The New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC) was founded in 1891 to encourage the exploration, climbing, ski mountaineering, conservation, scientific observation, art, literature and photography of the mountains and glaciers of New Zealand. After an active beginning in its first ten years the Club went into recess, but renewed interest in the mountains after World War One led to a revival of activity. From 1930-1940, the Club was formed into Sections to better serve the interests of its members. In 1991, the Club's Centennial year, 51 members had belonged to the Club for 50 years or more.
The Club is the national climbing organisation in New Zealand and aims to contribute to all aspects of New Zealand climbing. The NZAC's aim is simple: it strives to provide an unrivalled deal for climbers by providing high quality, but budget-priced services and opportunities to its Members.
The Club's activities cover nine broad areas:
- Accommodation (huts)
- Information supply (publications, libraries, databases)
- Climbing competitions (sportclimbing and bouldering series)
- Training (climbing walls)
- Local climbing (Section trips, climbing meets)
- Protection of climbing (access to crags and climbing regions)
- Overseas climbing (Club expeditions and support for expeditions, climbing exchanges)
- Instruction (Section and National instruction courses)
- Socialising (Section meetings, veterans meets, dinners, photographic competitions)
The Club's Headquarters Office is currently located in Wellington and is staffed by a part-time Administrator. Anyone interested in the Club or its services can visit this office. Please phone first to ensure that the Club Administrator (or someone else) will be there.
For the purpose of practical activities, the Club is organised into ten geographical areas, each with its own Section committee
and program of local NZAC activities. Section meetings are held monthly in most Sections. They are primarily social events and
provide an opportunity for Section members to meet. The meetings often include a slide show or talk, frequently by a guest speaker. Section activities are funded by the Section levy component of the Membership subscription. The levy is set individually by each Section. Members are encouraged to join their local Section. Members living overseas or remote from
Section centres may be placed on the unattached list which is administered by the Club Committee.
The general affairs of the Club are managed by a Club Committee of 20 members including fifteen section representatives. The Club Committee meets twice a year to decide on Club policy and oversee the administration and activities of the Club. The meetings are typically in May after the Annual General Meeting and in October/November. If necessary, the Committee can resolve
matters at other times by way of postal ballots.
The day to day administration of the Club is supervised by the Headquarters Committee which meets monthly. This consists of the
President, President-Elect, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, the three Section Representatives of the Headquarters
Section (currently Wellington), the Unattached Members' Representative and any other member of the Club Committee
attending.
The NZAC is a member of the Union Internationale des Associations D'Alpinisme and of the Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand.
Union Internationale Des Associations D'Alpinisme (UIAA)
The objectives of the UIAA are:
- To study and to solve all the basic problems regarding mountaineering in general and those of an international character
in particular. Its activities aim at developing internationalism in mountaineering
- To establish durable relations between the national organisations and their management in a spirit of friendly and
close collaboration by fostering meetings of mountaineers in different countries and sponsoring international activities and
enterprises related to climbing. It encourages contacts between member associations in order to obtain reciprocal advantages for
their members
- To carry out the activities of the UIAA without lucrative purpose or political influence.
The UIAA has existed for over 60 years to represent the interests of climbers. At present UIAA membership is growing, and clubs
from over 70 countries are members of the organisation. The structure of the UIAA is currently being reviewed but the major
work of the UIAA is carried out by the Commissions which cover, amongst other areas:
- Safety
- Mountain Protection
- Expeditions
- Youth
- Mountaineering
- Medical
- Climbing Competitions
- Documentation and Information
The NZAC occasionally sends representatives to the meetings organised by the various Commissions and to the annual General
Assembly of the UIAA. Information from the various UIAA Commissions, and from the quarterly UIAA Bulletin, is published
regularly in the New Zealand Climber. Further information on UIAA activities can be obtained from the Conveners of the
equivalent NZAC Sub-Committees, or from the Club Administrator.
The UIAA now has recognised status with the Olympic Committee, and sportclimbing may become an Olympic Sport by the 2000 games.
Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand (FMC)
The FMC is the national federation of tramping, climbing, skiing and deerstalking clubs in NZ. The NZAC was active in establishing the FMC and joined it shortly after it was formed in 1931. The FMC currently consists of 95 clubs of which NZAC is the largest single club. A number of walking groups are affiliated and 50 schools and Youth Adventure Trusts are associate members.
FMC has played a major role in gaining protection for and sound management of the National Parks, Forest Parks and Wilderness
areas. FMC helped create the NZ Search and Rescue system, was instrumental in the creation of the Mountain Safety Council,
introduced the Wilderness concept to New Zealand and was the initiator of the New Zealand Walkways system.
NZAC members are entitled to a FMC membership card which can provide significant discounts on a range of services including
travel, accommodation, publications, training and overseas trekking as outlined in the quarterly FMC bulletin. The FMC
booklet Safety in the Mountains is issued free to NZAC members on joining.
General Information about the NZAC.
