The Committee is seeking feedback from Members on proposed updates to the Club’s policies.
Many of the policies have not changed in several years, and we acknowledge the hard work of previous Committees to develop these policies. After the Club’s new Constitution was finalised earlier this year, the Committee has taken the opportunity to consider changes to the Club’s policies as well. This includes creating a Conduct policy, as discussed at this year’s AGM.
We are seeking Members’ feedback by 5pm Sunday 7 December 2025.
The Committee will consider all of the feedback and consider next steps on the basis of that feedback.
You can email feedback to president@wtmc.org.nz and/or the ‘Responsible Officer’ for the relevant policy you have feedback on – see the top of page 2 of the proposed new policies.
The links to the current policies are as below:
For your reference, the Club’s Constitution can be found here.
The proposed new draft policies can be found here.
What is proposed to change?
We are looking to simplify the club’s policies, and have the focus be on key information that we hope will be easier for Club Members to read, understand and follow, and be able to provide feedback on over time.
The current Club policies are very detailed, spread over multiple documents and contain a combination of policy, process and guidance information. Some information, such as how the Club responds to an emergency, does not necessarily need to be publicly accessible, and can be an internal document accessible to Club volunteers.
That is why, in the proposed new draft policies, we have clearly outlined the intent of the policy, what the policies are, and provided select explanatory comments and guidance to help outline the rationale for the policy. There is a smaller number of policies, and each policy has a ‘Responsible Officer’ on the Committee who has the ability to make decisions if the policy does not clearly cover certain situations.
The more detailed process information will not be lost. Instead, relevant information will be placed in a more appropriate document, for example the Trip Leader Manual (which is intended to be updated by early-2026). Some information, for example the detail around running an incident review process, will become an internal document that the Committee and Club volunteers can refer to as required.
Key changes in the proposed new policies are:
- A new Conduct policy, that builds on the Club Constitution
- The Privacy policy is now formalised (was previously text on the Club website)
- Only WTMC Members can book Paua Hut, and a WTMC Member must be part of the group staying at Paua Hut (this brings Paua Hut in line with the Lodge where a club member (Lodge Operator) must be there at all times when the Lodge is open, and ensures Club members are not crowded out by non-Members booking Paua Hut)
- Personal PLBs going on Club trips must be registered with RCCNZ and the Club mentioned on your RCCNZ profile (consistent with the recommendations following a PLB activation review earlier in 2025)
- People going on club trips, training and events are responsible for paying the fee once they have confirmed they are keen to come and the fee has been calculated. In practice, this means completing an expression of interest form, then responding to the trip leader’s email to say you are still keen to come. There are a limited number of circumstances in which you can not pay, but the overall intent is clear – you can’t decide not to come at the last minute and expect to walk away without paying your fair share – this is inconsistent with being a good Club member
- All of the volunteer recognition policies and discounts/subsidies are grouped in one place so it is clear and easy to see who is eligible for what. In addition to course instructors and maintenance workers continuing to get subsidies, it is proposed that trip leaders do not have to pay the fixed fee (currently $30) for the trip they are leading, as an acknowledgement of the effort leading trips involves. Trip leaders would still need to pay the variable fee (ie. transport and accommodation) for their trip. In return the club would expect trip leaders to ensure things like trip reports are completed after the trip.
The Committee looks forward to your feedback and appreciates your engagement on the rules to help the Club function properly.
Daniel Madley,
President