Kiwis and Visitors Urged to Be Adventuresmart

PUBLICITY ARTICLE AdventureSmart |November 2014 Kiwis and visitors urged to ‘Be AdventureSmart’

We all want New Zealanders and international visitors to enjoy all the recreational opportunities that New Zealand offers, but we also want them to take responsibility for their own safety. AdventureSmart.org.nz is just the tool to help them.

It provides free tips, links and advice on any water, boating or outdoor activity so that anyone can plan a safe adventure – regardless of their level of ability.

AdventureSmart’s three Water, Boating and Outdoor Safety Codes have one principal message ‒ ‘know before you go’ ‒ and are comprised of 4 or 5 simple and easy to remember rules.

These rules are useful for international visitors who may have little knowledge of New Zealand, but equally applicable to Kiwis, especially those who may be trying a new activity or visiting a different part of the country.

Examples of the simple rules include:  Tell someone your plans and leave a time and date for when to raise the alarm if you haven’t returned. (Outdoor Safety Code).  Watch out for yourself and others - always watch children around water. Swim with others and in lifeguard zones. (Water Safety Code).  Skipper Responsibility – keep everyone safe – stay within the limits of your vessel and your experience. (Boating Safety Code).

Other features of AdventureSmart include more than a thousand links to safety information from appropriate organisations, detailed information such as videos on avalanche awareness and links to where people can up-skill and learn more about their chosen activity such as Coastguard’s boating education programme.

Developed by a number of leading outdoor organisations and government agencies to bring together consistent safety messages, www.adventuresmart.org.nz is funded by the New Zealand Search and Rescue Council, which represents the New Zealand search and rescue sector.

New Zealand Search & Rescue Secretariat Manager Duncan Ferner says, “AdventureSmart and the accompanying Safety Codes make it easier for people to plan and prepare their adventures to keep themselves out of trouble, which will in turn hopefully reduce incidents.”

There is also a comprehensive Outdoors Intentions process for land-based activities, providing visitors with easily accessible ways to tell people where they are going plus when and how to raise the alarm if they haven’t returned.

Page | 1 of 2 Mr Ferner is urging people to visit www.adventuresmart.org.nz to ensure they plan well and make wise decisions. “Whether it’s a weekend family outing or extreme mountaineering – read and follow the three Safety Codes. Following these very simple rules will help save lives.”

All this safety information is easy to access - adventuresmart.org.nz is also a mobile-friendly format, the safety codes are available in multiple languages and the AdventureSmart brochure can be picked up from one of the many visitor information centres around New Zealand as well.

To find out more about AdventureSmart and how it can help you plan and prepare for your outdoors activity, or to download your own copy of the Safety Codes in your language preference, please visit www.adventuresmart.org.nz.

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------Notes to Editor:

AdventureSmart and the three Safety Codes are all part of an initiative involving numerous organisations with an interest in recreational safety. It is designed to encourage Kiwis and visitors to New Zealand to take responsibility for their own safety by planning and preparing well in a bid to reduce the number of search and rescue incidents.

Your assistance in publishing this media release and any associated images of the Safety Codes or AdventureSmart is greatly appreciated.

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:

Duncan Ferner Secretariat Manager NZ Search and Rescue Secretariat Tel: 04 439 9045 Email: [email protected]

To download high quality images to accompany this story, please visit: www.adventuresmart.org.nz/media