A draft version of the Waikato Conservation Management Strategy (CMS) 2008-2018 has now been prepared and has been publicly notified for submissions in the week starting 20th of October 2008.

The CMS is a 10-year plan produced by the Department of Conservation in consultation with Iwi, the Waikato Conservation Board and the general public.  The plan provides long-term guidance for DOC’s management of public conservation lands and waters and the natural and historic resources it administers within the Waikato Conservancy. 

Following public notification there is a submission period running up until the 9th of January 2009 to collect feedback and input from the community via formal submissions.  Based on feedback received, the draft CMS will be revised for final approval by the Waikato Conservation Board and New Zealand Conservation Authority. 

We encourage interested parties to participate in this process.  From 20 October, a submission form and copy of the draft document will be available to view online at www.doc.govt.nz/waikatocmsreview or at the Head Office and all Conservancy Offices of the Department of Conservation and main public libraries located within Waikato Conservancy.

Workshops are to be held for the public during November and early December.  Information on places, dates and times for these workshops will be placed on the website listed above.  The workshop will seek to explain the content and purpose of the document, the submission process, answer questions and listen to any relevant feedback, issues or concerns.  These workshops will seek to explain the content and purpose of the document, the submission process, answer questions and listen to any relevant feedback, issues or concerns. 

If you have any questions relating to this process please contact Waikato Conservancy Office (ph: 07 858 1000 or email:waikatocms@doc.govt.nz).

NZFWDA.org.nz | Kindly sponsored by Jeep and ARB

NZFWDA.org.nz | Kindly sponsored by Jeep and ARB

Walking Access Bill passed into law
Sep 26, 2008 8:21 AM

Legislation creating a commission to deal with public access through farms to lakes and rivers has been passed by Parliament.

Rural Affairs Minister Damien O'Connor says the Walking Access Bill went to the heart of what most New Zealanders regarded as their fundamental birthright.

"The bill builds on the legacy of public access established over the last century and a half and creates the Walking Access Commission to clarify, promote and extend walking access to lakes and waterways throughout New Zealand," he says.

"I am pleased to have led this issue from a time when it caused large-scale controversy and division until now, when it has passed through the House with strong support."

O'Connor says an easier option would have been to shelve the issue, but the challenge to persevere was accepted because of the changing pressures and circumstances facing rural New Zealand.

"With quality input from a wide range of individuals a sound way forward has been achieved," he says.

The new commission will develop a strategy and a code of conduct for people who want to walk through privately-owned land to get to lakes and rivers.

O'Connor said it would also provide robust advice, offer local and regional leadership and help local groups with access issues.

It would mediate in any disputes over walking access.

"Hundreds of New Zealanders have shared their views on walking access issues over the last five years and this bill is a significant milestone," he says.

"It is part of a wider vision for the preservation of the heritage of all New Zealanders."

Source: NZPA

NZFWDA.org.nz | Kindly sponsored by Jeep and ARB

www.nz4wd.co.nz/suboffernzfwda/

NZFWDA.org.nz | Kindly sponsored by Jeep and ARB

Visitor Solutions are undertaking a survey on behalf of the Auckland Regional Council as part of a study into the demand for off road motorised recreation in the Auckland region. The aim of the study is to gain an in depth understanding of the demand for and the core issues surrounding off road motorised recreation. The primary purpose of the survey is to gather your thoughts so that we can better understand the demand for off road motorised recreation.

The survey is aimed at people participating in off road motorised recreation within the Auckland region. The survey can be found on:

http://visitorsolution.off-road-motorised-sport-survey.sgizmo.com

NZFWDA.org.nz | Kindly sponsored by Jeep and ARB

http://www.parliament.nz/NR/rdonlyres/8BBA88B5-1694-4E27-B00C-22DDBC653A9E/90650/DBSCH_SCR_4154_6149.pdf

The full report from the Parliamentary Select Committee.

The progress of this Bill could be rapid if the Government attempt to leave a legacy. It will be vital to follow this and ensure that your MP's know what you want.

It is expected that Parliament will pass this Bill under 'urgency' during the final session before the election and it may happen before the end of August 2008.

