Press release: NZ Game Animal Council Over the last six months the NZ Game Animal Council (GAC) has been engaging with Minister Hoggard, Minister Meager, and directly with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), about the need for meaningful hunter … Continue reading
by Ben Hope Government moves with discussion documents and legislation passed in late December strongly suggests public estate in conservation land will be put up for sale to the highest bidder. A paper “Modernising Conservation Land Management” proposals said that … Continue reading
By Andi Cockroft, Chair, CORANZ Wellington’s south coast is one of the city’s great assets. It is wild, accessible, biologically rich, and-on paper-protected. The Taputeranga Marine Reserve was established to allow marine life to recover and flourish, and to provide … Continue reading
Will the Pain Be Worth the Gain? By Andi Cockroft, Chair, CORANZ As a now-retired tech professional, I’ve spent a lifetime watching systems designed with good intentions collide with human ingenuity. That background leaves me sceptical of claims that any … Continue reading
What Eel Deaths Tell Us About Catchment Change Recent reports of hundreds of dead tuna (longfin eels) in Hawke’s Bay streams have been attributed by authorities to a “natural blackwater event.” On the surface, this explanation is scientifically sound. Blackwater … Continue reading
From time to time it’s worth simply pointing people toward a place and saying: go, see this, experience it for yourself. The Mahurangi–Kaipara coastline, north of Auckland, is one of those places. Often described as a “big blue backyard”, this … Continue reading
Almost everyone notices it eventually. Years that once felt long and full begin to blur. Summers pass quickly. Birthdays arrive sooner than expected. Time, it seems, accelerates as we age. Recent research and commentary explored by RNZ here suggests this … Continue reading
by Tony Orman What lies behind the green curtain of ever-expanding pine forests energised by New Zealand’s illogical, irrational carbon trading scheme where once highly productive sheep and beef farms are planted in unmanaged, neglected forests. New Zealand was once … Continue reading
By Andi Cockroft, Chair, CORANZ (Prompted by this article from the UK here, I looked at the available evidence to suggest measured IQ of Gen-Z in many OECD Countries had stalled or even declined). For much of the last century, … Continue reading
Lessons from a UK Debate A recent debate in the UK has reignited an old and uncomfortable question: who feels welcome in the countryside. A report there suggested that parts of the British countryside are perceived as “white and middle-class”, … Continue reading
And What Outdoor Recreation Can Learn From time to time, a new activity appears that grows far faster than anyone expects. It doesn’t arrive with a grand strategy or a government programme behind it. It spreads because people enjoy it, … Continue reading
Why the Outdoors Matters Guest post by Steve Hodgson From time to time, medical research lands uncomfortably close to everyday life. Not with dramatic breakthroughs or miracle cures, but with quieter observations about how the way we live shapes how … Continue reading
Opinion by Andi Cockroft, Chair, CORANZ As New Zealand moves into another election year, CORANZ has been reflecting on what happened previously. In 2020, we published an Outdoor Recreation Charter and invited political parties to respond. The questions were simple. … Continue reading
A very personal opinion by Andi Cockroft, Chair, CORANZ From time to time, health headlines remind us that staying mentally sharp into later life isn’t just about luck or genetics. Lifestyle matters. Movement matters. Social connection matters. Learning matters. What’s … Continue reading
Sometimes the most effective ways of getting people outdoors don’t look like policy at all. What Worked - and Who Could Do More The recent Waikirikiri Selwyn Treasure Hunt has now finished for the season, but it’s worth pausing to … Continue reading
Ready to get a little closer to the water? If you’ve ever sat beside a river with a cup of tea, cooked a barbecue on a lakeshore, or watched children throw stones into still water, you’ve already done most of … Continue reading
You don’t need a new hobby, expensive gear, or a burst of fitness to get outdoors. Sometimes all it takes is moving something familiar out of the backyard and into a better place. A barbecue is about as Kiwi as … Continue reading
Closing article in a CORANZ series on risk, competence, and accessBy Andi Cockroft, Chair, CORANZ After seven articles tracing how competence was lost, risk was managed away, judgement stopped being formed early, responsibility shifted upward, access was physically altered, and … Continue reading
Part Seven of a CORANZ series on risk, competence, and accessBy Andi Cockroft, Chair, CORANZ If competence has been eroded - by risk aversion, liability culture, no-fault systems, and the quiet removal of formative experiences - the obvious question follows: … Continue reading
Part Six of a CORANZ series on risk, competence, and accessBy Andi Cockroft, Chair, CORANZ New Zealand’s no-fault accident compensation scheme was created with humane intent. It removed the need to prove blame, replaced litigation with care, and ensured people … Continue reading
