New Zealand Rivers Association for Professional Guides CHAIRMANS REPORT FROM AGM Volume 13 - Issue 1 - January 2014 Hi all. I have to say I did not think I would be writing one of these again for some time, but I am as our previous Chairman, Steve Brown, stepped down part way through the year. Steve did a great job during his time as chair. Thanks Steve. I m here as a fill-in taking us through to this AGM. I still have a huge passion for this industry and am very proud of where we have got to at this point, but to keep it moving forward there must be people out there who have the drive and passion to help keep the industry going in a positive direction. It has been a growing task year by year with huge demands made on our voluntary Executive, and for Raewyn our Administrator, who we all know is way more than just an Administrator, and who only puts in for a portion of her time even though we are on her back to charge more and do less. But as Raewyn can testify, with increased regulation and compliance, river boarding, workshops and the big work load this year with the raft racing, keeping on top of all this has been a huge ask. The future of NZRA may need a big rethink. Here is a brief over view of where things are at with the topics mentioned: Compliance in the form of MNZ. We have passed on to MNZ positive feedback that our industry is happy for the most part with MP s auditing and liaison. It has been good to have a person with a rafting background in this position; however it is a concern that like Colin, MP is now doing both roles, which MNZ were so keen to keep separate after Colin s departure. MNZ has expressed an interest in moving away from the Auditing Role. I have had discussions with Garth Gulley from ONZ about how he sees auditing working under their umbrella. Once again, I believe it comes down to them having a credible person and system. NZRA will keep you posted on discussions. I think this just highlights the issues that we are dealing with day to day behind the scenes. It is hard for me to comment on the river boarding, but once again it is just making sure that credible, skilled and motivated people step up and drive this activity forward. We are very conscious of this and will try to push this and assist these people into leadership roles. This year the rescue workshops are being co-ordinated by Koryn. This is a big deal as he has come back into the country after what sounded like a great way to spend a 40 th birthday on the Zambezi. Koryn already had a big workload running his own company prior to taking on the organisation of the Rescue Workshops. We really appreciate his willingness to give his valuable time back to our industry to do this. Thanks Koryn. Racing in NZ, and with the worlds here this year, has meant a massive workload and it certainly has taken a toll on people s personal lives. One can only hope at the end of it all that those people involved can feel proud, and a sense of achievement and satisfaction, and last and by no means least receive the financial reward that matches their effort. I have been to some of the pre event meetings and nobody outside of the event management team could even begin to understand the work that has been put into this event to make it an event that we can all be very proud of. Thank you to all of you who have been involved because this is definitely going to benefit the wider industry. There are more people to thank and mention, but I know everyone has things to do, people to catch up with and important rest to get, with all that is going on.
Page 2 CHAIRMANS REPORT FROM AGM I would like you all to think about keeping this industry united and proud, safe but fun, and to keep striving for excellence, but in order for this to happen we really do need people to step up to help make it happen especially those people who do not have many commitments. To you guides who are working day in and day out on the rivers, please don t think you have nothing to offer when really you are for sure the people we need on the executive/projects. Your time and skills are vital to our industry, so please don t leave it to those of us who have been here for years and who have large demands on our time. As per every year, and this year being no exception, a huge thanks goes to Raewyn as there is no way at all we would be where we are today without her. She knows our industry better than any person ever has. It would be a huge loss if Raewyn stepped away from this industry, and I hope Raewyn, that we don t drive you away as I know it has been a very hard year for you. Please show Raewyn your thanks and do anything you can to keep a smile on her face. Thanks Raewyn. On behalf of the NZRA exec, thanks everyone and thank you to Nick for reading this report and for chairing the meeting. - Southy PORTFOLIO UPDATES FROM AGM River Rescue Koryn has been co-ordinating the workshops this year. He reinforced that the workshops are not about assessments. And an open conversation evolved around the workshops. This year is seeing a reintroduction of classic sites. Koryn reinforced to guides it is essential to take skills out to industry and practice in order to keep skills at the unit standard level. Participants should be encouraging companies to practice and share skills with peers in order to maintain everyone s skills. Even now with the currency of every 3 years for senior guides don t leave workshops thinking that participation at this frequency is enough for 3 years Practise! Also reinforced the need to keep the standard flowing in order to be ready for workshops and develop from them rather than the