Header image: Peter Laurenson, Ruahine Forest Park

FMC, along with more than 70,000 people, submitted on the Conservation Amendment Bill this month. We fought hard to ensure the voices of outdoor recreationists were represented.  

Our key concerns and recommendations were: 

• Ensuring that any exchange and disposal mechanism includes a mandatory public process and mandatory protection of recreation access.  

• The proposed section 6(ea), which would require DOC to recognise economic opportunities from the use and development of land and “to enable this use and development to the greatest extent practicable” - must be redrafted.  

• Decision-making powers should not be concentrated in the Minister’s hands - the New Zealand Conservation Authority and Conservation Boards must be consulted and retain at least joint approval power. 

We noted our general support for streamlining planning and concessions processes but recommended an immediate redrafting of the entire Bill. 

We've requested meetings with the Minister and Select Committee to continue this conversation while they consider our submissions.  

Thank you to all of you who wrote to their MPs, made a submission, or simply spread the word. We'd also like to acknowledge the individuals from FMC who volunteered two weeks of their time for this important cause.  

Read FMC's submission here and our joint submission with leading outdoor recreation groups here.

Image: Carol Molineux

The National Conservation Policy Statement (NCPS) will shape how our public conservation land is managed for years to come, covering everything from concessions to visitor zones. 

It is connected directly to the Conservation Amendment Bill, as the Bill will enable the Minister of Conservation to set future national policy direction through the NCPS. 

One of the key changes is faster concession approvals, setting out those activities that: require no permit, will have a pre-approved permit system, will have simplified assessments based on land classification and visitor zone, or will go through the standard concession process.  

We think some parts of the NCPS are valuable, but there’s room for improvement. We’ll be making a submission and encourage everyone interested in the outdoors to do so as well. 

Here are some of the issues on our mind: 

• Voluntary work like hut and track maintenance, pest control, and search and rescue, should be exempt from requiring a permit. 

• It sets out how to classify and reclassify conservation land, but says nothing about land disposal or exchange. It also proposes to reduce oversight from the New Zealand Conservation Authority and conservation boards. Given the proposals in the Conservation Amendment Bill, these are real concerns. 

• Visitor amenity areas could enable commercial development and effectively privatise wild places. On top of this, the definition of "utilities" lacks clear guidance on where infrastructure should be located on conservation land, potentially allowing large infrastructure developments in inappropriate areas. 

Submissions are open now until 10 August on the DOC website.

Image: Shaun Barnett

FMC Expedition Scholarship recipient Rose Sudworth and four friends spent 13 days making their way to the Olivine Ice Plateau, one of Aotearoa's most remote and hard-won destinations. 

Their trip had everything: heavy packs, weather holds, a three-day cave bunker, flooded rivers, and a legendary last-minute boat rescue by a grey-haired man in stubbies and gumboots. 

Head to Wilderlife to follow their adventure from the Beans Burn to the plateau and back. 

Rose's trip was made possible with a Youth Expedition Scholarship. Applications for Expedition Scholarships, Youth Award Grants, and Training Grants are currently open until September 15. For more information and to apply, head to the link below.

Image: Emily Prout

After a lifetime spent in New Zealand’s outdoors, tramping, mountaineering, and deer culling, Peter Anthony Mason passed away on 12 June 2024, aged 80. 

Peter’s working life spanned beekeeping, conservation, furniture making, firefighting, and ski patrol. His adventurous spirit also took him further afield—while working at Lake Louise in Canada, he cycled across the Rocky Mountains over more than two weeks, camping in the wilderness along the way before returning to his home at the time in Vancouver. It is a remarkable legacy, reflecting his lifelong commitment to the outdoors and to serving his community. 

Further demonstrating his deep respect for and love of New Zealand’s wild places, Peter left a generous bequest to FMC in his Will. We are deeply humbled by and grateful for his gift, which will support FMC’s work advocating for outdoor recreation and protecting New Zealand’s backcountry.  

We are proud to carry forward Peter’s legacy, ensuring his passion for the outdoors continues to benefit future generations. 

Image permission: Harold Mason, taken at Hidden Falls Hut on the Hollyford Track 

Entries for the FMC Photo Competition are now open, and we are lining up some fantastic prizes from sponsors including Fiordland Packs, Bushbuck, Potton and Burton, Rab, and more. 

With eight categories to enter, there is something for every type of outdoor photographer. Whether you have captured a stunning alpine sunrise, a rare native bird, or a historic shot from the club archives, we want to see it. 

Entries close 1 September 2026 for individual supporters and 15 September 2026 for clubs. Find out more and enter at fmc.org.nz. Any questions, contact photocomp@fmc.org.nz. 

Our friends at Forest & Bird are hosting The Future of Conservation hui in three cities this August:

• Wellington - Saturday 1 August
• Auckland - Saturday 15 August
• Christchurch - Saturday 29 August

This free event is your chance to hear from experts and ask politicians your burning questions about conservation and outdoor recreation.

As we head towards the election, FMC encourages you to turn your concerns into action and be part of the conversation.

Register now at the link below. 

This August, Backcountry will be available digitally with no print run. 

As members and supporters will know, the cost of producing, printing, and distributing the magazine has been increasing. The FMC Executive is always looking at ways to use resources more effectively, and as our single biggest expense, Backcountry is a natural place to start. We are trialling a digital-only issue this August to help manage costs and see how our community finds it. 

We welcome any feedback before making decisions about the future. At this stage, all future issues will continue to be printed. 

Individual supporters will find the August issue delivered straight to their inbox. Club members will receive the digital issue via email from their club. With club digital membership on the horizon, we hope all registered club members will soon receive their copy directly from us too. 

Thank you for your continued support of Backcountry. We look forward to sharing another great issue with you. 

July’s monthly theme was fostering the skills and knowledge of our outdoor community, particularly among our young people. 

We recently awarded nine Youth Award Grants to students around New Zealand, a fitting reflection of this month's theme. These $250 grants support young people undertaking expeditions for the Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award and Scouting New Zealand's Venturer Award, helping ease the financial barrier of getting out into the wild. 

August's theme is to strengthen the recreational, conservation, and environmental integrity of public conservation lands.  

Image: Julie Mackie 

As always, our work is only possible with the support of our funders. Thank you for being on this journey with us, powering us to advocate for and protect an outdoor life worth living.

Youth award grants, expedition scholarships, training grants, Love Our Huts, submissions - it’s all possible thanks to you!

We’re all here for a common reason - we love our beautiful outdoors - and we’re hell-bent on keeping them that way.

“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)