Happy Holidays!
Firstly, let me welcome everyone to a new shooting year, one which I feel will be both a positive year and one in which we will see growth for our membership. With NZ, no longer in Covid’s clutches and life well on its way to getting back to ‘normal’, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of all our Shooters who have managed to get out there and shoot!
Secondly, I would like to welcome our new 2022-23 members of the Board of Governors:
• Richard, our new Secretary is a member of Central Field Target Club.
• Rob, our Competition Secretary is a member of North Harbour Airgun Club.
• Helen, who continues in her 2-year role of Treasurer is a member of Central Field Target Club.
To Richard and Rob, thank you for undertaking this role. I, as do all NZAFTA members, appreciate you volunteering your time and energy, which you will no doubt put into this role. And to Helen, I wish to extend a big thanks to you for all your efforts during the 2021-22 year. Helen has been able to keep the organisation grounded as she was tasked with taking on the role of Chairperson until the AGM took place in October. We appreciate your efforts and continued support.
Our newly formed BOG has hit the ground running as we had a lot on our plate to deal with as you can imagine.
One of the items which is being tackled is the new Range certification, and many of you will have seen Richards emails helping to spread the information from NZ Police on this issue.
While this may be seen as a negative for our sport, I believe it is a positive, as once our Clubs are certified, we will be able to boast as having a Police-certified range and continue to provide a safe environment for shooters to enjoy their sport which we hope will encourage new membership from the wider community.
This certification will hopefully help prospective members make the decision to join a Club, seeing that it is observing these regulations, to meet like-minded shooters who enjoy this rewarding pastime, and we will see our membership grow.
While I recognise that not all new members will stay, I believe many will, once they discover the camaraderie that comes with the sport, but that it is up to us (clubs and its members) to make their time with the Clubs a pleasant one.
As many of you know, I am a member of the Piako Club, and we aim to have our range certified by June 2023. We have always had a set of Range Standing Orders (RSO’s) on display at all national events, however these do need to be upgraded to fit the new requirements as some of these RSO’s are outdated. In saying that, once certification has been granted, these updated RSO’s can be used as a template by any new club just starting up or by an existing club seeking to change venue.
I mentioned the subject of individual membership at the AGM and while this had a good response from those present, we now have an issue with how the new “Clubs and Ranges” authority view the NZAFTA. This proposal is currently being worked on.
I would like to remind everyone about use of the Forum by members. Posts are publicly viewable and to clarify, what is posted, must be written in such a way that it does not negatively impact our sport, NZAFTA, individual Clubs nor members.
Sponsors or potential sponsors should only be reading positive posts which showcase our engaging sport to the public and any negativity can undermine any potential offers of support. We want to show that we cater to all skill levels, genders, and families as well as any aspiring national and world champions. Sponsors are more likely to invest in a shooter or group of shooters after reading a positive post.
Over the Christmas break can I ask that you discuss the GP series among your club members, as this is a topic the BOG would like more opinions on as the number of attendees has dropped recently. We want to know if it is it still fit for purpose and providing the competition experience people are looking for.
Lack of solid numbers could have been the result of Covid, format, cost or something else.
Fingers crossed that we are seeing the last of Covid, and if this is the culprit, then good riddance and we should see some improvement but if the format is the reason for the decreased attendance, we would love to hear your suggestions of how it can be tweaked or changed. Any such suggestions can be directed to your Club Rep for them to pass onto the BOG by mid-January.
If the reason is the cost however, when taking into consideration, the current cost of living/petrol/interest rates, we could look at some solutions to help out our fellow shooters by implementing things like carpooling, etc. Another solution to save money could be if the host club was to source cheap accommodation or invite members from travelling clubs to stay with local club members.
Unfortunately, the Piako Club’s Christmas shoot was washed out due to the unseasonable weather, but hopefully you all managed to get yours in before the hassle and bustle of festive season takes over completely.
I hope to see many interclub competitions organised this year as I am looking forward to seeing you all out on the range soon.
Season’s greeting to you all. I wish you all a safe and enjoyable Christmas break with your families and friends.
Warmest Regards,
Alex
NZAFTA Chairperson
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