July 2026 news

Hawke’s Bay Wilding Pine Control update

Hot on the heels of a very successful day in the Kawekas, the warriors are heading out again – this time to Kohinga on Wednesday 15 July.

If you have signed up on the trust’s website, you will receive an email with more details about the trip.

If you have been planning to help but haven’t signed up yet, click on the link below and get on board. And If you know others who are interested, they can sign up on the HB Wilding Pine Control website.at https://www.hbwildingpinecontrol.org.nz

Sorry, but subs are going (slightly) up

Rising costs are affecting everything, including our club subscriptions. At the AGM in May, members approved modest increases in subscriptions as well as the termination of associate membership. Here are the details:

$60 for a single member and FMC card

$85 for two members at the same address, with one FMC card

$103 for two members at the same address, with two FMC cards

Subscriptions are now due. Here’s how to pay online:

Account number: 03-1517-0018902-000

Account name: Napier Tramping Club

Please state ‘Subs 2026’ in the particulars, and your name in the reference box.

Ruahine Whio Protectors Collective – Newsletter

Ruahine Whio Newsletter June 2026 We are now on the mailing list for this interesting read.

Ruahine User Group meeting 8 June

Julia attended on behalf of NTC. The meeting minutes are here.

Tramp booking system changes in July…

Approved users will see a few changes to the booking sheet format for trips in the second half of this year. We’ve improved the form and introduced protected fields (they prevent interference with the coloured areas you were previously asked not to touch).

From July, clicking on the green and yellow sections will have no effect – apart from showing a helpful alert message. This should prevent the most common unforced errors.

You’ll still have to make sure your name is entered correctly, without any space after the surname.

And that dreaded + sign at the bottom of the form must still be avoided at all costs.

Predator control in the northern Ruahines

The latest phase of DoC’s predator control operation in the northern Ruahines began in early February. You can get the details here. The department says that warning signs will be placed at all normal points of entry to the operation prior to the application of 1080 bait and that the carcasses of poisoned animals pose a significant risk to dogs for several months after the operation. Warning signs will remain in place until this risk has passed.

Track closures

Some tracks and car parks in the Kaweka Forest Park have been closed since mid-February. The closures may be in effect for up to five months. Details, including a map, are here

Pan Pac Forest Products has posted this message on Facebook:

Kia ora everyone, due to a combination of some very wet weather and operational delays, the Kaweka (Twin) Lakes car park and Mackintosh Track will remain closed until 15 September while we complete harvesting activities in the area. We had originally hoped to have works completed by the end of this month but have unfortunately been delayed.

The public can still access Kuripapango Hill and the Tūtaekurī River Track via the temporary car park further back along the road, but Mackintosh Track remains closed.

We have worked hard to facilitate keeping access open as much as possible, with friendly track wardens in place full time during operational hours to ensure safe passage on the Kuripapango Hill and Tūtaekurī River tracks. The wardens will remain in place to safely escort walkers through active work areas where required.

Thank you for your understanding. Ngā mihi.

Owners of PLBs: Please read this!

This guidance applies to anyone taking their own PLB on a club tramp.

The club’s PLBs link the national Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RCC) to our group’s contact, Brian Mackie. RCC personnel immediately call him if a club PLB is triggered, to ascertain group numbers, names and so on. When Brian is alerted by RCC, he tries to contact friends and relatives about the incident and keeps them updated.

But if a tramp member sets off their own beacon, the RCC will only contact the emergency person named for that PLB.

It’s essential that, before you go on a club tramp with a personal PLB, you tell your emergency PLB contact that if your unit is activated on a club tramp and they receive a call from the RCC, they should:

Answer all questions, and then
Tell the RCC caller that this is a Napier Tramping Club event and that they should also contact Brian Mackie on 021 613 914 for further information about the party.