Canterbury Mountain Radio Service Closing 30 June 2023
3 December 2022
Regretfully the decision has been made to close down on 30 June 2023. This is after 55 years of continuous operation having made over 50,000 broadcasts. The current usage pattern, low revenue/funding and lack of volunteers has led to this decision.
Hunters have traditionally been our main customers during the roar in Fiordland. This patronage has dropped off markedly in recent years.
The service will still be available for the 2023 roar and our Te Anau base will still have radios for hire as will our normal depots.
The service currently supports mountain radios in eight mountain club huts including the Reischek hut owned by the South Canterbury NZDA in the Rakaia.
The closing will pose an issue to be discussed with the Clubs.
In the meantime, we plan to continue the service with a daily 8-30am morning call and the usual 7-30pm call, both with updated weather and the opportunity to check in. Also, it should be noted that telephone calls will still be able to be made from radios and the hut sets.
If any of your members are willing to assist as volunteer operators in the meantime, please contact me by email - iangardiner2017@gmail.com
Ian Gardiner
(Hon Secretary)