approach of using them to refresh the unit standard. Wild Rivers Well this portfolio has taken a hit because of the world champs. The raft racing has taken every spare bit of time from me and I have past on all questions regarding wild rivers to others within the region of interest or to those who have been able to help out. On the negative, it seems that our rivers generally over the country are in decline, due to a number of impacting factors. Please don t be shy if you see your rivers quality going down. Your say is important, you are a river user and often in your position and passion for rivers this can put you into the position of being a guardian for the future. The main positive project that has come to my attention is the application for a WCO on the Ngaruroro River. Whitewater NZ and Fish and Game have applied for this and we have given our support as a river users association, the NZ Rivers Association. - Tim LIKE US ON FACEBOOK - NZ RIVERS ASSOCIATION
Page 3 PORTFOLIO UPDATES FROM AGM Raft Racing Well, what can I say. It has been a massive journey and next week it s showtime. Where NZ are hosting the World Rafting Championships for the first time ever. Over the last year I have met a hell of a lot of people and spent a lot of time up here in Rotorua, which now seems like my second home. A great warm one at that! From the 13 th November through to the 24 th of November the world champs are running on the Okere/Kaituna River, Tarawera River and the Rangitaiki River. There are 67 teams competing from around 30 different countries. NZ is competing in all 8 divisions, which is fantastic. I wish them all the bet and hope to see all 8 teams on the podium throughout the racing!! I would like to put it out there to anyone at this meeting, we still require helpers and volunteers to help this event to run smoothly. I would like to say a huge thank you to Raewyn, if it wasn t for you Raewyn we would not be here and I am sure this would have fallen over or not even won the bid with IRF. Massive thank you to all of the 2013 World Rafting Committee for nursing this through the ups and downs and getting this event to this point. Fingers crossed for so great winter! And good clean exciting competition. Kia Kaha to all Paddlers - Tim Maritime NZ MP gave an update on the auditing process and the consideration given to the future for companies who have multiple activities, with the current system requiring 2 audits and MNZ one and Adventure Tourism one. MNZ are working internally as to options and then will open up to discussion between MNZ, ONZ and NZRA. They are returning to the quarterly newsletter which will keep industry updated, and welcome input from Industry. Boarding Central Otago Whitewater and Riversurfing Ltd ran the Hawea Whitewater Park Demo Day on Saturday, Nov. 2 nd. This was an Open event for children and parents, in the area, to come and learn about whitewater safety and have a play on the waves. A few safety sessions were run covering river dynamics, contact rescues and throw bagging. Surfing sessions were run on the Top Wave with some good efforts from first timers. The outcome was to take away important Whitewater safety guidelines to minimise risks and increase fun. Everyone had a fabulous time! A fantastic custom board was given away. More structured sessions will be set throughout the summer. This year s Queenstown River Rescue Workshop will involve more crossovers with the Whitewater boarding sector. At least 5 boarders will be attending the workshop. This will allow for more skill awareness, exchange, and understanding from a wider range of white water users. Finally, river users in the Queenstown-Wanaka area will be able to view weekly updates of frequently run river sections in the area. http://360queenstown-wanaka.com will regularly update visuals and posts on these top hot spots. - Rose WSNZ/Funding Unfortunately it hasn t been a good year for funding we found out last month that our funding application to the Outdoor Safety Committee of the NZ Lottery Grants Board has been declined. This has been a major source of funding for us over past years so we are disappointed at this outcome, particularly as we had been given to understand that we were considered a high priority for funding. Our application was made through Water Safety New Zealand, and they requested that NZLGB reconsider our application, but were advised that the decision stood. WSNZ continue to support us so we hope that this avenue of funding will be successful again in the future. In the meantime, however, NZRA is under some financial pressure, and we will have to work hard next year to find alternative sources of funding. - Lesley
Page 4 IRF - THANKS EVERYONE!
Page 5 R4 NATIONAL SELECTION RACES R4 Nationals will be held at Buller Festival in Murchison on 28th February 2 March 2014. Entries are open to all categories U/19, U/23, Open and Masters Men and Women. These are the National Selection Races for the 2014 R4 World Rafting Championships being held in Brazil 28th August 7th September 2014. Programme is: Thursday 27 th February 8 pm at Ultimate Descents base Captains Meeting Friday 28 th February Sprint and H2H Saturday 1 st March Slalom Sunday 2 nd March Down River Dependant on entry numbers, the Down River could possibly be run in the afternoon of the 1 st March giving the Sunday free. Entries close 24 th February, entry fee confirms your entry. Please note all team members must be members of NZRA (membership form can be downloaded from the website http://www.nz-rafting.co.nz/login.php). Memberships run from 1 October 2013 to 30 September 2014.
