Resources
We use this page to provide as many resources as possible to help your applications and projects. Please feel free to suggest additional content you would find helpful.
– Application form
Backcountry Trust Application Form (doc)
Backcountry Trust Application Form (pdf)
-Application Guidelines
Huts and Tracks Fund Guidelines
Backcountry Recreation Fund Guidelines
-DOC Sign-off Forms
Community Group Health and Safety Plan – DOC Acceptance Form
Community Group Management Plan – DOC Acceptance Form
-Adopting a Home in the Mountains
Geoff Spearpoint, Rob Brown and Shaun Barnett have dedicated the final chaper of their latest Backcountry Huts Book – A Bunk for the Night – to our vision for protecting the hut network: Preserving the Huts
Geoff Spearpoint has written a practical guide to hut maintenance which gives a good idea of the type of work typically involved in these projects. If you are considering adopting a hut it is a must read: Adopting a Home in the Mountains
Geoff Ockwell has prepared a simple project planning spreadsheet, which gives a good idea of the materials required for a backcountry hut restoration: Kay Creek Hut works 2016
– Claim Forms and Reporting Template
We are endeavouring to make our processes as simple as possible. We value your time. Please let us know what we could improve. Please complete all reporting statistics, they are required to report to the CCPF.
Outdoor Recreation Consortium Claim Form PDF
Outdoor Recreation Consortium Reporting Template WORD ,
Outdoor Recreation Consortium Reporting Template PDF
– Management Agreements
Applicants to the Outdoor Recreation Consortium must have written permission from DOC for their project before grants are paid out. We may be able to help you with that process. The type of standard agreement you need depends on the nature of your project.
- Letter: DOC may provide this letter to groups engaged in low risk activities eg track cutting or painting a hut on a one off basis.
- Low Risk Management Agreement – DOC insures – DOC insures: This will be the typical agreement for projects applying to the Outdoor Recreation Consortium – it applies to low risk activities on an ongoing basis.
- Medium- High Risk Management Agreement – DOC insures: This would be for the construction of huts/bridges or any project which required some form of consent or was considered high risk.
- Medium-High Risk Management Agreement – Manager insures: This would be for projects when the group owns, manages and maintains the facility, develops their own Health and Safety plan for the project and obtains their own insurance underwriting the project.
–
– Health and Safety Plan Templates and Examples
To minimise compliance costs Health and Safety plans will be based off a generic template, the provisions will have to change to reflect the specific project and environment, but this should be a simple process for low risk activities.
Use of Robinson Helicopters: Community groups may use Robinson aircraft for projects, but should ensure that they have discussed with the operator whether the Robinson is suitable/appropriate for the nature of the job .
– Hut and Track Standards
Work undertaken under the Outdoor Recreation Consortium will have to comply with agreed standards. The current relevant standards can be downloaded below.
Project Reports
Reports from completed projects that provide valuable information for future projects are posted below. Also check out our project blog for stories from around the place
- Geoff Spearpoint: Tunnel Creek Hut
- Paul Reid: Top Crooked Hut
- Alistair Walker: Homer Hut – Solar Power
- Ian Morris: Flora Hut
- Paul Reid: Top Trent Hut
- Alastair MacDonald: Explorer Hut
– Recreation Opportunity Review 2004: Summaries and Results
In 2004 DOC undertook a large piece of work seeking to plan for the future of huts and tracks. There was an extensive public process and results were announced that we still see the results of today, for example which huts are classified as “minimal maintenance”. The work was undertaken on the old DOC Conservancy basis, with results and summary available for each below. There are also National level documents.
Southland-summary Southland-results Otago-summary Otago-results Northland-summary Northland-results Nelson-Marlb-summary Nelson-Marlb-results National-summary National-overview ECHB-summary ECHB-results Canterbury-summary Canterbury-results BOP-summary BOP results Auckland-summary Auckland-results West-Coast-summary West-Coast-results Wellington-summary Wellington-results Wanganui-summary Wanganui-results Waikato-summary Waikato-results Tong-Taupo-summary Tong-Taupo-results
Scrub Cutter Use
Scrub cutters are sometimes the best tool for the job. Whether they work for you will depend on your project and your volunteers. DOC have supplied the following best training and assessment documents. If you wish to use scrub cutters on your project talk through how the safety procedures and training should be applied with your local DOC contact.
DOCDM-330516 – Scrub cutter use guide
DOCDM-480263 – Scrub bar use – on the job assessment
Track Maintenance
A two-page Department of Conservation guide to Track Maintenance (note this will vary depending on the type of track/route to be maintained.
How to flash a backcountry flue
photo: Rob Brown
Hut Design
We are interested in building up our resources to help people plan their hut maintenance. We welcome more contributions.
and courtesy of Warren Chin some more plans and lists of timber quantities:
s70 plans s70 timber quantities s81 plans s81 timber quantities s86 Biv Plans s86 timber quantities
and courtesy of Rob Brown, some construction details for Mungo Hut: Mungo Old File