From the President – July 2023

by

Kia ora,

This article provides a brief update on club activities, including:

  • WTMC July recap: Committee, trips and lodge updates
  • Get involved with the review of the Club’s constitution
  • Coming up in August

If you have any questions, comments or ideas please get in touch.

Ngā mihi

Anne de Ferron 

WTMC July recap

Tutuwai and the geographic center of New Zealand, EM group (credit: Jane and Jacqui)

From the Committee

New Lodge Convenor – We welcome Miles Davison as new Lodge Convenor. Miles will be joining the General Committee and become the chair of the Lodge Subcommittee. Miles has been a club member and lodge volunteer for many years, you can learn more about him on the committee page.

Historic club newsletters available online – Tony S recently put a lot of work into scanning historic club newsletters (1970s to 2002). They can now be found on the club website under Documents > Newsletters, or directly on the Drive. Thank you to Tony for this initiative.

Technology Officer – we are still looking for a back up Tech Officer. This is a great opportunity to learn about the range of systems that WTMC uses behind the scenes and sharpen your IT skills. To start with you will be working jointly with the current Technology Officer to learn the ropes and share the load, before taking more of a lead role further down the track. For more info check the role description or contact Juan (). 

Incident management exercise – every other year the Committee runs a simulation exercise to ensure our emergency processes are fit for purpose, and that relevant volunteers are prepared to respond if a serious incident occurs on club activities. We are looking for volunteers to help run the exercise on Tuesday 29 August (evening). All you need to do is to make a few phone calls from the comfort of your home (e.g. pretending to be a police officer or a concerned relative). If you are able to help, please contact .

Trips updates

July adventures – Winter is underway and unfortunately a number of trips have had to be cancelled or modified due to the weather, or limited road access. The rain did not stop a brave group of five to get to Maungahuka Hut on a wet weekend. An Easy-Medium group also visited the center of New Zealand, and after a few plan As, Bs and Cs – a Medium group of 6 did a couple of day trips to Punga Hut and Mt Frith over Matariki weekend (report to come).

Alpine policies and trips for 2023 – The alpine review has been completed, and new WTMC club policies for alpine trips have now been published. You can read more about the review and the new policies here. These will provide consistency on how we assess and manage risks on alpine trips, and improve safety for trip leaders and participants. We are now gearing up for the alpine season, some trips are open for sign up on the Alpine trips page, and more will be added as the season progresses.

Cyclone Gabrielle – Cyclone Gabrielle damage continues to impact the current Club trip schedule as DOC resources are unable to meet the demand for repairs needed in the Hawkes Bay.  We continue to monitor DOC’s website which details affected huts, tracks and other amenities.  It is likely that many areas in the Ruahines and Kawekas will continue to be inaccessible for some time to come.  Luckily, we have easy access to many other fine tramping areas, including the upper South Island, so look out for exciting opportunities to explore these environs over summer. 

Lodge updates

There is still availability at the Ruapehu lodge most weekends. With a good dump of snow and more to come this week, make sure to book your spot at the lodge! For the latest updates, please check the WTMC Ruapehu Facebook page.

Left: The lodge is open for business (credit: Tony G)/ Right: Snow conditions on 20 July (credit: Tim Mertens / Mt Ruapehu facebook page)

Get involved with the review of the Club’s Constitution

What is happening and why

WTMC is an incorporated society under the 1908 Incorporated Societies Act (the Act). This gives the Club and its members some legal protections, but also means we have to comply with the provisions of the Act. A new version of the Act comes into force in October 2023 and we have until April 2025 to comply. The main changes are administrative and can be seen here.

As far as we know there should be no major changes to the operation of the Club, but we do need to amend the Constitution to align with the new Act and also formalise some of our processes.

This gives us a chance to review the Constitution and ensure it still fits the needs of the Club. We are starting a process to do this with the aim of presenting a revised constitution at the 2024 AGM.

How you can get involved

We’ll be considering changes later this year based on the requirements of the Act and feedback from members. Any proposed changes will be subject to a vote at a club general meeting. Remember, this is your constitution: get involved early and have your say.

Finding Punga Hut, and a speedy trip up Mt Frith to the Remutaka Pass – Medium group (credit: Tony S and Michael)

Coming up in August (and later)

Check the trip schedule for upcoming club trips

2 August – WTMC talks: A visit to the bottom of Te Waipounamu in search of Westies Hut and beyond

16 August – WTMC talks: Garden of Eden via the Great Unknown

30 August – WTMC social: Pub night

Photo competition: The photo competition is now open! For more information and how to participate, check this article on the website. To submit your photos or for any questions, please email Mathew (). Submissions close on 1 September at 5pm. Prize giving at the club night on 13 September.

Mountain Film Festival: WTMC will once again run the Mountain Film Festival in partnership with the Victoria University Tramping Club. There will be two screenings at the Kelburn campus in September, details TBA.

A few club members were lucky to help with trapping on Kapiti island a few weeks ago – read more here. (credit: Sarah, Jamie, Anne)