President’s Rant – August 2015
Pride of place this month must go to our international athletes who have produced outstanding performances on a world stage. These include our Mens and Womens WOC teams in Scotland; with the potential for the men being promoted to Group 2 on the strength of their overall performance and the women continually showing marked improvement each year and consolidating their position also in Group 2. Also accolades should be poured over Counties Manakau’s top vets – Ross Brighouse who won the World Masters M70 class in Gothenburg and John Robinson who had a top ten finish and took out a B Final. Thanks to manager Malcolm Ingham for overseeing the WOC teams and also for providing quality reports via the ONZ website.
Just a heads up that a discussion paper on restructuring Council will be out very shortly and will be asking for your views and feedback. This is part of our attempt to update the Club’s Constitution to reflect modern day practices. We are seeking both individual or club views on potential alternative forms of what Council could resemble going forward and who or what is affected by any change. We need a relatively quick turn around although we will be definitely be back to clubs etc for further consultation once we receive your initial comments and amend our document accordingly.
Our Volunteer Co-ordinator (Neil Kerrison) has been busy and you will have received invitations to attend Controller’s Clinics and also more recently a planner’s course. This is all part of ONZ’s intended strategy to support clubs and their activities and generally make it easier for them to operate.
Finally a plea to support the efforts of our General Manager who continually has to chase levies and membership numbers from clubs. Some of this is way overdue – so can the clubs involved please attempt to provide this promptly. These returns are due on the last day of January, May and September. Any doubts over what is outstanding – contact Catriona.
David Turner
President
Constitution Review
How do we ensure we get the best possible people sitting on the Orienteering NZ Council?
As you’re probably aware, Council are deep into the process of reviewing the existing constitution with the aim of amending and updating it to reflect more modern and effective governance practice.
In an attempt to produce more clarity around the subject and aid you with your understanding of the subject, a few potential examples of what Council could resemble are highlighted within a discussion paper which will be circulated shortly.
In this discussion paper we explain why we need to change the Constitution, point out the differences between the existing Council structure and other potential alternatives and highlights who and what would disappear if a change was brought about.
Congratulations – Ross Brighouse – 2015 World Masters Orienteering Champs.
Orinteering NZ Appointments & Vacancies
Event Manager – Masters Games
Event Manager – Oceania
The Organising Committee has decided to have 2 event managers for these two events. While they will work closely together to ensure the Festival of Orienteering is a success, there is a need to have 2 seperate roles.
If you are interested in either of these roles, checkout www.orienteering.org.nz/vacancies/
Application Deadline – EXTENDED to 8 September
We are also interested in Course Planners and Setters who wish to be involved in either or both of these events. Information will be posted on www.orienteering.org.nz/world-masters-2017/ so keep an eye out there for more info.
We also still have vacancies for the following panels and committees:
- Rogaine Committee – 1 member
- Selection Panel – Senior – 1 member
- Technical Committee – 1 member
Full position descriptions for all these roles are available on the Orienteering NZ website.
Controllers Clinics
Want to learn the art of controlling orienteering events with ease? ONZ free controllers clinics are for you and your club mates.
Whether you’re new to controlling for your club or ONZ registered and experienced, IOF controller Marquita Gelderman will help you. She’ll help you understand the role, understand where to put your time and energy and how to approach decision making.
Fun, stress free and satisfying event controlling!
Presentations, workshop, discussions and map site practicals over two days.
- Wellington: September 12/13th (Places are filling fast)
- Christchurch: October 10/11th
Beginner Orienteering Course Setter’s Course
For one lucky person in your club!
Neil Kerrison is running an “online” training course for beginner orienteering course setters. The goal is to go through the practical steps of course setting from start to finish.
The course will be broken into 1 hour “online” tutorials (with a little homework eg a visit to the map) over a six week period and as a result each student will produce courses ready to use for a local club event.
I’m restricting this first course to one person per ONZ club, and would love you as a club to select and encourage someone from your club who has little or no experience at course setting.
I would also ask each club to choose a future club event, map and controller/helper as usual for your club so that the student can use their new skills to put on a great event for you!
The training course will be free of charge and will require the student to find a quite room with good internet connection to meet Thursdays from 8pm to 9pm starting 1 October till 12 November.
Those that wish to take up this opportunity can register with me by 17 Sept or before!
For more information register interest with volunteerguidance@orienteering.org.nz
021 1860407
iSPORT Foundation
iSPORT Foundation is providing funding for athletes and teams to help 12-18 year olds succeed in sport. To find out more about what Richie, Dan and Ali are doing for kids sport click here
Health and Safety Reform Bill Update
The following update has been provided by Sport NZ.
Parliament recently passed the Health and Safety Reform Bill which may have an impact on how you manage the health and safety risks associated with your high performance, community sport, recreation, events, and other activities.
The new Health and Safety at Work Act will come into force on 4 April 2016. We have been working closely with the Ministry of Business, Employment and Innovation (MBIE) and WorkSafe New Zealand over the last few months so that everyone involved in the sport and recreation sector remains safe.
Here’s what you need to know:
The risks associated with sport and recreation activities are unchanged
WorkSafe NZ provided input into our May 2015 advisory. Read here
The coverage of volunteers is the same as the current legislation
WorkSafe NZ provided us with this advice published in August 2015. Read here
Boards and the most senior manager in each organisation need to exercise due diligence
MBIE and the Institute of Directors published guidelines in February 2015 for you to follow. Read here
All sport and recreation organisations have a duty of care
If you are a Volunteer Association, you have the same duty of care to volunteers as you do to members of the public as summarised in the comparison of legislation updated in July 2015. Read here
Organisations need to work together when they have overlapping duties
If two or more organisations/volunteer associations are operating in the same area/event then they need to work together to make sure they meet their duty of care. WorkSafe NZ provided guidelines on what is a Volunteer Association. Read here
Over the next few months we will be updating our resources and making them available on our website and via our Partner Update. In the interim, feel free to forward this email to your network and ask questions in our NZ Sport and Rec sector discussion group on LinkedIn.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- 5-6 Sept Vegas Vindaloo MTBO Weekend
- Labour Weekend South Island Champs
- 31 Oct – 1 Nov National Rogaine Champs
- For more events check out the Orienteering NZ website
Advance Notice
2015 JUNIOR CAMP
The Junior Camp is being hosted by Auckland Orienteering Club.
The dates are: Sunday 13 to Friday 18 Dec 2015.
We welcome your feedback at any time.
Our mailing address is:
gm@orienteering.org.nz
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