I hope that everyone was able to have some time off over Christmas/New Year and that those who attended the ‘not the’ Oceania Championships survived the gruelling long!
In this issue we review the ‘not’ Oceania Event, ask members for their feedback on ONZ’s priorities for 2022, and we interview NZ Elite/ONZ Training Co-ordinator/North West President Gene Beveridge.
Also covered this month are WOC/JWOC/WUOC selection notices, more event information, a covid update, national awards information, and a brief look at the new national sprint league that looks set to kick-off in March.
Ngā Mihi Christo Peters | ONZ General Manager 027 714 0915 [email protected]
Well 2022 has well and truly kicked off in fine style for Orienteering, and big congrats to PAPO and Dunedin for running a very successful “Not the” Oceania Orienteering Champs and support events in Canterbury and Otago. Unfortunately I missed it through injury, but heard many positive things about the varied terrain and testing courses (the Long sounded particularly testing!), so a big thanks to everyone involved in running the event. Summer events are great, but they are hard on volunteers and organisers who give up a chunk of what normally is holiday time to put on events for the rest of our entertainment, so big appreciation goes out to all involved. Continue reading…
Following ONZ’s decision that it was not possible to run one large National Junior Camp, three clubs took on the role of offering junior camps. In the next few editions we have a brief look at how these camps went, starting with the Southern Regional Junior Camp for school years 9 to 13 hosted by Marlborough.
A small but dedicated group of parents and around 40 kids got together in Nelson. We were all so pleased to get together after another year of yo-yo pandemic levels. Continue reading…
The National Sprint League (NSL) was due to start with the Super City Sprints over Waitangi Weekend but Covid had other ideas. Despite the frustration, series creator and ONZ’s Performance Lead, Malcolm Ingham took the news the only way he knew how – he got in the car and drove to Palmerston North to plan an extended second round. Malcolm hopes the upgraded second event will go ahead as planned at the start of March.
Helping get the NSL going will be Duncan Morrison who brings extensive expertise promoting Sprint the Bays as well as Tom Reynolds who many will know for his orienteering Nav Chat podcasts. Together they will be responsible for the promotion of both the NSL and the National O League (NOL).
The ONZ Mapping Committee is the body responsible for mapping standards across New Zealand. Our current convenor, Michael Wood, has announced that he is standing down so we are looking for new members to join the committee to help guide the development of the single most important part of our sport. Anyone interested in applying or with questions should contact Christo, our GM by 31 January 2021.
A full description of the role can be found here.
Last year the 2021-2025 ONZ Strategic Plan was finalised following member and club consultation. This plan will now guide ONZ Council in providing governance and allocating resources for our sport. The Annual Business Plan outlines the focus for your national body over a 12-month period. Council is inviting feedback until the 28th February 2022. After that, the plan and annual budget will be finalised for the next 12-month period. We invite all club members to provide feedback on this plan.
The World University Orienteering Championships 2022 are scheduled to be held in Switzerland from 15-22 August 2022, and will consist of individual sprint, middle and long distance races, a sprint relay and a forest relay.
Competitors must satisfy the following conditions:
• Athletes must be at least 18 and less than 25 years of age on January 1st in the year of the event; continue reading…
ONZ officially advertises the selection process for 2022 Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) and World Orienteering Championships (WOC). For full details please continue reading…
Many of you will be familiar with Gene Beveridge. He has a lot of experience, and is working on many levels to promote the sport. Gene was born into orienteering and he reckons he cannot escape it now. Over the last year he has been working on the Coaching Framework for Orienteering NZ and has recently become the North West President. Gene answered some orienteering questions for Compass Point. Continue reading…
Ok this is not just an orienteering podcast. Matt Rayment and Eugene Bingham talk everything trail running, and they recently interviewed Madeleine about the Revenant. The Revenant is reputed to be one of the most difficult south island high country ultra adventure runs, which you need to be able to navigate around. Madeleine is described as a ‘tough cookie’ and ‘tenacious’ and an ex-elite orienteer. She not only talks about the typical grit and determination required for the Revenant, but her enthusiasm for orienteering as the best navigation training continues. The interview starts just after 24 mins into the Dirt Church podcast, the orienteering talk kicks in at about 50 mins in, steers off to the revenant and then back into organising the orienteering zonals and event management in a pandemic. Madeleine is a member of North West Orienteering Club.
Link:
https://www.dirtchurchradio.com/dirtchurchradio/2021/12/8/episode-171-madeleine-collins
Gene Beveridge and Tom Reynolds interview Ronan Lee who has risen to elite level. Gene and Tom discuss the ‘Not the’ Oceania maps (from 13.30 mins in) speculating about why there were so many miss punches at the Rangiora High Sprint. Then they launch into the ‘Not the’ Oceania Long distance map. The discussion progresses into the new mapping standards including maps from around the world. The episode then heads back into local news. Great episode – thanks guys.
