Youth Award Grant Coastlines, Kayaks, and Shooting Stars: A Duke of Ed Gold Expedition
Eight students from Hamilton Christian School were awarded an FMC Youth Award Grant: a cash grant to go towards their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award Expedition.
Expedition Scholarship Solo Mission through Great Barrier Island
Five days. Solo. South to north across Great Barrier Island: through dense bush, up rugged ridgelines, and over its highest peaks. Liam shares his FMC Youth Expedition, an unforgettable tramp across one of New Zealand's most underrated wild places.
Youth Award Grant 55 kilometres through the Paparoa Range
By Natalie Bealing 8 December, 2025 | Youth Award Grant - Fielding High School students hit the West Coast's Paparoa Range for a four-day, 55-kilometre hike. The Paparoa Track is set in the Paparoa Ranges along the West Coast south of Westport. Our group consisted of [...]
Youth Award Grant Conquering Challenges through Tongariro National Park
By Micah Boyd, Jasmine Boyd, Rosie James, Evan Faithful, Amelie Nekrosius 1 January, 2026 | OTNZ Waikato/Whakatane High Schoolers set out on a challenging adventure through Tongariro for their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Expedition. Our team of 6 set out for a 3-day hike in the [...]
Youth Award Grant Peaks, Pressure, and Partnership: A South Island Tramping Journey
By Denika Clooney, Lilly Andrews, Joshua Scheeper, and Chanelle Groenewald 11 December, 2025 | Youth Award Grant - Otamatea High School students learn the importance of leadership during their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Expedition. Lilly In the early morning of the 11th of December, our qualifying [...]
Youth Award Grant 3 days in the Kaimanawa Range
By Sam Bell Youth Award Grant - Five Hamilton Christian School students head to the Kaimanawa Range for their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Expedition. Read on to hear how their epic adventure unfolded... On September 19 2025, we headed off on our final Duke of Edinburgh [...]
Expedition Scholarship A Kid’s Adventure on the Greenstone-Caples Track
"My advice for any other kids thinking about doing a big tramp: 'Don’t let a bird steal your bag!' Aria Willson, aged ten, learns just how far she can walk after spending her FMC Youth Expedition Scholarship on a six-day tramp with her mum.
Training Grant Keeping Students Safe in the Backcountry
As students and outdoors enthusiasts, members of the Otago University Tramping Club dedicate their free time to more studying – this time learning Outdoor First Aid to effectively manage any backcountry emergency. Through the FMC Training Grant, strapped for cash students can learn outdoors skills while still affording their university fees.
Youth Award Grant Lake Waikaremoana Gold
Go for Gold! Seven students from Pukekohe High School eagerly embark on their last Qualifying Journey for their Duke of Edinburgh Gold award. Five days trekking around Lake Waikaremoana, the group experiences the joys of hut life and the sense of accomplishment that only a hard day's tramp can bring.
Youth Award Grant ‘Round Ruapehu
Faced with breathing difficulties, 85 kilometre per hour wind gusts and a reroute due to heavy rains, five students successfully navigate five days of challenges to complete their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Qualifying Journey.
Outdoor Community Responsible Visitor Behaviour in Nature
New Zealand’s wildlife is precious, and everyone who lives and travels here has a responsibility to look after it. As kaitiaki and guardians of our land, we all have a shared responsibility to look after our place and help others to do the same. Developed during their recent Recreation Sector Hui, the Department of Conservation offers some simple things to remember when visiting our wild places.
Youth Award Grant To Cross or Not To Cross
Ten teenagers set out for a three-day mission in Hakatere Conservation Park after receiving a FMC Youth Award Grant. With a challenging river crossing and inclement weather, these students apply their backcountry training to safely complete their Duke of Edinburgh Silver Qualifying Adventurous Journey.
Changes to Come Service or Solitude?
Does increased mobile coverage through SpaceX and One NZ mean the end of backcountry solitude? Or will enhanced communication result in more lives saved when lost or injured? Outdoor education student and backcountry enthusiast, Josephine Tarasiewicz, explores these challenging questions as New Zealand stands at a pivotal point of connection.
Youth Award Grant Sharing the Load
A group of five students share the role of team leader during their DOE Adventurous Journey along the Queen Charlotte Track in the Marlborough Sounds. By stepping up to support each other during the tramp's most difficult moments, they persevere together through the mental and physical challenges of the terrain.
Training Grant Being Prepared Through Outdoor First Aid
"Everyone with an interest in any outdoor activity should go on this course – it really is tailored to outdoor emergency situations and how often do we actually practice first aid in the backcountry?" Ten members from the Palmerston North Tramping and Mountaineering Club cash in on the FMC Training Grant and enroll in an outdoor first aid course to gain competency in responding to backcountry accidents.
Love our Huts Story The Elusive Ivory Lake Hut
After nearly five years of striving to reach Ivory Lake Hut from multiple directions, she proves elusive for a tramping party of four. During one final push from the north, she grants entry and they experience a hard-won backcountry trip after three failed attempts and never giving up. Failure has its own rewards and for these keen trampers, their arrival is well worth the wait.
Youth Award Grant Operation Great Barrier
"Our journey to Great Barrier Island wasn't just about completing a hike and getting through the long days of walking – it was about pushing our limits, working as a team, and making memories that will stay with us forever." For their DOE Gold Qualifying Journey, six students from Orewa College navigate the steep descents of the old Kauri Tramline Track and scale hundreds of stairs to reach the summit of Mount Hobson.
Search & Rescue SAR: Is it Free? Should it Be?
Have you ever wondered how search and rescue works when there is an emergency, as well as who exactly pays for their efforts? LandSAR Dunedin volunteer, Matteo Scoz, breaks down the two coordination authorities for search and rescue, how they are funded and the prevailing philosophy that guides these incredible organisations and their teams.
Love Our Huts Story A Strange One
The first in a series of stories about our beloved huts is a reminiscence of a truly strange encounter at the Mueller Hut by a hut warden Michele Ayres. Get ready - it's a chilling one!
An Alternative Approach Doing the S-K Another Way
The S-K is an epic 80 kilometre north-to-south Tararua journey, traditionally completed in 48 hours or less. For Mark Wilcox and his wife, Sarah, the S-K route looks appealing but without the restrictive timeframe. So together, they decide to achieve a tops S-K their way – totaling 41 hours of tramping over seven days without injury and whilst still remaining friends.
A Dog's Tale Crossing the Bridge
What happens when a party of three suddenly becomes a party of four? A tramping weekend takes an unexpected turn for Chris and a group of trampers when a mysterious dog appears on the trail. Upon realising they’ve found someone’s missing dog, Chris bravely faces his childhood fear of dogs and the team figures out how to safely return the canine home.
Love Our Huts Campaign Our Public Huts and Tracks Need Our Help
FMC's executive board member Mick Abbott explores why our public huts matter and why we should all show them a bit of love this spring.
Youth Award Grant Just the Beginning
With an icy winter trek along the Kepler Track, five students from Otamatea High School are up for a challenge on their final DOE Gold Adventurous Journey. Embracing freezing temperatures, a cold plunge and learning techniques to escape when lost in a cave, one student declares: "This will definitely NOT be my last outdoor adventure!”
Training Grant Navigation and River Crossing
Do you feel confident with crossing a river? With New Zealand's abundance of rivers, every backcountry tramper must know how to safely cross a waterway if the situation requires. With expert teaching from Outdoor Training NZ (OTNZ), the Rotorua Tramping Club fine-tunes their navigational skills and goes deep into hands-on learning with group and solo pack-floating, entrapment and how to escape from a strainer.