NZFWDA.org.nz | Kindly sponsored by Jeep and ARB

NZFWDA.org.nz | Kindly sponsored by Jeep and ARB

www.nzherald.co.nz/section/9/story.cfm?c_id=9&objectid=10523277

SUV's unsafe reputation undeserved, says research

10.54 THURSDAY JULY 24, 2008

Academics have investigated thousands of injury crashes to try to answer that often debated motoring question of whether sport utility vehicles (SUVs) are safe or not.

"Previous research has shown some clear negatives about SUVs in terms of safety, but they are not as unsafe as many people make out," said public health researcher Michael Keall.

The University of Otago Wellington academic and researchers from Melbourne's Monash University Accident Research Centre investigated 17,245 injury-related crashes involving passenger vehicles in New Zealand in 2005 and 2006 and published the results in the international journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.

They found that SUVs are not generally dangerous, possibly because of the way they are driven, and the people who own them.

But their safety record is compromised by three factors.

"The first factor is that they are dangerous in the hands of young drivers, probably because of their inexperience as drivers and the instability of 4WDs," Dr Keall said.

They are more prone to rollover crashes, which lead to particularly severe injuries for drivers and passengers.

Thirdly, they are more dangerous to pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists and others who are harmed by the high bonnets and rigid structures.

"This means that if you are looking for a really safe vehicle for you and other road users, you wouldn't generally choose a SUV as it is not the best vehicle on the road in terms of overall road safety."

But SUVs are less involved in accidents because of how they are driven and how they are used.

Sports cars have the worst safety record of all vehicles probably because drivers tend to take additional risk when provided with high levels of performance and acceleration.

The research was funded by Land Transport New Zealand, the New Zealand Automobile Association, Road Traffic Authority of NSW, Royal Automobile Club of Victoria Ltd, NRMA Ltd, VicRoads, Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia Ltd, Transport Accident Commission, the Road Safety Council of Western Australia and by a grant from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

- NZPA

www.nzherald.co.nz/section/9/story.cfm?c_id=9&objectid=10523408

SUVs score more safe points in new research

5:00AM FRIDAY JULY 25, 2008

BY MATHEW DEARNALEY

Crash researchers have found lumbering SUVs to be less dangerous than previously thought, despite their potential to cause more mayhem than smaller vehicles.

But that is not to say the beasts have received an unqualified safety tick.

They are still considered dangerous in the hands of young drivers, vulnerable to roll-over crashes carrying high risks of serious head injuries to their occupants, and a threat to other road users such as pedestrians and cyclists likely to be harmed by their high bonnets and rigid structures.

Even so, public health research leader Michael Keall of Otago University's Wellington campus admits surprise at results of an assessment of almost 24,000 vehicles involved in injury crashes in 2005 and 2006.

Not only were below-average crash rates found for SUVs of all sizes, but the best results were recorded in the heaviest of their three categories, those weighing more than two tonnes.

Large SUVs had an overall injury crash rate of just 0.57 per cent compared with an average of 0.8 per cent across 11 vehicle categories. The highest was 0.98 per cent for sports cars.

"It's an interesting result and I was expecting to find 4WDs were rather more dangerous," Dr Keall said yesterday. "Previous research has shown some clear negatives about SUVs in terms of safety, but they are not as unsafe as many people make out."

Dr Keall, assisted by researchers from Monash University in Melbourne with funds from organisations including Land Transport NZ and the Automobile Association, said that was possibly because of how they were being driven and who owned them.

His team's research paper, published in Accident Analysis and Prevention, found only one teenager among owners of the 304 large SUVs involved in injury crashes in the survey.

The paper says SUVs are clearly a safety concern, but only once a collision occurs. It points to previous research showing how SUVs can be "highly damaging" in collisions with cars, given their overall mass, the stiffness of their front sections and their high centre of gravity.

Such factors are listed as a recipe for high "aggressivity" - meaning a greater likelihood of inflicting serious injury or death on other drivers.

NZFWDA.org.nz | Kindly sponsored by Jeep and ARB

http://www.sparc.org.nz/research-policy/policy/key-policy-projects

Following the release and a CORANZ meeting with the Minister Clayton Cosgrove, the Co-Chairman: Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations of New Zealand (CORANZ), Ken Sims made these observations..
"There are two things to keep in mind about SPARC in the context of these (ongoing) discussions. Firstly, the system is set up to be self-perpetuating. Controlling the allocation of funding (SPARC's primary focus) gives those involved a lot of status, power and authority, as well as their own financial rewards. Such systems are very unlikely to change themselves internally or on request.

