About NZRA

The New Zealand Rogaining Association exists to foster the development of rogaining in New Zealand by:

  • organising rogaines
  • advertising coming events
  • publishing event results and news items
  • providing assistance and a minimal cost-structure to any group who wants to organise an event.

Life Members

  • Peter Squires
  • Bill Kennedy
  • Grant Hunter
  • Bob Cunninghame

Bob Cunninghame passed away after a short illness complicated with Pneumonia.
Bob was based in Dunedin and was instrumental in getting the sport going in Otago. He was awarded life membership in 2018 after many years helping to deliver National Championships. I think at the time he had been involved as Setter, Organizer, Landowner Liaison or some other role in about three quarters of the National Champs that had been held.

Introducing

The NZRA exists to encourage and enhance the sport of Rogaining in NZ. It is a non-profit, independent association which is registered as an Incorporated Society.

The association’s objectives include providing a framework for developing and supporting Rogaines organised by groups or individuals from outside or within the association. This support will include indirect and vetted email access to members, equipment, advice, and insurance cover.

This is intended to be a low-overhead, low-cost organisation based on email and website communications. Although the NZRA rules allow for a membership fee, our intent is to have free membership, with operating income coming from entry fees on events we organise.

We will support events organised by other people, provided that it is a condition of entry to these events that competitors become members of the Association. This should ensure that our insurance cover applies, even to events not organised directly by us. For these events, cost recovery for transporting and using our equipment will be sought.

Membership will signify acceptance of the Rules of the Association, which will include a liability waiver. All members agree to abide by the Code of Conduct.

The Association has been initiated by Andy Buchanan, Bill Kennedy, Dave Laurie, and Pete Squires, with advice from Grant Hunter, Piers and Jenny MacLaren, and Alan Holdaway and Susan King among others. All of these people have experience in organising and competing in major Rogaines in NZ.

In different flavours, rogaining has been a part of the orienteering fraternity in NZ for about ten years, and we have received support from many members of the Peninsula and Plains Orienteers, with whom we maintain a strong link. Orienteering clubs in the North Island, particularly Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa, and Lower Hutt, also have a strong rogaining history.

We believe that Rogaining will grow more strongly by having a national body separate from orienteering, as there are very significant differences between the two sports in their purest sense. Two-thirds of the competitors in most Rogaines have come from outside of orienteering circles, many being trampers or adventure-sport enthusiasts, and it is these people in particular that we feel will benefit from this new Association.

For the purposes of Incorporation the Founding members of NZRA are Tom Barnfield, Pat Bodger, Phil Bones, Andy Buchanan, Jude Elliot, Chris Forne, Alan Holdaway, Grant Hunter, Anne Kennedy, Bill Kennedy, Susan King, Dave Laurie, Jenny MacLaren, Piers MacLaren, and Peter Squires.

Code of Conduct

This Code of Conduct is motivated by the following two considerations:

  • respect for the property and lifestyle of landowners
  • safety of event participants, organizers and helpers, and others affected by the event, including assistance for injured people.

Land, Environment, Property and Stock

Rogaining is an environmentally and socially friendly activity and we expect all participants, including event organisers, to reinforce this ethic.

  1. Respect the right of landowners to operate their business and lifestyle in privacy and security.
  2. Leave gates as you found them.
  3. Do not crowd or otherwise disturb stock.
  4. Cross fences at gates or major posts, or go through the wires.
  5. Do not drop litter.
  6. Avoid houses and accessory buildings and/or machinery and stay out of out-of-bound areas.
  7. No dogs, guns, fires or smoking.
  8. Report any damage or disturbance you may have caused, or seen.
  9. Keep streams and water bodies clean
  10. Take due care to avoid spread of weeds, pest or diseases (e.g., Didymo)
  11. Note that access approval to land for an event is limited to the event duration. It does not extend to before or after the event.
  12. Event organisers will respect individual landowner attitudes to access to private land, and will strive to maintain good relationships with landowners at all times.

Event participants will also abide by other conditions that may be set out in instructions for specific events.

Safety and Injury

  1. Distress call – six or more short whistle blasts at about 1 second intervals, repeated every 1 to 5 minutes, or in reply to a Search call.
  2. Search call – one long whistle blast of several seconds.
  3. If someone in your team is immobilised, identify your position and send someone to seek help. If possible, leave someone else with the injured person, along with all spare clothing. For urgent assistance, use your whistle to give the distress call.
  4. Any team hearing the distress signal MUST offer all assistance required.
  5. If someone in your team is injured, but can walk, use your common sense in getting them back to base.

Safety – legislative requirements

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 much private land (e.g., farm land) is designated ‘workplace.’ Landowners must inform recreational visitors of significant workplace hazards. To ensure this:

  1. Event organisers will elicit advice from the landowner or manager on safety hazards, preferably at both the course planning stage and several days before the event.
  2. Event organisers will inform all participants of any such hazards relevant to the event in written or verbal briefings.
  3. Organisers, course planners and participants will take reasonable care that their actions (or lack of action) do not put themselves or others at risk. They will comply with reasonable safety advice or instruction given by the landowner (usually via the event organiser), as far as they’re able to.

