Over the past few months, Orienteering New Zealand (ONZ) has been shaping an exciting new digital strategy. A key initiative in this plan is the creation of O-Zone, a central hub for all information orienteering in New Zealand. The vision and concept planning behind O-Zone is so far centred on creating a go-to place for information on events, results, athletes, and more, tailored to the specific needs of the New Zealand orienteering community. For now there is no change to how you access orienteering information via your preferred channels.

But O-Zone is more than just an information source. It aims to streamline and standardise essential tasks, such as event communication, result publishing, and data exchange between entry systems. This will simplify how orienteering information is shared and processed across the country.

Additionally, the O-Zone design is planned to leverage the expertise within the orienteering community to foster digital innovation. By encouraging data sharing and integration, the platform will enable enthusiasts and experts alike to use orienteering data for analysis and creative projects.

With so many exciting possibilities ahead, ONZ plans to establish an advisory panel of club representatives once the foundation is in place. This panel will help prioritize O-Zone’s future features, ensuring they provide maximum value to the orienteering community.

Updates on O-Zone’s development will be posted in future Compass Point versions — so stay tuned!