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Kia Ora
We hope your spring fishing is going great and those lines are tight with good fishing biting.
Well we are into October now and according to the Constitution clubs should have renewed their membership by now. I hope your club is not one of those who are dragging their feet over this. The 2.7 cents per day is very little to ask for what is at stake and it is only through the combining of all of those cents that we are able to try and fulfil what the national arm of your club was set up to do. I trust that the individual Newsletters which were sent out to clubs back in July have all been distributed to your members as that issue tries to set out a little of what the Association is all about. It is also good to see that there are still a number of clubs who reproduce the regular Secretarial Jottings and attach them to their club Newsletter mail-outs. It is interesting to note that it is members of these clubs which seem to feature in Association activities etc. Surely there is a lesson to be learnt here !
There is much happening on the wider national front and in the politics which unfortunately tend to dog the recreational fishing scene. The issues over Marine Protected Area, the on-going Kahawai Legal Challenge, and many other issues on which submissions are made or need to be made. Wherever possible your Association plays its part and we are very grateful for those who give their time and energies to the likes of the Regional Forums, NZRFC, and Hokianga Accord etc. etc. etc. The NZ Big Game Fishing Council looks like they are on their empire building stance again and are now no longer part of the recognised representative group - the NZRFC. Their “going alone” makes one wonder what they are about as the old rule of “divide and conquer” must hold true in our efforts to defend our rights against the mighty commercial dollar and the undermining being carried our by the Forrest & Bird Brigade and their hand-in-glove with DOC. With so many divisions, and the general apathy of NZ fishers, our opponents must be rubbing their hands with glee. We are very pleased to announce that Debbie Edgecombe and other members of the Oakura Surfcasting & Kayak Fishing Club have put their hand up and volunteered to take on the advertised tasks of bringing the kayak fishing brigade into our midst and encouraging this aspect of fishing to become an active part of the Association. We look forward to this fast growing activity becoming very much part of the NZACA.
As yet we have not had any responses to our advertised position regarding someone to take oversight of our websites and on-line presence. This is an important role which we would like to see filled.
At long last the three Section Top Club Shields have been completed and sent out to those winning clubs. A big thank you to the Stempa and Cronin families for meeting the cost of these shields, which look real great. Although we do not usually advertise commercial national fishing contests, but we know many of our members go regularly to the Snapper Classic at Ninety Mile Beach each year. If you want to know more we have a supply of the entry forms here at the national office.
Those of you who live in the greater Auckland area and can tune into Bill Hohepa’s TV show are urged to do so. Bill is giving the NZACA a big plug on his programs. Thank you Patron Bill. I am sure Bill would welcome any approach from Clubs to assist them in their activities and membership drives.
We are starting to get a few “Catch Recognition Application Forms” in but no where near enough. Remember any reasonable catch could pick up an Annual Trophy or some other recognition. Don’t leave it to just the same clubs every year (and often the same fishers). 31st. December is not that far away and that is close-off date for catches for the Annual Awards. Like to see a lot more encouragement for the Juniors to submit Applications. The responsibility lies directly with the clubs and their weigh-masters regarding this matter As time goes by we often forget the efforts of those who have gone before and done great things for their local clubs, this Association and recreational fishing in NZ. We have a number of Life Members in this Association who have been rewarded with this recognition for their efforts etc. but, except for publications such as our 50th. Booklet, people often don’t know why such were given this life Membership. I had the privilege and honour recently of attending the funeral of one such person, a Life Member, and one who did much for fishing in this country. Mr Noel Turner, formally of the Rising Sun Fishing Club, ex President of the NZACA, ex President of the NZRFC, an NZACA ambassador to our Australian brethren, and in latter years very active in the Whakatane Coast Guard. Noel did so much and we owe people like him so much. So we here take this opportunity of again saying thank you to Noel.
The NZ Fishing News has always been a great supporter of this Association. For many years they published a reply coupon whereby people could make inquiries about joining clubs and it is a pity we no longer see this in that Mag’. More recently we have had a regular column published thanks to the efforts of Greg Smeal of the Kawerau Club. Greg has given up on this….. Why ???? It is because despite his endless requests for club news and items of interest that he can incorporate into this column he gets damn all !!!! Clubs have let him and the Association down badly. How can we have a public profile out there if people don’t know what we are about ??? Sure Greg gets one or two Club Newsletters and he has his own local BOP scene – but you can just repeat the same scenario time after time. So he has given up trying and we are the losers ! Can we do anything about this ? – YES – bombard Greg with material and hope he changes his mind.
You would have had the Association Raffle Tickets by now. Please give this your very best effort as the funds they raise are desperately needed. Our membership is not as great as it once was and that means our income from affiliations is down, so we need to counteract this drop in income by other means and this raffle is one such means. If you feel you have been sent more books than you can sell please return them to Nick as soon as practical as there maybe others who are making a real effort and wanting more to sell. If you want more tickets – contact Nick (04 977 6112). It is important we sell all of these tickets and there are only 2500 of them. If we have unsold tickets the expected profit will simply not be there. If you prefer to bank monies rather than send a cheque to Wellington let me know and I will give you the Bank Account number. 2008 Nationals are being held up at Ninety Mile Beach and by now your plans for attendance should be well advanced. This is especially so if you are applying to Gaming Trusts for funding (yes you can do this to assist with transport, accommodation, uniforms etc. because it is a Championship and not a competition for prizes). If you need a letter confirming your affiliation with the National Body just ask. It is always great fishing in the far north (great Kayak waters too) and the hospitality of the Host Club is legendary. If you are holding 50th.Booklets and badges we encourage you to ensure all members of your club have seen them. Had a report recently that an older less active member of a club had not seen this publication and was very interested because in earlier years he had been very active in NZACA activities. Don’t forget these people who may be on the fringe of your club. Any unsold can be returned.
Some interesting discussions going on by the Executive at present on the Nationals and Casting. Maybe a time for change and revision. If your club has any views on these matters we would love to hear from you, after-all this is your Association and the Executive is only acting on your behalf so your input is most welcome. If you are a Kayak Fisher or know of Kayak Fishers there is some interesting developments happening to encourage such fishers to be part of the NZACA and make this to be their national organisation. Any contacts you have with such fishers we would be most grateful to know about.
Reminder – The Australian Nationals are being held in South Australia in March 2009. We already have a number who have indicated their desire to go and represent this country. If you are interested in being part of this team please contact the National Office.
For most of November the National Office will be unmanned as my wife and I are taking a few weeks off and having a break. So please understand if there is a little delay in answering any communications during this time. !!!! Secretaries – we are relying on you to ensure your members see what is in the Secretarial Jottings |
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