Macpac joins the 'Outdoor Safety Retail Partnership'

Macpac joins the 'Outdoor Safety Retail Partnership' with the Mountain Safety Council (MSC)

With the Outdoor Safety Retail Partnership (OSRP) now officially underway, Mountain Safety Council (MSC) chief executive Mike Daisley is proud to announce that Macpac is the second of the major New Zealand outdoor retailers to confirm its statement of intent. The OSRP has been designed to give those exploring the outdoors a clear and consistent message about their role in staying safe in the outdoors.

“We’re really pleased that Macpac has confirmed their statement of intent to work collaboratively with us on this partnership.”

“It’s really encouraging to see major retailers putting their commercial competitiveness to one side in the interests of consistency. This allows the participant, who is the focus for us, to receive a clear safety message regardless of where they happen to visit,” he said.

"I need to reiterate that the retailers in New Zealand already do a good job promoting safety. We're simply enabling a more focused discussion in-store and online, one that is consistent and easy to understand,” Daisley concluded.

Daisley said the project is expected to grow to around six or seven retailers in the next few years with a focus on Tramping, Hunting, Mountaineering, Trail Running and Mountain Biking in the first 24 months.

"We've got a roadmap for where this initiative and it follows our insights pathway that we began in 2016 with ‘There and Back’ where we focused on these five activities."

Macpac’s Marketing Manager Nadia Scott was excited to finally announce the formalisation of the ORSP safety partnership.

“At Macpac we love the outdoors – our New Zealand wilderness inspires us every day and we’re constantly striving to share that experience with others. We want people to jump in and explore, to have great adventures, but to do that in a way that ensures they get home in one piece. It takes time to build up the knowledge you need to handle all the situations our wild environment can throw at you, but the starting point for any adventure, big or small, is to ensure you’re equipped with gear that is up to the task.”

“We’re proud to formally partner with the NZ Mountain Safety Council to inspire our customers to go on enjoyable and safe adventures. Often, it’s simply about making sure you have gear that is fit for purpose in the context of your intended trip (this could be quite different for a trail run as opposed to a multi-day tramping trip), and that no matter what you’re doing you follow a few simple steps to make sure you have the basics covered to raise an alert should anything go wrong. That’s where MSC will really be helping our customers - with the support and knowledge of our staff - understand what they need to do in order to have a good time and make it home,” said Scott.

You’ll begin to see more of the MSC’s insights, resources and tools in our stores as well as online. MSC brings a long history and a deep understanding of New Zealand outdoor recreation safety. Along with instore signage we’re working together on further upskilling our staff in safety messaging and some really exciting trip planning tools,” Scott concluded.

Macpac indicating that staff training as an important item in the two-year project plan was strongly supported by MSC Daisley said.

“By influencing the training of Macpac staff we’re able to influence the discussions they might have with their customers. We know that the staff are seen as ‘experts’ in the eyes of many customers, so we’re trying to enable an informed discussion about safety.”

“It’s about helping the staff to help customers understand kiwi conditions and how to prepare. That might mean a discussion about equipment, but it’s going to include where to get information, what a weather forecast looks like and what to look for as well as the importance of telling someone your plans,” he concluded.

With more announcements planned in the next few months, outdoor enthusiasts should look out for wallet sized cards at the point of sale as well as articles on the Macpac website.

Macpac is New Zealand’s original outdoor equipment company, founded in Christchurch in 1973. Now with 50 stores across Australasia, Macpac manufactures and sells premium outdoor apparel, equipment, footwear and accessories, and specialises in equipping people for travel and wilderness adventures, from day walking to mountaineering. Head to www.macpac.co.nz for more.

For more information on this project head to the MSC blog or Facebook page via the links below.

MSC Blog
MSC Facebook Page

mountainsafety.org.nz
#MakeItHomeNZ

ENDS

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