Thread: A question for NZDA members

Everybody's entitled to their opinion. Saddening from NZDA's perspective to see some of the sentiments held, and expressed. Not surprising though. Here's my two cents worth.
I trust we may agree it's an undeniable fact - NZDA as an organisation has done immeasurable good for the sport of recreational hunting in New Zealand - for 80-odd years. It's unlikely to be overtaken - as the only recreational hunting organisation with 50-odd Branches, and covering virtually the whole country.
It's vitally important - even more so now than ever - that recreational hunting has an effective, national voice. There are some significant threats, both direct and indirect.
NZDA is certainly not perfect - and a lot of the sentiment here has various degress of validity. Organisations like NZDA inevitably wax and wane over the years, as the dynamic environment in which they operate also changes. Leadership, too, goes through periods of being strong - and not so strong. As does the Membership.
Right now, there's quite a bit of positive, constructive effort going on "behind the scenes" - to try and encourage NZDA to drag itself kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. Our young Members should not inherit an outfit that's stuck in the past, or lost it's way - in today's fast-changing and technological world.
We must be realistic about what we expect of it, though. It's run entirely by volunteers. Some people put an unreasonable amount of time and effort into it. As with any such outfit - some of these efforts are inevitably misguided. But that doesn't make them not well-intentioned. Branches are a reflection of their combined membership. If we don't like the way our Branch operates - we always have the option of stepping up, and doing something about it. I have a rule I strive to stick to - I don't indulge in criticism - unless I'm prepared to do something constructive, too.
Personally, I don't look at my Subscription as just something I should necessarily get value-for-money for. It's also a contribution towards the maintenance and upkeep of the recreational activity we inherited, and we love - and we all want to continue to be available, for our children and grandchildren to enjoy. I put several times my Sub into my freezer each year, all free-range organic meat. I don't care if I get nothing back - this alone (making a contribution) is worth it, for me. It's bugger all really, maybe just one tank of diesel. Maybe it's worth it for you, too?
For this reason - if you think of yourself as a Recreational Hunter - I urge you to remain an NZDA Member, or join. A key part of being able to represent and advocate for recreational hunting - is to have a strong Membership of recreational hunters. It's all about having the numbers.
As for Hunting & Wildlife - I believe it's been an institution within NZDA and beyond, since 1962 - the "glue" that has kept NZDA together - surviving through good times, and bad. Personally, I want to keep getting mine in hardcopy form - but it makes sense that Member's have the option to save the organisation some money, and opt-out - either to receive in electronic format only, or not at all. There are some good ideas floating about.
Happy Hunting.

Originally Posted by stewart.h

Everybody's entitled to their opinion. Saddening from NZDA's perspective to see some of the sentiments held, and expressed. Not surprising though. Here's my two cents worth.
I trust we may agree it's an undeniable fact - NZDA as an organisation has done immeasurable good for the sport of recreational hunting in New Zealand - for 80-odd years. It's unlikely to be overtaken - as the only recreational hunting organisation with 50-odd Branches, and covering virtually the whole country.
It's vitally important - even more so now than ever - that recreational hunting has an effective, national voice. There are some significant threats, both direct and indirect.
NZDA is certainly not perfect - and a lot of the sentiment here has various degress of validity. Organisations like NZDA inevitably wax and wane over the years, as the dynamic environment in which they operate also changes. Leadership, too, goes through periods of being strong - and not so strong. As does the Membership.
Right now, there's quite a bit of positive, constructive effort going on "behind the scenes" - to try and encourage NZDA to drag itself kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. Our young Members should not inherit an outfit that's stuck in the past, or lost it's way - in today's fast-changing and technological world.
We must be realistic about what we expect of it, though. It's run entirely by volunteers. Some people put an unreasonable amount of time and effort into it. As with any such outfit - some of these efforts are inevitably misguided. But that doesn't make them not well-intentioned. Branches are a reflection of their combined membership. If we don't like the way our Branch operates - we always have the option of stepping up, and doing something about it. I have a rule I strive to stick to - I don't indulge in criticism - unless I'm prepared to do something constructive, too.
Personally, I don't look at my Subscription as just something I should necessarily get value-for-money for. It's also a contribution towards the maintenance and upkeep of the recreational activity we inherited, and we love - and we all want to continue to be available, for our children and grandchildren to enjoy. I put several times my Sub into my freezer each year, all free-range organic meat. I don't care if I get nothing back - this alone (making a contribution) is worth it, for me. It's bugger all really, maybe just one tank of diesel. Maybe it's worth it for you, too?
For this reason - if you think of yourself as a Recreational Hunter - I urge you to remain an NZDA Member, or join. A key part of being able to represent and advocate for recreational hunting - is to have a strong Membership of recreational hunters. It's all about having the numbers.
As for Hunting & Wildlife - I believe it's been an institution within NZDA and beyond, since 1962 - the "glue" that has kept NZDA together - surviving through good times, and bad. Personally, I want to keep getting mine in hardcopy form - but it makes sense that Member's have the option to save the organisation some money, and opt-out - either to receive in electronic format only, or not at all. There are some good ideas floating about.
Happy Hunting.

Best first post I've seen in a long time (if not ever).