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‘Be AdventureSmart’get ready, get outdoors

WWW.ADVENTURESMART.ORG.NZ

STORY: Andrea Hubbard PHOTOS: AdventureSmart website Every year thousands of people enjoy New Zealand’s outdoors and for the vast majority it’s an enjoyable and safe experience. However, sometimes unfortunate incidents occur which often involve people who underestimate the planning, preparation and sometimes the skills required for the outdoors activity they are undertaking.

In a joint initiative, leading outdoor organisations and government agencies including, New Zealand Search and Rescue Council, the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council, Police, LandSAR, Department of Conservation and Rescue Co-ordination Centre have created and expanded the AdventureSmart website, promoted 3 safety codes for the Outdoors, Water and Boating, plus revisited and improved the New Zealand Outdoors Intentions process.

Read on to find out more about these exciting initiatives and how they can help you stay safe in the outdoors.

Be AdventureSmart Get ready, get outdoorsNew Zealand is a natural adventure playground with so many outdoors opportunities to enjoy. From boating and fishing, camping and tramping, to swimming, surfing and ski-ing...the possibilities are endless.

The aim of AdventureSmart is to help everyone enjoy their experiences safely and provide both residents and visitors to New Zealand with one online location for safety information and planning support, prior to engaging in land, snow, water, boating and air activities.

Duncan Ferner, from the NZ Search & Rescue Council, says: “AdventureSmart has good advice for everyone, regardless of ability or experience. “Easy access to this information means that those taking part in recreational activities on offer in New Zealand will be better prepared and make better decisions which will in turn hopefully reduce incidents.”Other features include:

• more than a thousand up-to-date external links to safety information

• videos on various topics from the outdoor safety code to avalanche awareness

• advice on where to go to up-skill and learn more, for instance Coastguard’s boating education programme.

Whilst there are always been a lot of outdoors safety resources available and previous campaigns, have been reasonably successful, it was also recognised that there may have been too much information, that it was often inconsistent across organisations and also difficult to locate. The AdventureSmart website therefore solves this problem and is currently being promoted as the place to go for trip planning information. Visit www.adventuresmart.org.nz for more information.

The Safety Codes: Outdoor, Water and Boating

AdventureSmart is also the home of New Zealand’s Outdoor, Boating and Water Safety Codes. Make sure you ‘know before you go’ by reading and following the 4 or 5 simple and easy to remember rules.

The rules are especially useful for overseas visitors who may have little knowledge of New Zealand but equally applicable to Kiwis, especially those who may be trying a new activity or visiting an unfamiliar part of the country.

Examples of the simple rules include:

• Tell someone your plans and leave a time and date for when to raise the alarm if you haven’t returned. (Outdoor Safety Code).

• Watch out for yourself and others - always watch children around water. Swim with others and in lifeguard zones. (Water Safety Code).

• Skipper Responsibility – keep everyone safe – stay within the limits of your vessel and your experience. (Boating Safety Code).

The codes are available as full colour posters and can be downloaded free of charge from www.adventuresmart.org.nz

NZ Outdoors Intentions ProcessThere is also a comprehensive Outdoors Intentions process for land-based activities which can greatly assist search and rescue agencies if an incident occurs. The process provides outdoors enthusiasts with easily accessible ways to follow rule number 2 of the Outdoor Safety Code which is ‘tell someone’.

At its most basic level ‘tell someone’ means if you are going tramping or hunting or engaging in other land-based outdoors activity, you should tell someone where you are going, when and how to raise the alarm if you haven’t returned by a certain time and date.

“One of the core principles of going into the outdoors is that safety is your responsibility,” says Mountain Safety Council CEO, Darryl Carpenter.

“We believe that by encouraging people to ‘plan your trip’ combined with providing an accessible and user-friendly Outdoors Intentions process, means that taking responsibility is now much easier,” added Mr Carpenter.

“AdventureSmart has good advice for everyone, regardless of ability and experience.” - Duncan Ferner, NZSAR Council

This idea is nothing new and for many years, the Mountain Safety Council provided a pink ‘Backcountry Intentions’ form which could be left with family or friends and even at some DOC visitor centres. However, in light of progress and new technology, the pink form is being phased out and new form, which you can also type straight into and email, has been introduced.

So while the essence of the Outdoors Intentions process hasn’t changed, and there is a still a form, some new mechanisms by which you can now ‘tell someone’ have also been introduced which include:

• an online form which users complete and send to a trusted friend or family member

• a form which can be downloaded and printed or completed electronically

• links to approved external online providers

“We believe that by encouraging people to ‘plan your trip’ combined with providing an accessible and user-friendly Outdoors Intentions process, means that taking responsibility is now much easier” - Darryl Carpenter, CEO, Mountain Safety Council

“Spending a few minutes completing a form (whether you choose to do it online or not) could be life saving. Providing detailed information such as where you are going, where you are planning to stay, who is with you and what equipment you are carrying is invaluable to search and rescue teams and can vastly improve your chances of being found and rescued quickly,” added Mr Carpenter.

This process can all be done from the comfort of your armchair, before you even set foot outside of your front door and your trusted friend or family member doesn’t even have to be in the same country, which in turn makes it easier for visitors to send an email home with their trip details.”