Secondly, SPARC is only interested in supporting (funding/rewarding) things that are measurable. Hence its concentration on sport, which by its competitive nature, provides SPARC with its own measurable outcomes. And hence, why it only supports/funds those sports that:
A) Have already proven themselves as internationally competitive, and
B) Buy into the SPARC performance programmes
If you don't have an approved governance structure, training and performance programmes and at least a 5-year business plan that SPARC can measure you against, just what do you think the chances are of getting major SPARC funding? Funding by the way, that is targeted specifically at supporting international competition.

Hence why the Minister prefers to deal with ONZ. ONZ provides training, and training is measurable. SPARC knows all about training (and coaching) through its concentration on competitive sport, and will insist on it whether you like it, need it, or not. Otherwise, they can't measure it. And if they can't measure it, they can't support it.

Which, interestingly enough, also becomes self-perpetuating. We have a number of educational institutions in NZ and overseas pumping out graduates in Sports Management. Like middle managers anywhere, they are employed by sporting organizations as part of the SPARC approved governance structure, and frequently move around different sporting codes. Underneath them, they set up training and coaching educational programmes at national, regional and local levels. These programmes have to be supported by nationally recognised qualifications of course, be that coaching and training methodologies, first-aid, or whatever. Voila! You have suddenly created an industry. And who pays for this industry? In the small number of sporting codes that meet the SPARC criteria, there may be funding support from SPARC. For everyone else, the organizations themselves do, and the only way they can do that is by levies on membership fees.

So the cost of participation goes up. SPARC can report to the Minister on how effectively the money it allocates to sport is utilised. BUT do we have any proof that New Zealand's participation levels in sports have increased? Or that, as a result of all this, we are any more effective/successful in sport than when it was an amateur pastime? I suggest not. It is also interesting to look at those sports that had international success, built up sporting structures on the basis of SPARC funding, and then lost both the international success and the accompanying funding (hockey, soccer and even rowing spring to mind).

So you will excuse my scepticism about the National Outdoor Recreation Strategy, especially when it is called "Creating a healthy state for Outdoor Recreation in NZ". The model used to allocate funding by the agencies involved would have to change drastically, and I simply cannot see that happening. But I am quite happy to be proved wrong.

I think that SPARC's response to the 4WD Association (as outlined by Peter Vahry) was quite telling. Firstly, why would they want to join SPARC, and more importantly, why would SPARC be interested in them! Secondly, have they adopted the Drug Free Sport policies? Now I am strongly opposed to the use of any performance enhancing, ‘recreational' or illegal drug use, but would simply question whether you have checked the list of what SPARC considers these to be? Can you imagine telling a member of your club/organization that they cannot compete in a competition (or event) simply because they are taking cold medication they can buy at a chemist?

Can you imagine being required to have event organisers for whatever your clubs recreational activity is, being required to hold recognised qualifications in First Aid, Water Safety, Mountain Safety, Group Management, Organisation and Communication, etc, etc. All very laudable and sensible, and totally OTT. Well take a look at organised sports these days, especially those sports that do get SPARC funding. Is that really what our members want, what we can afford, and where we want to go?"

NZFWDA.org.nz | Kindly sponsored by Jeep and ARB

The NZFWDA have assembled an online survey to try to get a picture of what four wheelers prefer to do with their vehicles. If we are going to be suggesting to DOC and others what they should be planning for, then we should be using solid data from a wide spectrum of 4x4 users.

It's not a long survey and unless you decide to provide your email address there is no other identification of responses.

Please take part as the numbers are important.

This survey will close on 21 May 2008

NZFWDA.org.nz | Kindly sponsored by Jeep and ARB

NZFWDA.org.nz | Kindly sponsored by Jeep and ARB

NZFWDA.org.nz | Kindly sponsored by Jeep and ARB

NZFWDA.org.nz | Kindly sponsored by Jeep and ARB

NZFWDA.org.nz | Kindly sponsored by Jeep and ARB

NZFWDA.org.nz | Kindly sponsored by Jeep and ARB