NOTES TO THE CODE

Gates and Stock

If you open a gate, your team must close it or identify a person in a following team who will explicitly state that they will close it. If you corner stock, move no closer than 50 metres and find an alternative way round. This is particularly important when the easy way out for the stock is towards you on a track. Drop below the track and sidle around well clear of the stock. Stock in the wrong place at the wrong time of year can easily cost farmers tens of thousands of dollars, and cattle in particular are surprisingly easy to spook, and will readily demolish a good fence, injuring themselves badly on the way. If you cause any damage, it is vital that you report it to the organisers as soon as practicable, so that repairs can be started.

Safety

Understand the Distress call and the Search call. Serious injury is very rare, but needs urgent action. For the more common injuries where people can still limp, use your common sense. This usually means assisting them to a road and returning to the hash-house.

Rules of the New Zealand Rogaining Association

  1. Name
    The name of the Society is the: New Zealand Rogaining Association (called NZRA).
  2. Aims
    The Association is established to carry out within New Zealand the following aims:
    1. To facilitate and encourage the development of the sport of rogaining, or similar human-powered navigation and endurance events, anywhere in New Zealand.
    2. To establish event guidelines and give advice for events to the event organizers, regardless of any affiliation they may have with other organizations.
    3. To encourage participants in the sport to contribute towards the organization and running of events.
    4. To offer a Public Liability Insurance cover to any event which wishes to be affiliated to and has the approval of the NZRA.
    5. To assist in the development of a suitable set of rules to apply to events which wish to be recognized as “championship” events.
    6. To maintain a pool of rogaining equipment available for use to organizers of approved events.
    7. To maintain a website for the dissemination of information on events and results.
    8. To work with the International Rogaining Federation to advance the sport of rogaining, both within New Zealand and internationally.
    9. To organize rogaines directly.
    10. To do anything else that would further any of these aims.
  3. Powers
    The Association will have the following powers:
    1. To purchase, lease, hire or otherwise acquire any real or personal property.
    2. To sell, let, mortgage or otherwise dispose of or deal with any of the property of the Association.
    3. To borrow, raise, invest or loan money in any manner and on any terms suitable to the Association.
    4. To enter into any arrangement or contract with any individual, Government Department or corporate body.
    5. To pay all or any of the expenses incurred in establishing and running the Association.
    6. To employ or engage staff, advisors or other people and to pay their wages, salaries and/or their expenses on terms suitable to the Association.
    7. To run educational, training, and social programmes.
    8. To alter the powers and rules of the Association provided that no alteration or addition detracts from the charitable purposes of the Association.
    9. To do anything else that in the opinion of the Association will further the charitable objects.
  4. Membership
    1. People will become members of the Association when they provide the information required for the Register, and pay any membership fee that has been set at a General Meeting.
    2. Members agree to be bound by the Rules of the Association, and in particular agree that they participate in all activities of the Association entirely at their own risk.
    3. Members must be individuals.
    4. There is no limit on the number of Members.
  5. Termination of Membership
    1. Any member may cease to be a member by written or email request to the Secretary. There will be no refund of any membership fees paid.
    2. Any member who has failed to pay any membership fee set by the Association three months after it is due will cease to be a member.
    3. If any member has acted in a way that is harmful to the Association that member may be expelled by a two-thirds (2/3rds) majority of a General Meeting. The member concerned must: (i) be given written notice of the proposed expulsion and the reasons for it; and (ii) be given an opportunity to be heard at the meeting considering the expulsion.
  6. Membership Fee
    1. From time to time the Association may set membership fees for its members. In doing so the Association will recognise the principle that its funding should come primarily from activities rather than membership.
  7. Register of Members
    1. The Association will keep an electronic register of all current members including each member’s name, address, date of membership, and email address.
  8. General Meetings
    1. General Meetings of the Association will be held twice a year and one of these meetings will be the Annual General Meeting. General Meetings will: (i) discuss general business; (ii) review the accounts; (iii) decide on any matters affecting the Association; and (iv) set policy to be carried out by the office holders and Management Committee.
    2. The General Meetings will be open to all members.
    3. General Meetings will be convened by the President or in his/her absence by a person appointed by the General Meeting.
  9. Special General Meetings
    1. The Management Committee or ten members may request a Special General Meeting at any time by giving written notice to the Secretary stating the reasons for wanting a Special General Meeting.
    2. The Secretary will give notice of a Special General Meeting no later than fourteen days after receiving the request. Notice shall be by email.
  10. Annual General Meetings
    1. The Annual General Meeting of the Association will be held each year not more than fifteen months after the previous Annual General Meeting.
    2. The business of the Annual General Meeting will include: (i) the Financial Accounts; (ii) the election of the following office holders: (a) President; (b) Treasurer; (c) Secretary; (d) Three members to be on the Management committee; (iii) the consideration of any other business.
  11. Management Committee
    1. A Management Committee will be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Association. It will comprise: (i) The President; (ii) The Treasurer; (iii) The Secretary; and (iv) three other members.
    2. The Role of the Management Committee will be: (i) manage the affairs of the Association; (ii) implement policy set at General Meetings; and (iii) carry out the aims and powers of the Association.
    3. The Management Committee will hold at least two meetings each year. The form of notice for each meeting will be determined by the Management Committee.
    4. The quorum of the Management Committee Meetings will be four.
    5. Members may attend all Management Meetings.
    6. The President will convene Management Committee Meetings and in his or her absence the meeting will appoint another person.
    7. Decisions at Management Committee Meetings will be by consensus but failing a consensus by a simple majority vote of the Management Committee members present.
    8. The Management Committee may form subcommittees and give each subcommittee the same powers as the Management Committee.
    9. The Management Committee may co-opt up to three people, who may or may not be members of the Association, to assist the Management Committee in its work. A co-opted person may exercise the same rights as a member. His or her co-option will cease at the next Annual General Meeting.
    10. If any position becomes vacant on the Management Committee prior to the next Annual General Meeting the Management Committee may co-opt a member to fill the position.
  12. The Running of Association Meetings
    1. The quorum for all Association meetings will be 6 members.
    2. All meetings will be convened by the President or in his or her absence by someone else appointed by the meeting.
    3. Decision making at all meetings of the Association will be by consensus but failing a consensus decisions will be made by a simple majority vote of the members present. Voting will be by voices or show of hands.
  13. Notice of Association Meetings
    1. Seven days notice of all Association Meetings will be given to all members stating the time, date and place of the meeting. Email will be considered adequate notice, dated from the day of issue.
    2. The Notice for a Special General Meeting of the Association will include the reasons for calling the meeting.
  14. Control of Funds
    1. All funds received by the Association will be paid into its bank account.
    2. All cheques and withdrawal slips drawn on the Association’s account will be signed by the Treasurer and one of two other members appointed by resolution of the Management Committee.
    3. The income and property of the Association is to be applied solely to further the aims of the Association. No income or property is to be paid or transferred directly or indirectly to any members. This will not prevent payment of reasonable remuneration or expenses to any officer or employee of the Association or to any members for any services performed by them for the Association.
    4. A member may charge for any services carried out by him or her where the Association would have had to pay for that service if it was carried out by somebody who was not a member.
  15. Common Seal
    1. The Common Seal of the Association will be held by the Secretary and will be used only when authorised by a resolution of the Management Committee. When the seal is used it will be signed by two members of the Management Committee.
  16. Alterations and Additions to the Rules
    1. The Association may alter, add or cancel any rules at a General meeting provided that: (i) notice of the proposed change is included in the notice calling the meeting; (ii) the meeting may amend the proposed change; (iii) a two thirds majority of the members present at the meeting agree to the change; (iv) no alterations, additions or cancellation will be made to these rules that are in conflict with: a) the aims of the Association; and b) the charitable nature of the Association.
  17. Regional committees
    1. Regional associations may be established at a General meeting, to attend to the affairs of the Association in particular geographic regions.
  18. Winding Up
    1. The Association may be wound up if: (i) a majority of the members at a General Meeting pass a resolution to wind up the Association; (ii) a second meeting is held not earlier than 30 days since the first meeting to confirm or reject the resolution; and (iii) at the second meeting a two thirds (2/3rds) majority of the members confirm the resolution.
    2. On winding up any surplus assets of the Association will be distributed to other charitable organisations in New Zealand.

