Remarkable Outdoors

Genuine progress in conservation and in the outdoor opportunities and lifestyle we enjoy as New Zealanders requires a consensus. Our success can only be measured across generations.

We have the beginnings of  a consensus. Our collective agreement is enshrined in conservation law, and more importantly lives in the broadly shared  beliefs of  the importance of public access to the outdoors, learning to live with the land, and a ‘fair go’ for nature. Kiwis overwhelmingly would agree that we should pass our place and our communities on to the next generation in a better condition than we found them.

This consensus was forged from the pioneer experience, of both Maori and Pakeha. Through our experiences, and sometimes our wisdom and science, we are adapting to life on these islands. We must continue to develop this consensus, to celebrate where agreement has been reached, to identify issues that need to be solved and to rationally debate areas of disagreement with respect to both science and the values of society.

Federated Mountains Clubs is a passionate and apolitical voice for the New Zealand outdoors community. Our Remarkable Outdoors campaign is intended to build the profile of conservation and outdoor issues as New Zealand heads into a general election. We ask you to read and consider our “Remarkable Outdoors” challenges to all political parties and to take action to continue to forge this consensus (click on the image below to read the booklet, or alternatively click here to download a PDF.

Where to from here?

The Remarkable Outdoors campaign was launched on the 16th June 2017. As an initial action the challenges were sent to all political parties to give them the opportunity to outline their policies on these issues. The responses and a summary can be found here. FMC will be producing opinion pieces on aspects of the campaign for publication on wilderlife.nz and social media, and will seek to encourage the debate of the issues through mainstream media. The second public meeting of the Remarkable Outdoors campaign was held in Queenstown, on July 8th, see the flyer below. This public meeting had a focus on the major symbolic plank of this campaign, the proposed creation of  The Remarkables National Park.

What can you do?

Are these issues important to you? Will you support us in challenging political parties, or more broadly having these discussions with your family and friends? FMC would like to encourage everyone in our outdoor community to take this booklet to public meetings during the general election and ask these questions of candidates on behalf of us all.