National Board Reports June 2026

NZDA National Board (Absent S. Langslow, and D. Friedman).

It has been a particularly busy and productive month for the Association, with a strong focus on governance, planning, and maintaining momentum across key initiatives. The Board has convened a number of meetings to progress planning for the upcoming Conference, ensuring we are well positioned to deliver a successful and engaging event for our members.

During this period, we received the resignation of Callum Sheridan as President, as he pursues his ACT Party electorate nomination for the Waitākere Electorate in the upcoming general election. On behalf of the Board and membership, I acknowledge and thank Callum for his dedication, leadership, and commitment to the Association. His contribution has helped shape our current direction and positioned us strongly for the future.

Following this, the Board nominated me as Interim President, with the full support of the CEO. I have accepted this role with a clear focus on maintaining continuity, stability, and progress. I can confirm that I will stand for election as President at the upcoming Conference, ensuring we continue the direction and vision that Callum has set for the ongoing growth and relevance of the Association.

Our first quarter reporting reflects very positive results. The Association has experienced continued growth and is in its strongest financial position for a first quarter to date. This is a significant achievement and reflects both sound governance and the ongoing support of our membership. Encouragingly, the recent Membership Survey shows a high level of satisfaction among members, reinforcing that we are meeting expectations and delivering value.

We also continue to strengthen our external partnerships. NZDA has recently partnered with ARB New Zealand and Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand to launch our Ute raffle at Fieldays, providing both engagement opportunities and additional support for the Association.

At a national level, our relationship with government continues to strengthen. The Minister for Hunting and Fishing, Hon James Meager, has invited NZDA to host a HOSI Q&A session. This will provide an opportunity for open dialogue, allowing the Minister to engage directly with the hunting sector. This further signals our move into the digital space and reflects the strong and constructive relationships we have built with Ministers and other key stakeholders.

Let's keep up the momentum.

Second time taking my Grandson rabbit hunting. The first kill he has taken part in. Teaching him the value of hunters being conversationists. Magpies kill young chicks, including falcon, hawk and duck to name just a few. They work in pairs or small groups, distracting the parents while one grabs the chicks and breaks their neck by flicking them in their beaks.

Hi Members,

The conference is now just a few weeks away—where has the last 12 months gone?

As you all know, this time of year is incredibly busy for the Board. We are all contributing significant volunteer hours as we complete the final preparations to ensure this year’s conference is a major success. The team at HQ has once again gone above and beyond with planning, and we are grateful for their outstanding efforts.

There has been some significant news recently, with Callum stepping down as National President as he prepares to enter the world of politics. Thank you, Callum, for your dedication and leadership over the past six years, and particularly the last two, where your commitment to shaping the direction of the NZDA has been exceptional. It has been an honour to serve alongside you as Vice President. On behalf of the entire NZDA, I wish you all the very best.

This year’s membership survey results are extremely positive, reflecting a high level of member satisfaction. Combined with the strong first-quarter financial report, it is clear that the association is in its strongest position to date under the leadership of the current Board. This progress should give members confidence in continuing to support the Board-endorsed officers standing in this year’s election.

The ute raffle has only been running for a few weeks and is already on track to sell out—another example of the positive momentum and successful initiatives delivered under this Board.

From a shooting perspective, the past 12 months have delivered several key achievements. We have secured a number of our shooting discipline representatives, launched a regular competitive shooters’ newsletter, and, as many of you will have seen, we are introducing the new Wilkinson Deer Target at conference. This marks an important step forward in modernising the competition, and it is something I am particularly proud to have been part of.

As many of you are aware, this will be my final Board report. I will be stepping down from my roles as National Vice President and National Shooting Convenor. Over the past two years, I have committed a significant amount of time and energy to advancing our shooting disciplines. While there is still more that could be done, I am proud of the progress made, particularly given the position we started from.

To ensure continuity, I will remain available to assist during the transition period so that the incoming Board member is supported. I am also happy to provide ongoing guidance and informal support to the new Shooting Convenor, where time permits. You will still see me out on the ranges, continuing to enjoy the sport alongside many of you.

I look forward to seeing you all at conference in a few weeks’ time.
As always, keep your powder dry—and hot barrels, everyone.

As has become the new normal, it has been another busy month for National Office. A significant focus has been on planning and preparing for the upcoming Conference, alongside addressing a number of key issues, including HOSI and the Conservation Amendment Bill.

Recently, Callum resigned as President to pursue an ACT Party electorate nomination for the Waitākere Electorate. Callum has made a significant contribution to NZDA over a number of years, and it has been a pleasure working with him during my time on the Board. This is an excellent opportunity for him and also presents a positive step for the hunting and shooting sector to have strong representation in Parliament.

The Membership Survey results have been released and indicate a high level of member satisfaction. This is encouraging, given that feedback is often weighted toward concerns from a vocal minority.

The new ute raffle has launched exceptionally well, with very positive feedback received. A big thank you to ARB New Zealand, Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand, and everyone involved in making this initiative a success.

As always, there is a significant amount of work happening behind the scenes. This year’s Conference is shaping up to be a pivotal and busy event, with important decisions ahead that will help determine the future direction of the Association.

See you all in a few weeks.

Congratulations Trevor on stepping into the role, you have my full support, and my thanks to Callum for everything he has given this Board.

On cyber security and systems, work has continued to harden the platforms that hold our members' information. Over the period we have tightened access controls and data-ownership arrangements across the centralised membership system, strengthened backups and business-continuity planning, and reviewed third-party and vendor risk. The refreshed website, updated member app and the systems behind them are bedding in, and the overall security posture of the National Office continues to lift. The risks to a member-based organisation in an AI-driven world are no longer theoretical, so this stays an ongoing priority rather than a finished task.

On the Risk and Audit Panel, the focus is independent assurance: testing that what we believe is happening across our finances, systems, data and compliance is actually happening on the ground. This month that has meant structured reviews across the business and gap analysis against recognised standards, measuring our practices against the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, the Essential Eight and our obligations under the Privacy Act 2020. We have tightened the documentation behind our controls so they are written down, owned and auditable, reviewed vendor arrangements, data handling, backup and recovery, and turned the findings into a prioritised remediation programme. The principle is simple: find the gap, assign the owner, fix it, and verify it stays fixed.

On strategy and governance, I continue to work as part of a Board that sets direction as a team, looking beyond the day-to-day to where NZDA needs to be in the years ahead and testing the risks of getting there.

It has not been an easy year, but the organisation underneath has held. Our systems held, our finances stayed disciplined, and our governance stayed steady through the disruption. The foundations are sound, and by any honest measure, the Association is in a strong position.