First and foremost I wish to officially to say thank you on behalf of the association to Trevor for his excellent steerage of the association for the 4 years he served as our National President. Having this solid foundation has made my role this year easy to transition into. Thank you Trevor.
Not enough thanks can go to Dianne Brown in her role as our CEO which is always well planned and coordinated allowing the executive to concentrate on the issues and directions we face. Tara has provided excellent support for which I thank her as well. I can assure you the column of information and paper handled by this team is nothing but extraordinary.
Hugh Barr also needs to be thanked for his continuous advocacy for the association and branches, which I believe has assisted putting the association in a very credible position with the public and officials. It is my opinion that the association has attained a level of recognition not seen for many years.
I would like to acknowledge the work done throughout the organisation by all members who quietly get involved in the many aspects of the association, such as AHT measuring, judging , regional advocacy, range running and the general aspects of each club. It is these efforts that give the association true public acceptance and I am sure it is reflected in the growing membership that we are experiencing.
Last but certainly not least we owe a big thanks to the current executive and of course our treasurer for the excellent ongoing support for the direction and custody of the association. .
Paul as you will be aware is stepping down this year from the executive, and deserves big thanks for his contribution over the years. We can look forward to Paul’s continued support representing us at the Mountain Safety Council.
I have truly enjoyed the enormous challenge and responsibility to represent our Association and its many years of history, and often wonder in amazement at how strong and sensible our purpose and intentions are. It is notable that this year represents 70 years of existence in which it has served well the 100’s of thousands of deerstalkers over that time. Just about everyone I talk to has had some family connection with the deerstalkers’ at one time or another.
Achievements
This year in my opinion has been a watershed for NZDA, in that it has reached some very prominent milestones, instigated new directions, some of which are still being worked through.
The most significant is of course the long awaited reassessment of 1080 and its use. Not everyone will be pleased with the final outcome of the ERMA review; there will be winners and losers. I am hopeful that wild animals will be a winner and we see a big improvement in the treatment of these creatures. Improving the quality of the food chain will benefit us as recreational harvesters.
I thank all those people and Swarovski who generously contributed to our 1080 campaign funds. They are very much appreciated and I can assure you they will be used specifically for the NZDA current and future1080 campaigns. I expect we still have a long way to go.
(There is an excellent summary on pg 38 of your handbook of our submission)
Another key Government report produced this year was the Acland Access Panel recommendations. We wait keenly for its pending implementation. This process exposed many myths and hopefully re-establishes certainty of the existing public rights which have been seriously ignored for quite some time. The concept of a Public Access Defenders Office I see as essential if our rights are going to be adequately protected in future.
The status of wild animals has come under scruting thanks largely to the United Future Party and in particular Gordon Copeland, for sponsoring the recreationally valued wild animal review. My expectations are that the status of these animals in the wild will be uplifted from the present pest status to having an acceptable place in our country’s environment. A big success for us has been Hugh Barr being appointed as a panel member.
We will be looking for positive outcomes for our NZDA’s position. An interesting expectation that we have yet to fully grapple with, will be the format under which we wish to see these animals managed. It is getting very close to reality that hunters will have a key part to play in the management and protection of this valued resource for recreation. Already DOC has moved in this direction with its new Kaimanawa Forest Park Management Plan having consultation with hunters in developing an RHA Management Plan.
Another key milestone and a valuable first was the first Outdoor Recreation Summit sponsored by Chris Carter, the Minister of Conservation. The establishment of key principles will hopefully be utilised to meet the public’s expectations.
The hunter and gatherer key priorities jointly established were:
1. Seek statutory recognition of the positive values of species introduced for recreation and the values associated with hunting and fishing
2. Management of these species should involve participation and a real input from and by hunting and gathering groups, including relevant research initiatives and emphasis on the quality of the experience
3. Propose the formation of an Outdoor Recreation Authority, with a statutory basis, and representation from fish and game organisations
4. Improve access and recreational facilities with real input from hunter and gather groups on decisions and policies
5. Ensure recreation has priority over tourism and commercialisation
The Summit was initially described as potentially setting the scene for the next 20 years. Hopefully these principles will be adopted in future recreational plans particularly those developed by the Department of Conservation.
Already DOC has developed a set of “Next Steps” for recreation, that the Minister will be announcing in August during Conservation Week. As well too, SPARC has just started to develop a Government Outdoor Recreation Strategy. And Hugh Barr, representing CORANZ, and NZDA, is on SPARC’s Panel developing this Strategy.
On the political front we are already seeing the lead up for the 2008 election with NZDA being consulted on what we see as key issues. Hopefully we see an improved uptake by parties in recognising NZ style outdoor recreation as a valid public choice and new policies are aligned with providing that through government departments. We certainly are on the radar and that’s healthy.
Through Kevin Duckworth’s sponsoring of the new format for NZDA shooters with our national Shooting and Development committee, we have seen the creation of the Pacific Regional Shooting Championships in conjunction with SSAA. This fresh new format will open many directions and options which will benefit all sporting shooters for many years ahead. It will provide greater flexibility and encourage wider participation. I am seriously considering taking up silhouette shooting. It appears to be a lot of fun. Thank you Kevin for your commitment to achieve this direction for us, which I expect will positively profile recreational hunters and gun owners.
Special mention and thanks needs to go to Graeme Steans who has managed the Photographic Rules Sub Committee this year. After several years of struggling with rule changes to accommodate the changing photography medium I believe we have a very sensible proposal to be considered later in this conference. This should provide certainty and encourage further participation in this key activity for the future. A big thanks goes to the Photographic Rules Sub Committee and for these excellent efforts .
It surprises me to think that many people are surprised to find hunters are often photographers and are highly observant of beautiful things in nature. I believe this a lead mechanism to show the public that we are also conservationists. The Minister expressed a comment in support of this concept when recently announcing the Status of Wild Animal review. He stated “ many hunters are also conservationists, this fact has been lost in the vigorous arguments…”
A concept that the association could explore is a NZDA sponsored NZ Outdoor photographic exhibition which could enhance this public perception.
I see conference not as the end of our year but the beginning of the next. As expressed by Doug Davies last year our key discussions should focus on the business plan, as it is the key guideline for the executive to follow when considering how to best employ our resources . You are the grassroots so vital in formulating policy nad action fronts.
Conference should not only be about the serious direction of NZDA. It also represents a key opportunity for inter branch sharing and co operation.
Have fun and please keenly participate.
Thanks.