Mountain Safety Council AGM

Thank you for the invitation to speak at the Mountain Safety Council AGM today.

I’d like to acknowledge the Chair of the Mountain Safety Council, Ross Meder; the Deputy Chair, Murray Douglas and the Council member delegates, I’d also like to acknowledge the Chief Executive, Darryl Carpenter.

I’m pleased to be able to come and speak to you today because outdoor recreation is an important part of my role as the Conservation Minister.

I understand that you have spent the morning discussing the future role of the Council. I trust that this has gone well.

Your work is important for New Zealanders and our international visitors, and it is critical that you have the right structures in place to deliver that effectively.

A key goal for the Department of Conservation is to get more people to participate in outdoor recreation.

This has obvious health benefits, but also helps New Zealanders and international visitors to enjoy the magnificent natural heritage we have in New Zealand.

The more people that regularly use and enjoy our conservation lands and waters, the more likely they are to contribute to protecting those lands and waters.

Our local communities also benefit economically as a result of us all being in the outdoors more often.

The Department of Conservation shouldn’t, and certainly can’t, do everything by itself. It is critical that the Department actively works with others to achieve the Government’s goals.

I am pleased to hear of the close working relationship between the Department and the Mountain Safety Council.

The Mountain Safety Council is an important part of the outdoor recreation sector in New Zealand.

Risk, and the management of that risk, is an integral part of the outdoor recreation experience.

People going into the outdoors need to be equipped with the skills and knowledge to manage risk for themselves.

To achieve this, the Government wants to see a well organised and co-ordinated outdoor sector that actively promotes standard safety messages.

This will improve visitors’ behaviour in the outdoors and reduce incidents and the associated costs of search and rescue.

Here Mountain Safety Council has a key role to play. You are governed by 25 member agencies committed to outdoor safety for land based outdoor activity.

You are known and respected for your work in the sector. You understand the experiences that people recreating in the outdoors want.

Your outcome statement “more people participating safely in land-based outdoor activity” is entirely in line with what the Government is trying to achieve.

This makes you well placed to take the lead role in promoting safety in the outdoors.

Leading doesn’t mean that you have to do it all yourself. It could be about collaborating with, and influencing, others.

As an organisation made up of 25 other agencies, I guess it is no surprise that the Mountain Safety Council is good at collaboration.

The Outdoor Safety Code and Adventure Smart are good examples of where the Mountain Safety Council has had to work closely with others, and where the product produced can be used by many.

The recent changes to the outdoors intentions system have also required a high degree of collaboration.

It can be challenging to maintain consistent messages when a lot of pressure is put on organisations, but it is critical that we do if we are to achieve the goal of a well co-ordinated sector.

It isn’t always easy, but we are going to need more and more collaboration like this.

The tough economic times means organisations must get smarter about sharing resources and working collaboratively to better meet the needs of outdoor users.

You have had another productive year of work across bushcraft and risk management, avalanche and alpine and outdoor first aid.

I have had some very positive feedback from the recent International Snow Science Conference in Alaska as to how well New Zealand and more specifically the Mountain Safety Council’s work on its Avalanche Programme is viewed internationally.

I also want to briefly mention hunting and firearms safety. Recreational hunting is an important outdoor activity in New Zealand and it is a very tangible volunteer contribution to conservation.

Because of a number of recent tragedies I have tasked the Department of Conservation to be part of a multi-agency group looking at the issue of hunter safety to assess what changes could be made to address this issue. Mountain Safety Council is a major player in this work.

My challenge to you for the next year is in undertaking all your activities, to think how you can maximise the value from these activities.

That means working with others to avoid duplication, and always keeping a keen eye on who the customer is, and how you can ensure that the greatest possible number of people use the products and services you produce.

Before I finish, I want to pay a particular tribute to the volunteers who deliver much of the Mountain Safety Council training.

Volunteering has long been at the heart of outdoor recreation, and it is of increasing importance for conservation too. I would like acknowledge the level of support that volunteers provide to the Mountain Safety Council and how much they contribute as a resource to achieving safety in the outdoors.

Continuing to harness the power of your volunteer base while ensuring that you continue to focus on what the customer needs will be a significant challenge.

I wish you well for your AGM this afternoon, and I look forward to hearing about another productive year from the Mountain Safety Council.

Thank you.