AGM and Financial Statements

2023

2022

To view AGM minutes and Financial Statements from previous years go to the Archive Website

Contacts

Any of the following people should be able to answer any queries you might have. They will be very willing to offer advice on Rogaining in general.

Due to the increasing use of phishing emails, we have removed contact details from this site. However we would love to hear from you. Click this link Contact Us and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Management Committee
President:Peter Squires
Secretary:Hadee Thompson
Treasurer:Nicolas Dubois
Committee:Nora Audra
 Alister Metherell
 Scott Smith
(Schools Liaison)Mondo Kopua
(Gear and Asset Manager & Navlight Manager)Douglas Woods
(Website & Membership & Event Entries)Wayne Millow
(IRF President)Mat Bixley
( IRF representative)Emma de Lacey
(IRF representative)Georgia Whitla
Event planning sub-committee:Tim Farrant, Douglas Woods, Matt Bixley
Re-registration sub-committee:Wayne Millow, Douglas Woods, Alister Metherell
WRC 2027 bid sub-committee:Tim Farrant, Nora Audra, Alister Metherell
Regional Representatives
Auckland:Shaun Collins
Taranaki:Annie Sanderson
Central NI/BOP:Mark Copeland
Rotorua/Taupo:Darren Ashmore
Wellington:Jamie Stewart
Nelson:Georgia Whitla
Marlborough:Mondo Kopua
Canterbury:(Rural Community Liaison)Grant Hunter
Christchurch:Douglas Woods
Central Otago:Terry Davis
Otago:Matt Bixley, Bob Cunninghame

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