Thread: Otorohanga rifle range closed

Originally Posted by Hugh Shields

So @Micky Duck I would imagine a "Professional" representative group such as the Deer Stalkers Association would have a comprehensive, nationwide, handbook on the establishment and running of formal, official ranges? I cannot imaging any previously accredited NZDA range having to close permanently? If I'm wrong, please let me know, anyone......????

Yes I know of several NZDA ranges that closed, perhaps you should put your question to NZDA.
I also know of a couple of areas that were used as community ranges that closed

Originally Posted by 19Badger

Yes I know of several NZDA ranges that closed, perhaps you should put your question to NZDA.
I also know of a couple of areas that were used as community ranges that closed

Name them.....

Originally Posted by Hugh Shields

Name them.....

Perhaps you should contact Nicol and ask the question, some NZDA branches may not want to be named publicly and anyone naming them would need their permission to do so given this topic.

Two NZDA branches closed their ranges, I don't think either paid the fees they closed them prior to that. Neither range had any safety problems prior to the new regulations and had been operating with no complaints for many years.
Another NZDA branch used a farmers property, they never paid the money or applied.
I can also think of 2 community ranges that were not registered.

Some I will not name as this is a public forum and the communities maybe flying under the radar.

There were a number of clubs, usually small clubs ceased to exist because the fees and reporting requirements exceeded their budgets and time constraints.
I know of several NZDA branch committee members didn't re stand for committees because they didn't want the personal liability

Considering the safety record of rifle ranges around the country what problems were these regulations trying to fix?
Why do clubs have to report to the incorporated societies and then supply the same information in a different format to the police when the information is available on the incorporated societies website.
Why do all the committee members need to be named and available publicly?

Originally Posted by 19Badger

Yes I know of several NZDA ranges that closed, perhaps you should put your question to NZDA.
I also know of a couple of areas that were used as community ranges that closed

To be fair though Id say the ranges you are probably referring to were already on the slippery slope of closing before the new regs came in due to compliance issues under the old systems, in my experience both the NRA and NZDA manuals were no longer fit for purpose, and were not being modernised - as far as I can tell due to "fudd" issues. An example being the 5 mil COF, its easily achievable by means of proper procedure/discipline on the firing point as per the new manual . . .

Originally Posted by Tentman

To be fair though Id say the ranges you are probably referring to were already on the slippery slope of closing before the new regs came in due to compliance issues under the old systems, in my experience both the NRA and NZDA manuals were no longer fit for purpose, and were not being modernised - as far as I can tell due to "fudd" issues. An example being the 5 mil COF, its easily achievable by means of proper procedure/discipline on the firing point as per the new manual . . .

Actually prior to the new regulations there was no need to have a rifle range certified which is why some ranges remained open, they didn't have any safety issues causing them to close, they closed because the new laws/regulations created required all ranges to be certified.
A number of range operators spent huge sums of money so their range would comply and pass the new range certification process, I know one range operator spent $80,000, how much did others spend?
I know one community range was created to stop people shooting road signs in the area, which it achieved. The farmer whose property the range was on wasn't going to pay the fees and do all the work for certification and either was any other organisation so the range is officially closed.

The new range certification documents were created by the police because ranges under the new law/regulations had to be certified, nobody wanted to do all the work to the NZDA or NRA range manuals so they are both now non compliant.

While the FSA will say that the new laws/regulations have not caused any ranges and clubs to close they are being dishonest in that claim, because they know from the list of ranges compiled prior to registration/certification that some range operators didn't file any paperwork for some ranges, therefore the requirements did cause some to close.

Originally Posted by 19Badger

The new range certification documents were created by the police because ranges under the new law/regulations had to be certified, nobody wanted to do all the work to the NZDA or NRA range manuals so they are both now non compliant.

There was a few of us that got together and wrote our own Range Manual, our own 3 tier range danger area templating system, our own risk based, our own RO and Officer on Duty qualification, etc. It has been accepted by Police / FSA and a bunch of ranges have been certified using it. It hasn't yet been referenced to in the FSA Range Manual (should be in the next issue). It was a considerable amount of work to get it all together and implement it.