Outdoor Industry Heads for the Confluence

MEDIA RELEASE
Outdoors New Zealand

The Confluence – Tutakitanga
The International Outdoor Recreation and Education Conference

21-24 January 2008

It’s not a conference, it’s a Confluence: “the premier gathering of the New Zealand and international outdoor sector this decade”. That’s how organisers, Outdoors New Zealand, are billing the International Outdoor Recreation and Education Conference to be held in Christchurch, January 21-24.

“Outdoor recreation and education are embedded in the New Zealand psyche, with most New Zealanders living close to the mountains, rivers, lakes, bush and sea”, says Outdoors New Zealand’s Chief Executive, Laura Adams. “Keeping the outdoor industry up-to-date with international trends and bringing them together to share experiences and knowledge is vital for New Zealand’s future. I think the Confluence will make a significant contribution to the New Zealand priorities of national identity and economic transformation. It’s going to be a very important event.”

The Confluence Tutakitanga, sponsored by Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC), will bring the outdoor sector together for four days with seminars, workshops and speakers from eight countries. Keynote speaker, Dr Alan Ewert, Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism at Indiana University, USA, will speak on “Stress and Coping in Adventure Education Programs”. Other topics on offer are “Cowboys and Cotton Wool: The Role of Men in Adventure Education”,

“The Spiral in Action: A Pathway of Outdoor Education in Low-Decile Secondary Schools”, “Maori and Rivers” and “Extreme Sport Subcultures: Big Wave Surfing”. 300 local and international delegates are expected to attend the four-day conference.

Pre-conference workshops and post-conference activities augment The Confluence creating a nine-day international outdoor symposium, the first of its kind in New Zealand.

Registrations close January 7.

ENDS

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