NZOF Confirms Support for Rogaining

Funds for Clubs Running their First Rogaine

The NZOF Council has confirmed its support for rogaining. Its August Council meeting received a report (in person) from new Rogaine Convenor Mark Copeland, outlining the formation of a separate NZ Rogaine Association. Copeland, who has been involved in NZ rogaining since it began in 1991, called on all NZOF members to recognise that rogaining has become more than a novelty addition to the rogaining year, but an integral part of the wider "mapsport".

The council assured Mark that it shared the same priorities as the committee, viz the need to actively encourage its member clubs to organise and promote rogaining events as an integral part of the orienteering calendar. (Full text of the resolution is on the NZ Orienteering website.)

NZOF has also taken two concrete steps in recent months in support of rogaining. The Annual General Meeting agreed to recognise that rogainers did not use or want some of the facilities of the federation, and halved the event levy which funds the federation. NZOF had a year earlier adopted a percentage-based levy which for a brief period had an undue effect on rogaines run by its clubs.

And the federation has added "developing new forms of orienteering" to the list of projects which will be supported by its development budget. Orienteering clubs which have not run rogaines or MTB-orienteering before are able to apply for funds to assist mapmaking or obtaining help to get started.

As well as Copeland, who lives in Auckland, the NZOF Rogaine Committee consists of Michael Wood (Hutt Valley) and Dave Laurie (Christchurch). The federation is calling for additional members for this committee.

This page written by Michael Wood and installed on 6 Sep 02