DEVELOPMENT FUNDING

The most recent development grants approved by the NZOF Council are:

• to WACO for new MTBO maps at Woodhill.  WACO is developing the maps as part of its build-up for the third New Zealand MTBO Championships to be held at Woodhill Forest on the 2/3 November.

• to the Auckland Orienteering Association for schools promotion in the Auckland area, organised by their secondary school coordinator John Robinson.

SILVA SCHOOLS SPONSORSHIP

The NZOF Council at its August meeting voted to apply this year’s SILVA sponsorship for promoting orienteering in schools to the Counties Manukau OC, hosts of the 2002 Silva NZSSC.  It was considered that the championships had been an excellent promotion with 46 schools taking part.  Nevertheless the championships incur specific costs while at the same time entry fees are deliberately kept low to encourage participation.

SITUATIONS VACANT
The following NZOF positions will be vacant in 2003 and applications are invited now. Applications close 31 October. Job descriptions are available from the General Manager.

• Primary School Coordinator.  The main role of this position is to foster and promote the Kiwisport orienteering programme in primary and intermediate schools.  The emphasis is on establishing and maintaining a network of people who will train teachers to implement the programme.  A fax machine is provided.

• D-Squad Manager.  The primary role of the Manager is to ensure all financial and logistic matters pertaining to the D-Squad are attended to, so that the Development Squad Coaching Coordinator and team members can concentrate on their own activities aimed at maximising their performance.  Applications close 31 October.

• JWOC Coach/Manager.  Applications are sought for the position(s) of manager and / or coach for the New Zealand team to the Junior World Orienteering Championships.  The 2003 championships will be held in Estonia, 6-13 July.  A budget for partial funding of travel and accommodation is available.  Applications close 31 October.  The interim squad will be named 30 November.

• Rogaine NZ (Rogaine Committee) – two positions.  This five-person committee is responsible for the development and administration of rogaining (and other forms of endurance orienteering).  As the committee operates mostly by email, regular access to email communication is essential.

CLUB AFFILIATION LEVY FOR 2003
The 2002 levy of $12,500 was set by the 2001 AGM with this amount to be “inflation linked for subsequent years”.  As the CPI increase for year to June 2002 was 2.8%, this being the approx twelve month period since that AGM, the NZOF Council has set the 2003 club affiliation levy in total (ie across all clubs) at $12,850, being $12,500 x 1.028.

KIWISPORT MANUAL
Contrary to what you may have read in the August issue of “New Zealand Orienteering”, the revised Kiwisport Manual is not yet on line.  Although the rewrite is complete, it is currently having graphics added.  It will then be put into a suitable downloadable format and be accessible from the NZOF website.  This is expected to be completed soon.  In the meantime the manual that is on the website remains the old (unrevised) one.

ORIENTEERING FAILS IN BID TO BE ADDED TO OLYMPIC PROGRAMME
The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee, at a meeting on 28 August, decided not to recommend the admission of ski-orienteering to the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy.  While the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) is naturally disappointed with the decision, they note that no new sport, nor discipline, was admitted to the 2006 Winter Olympics.

WORLD RANKINGS
Following World Cup races in June and July, New Zealand’s two top ranked elite orienteers as at 24 August are: Women: Tania Robinson (Counties Manukau) at 91, and Men: Jason Markham (PAPO) at 127.

BLACK OUT
This year’s World Masters Orienteering Championships at Victoria, Australia in October are part of the World Masters Games, and New Zealand’s over-35s are expected to be well represented.  So much so that Jill Smithies (North West) considers that the opening ceremony, to be held at Melbourne’s renowned MCG, is a great opportunity to make an impression.  Jill suggests that “It would be really great if all from NZ wore a black t-shirt/top and perhaps a black cap.”  Your chance to show your true colours.

REMITS FOR 2003 AGM
While next April may still seem well off, now is the time to be thinking about next year’s NZOF AGM.  It will be held in Auckland in conjunction with the Carter Holt Harvey Easter / ANZAC Orienteering Carnival, 18 – 27 April.  Under the NZOF constitution, clubs are required to give four months notice of remits they intend to propose to the meeting which means that such remits are required no later than 15 December.