New Zealand Angling & Casting Association (Inc)
Secretarial Jottings
October 2005
Notices, notes, items of interest, things of importance and general rambling's from the Secretary's desk.
Hi fellow fisho's
Yes I know you all missed an issue of my Jottings last month (haha) and I know you Club Secretaries really missed having to digest all my words of wisdom and regurgitate them on to your Club Members !!! Well while you were missing out on such treats, I, along with five other NZ Team Members, was enjoying the sunshine of Central Queensland Coast and the fun and friendship of fisho's and their families from many different parts of Australia at the AAA bi-annual National Champs/Carnival/Convention (they have lots of names for the same thing).
I have put a few thoughts on paper for the Editors to include in the next issue of Tidelines (I trust you are all on the email address database for this - if not contact me and I will see that your address gets included) so I will not say a great deal here (see also the web sites). Briefly this nearly three-week event is simply great and was like our own Nationals but stretched out over 17 days. You can fish boat, shore and estuary (3 days of each) plus take part in 2 days of casting. There is a great social program for non-fishers. Like our own there are some who take the competition more seriously than others but you can be assured of a good time. The Kiwi Team did not do quite so well in the competition but we certainly held our own up in most other areas and everyone knew there were Kiwi's there. Their next carnival is the end of February beginning of March 2007 at Philip Island, near Melbourne in Victoria, so maybe now is the time to start planing on your holidays for that year to our Western Island.
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Well it's here!!! What is??? It's our new website.
www.nzaca.co.nz is now on line. It is not fully completed as yet but the team at Tackle Tactics in Foxton have done a first class job in putting this together and now they need your support.
You will find there a page for clubs but it needs expanding. Have a look at it and then send in to the webmaster (or should I call that web mistress?) as much as you can on your club.
This site will have a link across to our other website www.fishing.net.nz eventually so make sure your club details are up to date on that site as well.
If you want to know more please do not hesitate in contacting me. You would be surprised how many hits these websites get and I receive a lot of emails because of our NZACA and Member Clubs presence on the web.
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At this time of the year our thoughts are turning towards our next Nationals at Napier in March. How are your Club plans going for being there ? It is going to be great event and it is very likely that we will have competitors coming across from Australia to join us so we need to show them how to fish for real fish ! If you are not receiving details from Pania let me know and I will endeavour to rectify the situation.
As part of the Nationals of course is our AGM. This is the opportunity Members have of having their say in the way their/your/my Association is run and this can be done via remits for discussion. Now is the time to send these in to me so they can be printed and circulated to our wider membership so that careful thought can be given to the suggestions before the voting process begins. Remember business for the AGM must be received well prior to meeting, as there is no guarantee that matters will be accepted from the floor of the meeting. I have already had one or two remits - so get these in ASAP - thanks.
Also at this time we call for applications for a very worthwhile Trophy - the Derek Flintoff Memorial Trophy. This is a non-fishing/casting award and is there to recognise those who go above and beyond their normal club activities and make a real effort for the advancement of recreational fishing etc. Read the criteria in your Manual and if you feel you have a worthy applicant please send in the required particulars.
Annual Trophies and we have quite a number of these. These are awarded based on information received by way of Record Applications, but not solely so. Members can apply for these even though their catch may not qualify for a Record or Merit Award. We have had very few Record Applications this year and consequently there may not be any eligible for some Awards or very few to choose from for others. Clubs - have a read of the appropriate section in your NZACA Manual and talk to your Club Weigh-masters and Members to see if there have been catches throughout the year that could quite well qualify for an Award. If so send in an Application - just use the standard Record Application Form. Again if you want to know more contact me direct.
The Executive - when I look at all of the issues out in the big wide world that affect recreational fishing. When I consider all the things this Association should be doing, but isn't. When I look at the wish list of what I would like to see this Association being involved in. When I think of the greater support we should be giving to local Clubs. When I read the NZ Fishing News and see the efforts of the likes of the NZRFC, the NZBGFC, Option 4 Group etc. and the NZACA name is not often there - I begin to get very despondent (and I know I am not alone in those thoughts).
We have the potential to be the largest national fishing association in this country because we supposably represent the largest group of recreational fishers - the shore and small boat brigade. But we are one of the smallest. One of the reasons why this is so is because fishers do not really know we exist or what we are there for or what we do or can do for the NZ fisher. Many Clubs are struggling for numbers and the general apathy of NZ'ers when it comes to wider issues does not help. Education and publicity is the key but what is this Association doing about it ?
The Executive is a very important part of all of this but for to long we have struggled to get the numbers required to operate effectively, the faithful few are overworked and often criticised by those who are not willing to put their shoulder to the wheel. This past year we have tried to run the Association with a less than full strength committee and I believe it shows.
This Association is not the Executive but its Member Clubs and those fisho's who make up those Clubs - it is their/your Association. We often hear said that we need new blood in the Executive - nobody is disagreeing - all we want is for it to happen.
When the nomination papers come out shortly for the Executive let's not just put it aside and leave it up to others. Let's give it careful thought and meaningful discussion and let's see if this coming year we do truly have to vote on choosing an effective management committee because we have an over abundant number of nominations.
You will see in the Minutes reference to the scheme recently introduced by the Bethells Club concerning free one-years membership for Juniors who compete in public competitions etc. This Club membership offer is matched by free NZACA membership. To date I have not heard of any other clubs taking up this scheme but we recommend it to all.
Very shortly we will be able to put after our NZACA logo the words "Registered Trade Mark" The Intellectual Property Office of NZ has just given its approval for the registration of our logo and we just have to now go through a
public notification process.
RegTradeMark
Thank you to those Clubs who have returned their Nationals Questionnaire. We now have a better idea as to the feeling of Clubs and will put together a proposal for voting upon at the next AGM. Thank you also to the one club who has replied to the matter concerning our Association and NZ Records. It's not to late to send in your thoughts.
Our Club visitation program is stuttering along - we would love to visit more clubs and spend time with your members at either a Club Day or Club Meeting. All we await for is an invitation! This is your opportunity of meeting face to face with your Executive and to discuss your Association and what we can do for you and what you can do for it.
We are DESPERATE for more sponsorship for our Members Manual-do you know of a firm/business who would be interested ? Nothing to stop individuals sponsoring a Section ! How about some of you very financial Clubs taking out the sponsorship of a Manual Section. Contact the NZACA Office for details.
Well I will not start another page but sign off here. Just a little reminder that we rely very much on those who are in receipt of these mailings from the NZACA Office to pass the information on to your Club Members. We are still receiving, at times, comments from people that they don't know what's going on or hear anything much about the NZACA. I know a number of clubs duplicate these Jottings (and some even the Executive Minutes) as part of Club Newsletter and we endorse that practice - others just publish extracts etc. Whatever method you use just remember you are our channel of communication - you are a very important link in the chain ! Please accept our thanks for undertaking this on our behalf
Remember also to check out our new Website and send your club info in for inclusion on this site. 
