Rod Brown acknowledged as an Outdoor Access Champion

The Walking Access Commission has acknowledged the efforts of the Vision Kerikeri Chairman, Rod Brown, in the delivery of walking access to the Te Wairere Waterfall. He was presented with an Outdoor Access Champion award at a ceremony held in Kerikeri on Wednesday, 21 February.

The Walking Access Commission states that; 'the Outdoor Access Champion awards recognise those who have made significant and lasting contributions to public access to the outdoors in New Zealand, whether through securing new legal access, championing public rights of access, trail building, or contributing to understanding of access rights and responsibilities'.

Rod is always quick to point out that the walkway projects along the Wairoa Stream are a community effort with several formal and informal volunteer groups responsible for the completion and ongoing maintenance of the access from Alderton Park to Campbell Lane. While this is true; after the grubbers, weed sprayers and hammers are put away for another week, Rod has been prepared to go home and deal with the access and funding challenges, organise work plans, schedules, co-ordinate the different groups, contractors, signage, to name a few tasks essential to a successful project. This required a considerable personal time commitment on his part.

The award was an acknowledgement of that effort. Without people like Rod who are prepared to be a project champion and deal with the time consuming administrative work, projects such as ours in Kerikeri would not happen.

Thanks Rod and well done!