Link: https://genebeveridge.nz/podcast/nav-chat-15/
Oceania ended-up being the ‘Not the’ Oceania champs, as our Australian friends were not allowed into the country. Not quite the Oceania that was planned, but PAPO delivered high quality A-grade competitive events that still managed a relaxed feel .Two of the events were awarded World Ranking Points in the elite grades. Yes, we wished for more competition from overseas, but we were happy, once again, to just have some event normality. Over 300 orienteers came together for some challenging navigation and terrain in iconic Canterbury landscapes. Continue reading…
Sadly the move to the Red Alert Level under the Covid Protection Framework has forced organisers to cancel the 2021 Tūāraki (Northern) Regional Championships. The event was already postponed from last year. The 2022 Tūāraki (Northern) Regional Champs are scheduled to take place in October.
Entries are now open for the Oceania Sprint Championships on the school and uni campuses of the Gold Coast.
The IOF have confirmed that the WRE Sprint Final and Elite Knockout will be Oceania Championships, with associated automatic qualification places for the World Orienteering Championships. This will be reviewed in mid-February, pending a reasonable number of New Zealand elite competitors being able to attend. Continue reading…
Entries have now opened for the 2022 Australian Championships Carnival. Planning is proceeding apace to ensure that after our enforced two-year championship drought, the 2022 Aussies will be a carnival to remember. Technical Director for the carnival, Warren Key, has made his determination clear to make sure that every aspect of the events will be of the highest quality. From terrain selection, to mapping, course setting and arena design, expect a consistently excellent orienteering experience.
Victoria’s goldfields offer a memorable and diverse holiday destination. Outdoor activities, food, wine and history are everywhere.
In the event that COVID continues to disrupt our lives, a full refund will be issued on request to any competitor who is unable to attend because they are Covid-positive or required to isolate as a result of exposure to Covid; or if travelling to or from the event is rendered impractical by a government health order. If COVID restrictions require the cancellation of the carnival itself, full refunds will be made.
Please read the Entry Instructions before embarking on the entry process.
Email [email protected] – for entry queries
Nominations for the Orienteering New Zealand Annual Awards are now open. Entries must come from clubs so if you know of worthy recipients talk to a committee member from your club to ensure they are nominated before nominations close on Mon 28th February 2022. committee meeting. Nominations are being sought for the following categories:
For services to Orienteering New Zealand. This is our premier service award that honours an individual who has contributed in a most deserving manner to the development of orienteering in New Zealand.
For outstanding contribution in coaching during 2021 by an individual.
For outstanding contribution in administration for either a club, ONZ or a special project during 2021 by an individual.
ONZ’s constitution stipulates that two Council positions are up for election every year. This year ONZ Chair Peter Swanson (OBOP) and Marquita Gelderman (NW) have both finished their three-year term on Council. Any club member wishing to be considered for Council is encouraged to apply. Both outgoing candidates are eligible to be considered for a second three-year term.
Applications for these positions are now open. For more details on the process and to download the application form click here.
Update
With the recent move to the red level of the Covid Protection Framework (CPF) and the cancellation of the Tūāraki (Northern) Regional Championships, ONZ’s Council has re-evaluated its Covid Policy. The current policy allows clubs to decide if they wish to run events at each level of the CPF under that appropriate restrictions but prohibits major events to run at red.level. Council have decided that the current plan is still fit for purpose and will continue to evaluate and evolve advice to orienteers as government updates dictate.
ONZ’s Covid policy can be found on the ONZ website Covid page.
At the January ONZ Council meeting, Council voted to support Orienteering Australia’s nomination for Blair Trewin to be on the IOF Council and discussed filming of the NZSS Champs.
Council discussed the revision of the ONZ high performance plan including the intention to appoint regional development officers for the three ONZ regions. The first reading of the draft budget took place and Council agreed to individually review all expenditure items and recommence the discussion on the budget at the February meeting.
A long discussion was had over the ONZ Covid Policy. Council felt that the current policy and guidelines are currently fit for purpose allowing for clubs to make decisions on events at all alert levels while allowing major events to only take place at orange and green levels. ONZ will continue to review this policy relative to government announcements and also revisit the topic at the February meeting.
It was a agreed that ONZ would host a “Medical Preparedness” club forum in April. This will be led by ONZ Council member and emergency doctor Tom Reynolds. The forum will cover a range of best practices for medical information for running events ranging from questions like when should an ambulance be at an an event to what should I have in our club first-aid kit?
All approved ONZ minutes can be accessed here.
If you have a particular topic you are looking for on orienteering? Try browsing the search function on the ONZ website or search for an area under news and views in the main menu at the top of the page – you may find what you need. If you have an enquiry about the sport, do get in touch via any of our media below or email us here
Happy orienteering!
Editorial deadline:
We love to read about all kinds of navigation events from every corner of NZ. We are keen for news and updates from places we cannot get to. So do share your passion with photos, events, links, and info about your club. Send something in by the 20th day of the month so it can be published at the end of the month.
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08 March 2022
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