News

To all clubs, members and other interested parties

Re Ardmore Shooting Range Revived

This note is to advise you about positive news – after a long time of hearing not much – and to ask for your help, advice and support for the new project.

This is probably the last time you will see the heading above as part of the progress has been a change of name of this organisation.

Review

Some of this is old news, some current and some future, but at this point in time it is probably worth reviewing the history of the project at the risk of going over some old ground.

In 2005-6 the NZ Shooting Federation, who were the occupiers of the 1990 Commonwealth Game shooting ranges at Ardmore were advised by the Army, who have controlled the whole range area since it was acquired in 1939 from the then farming owners, that the lease/licence to occupy was to be unilaterally terminated by the Army. The area was required for other purposes and initially the NZSF was given until June 2007 to vacate the premises (this was later extended to June 2008).

In 2006 the NZSF held two meetings to discuss the future of Auckland shooting and the second meeting, in October, was open to anyone interested. At this meeting, the NZSF indicated that they were not likely to be pursuing a replacement national shooting complex, but would organise and assist an Auckland group to find al alternative location.

From this meeting the NZSF approached a number of people who had been present or who had otherwise shown that they were interested, or who represented existing range user groups, to form a body to work with the NZSF in finding other range locations. 

This group became called the Auckland Shooting Range Development Team (ASRDT) who adopted the letterhead above, and created a website to try to keep interested parties aware of activities.  The group held a number of meetings through 2007 and looked at several possible range locations, in Franklin District and elsewhere. Some of these still have potential, but towards the end of 2007, after having been negotiated into providing a 12 month extension for closing, the Army began to consider offering another piece of Army land, accessed from Ardmore Quarry Road.

This was regarded as the next best option to keeping Ardmore open, and the offer has been pursued and the group members looked at what would be involved in creating a range similar to the old range with an extended 100 m facility. Negotiations with the Army continued at the same time as discussions with the Papakura District Council, in whose area Ardmore is, and with the Motorcycle Club who operate in the adjacent piece of non-Army land as tenants of PDC. We also investigated and got quotes for the various consents that would have to be obtained, the survey and engineering processes and at the same time organised the removal of useful equipment from the site and the cleaning up prior to evacuation. We also considered the mechanisms of involvement for other parties – clubs and individuals – who would be likely to want to use any new facility.

The current situation is that the ASRDT has become registered as an incorporated society, under the name of the NZ Shooting Academy Inc, which has three main stated aims – to develop a new world class range facility at the new location; to act as a base for NZ and local shooters and their practice and training; and as a focus for Auckland-based and national shooting training of the young school-age people who will become the nation’s future medal-winners. This society continues to operate under the aegis of the NZSF, as these aims are common, although NZSA intends to involve and appeal to wider groups of shooters than those catered to by the NZSF, and specifically to have an Auckland orientation as its first priority. Greater Auckland contains around 25% of all firearms licence holders in NZ, the majority of whom are not involved in any regular or structured shooting activities and appealing to these shooters is an important aim for the new range.

The NZSA, after extensive discussion and negotiation with the Army, has finally been offered a Licence to Occupy to the new area (which is effectively a lease), which while not on ideal terms from our point of view is a viable agreement which we can make work. We have signed this off and it will soon have worked its way through the NZDF system and be back in our hands, completed.

Then the work begins and this is where you all come in. The project will require substantial sums of money to set up, and there is a lot of funding required in the consent process even before sod can be turned. This is of the order of $100,000, and current NZSA funding is minimal and has only come from the pockets of its founding members. The NZSF has offered a small amount to assist in setting this up, but otherwise we are on our own. Funding can and will be sought from the usual sources of sports funding, but we also need to obtain some initial funds to help set things up.  For this purpose and also so that local clubs and individuals can become part of the process, and feel as if they have involvement in what we hope will become an important Auckland shooting facility, we now invite recorded donations from clubs. Obviously at present, this offers no more than a meaningful token and expression of interest, but will be very useful in allowing the NZSA to proceed with the project. All contributions will be recorded against the donor. A form is enclosed for this purpose.

For individuals to be involved in this process and to receive ingoing information and to register interest in becoming a range user in due course, we have created an Auckland subsidiary called the Auckland Shooting Academy, in effect a club of supporters and future users and invite you to join this club with, currently a minimal subscription of $10 (and of course you can additionally make a donation). A joining form is enclosed.

We really want to hear from you and receive your contribution of ideas and support and of course finance.

Stuart Hayman

Chair

NZ Shooting Academy Inc.