Protecting Our Sites By Dan Clearwater and Nick Taber
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ne of the many important roles of the NZHGPA and the eleven affiliated clubs is to protect our flying sites. The NZHGPA is taking a hard stance on those rights and as such collaborates with other organisations like the Federated Mountain Clubs (FMC) and has engaged specialist legal advice. Simply put; No Sites equals No Fly. Treble Cone Recently, the NZHGPA and Southern Club worked closely with the Federated Mountain Clubs of NZ to submit on the Treble Cone Ski field lease renewal. Treble cone was purchased in 2018, by Cardrona Alpine Resorts Limited (CARL). Their planning team have recently applied to renew and expand the existing DOC concession for another 30 years, which also includes an increase to the ski area boundary. On the face of it, having a company with a 30 year plan to maintain a road that goes past the launch is a great thing for pilots. And we are all grateful for the really positive relationship that Southern Club has with the management team at Treble Cone. However, many of the agreements about paragliding access are informal, relying on that goodwill. Who knows how these arrangements could change in years to come with new management or new owners. Submitting in writing and speaking before the DOC Select Committee was an opportunity for the NZHGPA and the SHGPC to be formally acknowledged with a right to unrestricted access over the road and an easement to roam freely and fly from anywhere on the mountain that is public land. During the Public hearing, we were pleased that CARL showed a willingness to allow public access and find a way to remove the locked gate, a decision by DOC is expected in February 2022. As well as advocating for free-flight access, FMC submitted in support of formalised foot access beyond the road into the Motatapu Conservation Area, both for trampers, ski-tourers
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Flying Treble Cone during the recent Southern Fun Comp and pilots hiking to alternative launches. Thanks from all pilots to Nick Taber (NZHGPA), Doug Patterson (Southern Club), Jan Finlayson and Peter Wilson (FMC) for their work on this issue. You can check out the detail if you like: • FMC’s Submission tinyurl.com/ Treblecone-submission • CARL’s concession application & all submissions received. tinyurl.com/ CARLapplication DOC Global Concession In other DOC related access news, the NZHGPA ‘Global Concession’ to formalise member pilots’ ability to take-off and land within public conservation land is still ongoing. Long story short, the Conservation act says all ‘aircraft’ need a concession to take off or land on public conservation land. Clearly the law was written with helicopters in mind, and doesn’t consider the extremely minimal impact of paragliding and hang gliding. The ‘global’ (NZ wide) concession project is a way to set this historic inconsistency straight, and ensure ongoing legitimacy of our sport on public conservation lands. However, it’s a bit of a long game: we started in September 2017, and are doggedly keeping at it despite bureaucratic delays. The NZHGPA has engaged legal advice and is thankful for the services of Barrister Oliver Collettt-Moxon who is taking both the Minister of Conservation and DOC Senior Management to task. Also an enormous thank you to the key FMC liaison person Peter Wilson for the relentless help and support. The advice and support from FMC is
proving invaluable to the association. Because NZHGPA is affiliated with FMC, all pilots are able to access FMC member benefits. Either ask NZHGPA for copies of Backcountry magazine a FMC discount card (50+ discounts including 30% off an annual Hut pass). Or you can get both sent direct to you (D2U) for a small fee: www.fmc. org..nz/D2U Civil Aviation Bill The NZHGPA recently submitted on the Civil Aviation Bill, an overhaul of the Civil Aviation Act 1990, from which the flying rules like Hang Glider Rules CAR 106 and General Flight Rules CAR 91 are derived. Of importance when it comes to land access, is the way regulators like regional councils and DOC view HG/PG as aircraft. These rules are often misunderstood
and/or the wrong rules applied. For example, regulators Often refer to rules relating to large aircraft requiring airfields that come under the Resource Management Act (RMA) with noise abatement requirements and so on. The NZHGPA took legal advice and has requested at the heart of the Act, that flying sites be defined to mean; flying site means; an area on land or water that is used by hang gliders or paragliders to launch and/or land and is not an aerodrome: What is the significance? This new definition separates HG/PG from other forms of aviation, allowing land managers the option for appropriate decisions, without needing to comply with rules regarding airfields. You can view the full submission at: tinyurl.com/CAbillsub
Bob Martin On 17 January Bob Martin died in a glider crash at Mt St Cuthbert, Omarama. Bob was a youthful 72, he grew up in Essex, UK and studied in art school in London, but his adventurous personality led him to getting sponsored as a hang glider pilot in the UK, competing in British leagues. He was also a sponsored surfer. An accomplished artist, he designed book covers, digital illustrations and paintings. He owned an art gallery in Gore for some time and did projects painting large scale Haast eagles. In his 30’s he visited NZ meeting his first wife Anna and later had three children. Bob was one of the first pilots to fly full double surface gliders in NZ with a Southdown Sailwings Lightning at the Coronet Peak Nationals in 1981. He later teamed up with Graeme & Warren Bird’s Flight Sails to market the NZ built Shark hang glider. He still had his small sized Shark and recently talked of flying it again. Bob took up gliding about 15 years ago, clocking up almost 1100 hours, becoming an experienced glider pilot. Daughter Sheena-Jayne said, “He had an amazing charisma and a way of connecting with everyone that he crossed paths with... everybody loved him.” A memorial service was held at the Omarama Gliding Club airfield. Sources; ODT, Stuff, Facebook, B.Degen
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