To find out more about AdventureSmart and how it can help you plan and prepare for your outdoors activity; downloadyour own copy of the safety codes; or complete your Outdoors Intentions, please visit www.adventuresmart.org.nz

Mal

colm

Pul

lman

(NZP

A)

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

‘Be AdventureSmart’get ready, get outdoors

WWW.ADVENTURESMART.ORG.NZ

STORY: Andrea Hubbard PHOTOS: AdventureSmart website Every year thousands of people enjoy New Zealand’s outdoors and for the vast majority it’s an enjoyable and safe experience. However, sometimes unfortunate incidents occur which often involve people who underestimate the planning, preparation and sometimes the skills required for the outdoors activity they are undertaking.

In a joint initiative, leading outdoor organisations and government agencies including, New Zealand Search and Rescue Council, the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council, Police, LandSAR, Department of Conservation and Rescue Co-ordination Centre have created and expanded the AdventureSmart website, promoted 3 safety codes for the Outdoors, Water and Boating, plus revisited and improved the New Zealand Outdoors Intentions process.

Read on to find out more about these exciting initiatives and how they can help you stay safe in the outdoors.

Be AdventureSmart Get ready, get outdoorsNew Zealand is a natural adventure playground with so many outdoors opportunities to enjoy. From boating and fishing, camping and tramping, to swimming, surfing and ski-ing...the possibilities are endless.

The aim of AdventureSmart is to help everyone enjoy their experiences safely and provide both residents and visitors to New Zealand with one online location for safety information and planning support, prior to engaging in land, snow, water, boating and air activities.

Duncan Ferner, from the NZ Search & Rescue Council, says: “AdventureSmart has good advice for everyone, regardless of ability or experience. “Easy access to this information means that those taking part in recreational activities on offer in New Zealand will be better prepared and make better decisions which will in turn hopefully reduce incidents.”Other features include:

• more than a thousand up-to-date external links to safety information

• videos on various topics from the outdoor safety code to avalanche awareness

• advice on where to go to up-skill and learn more, for instance Coastguard’s boating education programme.

Whilst there are always been a lot of outdoors safety resources available and previous campaigns, have been reasonably successful, it was also recognised that there may have been too much information, that it was often inconsistent across organisations and also difficult to locate. The AdventureSmart website therefore solves this problem and is currently being promoted as the place to go for trip planning information. Visit www.adventuresmart.org.nz for more information.

The Safety Codes: Outdoor, Water and Boating

AdventureSmart is also the home of New Zealand’s Outdoor, Boating and Water Safety Codes. Make sure you ‘know before you go’ by reading and following the 4 or 5 simple and easy to remember rules.

The rules are especially useful for overseas visitors who may have little knowledge of New Zealand but equally applicable to Kiwis, especially those who may be trying a new activity or visiting an unfamiliar part of the country.

Examples of the simple rules include:

• Tell someone your plans and leave a time and date for when to raise the alarm if you haven’t returned. (Outdoor Safety Code).

• Watch out for yourself and others - always watch children around water. Swim with others and in lifeguard zones. (Water Safety Code).

• Skipper Responsibility – keep everyone safe – stay within the limits of your vessel and your experience. (Boating Safety Code).

The codes are available as full colour posters and can be downloaded free of charge from www.adventuresmart.org.nz

NZ Outdoors Intentions ProcessThere is also a comprehensive Outdoors Intentions process for land-based activities which can greatly assist search and rescue agencies if an incident occurs. The process provides outdoors enthusiasts with easily accessible ways to follow rule number 2 of the Outdoor Safety Code which is ‘tell someone’.

At its most basic level ‘tell someone’ means if you are going tramping or hunting or engaging in other land-based outdoors activity, you should tell someone where you are going, when and how to raise the alarm if you haven’t returned by a certain time and date.

“One of the core principles of going into the outdoors is that safety is your responsibility,” says Mountain Safety Council CEO, Darryl Carpenter.

“We believe that by encouraging people to ‘plan your trip’ combined with providing an accessible and user-friendly Outdoors Intentions process, means that taking responsibility is now much easier,” added Mr Carpenter.

“AdventureSmart has good advice for everyone, regardless of ability and experience.” - Duncan Ferner, NZSAR Council

This idea is nothing new and for many years, the Mountain Safety Council provided a pink ‘Backcountry Intentions’ form which could be left with family or friends and even at some DOC visitor centres. However, in light of progress and new technology, the pink form is being phased out and new form, which you can also type straight into and email, has been introduced.

So while the essence of the Outdoors Intentions process hasn’t changed, and there is a still a form, some new mechanisms by which you can now ‘tell someone’ have also been introduced which include:

• an online form which users complete and send to a trusted friend or family member

• a form which can be downloaded and printed or completed electronically

• links to approved external online providers

“We believe that by encouraging people to ‘plan your trip’ combined with providing an accessible and user-friendly Outdoors Intentions process, means that taking responsibility is now much easier” - Darryl Carpenter, CEO, Mountain Safety Council

“Spending a few minutes completing a form (whether you choose to do it online or not) could be life saving. Providing detailed information such as where you are going, where you are planning to stay, who is with you and what equipment you are carrying is invaluable to search and rescue teams and can vastly improve your chances of being found and rescued quickly,” added Mr Carpenter.

This process can all be done from the comfort of your armchair, before you even set foot outside of your front door and your trusted friend or family member doesn’t even have to be in the same country, which in turn makes it easier for visitors to send an email home with their trip details.”

To find out more about AdventureSmart and how it can help you plan and prepare for your outdoors activity; downloadyour own copy of the safety codes; or complete your Outdoors Intentions, please visit www.adventuresmart.org.nz

Mal

colm

Pul

lman

(NZP

A)