Page 6 WORLD RAFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS - NOVEMBER 2013 Well, we did it!! Congratulations to all the NZ teams that competed, as you all did us so proud! Many NZ World Champions! Masters Women s and Men s, Open Women s, Under 23 Women s and Under 19 Women s! What a haul! Big Ups to the NZ Open Men s with an overall 3 rd!! That was AWESOME!! Under 23 men s, first time out there on the World stage! Head up keep training and bring it on! Under 19 men s, 2 nd over all. Awesome work Boys! May be future Open Mens Champs here!! Thank you all who helped make this a World Champs to remember! So many of you put time and energy towards this and helped make it a success. Too many individual names to mention. (River Safety, General set up crews, Local Crews, Local raft companies, Incept, Local support, NZRA, Worlds committee, Local Councils ) You know who you are, Thank you! With out you all, we couldn t have done it! - Tim WORLD RAFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS - NOVEMBER 2013 This year the R4 Nationals are being held at Buller Fest. 28 th of Feb, 1 st and 2 nd of March. This is to compete at the Brazil World Champs in August-September this year. The Captains meeting will be held on Thursday night at 8:30pm at Ultimate Descents NZ. (Feb 27 th ) So we can get into the racing first thing on Friday the 28 th. After a highly successful NZ campaign at the worlds in Rotorua, it would be good to build on this and see some great competition in Murchison this year. It would be also great to see some highly competitive NZ teams head to Brazil. Please organize yourselves NOW, so we can create an exciting R4 Nationals. If you are planning on competing and have questions about the nationals please phone me on 0274408019 and I will help as much as I can If you have a 3.8 metre raft, this also could help us out, as we would like to hold these races in 3.8 s See you all in Murchison at the end of Feb! Tim
Page 7 LINKS OF INTEREST FROM THE WORLDS PHOTO LINKS - open and masters practice days 1 of 2: http://www.hightail.com/download/oghmzm1jr3nctwxbsxnuqw open and masters practice days 2 of 2; http://www.hightail.com/download/oghkk2v1zdvjmhr4tk1uqw open and masters sprint kaituna 1of 2 folders; http://www.hightail.com/download/oghkzfhtrss3n0jyd3nuqw open and masters sprint comp kaituna 2 of 2 folders; http://www.hightail.com/download/oghkzfhpvnm0b0m1edhuqw open and masters head to head 1 of 2; http://www.hightail.com/download/oghjyuo5nmnfc0xirhnuqw open and masters head to head 2 of 2; http://www.hightail.com/download/oghjyup6q0nsuis5te5vag open and masters masters slalom comp tarawera 1 of 2; http://www.hightail.com/download/oghjyup4befjmhvybhnuqw open and masters slalom comp tarawera 2 of 2; http://www.hightail.com/download/oghjyuord0e4au1pr01uqw open and masters downriver comp rangitaiki; http://www.hightail.com/download/oghjyup5vnn6nfbmynrvag U19 & U23 sprint and head to head; http://www.hightail.com/download/oghkzfhwqk5ctwtuwthuqw U19 & U23 slalom comp; http://www.hightail.com/download/oghkzfhvednume1yrhnuqw U19 & U23 practice tarawera river; http://www.hightail.com/download/oghjc2zfnxznyu1qwwnuqw U19 & U23 practice rangitaiki river; http://www.hightail.com/download/oghjc2zdtk1tsuj2tzhuqw U19 & U23 downriver comp rangitaiki river; http://www.hightail.com/download/oghjc2zlv3juwue4rmnuqw TV3 COVERAGE http://www.3news.co.nz/sutton-brothers-plan-big-rafting-splash/tabid/415/articleid/322142/default.aspx http://www.3news.co.nz/smash-and-splash-action-at-rafting-champs/tabid/415/articleid/322493/default.aspx http://www.3news.co.nz/rafting-kiwis-within-reach-of-gold/tabid/415/articleid/322582/default.aspx http://www.3news.co.nz/kiwis-claim-three-golds-at-rafting-champs/tabid/415/articleid/322647/default.aspx SPORTSCENE COVERAGE - INCLUDES LINKS TO YOU TUBE VIDEO http://www.sportscene.tv/whitewater/rafting/news www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2l3jtum_j0&feature=youtu.be - U19/U23 Closing Ceremony - Slides Only www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlg9vv31tb4 - Open/Masters Closing Ceremony - Slides Only
Page 8 JOBS GRADE 4/5 GUIDE KAITUNA CASCADES, ROTORUA Wanted grade 4/5 guide, fluent in Japanese language and with Japanese culture, at least three years rafting experience, an knowledge of river in Rotorua area an advantage, must be able to stay one year. Contact: Keith Hughes Kaituna Cascades Email: info@kaitunacascades.co.nz Phone: 0272765457 www.kaitunacascades.co.nz Guide required for Dart River Funyaks, Queenstown. Class 2 rafting - minimum river qualification Must have P endorsement on drivers licence. Work period immediate start until beginning of February (longer term available by negotiation) Great working conditions with an awesome team - renumeration based on qualifications & experience. Apply with details to: Stefan Crawford I Funyaks Supervisor (Temp) Cell: 0274 356 945 DD: 03 442 9013 Email: stefan.crawford@dartriver.co.nz Web: www.dartriverjetsafaris.com CHECK OUT News and Pictures from the World Rafting Championships on Facebook - 2013 IRF White Water Rafting World Championships, New Zealand or the official website - www.2013raftingworldsnz.com
Page 9 BULLER FESTIVAL