multi-day circuit.

Edward Ashby (Te Kawerau ā Maki) and Stu Gray (FMC, NZAC) recently presented the proposal to the Council’s Parks Committee. The ball is now in Auckland Council’s court — the challenge is to start the delivery, even as longer-term planning continues.

For more information, visit Auckland Tramping Club’s webpage or contact Tony Walton at tony.walton@fmc.org.nz

 FMC is committed to get the best outcomes for our community in the Waitaha valley. Photo (c) Neil Silverwood. 

FMC opposes the Waitaha Hydro scheme.

We are aware Whitewater NZ has come to an agreement with Westpower on behalf of the whitewater community, and we appreciate this is a very difficult time for that community. We can confirm FMC has not made any such agreement ourselves, and will not seek to, however, we will work constructively alongside the developer and our community to get the best outcomes for recreation in the Waitaha valley, including tramping, whitewater sports, canyoning, and others.

We acknowledge the difficult situation WWNZ is in. This is a stark reminder of why the Fast Track Approvals Act is broken from the outset. Legislation that is designed to work well should not result in affected parties feeling like the only option they have is to "cut a deal" that undermines their values. 

FMC continues to work alongside WWNZ and other stakeholders to ensure foot access in the Waitaha valley is secured and maintained, and that the pristine nature of the place is protected. We expect the expert panel addressing the Waitaha application under the FTAA to identify that mitigation for recreational impacts has not been fully resolved, and that they engage with FMC as an affected party during their assessment of the application. 

As FMC’s liaison for Te Urewera, Megan often hears questions about what’s happening with pest management and track access in the area. In this update, she shares a valuable resource and reflects on the broader kaupapa of Te Urewera, reminding us that huts and tracks are just one part of the story.  

"As the Te Urewera liaison, I get asked a lot about what is happening with regards to pest management and tracks in Te Urewera.

Te Uru Taumatua's newsletter speaks well to the progress the team has made on pest management and some of the mahi they are doing. It also provides a broad contextual lens to work that is happening in Te Urewera to support the primary purpose of the Te Urewera Act in reconnecting Te Urewera with its people.

FMC continues to work alongside the community in Te Urewera to support their goals for their land alongside public access and recreational matters. Having that broader context that huts and tracks are not the only thing Te Urewera is about is always helpful to hold close when we speak to the locals about what we enjoy doing in Te Urewera.

If you are interested in happenings in Te Urewera, sign up to the newsletter! It's a great read."

Megan, FMC President

If our website looks a little different — you’re in the right place!

We’re refreshing our site with a clean new look and better functionality. The full rollout will be complete by the end of September, so you may still come across a few older pages along the way.

Take a look around, spread the word, and let us know what you think.

Our advocacy work continues on several fronts. These are just some of the areas we have been working on recently:

Health and Safety at Work Act: FMC Executive member Allan Brent and Edwin Sheppard, General Manager Aotearoa Climbing Access Trust (ACAT) met with Hon. Brooke van Velden Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, to discuss and help ensure that recreational access issues are effectively addressed in the upcoming Health and Safety at Work Act amendments regarding landowner liability concerns and WorkSafe NZ guidance.

DOC's Future Visitor Network strategy: FMC President Megan Dimozantos met with DOC alongside other eNGOs to consider DOC's progress on its Future Visitor Network strategy, including the future of some huts and tracks.

Fast-track Approvals Act projects: Various members of the FMC Executive are working with local groups to understand more about the Remarkables Ski Area and Doolans Expansion, the Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project, the Tukituki Water Security Project, and the Waitaha Hydro Project.

Phew, it's been a busy year so far here at FMC!

If you'd like to see what we've been up to, check out our key achievements map. 

Why not organise a photo competition night? Photo (c) Crystal Brindle. 

The long cold winter evenings are the perfect time to hold a photo competition, or alternatively, you can run the competition online. The winning images of your club's competition are eligible to be entered  into the FMC competition. FMC individual supporters can also enter and are pre-judged by FMC, with the top shots gaining entry to the overall competition.

Once again there are some great prizes in this year's photo competition including packs, sleeping bag, jacket, Rab vouchers and books, thanks to our sponsors: Bivouac Outdoor, Outfitters, Wilderness Magazine, Potton and Burton, Fiordland Packs, and Excio. 

Information on how to enter is on our website, and resources to help run a club competition are available on Wilderlife.

Entries close on 1 September 2025 for individual supporters and 15 September 2025 for clubs. If you have any questions, please contact photocomp@fmc.org.nz.

If you can't make it to the NZ Mountain Film Festival, bring it home!

The NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival National Tour kicks off on 1 August, bringing award-winning films to audiences across Aotearoa.

A curated selection of films is available for local screenings — perfect for club nights, fundraisers, or community events. The films celebrate adventure, mountain culture, the environment, and action sports from around the world.

Schools and Scout groups can also take advantage of the free schools programme, proudly sponsored by FMC. Any school or Scout group in New Zealand can apply to screen a 45-minute selection of films during school hours at no cost. It's a great way to inspire young minds with stories from the outdoors.

For more information or to register your school, visit the School Tour page on the FMC website. To host a screening or find more details, head to the Festival’s website or get in touch directly.

A huge thanks to our many member clubs who recently voted with a resounding "yes" to our new Constitution. During July, we will reregister FMC under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022.

If you are an incorporated society and FMC member club and need advice on reregistering please contact us at eo@fmc.org.nz.

Every now and then, a rare opportunity arises for FMC to appoint a Trustee to the FMC Mountain and Forest Trust and also the Backcountry Trust - both incredibly worthwhile charitable Trusts that support our backcountry.

Closing dates for applications are the end of July for BCT and the end of August for FMC Mountain & Forest Trust. Please contact our Executive Officer Sophie at eo@fmc.org.nz for further details.

 Photo (c) Scott Thorp

Aotearoa’s public land is under threat. Reclassification, commercial pressure, and the drive for economic and tourism growth risk stripping vast swaths of land — opening them up to mining, hydro development, or reducing their protection to the bare minimum. Once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.

Federated Mountain Clubs is fighting to keep public lands in public hands — and wild for generations to come. But we can’t do it without your support.

If you believe in this fight, please consider donating today. Just one hour of your wages each month can help us protect what matters — for you, and for the future.

“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)

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