Thread: NZDA

I've seen this come up a few times about some branches of the NZDA
About how hard it is to join.
Bit of a shame really when you stand on the outside looking in.
Dose anybody have a valid reason on why it is this way?
From what has happened on the Thar front it would seem that it is better that we are all together and have a united voice.
Hence making it easier to join these NZDA branches that are hard to join at present.
Ok so we don't all going hunting all of the time but we are still all hunters at hart so maybe these branches should take a look at this and change it to conform with what is going on at the present time.
What may have worked ten twenty thirty our forty years ago is not working now.

Is there a AGM of all branches where this can be brought forward in the minutes.
I can see that more members can bring with it more headaches but every cloud has a silver lining. New members bring fresh ideas and learn new life skills from the older members.

From what I have seen here more are put off from joining than join because of some of these branches status quo.

I have had nothing but good times when going on trips with the Thames Valley branche to Stewart island in the 90's.

I'd try to join on my return but only if it wasn't a hassle.
Cheers Sideshow

Its easy fill out a little form and pay your subs preddy sure you can even do it online these days

I have been a member for years and have only been to a couple of meetings

I was a member for years but the cost of subs each year with young family ment I had to choose between NZDA membership and duckshooting licence.

I belong as an oldie to Taupo, get a key to the range, means I can use it when down there. Tried Bop a couple of times and have felt like a spare prick at a wedding each time, so never returned.

Canterbury deerstalkers doesn't want new members.

Originally Posted by 257weatherby

Canterbury deerstalkers doesn't want new members.

Why's that mate? A few mates and I were talking tonight about whether or not it would be worth joining up.

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Originally Posted by lumberjack

Why's that mate? A few mates and I were talking tonight about whether or not it would be worth joining up.

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They charge extra for new members to join, presumably as a discouragement to joining at all.

Its part of being a member of an organisation that you're not going to agree with everything they come up with - maybe you just have to suck it up a tiny little bit.

There are issues on which I disagree with NZDA policy.

Maybe a NZDA Branch chose to charge new members a fee to take into account all the blood sweat and money that has gone into a facility like a Range or meeting hall.

Likewise in most of the clubs I'm in they don't just give new members open slather on all the "benefits", newbies have to become known and/or prove themselves a bit first

Like any organisation (especially where mainly older men run the show), egomaniacs tend to rise to the top and their personal politics dictates the feel or mood.
I know from personal experience at three different branches what some guys are referring to about being made to feel unwelcome. North Auckland was awful in the early 90’s when I wanted to join up and learn from experienced hunters. So I didn’t give them my money and taught myself. Bastards.
Drury was an awkward affair too a few years back. I didn’t join. Meetings were more like a chest beating collective at the pub than a fun sharing environment and no one would offer to take a young guy out to show him the basics.
I’m now at BOP and have paid subs happily. Still obvious politics but much more inviting and encouraging than I’ve encountered elsewhere.


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Clubs with approved access to non public hunting blocks is the key reason several clubs in Southland have experienced an increase in membership applications.

The problem is clubs are having to vet more carefully; some of those applicants have already been individually blacklisted by the key holders, and are consequently trying to ‘sneak in’ via whatever club will accept them.

Originally Posted by 257weatherby

They charge extra for new members to join, presumably as a discouragement to joining at all.

@257weatherby ; Presumably would be very wrong. To say it is to discourage membership s wrong. It is to discourage larger numbers of "maybe" members clogging up a system when they wont join. Not eberyone who starts the sign up process finishes it. In some cases we found after the first part year, we were getting a lot of new members not renewing when the got the first full year membership bill.

As a committee member to another club, we now also have to charge a joining fee for new members. We also only charge for the part year until renewal time on a monthly basis (IE if 6 months to renewal we only charged 6months membership). We have found over the last few years that we have a lot of people starting the membership process, each one with associated costs to the club as each member goes through the process. Add to this that our membership process is managed by volunteers, there is a lot of time wasted when these members are not serious about joining up. What we found is we were getting a lot of people starting the process, then backing out or sitting there not finishing the process , all the while the clubs was paying the costs of setting them up. We found by charging a membership joining fee, that the ones who were serious about becoming members paid and joined, where the ones who clearly were not really wanting to be members stopped clogging the system up .

Some people also find that membership in our club is not really what they want. We also allow non members to use it as guests or on open nights for a visitor fee which if you want access once or twice a year or occasionally, then it can be a better idea to find another member to take you or to go on our public nights, though these can get very busy,.

There are a lot of places that charge a joining fee, gyms, Clubs (RSA's, Workingmans) Perhaps it is better to consider it a loyalty discount that your second year onwards is less than the first......

Originally Posted by Hunt4life

Like any organisation (especially where mainly older men run the show), egomaniacs tend to rise to the top and their personal politics dictates the feel or mood.
I know from personal experience at three different branches what some guys are referring to about being made to feel unwelcome. North Auckland was awful in the early 90’s when I wanted to join up and learn from experienced hunters. So I didn’t give them my money and taught myself. Bastards.
Drury was an awkward affair too a few years back. I didn’t join. Meetings were more like a chest beating collective at the pub than a fun sharing environment and no one would offer to take a young guy out to show him the basics.
I’m now at BOP and have paid subs happily. Still obvious politics but much more inviting and encouraging than I’ve encountered elsewhere.


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Look after Time out

Originally Posted by Maca49

Look after Time out

Sorry Maca...??


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Originally Posted by timattalon

@257weatherby ; Presumably would be very wrong. To say it is to discourage membership s wrong. It is to discourage larger numbers of "maybe" members clogging up a system when they wont join. Not eberyone who starts the sign up process finishes it. In some cases we found after the first part year, we were getting a lot of new members not renewing when the got the first full year membership bill.

As a committee member to another club, we now also have to charge a joining fee for new members. We also only charge for the part year until renewal time on a monthly basis (IE if 6 months to renewal we only charged 6months membership). We have found over the last few years that we have a lot of people starting the membership process, each one with associated costs to the club as each member goes through the process. Add to this that our membership process is managed by volunteers, there is a lot of time wasted when these members are not serious about joining up. What we found is we were getting a lot of people starting the process, then backing out or sitting there not finishing the process , all the while the clubs was paying the costs of setting them up. We found by charging a membership joining fee, that the ones who were serious about becoming members paid and joined, where the ones who clearly were not really wanting to be members stopped clogging the system up .

Some people also find that membership in our club is not really what they want. We also allow non members to use it as guests or on open nights for a visitor fee which if you want access once or twice a year or occasionally, then it can be a better idea to find another member to take you or to go on our public nights, though these can get very busy,.

There are a lot of places that charge a joining fee, gyms, Clubs (RSA's, Workingmans) Perhaps it is better to consider it a loyalty discount that your second year onwards is less than the first......

I have no problem with paying the standard yearly sub straight off the bat. I have a big problem with being charged more than that to join in the first place. Charge the same as existing and I would join. Charge more, and I will not.

It is not even about the extra cost here, it is the goddam principle.

@257weatherby I’ve never heard of a pay more 1st time joining fee. Out south Canterbury branch usually accepts a new member every other month. We are struggling to get members to meetings. But at least they contribute to nzda by their membership fee to help the branch and national Nzda. Aswell as colfo etc.