To all Members and supporters,

Xmas has now past for another year and so has the New Year and we wish you all a prosperous and happy 2021.

Gosh 2021. Who can believe it when we were faced with major calamity when the year 2000 came along. I recall sitting up all night watching all of the websites I was managing as the experts had predicted a shutdown and loss of data, banks would loose all our money, computers would crash, but alas the sun rose next morning and the world carried on in its mad state. Now 21 years later we are still talking about the same issues and very little has changed. Climate change, pollution, over fishing, personal freedoms and poisons still dominate.

Having said all that we are very lucky too be living in such a beautiful country. Free of all the illness shutting down much of the world. Having just spent a week at Great Barrier Island catching fish and relaxing on pristine beaches it was hard to think of our friends and family suffering in lock down in other parts of the world.

Now that the election is over and we have all rested it is time to start planning to keep the issues we are passionate about to the fore. Obviously the election was not kind to our party but we still need to persevere in highlighting our issues as no one else will.

The candidates had a get together prior to Xmas at the Tongarporutu pa in the Northern Taranaki to unwind and get to know each better. which was a great success.  We were made extremely welcome and we all learnt a lot about Marae protocol. Our hosts put on a brilliant hangi and delicious on the Saturday evening with venison, wild pork and lamb. On the Sunday morning we all visited the Pascoes farm in the Maungakeke Valley which is to be devastated by a the Mount Messenger road. Everyone that visited was horrified that the NZ Roads board could even consider such a proposal both in engineering a road through a swamp but also destroying a valley full of wildlife such as Kiwi and bats, all to save trucks two minutes of time grinding over Mount Messenger.

As a registered party we have a number of issues and legal requirements we need to address going forward. Election expenses and an audit are required for both the party and the candidates. We need to begin planning for our AGM, More on that later in this newsletter.

I need to thank you all for your ongoing support. We have come a long way since our inception six years ago now having a stable membership base of thousands, a good reliable board of management, great constitution and a brilliant team of candidates. All in all your party is in a healthy position to make a difference going forward.

Alan Simmons. Co Leader & President.

We need members help to cleanup some of the election expenses that have come in. Your executive have contributed considerable to help with the final bills but we need a bit more as yet. Extra brochures and road signs just helped push out our budget so please if you can just add a little to the kitty it will help a lot. We are also asking members to make a small regular monthly donation such as $10.00 month or more. These regular donations really do add up. None of your donations are used for wages or expenses. Everyone in your party is working free gratis. Please if you can help then click the button above.

Message From Sue Grey.

Lets b Free The NZ Outdoorsparty election advertising was banned by Facebook during the election which really disrupted our campaign. It also became obvious we were not attracting any media attention so the thinking was we needed to become the media. Since the election we have built a new website along the lines of facebook and people are joining in good numbers.  www.letsbfree.com guarantees not to ban anyone within reason and will strive to reduce bullying. the purpose of the site is to allow people to share information and hold views no matter how controversial they are. From the www.letsbfree.com about us page "

Waitangi Weekend Promotion At Waitangi 

Last year we attended Waitangi as part of the ban 1080 stand and it was just an amazing experience. This year we are planning to have an Outdoors Party stand there to spread the good work of the party wider. Already a number of members have indicated they will be there to help out.. All members are welcome. We have a camping area sorted out and are likely to be setting up the stand from the 4th February.

Anyone who wants to go a bit earlier, Michele Mitcalfe has offered to host them at her place 15 minutes north of kaitaia and close to 90 mile beach or a good place to make a day trip to Cape Reinga. Michele has tons of room for campers etc.

AGM

Our AGM is likely to be in the South Island and in late April. Anyone who knows of a good venue or is able to take charge and organise please let us now ASAP

Great Barrier Island.

Sue Grey and I visited this wonderful part of NZ over Xmas and New year cruising around the island on a launch. Such a spectacular part of the country and everything about this island illustrates why the NZ Outdoors party exists. The pristine environment, the local community, stunning vistas and abundant wildlife both on land and ocean. The beaches on the island are amongst the most beautiful you will find anywhere in the world and the raw landscape backdrop in any direction you care to look is dramatic. Great Barrier Island says it all. Who would want to be anywhere else.

Press Release. 13/1/2021

The NZ Outdoors Party is outraged by conduct by the New Zealand Transport Authority and their representatives who tried to force entry onto private Taranaki farmland this week during the holiday break.

The farmer was in hospital having surgery and had been told to avoid any stress for at least a week. Meanwhile family and friends were trying to protect his farm from entry by a large number of surveyors engaged  by the Transport Authority.  Kiri McKee, NZ Outdoors Party candidate for Te Tai Hauauru and other Outdoors Party supporters were present at the scene when the NZTA representatives arrived. There were discussions as to the lawfulness of their forced entry and those present blocked access until the NZTA representatives left. After the transport agency contractors returned and tried to force entry later that day and again the next day, they were served with trespass notices and police assistance was sought by the landowner.

The statutory Public Works Act process requires negotiations in good faith by the Minister of Land Damien O'Connor prior to any compulsory take of private land. "The actions of the NZTA were surely premature and unreasonable" say Alan Simmons co-leader of the NZ Outdoors Party. "Government organisations must act not only lawfully and in the interests of the public they represent, but they must also be reasonable and fair. Large numbers of crown representatives turning up during the holiday break, and demanding entry for a week of surveying while good faith negotiations are supposed to be ongoing, even after they have been told of the farmers health issues, comes nowhere near the standard of conduct we expect from our civil servants."

The NZ Outdoors Party organised a walk up the Maungapepeke valley last month to view the wetland and kahikatea swamp forest that will be lost if NZTA follows through with its proposed diversion of SH3 around Mt Messenger. A large numbers of members traveled from as far away as Northland and the South Island to see for themselves what was likely to be lost.  With wetland, large numbers of kiwi and rare bats present it seems inconceivable to many New Zealanders that the NZTA will push ahead with this project and destroy such a beautiful part of NZ.

The NZ Outdoors Party calls on the NZTA to abandon its plans and instead upgrade the present highway and leave the valley and the farmer in peace, and calls on conservation interests such as the Department of Conservation, Forest & Bird, tangata whenua and other community interests  to make a stand for our remaining wildlife, and not be bought off by money or other promises.

The NZ Outdoors Party is committed to walking the walk to raising awareness of our Great NZ Outdoors and educating, connecting and empowering communities to have their voices heard. 

Contact. Alan Simmons. Co Leader.  0274 980 304

outdoorsparty.co.nz

Surveyors try forced entry on mount Messenger farm

Visit by Outdoors Party and members of the public to the proposed Mount Messenger Bypass.