The name and website suggest the new body has national aspirations, as opposed to being a special-interest club within the wider orienteering community. The founding members feel that their interests are not well served by orienteering clubs, and that a separate body is needed.
The NZ Orienteering Federation whose clubs have pioneered rogaining in NZ since 1991 continues to have a rogaine committee. Its members Mark Copeland, Michael Wood and Dave Laurie come from 3 of the 8 orienteering clubs which have run rogaines since 1991. Their view is that orienteering (including mountain marathon, rogaining, MTB- and Ski-orienteering as well as traditional and ultra-short orienteering) is a tiny sport both in NZ and worldwide, with much more in common than there are differences. With a total participant base of a few thousand there are benefits in sharing a common national body. Nevertheless it respects the rights of those who see differently, and will maintain communication with NZRA in the interests of all forms of map-sport.
The Orienteering Federation has recently adopted a remit from its rogaining committee to halve levies on rogaines to recognise that some of its expenditure such as national teams is not relevant to rogainers. The federation has a rogaining budget, runs the sponsored "Silva Development Programme" to assist non-traditional forms of orienteering, and operates this "RogaineNZ" website and mailing list.
Click here to check out the NZRA Website.
Written by Michael Wood
and installed on 17 Apr 02.