Professional Development Opportunity in the Bay of Plenty Region

One third of all drownings in New Zealand occur in rivers, streams and creeks and, unlike surf beaches and public pools, there are no agencies responsible for rescue in rivers.

For communities where young people use rivers the need for river safety education is vital. Water Safety New Zealand (WSNZ) and ACC have developed the RiverSafe^® programme for schools.

The key concept behind the programme is ‘safe participation in river based aquatic activities’.

WSNZ are aware that not all teachers who are EOTC leaders in schools have the experience and confidence to lead river-based activities. Consequently, we have developed a one day professional development course for school physical education teachers and / or teachers in charge of EOTC activities to:

• Become familiar with the approach and content of the ACC RiverSafe® programme;

• Identify issues surrounding safety and supervision of students engaged in EOTC activities in rivers and ways to address these issues;

• Participate in a river based activity run by an accredited ACC RiverSafe® provider and evaluate that experience as a participant and as an experience their school could offer students.

Teacher relief day funding will be provided.

At this stage the training is only being offered to teachers in the Bay of Plenty region at the Redwoods Forest & Visitor Centre with a practical component on the Kaituna River. The course is being run twice firstly on Thursday 3 May and secondly Friday 4 May.

Places are limited to 40 teachers so please register your interest in attending by emailing info@riversafe.org.nz, please include your school, position and contact details.

New Land Based Fishing Poster -
Don't put your life on the line

A new land based fishing poster is now available from Water Safety New Zealand.

Recreational fishing continues to grow in popularity in New Zealand with recent surveys confirming it as our nations most popular recreational past time. Rock fishing in particular is growing in popularity for good reason’s, it’s inexpensive, readily accessible and can be a successful way to catch good fish. However, the environment is inherently dangerous and too many New Zealanders continue to needlessly lose their lives either due to their inexperience with the environment or because they have chosen to ignore basic safety requirements.

The theme of the new poster has been borrowed from an original concept developed by the New South Wales Government’s Safe Waters initiative and uses a tag line which clearly illustrates the issue…

DON’T PUT YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE

Secondary messages carried are included to reduce the risk associated with rock fishing

1. Stay alert to changing conditions

2. Don’t turn your back on the sea

3. Never fish alone

The new poster is now available for distribution and can be ordered by contacting our office or order from the resource section of the WSNZ website.

RFD & Water Safety New Zealand Partnership

Due to the generous support of RFD NZ Ltd, Water Safety New Zealand (WSNZ) is able to offer a heavily discounted selection of quality lifejackets and buoyancy aids to WSNZ member organisations and other water safety education providers including schools, that are aligned with WSNZ initiatives. 

Prices
All prices are firm, and GST inclusive, unless otherwise agreed to in writing. WSNZ and RFD reserve the right to change the prices of the products at any time without notice.

Qualification
The offer is open to WSNZ member organisations, and other education providers including schools, that are aligned with WSNZ initiatives. WSNZ has sole discretion over qualification to access products at the prices advertised.

Enquiries, Orders, Payment and Delivery

• All enquiries are to be made to WSNZ on 04 801 9600 or email wsnz@watersafety.org.nz. Upon receiving an enquiry WSNZ will provide a quote for the full order including GST and associated delivery costs.

• All product orders are to be made to WSNZ and must be accompanied by a cheque made out to "Water Safety New Zealand" in full payment, including GST and postage and packaging, for the total order.

• All shipment costs shall be paid by the buyer. The risk of loss or damage to the products shall be assumed by the buyer upon shipment of the products from the supplier’s warehouse.

• WSNZ’s ordering process with the supplier means delivery of product to the end buyer will be within 10 days of the month following the month in which the order was placed.

Warranties
All products will be covered by the applicable supplier’s standard warranty.

Technical Advice
WSNZ will, at Buyer's request, furnish advice and information with respect to the products.

These Terms and Conditions May Change
WSNZ reserves the right to update or modify these Terms and Conditions at any time without prior notice. All products and services offered for sale by WSNZ are sold subject to the terms and conditions stated herein. These terms and conditions shall apply to the sale of the products described in the sales offer.

Click on the RFD logo above for more information.

2008 International Outdoor Recreation and Education Conference

The 2008 International Outdoor Recreation and Education Conference (IOREC) is inviting academic and practitioner-based presentations to Christchurch, New Zealand in January 2008. The Confluence – Tutakitanga strives to blend theory and practice through the exchange of knowledge within the international outdoor research, practitioner, and trade communities. The IOREC conference is hosted by Outdoors New Zealand, with Sport and Recreation New Zealand as the major sponsor.

For More Information visit the Conference Web at www.outdoorsnz.org.nz

The 2008 International Outdoor Recreation and Education Conference (IOREC) is inviting academic and practitioner-based presentations to Christchurch, New Zealand in January 2008. The Confluence – Tutakitanga strives to blend theory and practice through the exchange of knowledge within the international outdoor research, practitioner, and trade communities. The IOREC conference is hosted by Outdoors New Zealand, with Sport and Recreation New Zealand as the major sponsor.

The Confluence incorporates six key strands: Research and Theory; Teaching and Learning; Sustainability and Environment; Risk Management and Safety; Applied Theory and Practice; and Adventure-Based Tourism. Each of these strands are interdependent with the others. Consequently, they are critical to the future of outdoor recreation and education in New Zealand and the world at large. Presentations will include concurrent oral, interactive, and poster sessions.

Christchurch is located in the heart of the South Island of New Zealand, and offers excellent access to a huge range of adventure experiences in some of the most spectacular, dramatic and beautiful landforms on the planet.

Abstracts

We invite the submission of abstracts (250-word maximum) that describe the content of the
presentation and its links to the conference theme and strand(s). In addition, please include the following information:

• Presentation title,

• Presenter(s) name(s), title(s), and organisation(s),

• Contact address, phone number and e-mail,

• Activities used in presentation and central ideas or main points of presentation,

• Presentation style (research presentation, discussion, lecture, poster, activity, mix),

• Brief biographical sketch of presenter(s),

• Audiovisual needs,

• Desired Length: 15, 30, 60, and 90-minute slots are available. Research presentations should indicate a 15-minute length. A dedicated poster session will also be available.

Submissions
Submissions should be made via email in Microsoft Word or rtf document format. Please submit abstracts and any questions pertaining to presentations to:
Dr. Shayne Galloway
Papers Chair – International Outdoor Recreation and Education Conference
University of Otago
PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
Phone +64 3 479 8649 or Email papers@outdoorsnz.org.nz

Deadlines
The deadline for submission of presentation proposals is July 25, 2007. Accepted presenters must register their attendance in the conference by September 10, 2007. Manuscripts for publication in the conference proceedings must be submitted by email by February 10, 2008 in order to be included.

Information and Conference Registration
Conference details, registration and pre/post conference activities are available on the Outdoors New Zealand website after March 31, 2007. www.outdoorsnz.org.nz

Questions
For additional questions and special arrangements please contact us at:
Outdoors New Zealand
PO Box 11776. Wellington 6142, New Zealand.
Phone +64 4 385 7287 or Email conference@outdoorsnz.org.nz