As the days get colder and the nights get longer, it's the perfect time to sort through your photos and pick the best ones to enter into the competition!

If you haven’t run a club competition before, or haven’t for a while, maybe check out Sally Stockdale’s article on why she started running the competition again for her club.

Individual supporters can enter directly to FMC. We pre-judge your entries as if you all belong to one ‘club’. FMC club members need to submit their entries to their clubs. The club can then submit the winning shots to FMC for entry to the overall competition.

Entries close 1st September for individual supporters, 15 September for FMC clubs. See more on www.fmc.org.nz/photo-competition/

Are they useful? Are they legal?  Read this Outdoor Community resource on FMC’s Wilderlife blog.

This is a reproduction of an article from the March 2021 issue of Backcountry by FMC’s David Barnes and Dan Clearwater.

This bill proposes to put in place a modern framework of basic legal, governance, and accountability obligations for incorporated societies and those who run them.

The new bill may have implications for the way clubs are run. While FMC is working on a submission, we strongly encourage your club to look into this also, and consider how it is going to be affected by the proposed changes.

Submissions close on 28 May 2021.

Find out more on the NZ Parliament website.

As reported in November’s Backcountry, FMC is following these reviews of general policies, which were prompted by the 2018 Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Supreme Court ruling. As far as DOC is allowing, we are engaging with the process, whose robustness we have concerns about. A wider public consultation round is scheduled to begin in the next few months.

On 29 May the Himalayan Trust will commemorate the anniversary of the first ascent of Mt Everest by launching “Everest Day.” To celebrate this remarkable achievement and honour the lasting legacy of Sir Edmund Hillary the Trust is asking New Zealanders to donate a “Fiver for Ed”
to help support education, health and environmental programmes in Nepal to which Sir Ed dedicated much of his life.

To make a donation and learn more about Everest Day go to www.fiver-for-ed.nz

FMC Mountain and Forest Trust is pleased to be supporting the Untamed Aotearoa Podcast in celebrating the outdoor community and wilderness areas of Aotearoa New Zealand.

This month's podcast features Tanya Bottomley, 'who first started to run when she was living in a destructive, abusive relationship. Fast-forward to today and she’s living in Lake Hāwea where she finds joy in adventures in the mountains. In this episode we chat about her journey from running her first road marathon to competing in rugged 100 mile trail races. Tanya is an advocate for Shine and is committed to raising awareness around domestic violence and recovery for victims reclaiming their lives.'

To listen to this episode of the Untamed Aotearoa Podcast, please visit their website.

Taonga Lands and Waters: Conservation and Recreation for the Future: 29 - 31 October 2021, Queenstown 

The Federated Mountain Clubs of NZ warmly invite you to celebrate our 90th Anniversary, with a weekend of activities, discussions and debates.

Our event is the weekend after Labour Weekend, so it is the perfect opportunity to take some leave, go on an adventure down south and then join us for our celebration!

During Friday and Saturday evenings, join us for Taonga Lands and Waters: Conservation and Recreation for the Future.  Experts in conservation law, ecology, Treaty-related matters, recreation, and wild rivers will present and debate.  Politicians will present their perspectives on priorities for conservation legislation’s future. Respected outdoors people will discuss sustainable recreation, alongside inspiring presentations from the rising stars of our outdoor community.

Prior to the evenings' activities, local FMC clubs will be organising day and half-day outdoor activities nearby. A chance to mix and mingle with other like-minded folk from around NZ, whilst enjoying Queenstown’s backyard and discussing the future of conservation and recreation.

Watch for reminders and announcements via our Backcountry magazine, monthly newsletter and social media channels. 

www.fmc.org.nz/90th/ 

Members of the FMC Executive are always busy advocating on behalf of New Zealand's outdoor community. If you think our work is important, please consider supporting our organization. FMC needs to have a strong supporter base that will allow us to better address future challenges.

• Clubs - have you renewed your membership? If you have a partial membership, have you considered upgrading to a full membership? If you are not a member, have you considered joining? FMC welcomes affiliation applications from all clubs or groups that participate in active, non-motorised outdoor recreation pursuits in the backcountry. Find out more here.                                  
  
• Join as an FMC Individual Supporter. Anyone who wants to directly support the work of FMC can do so by becoming an Individual Supporter.                                                                            
• Join the FMC Executive. If your values align with those of FMC and you have some time to spare, consider stepping up to be part of the FMC Executive. Contact FMC President Jan Finlayson for a chat.                                                                                                       
• Donate to the FMC Mountain and Forest Trust. The Trust relies on donations and bequests for its funding. Because the Trust is a registered charitable trust all donations attract a tax rebate. Find out more here.