Southern Lakes NZDA upcoming events

Committee Meeting (14 May 2026)

Wed, 13 May 2026 19:30:00 GMT

Our committee meetings are open to all members, and we encourage anyone interested in helping to organise and support the club to come along.

These meetings are where we plan upcoming events, discuss conservation projects, and make decisions that keep the branch running smoothly.

Members are encouraged to contribute ideas or propose events for the committee to consider. To keep meetings efficient, we ask that any proposals be submitted by email 7 days in advance so they can be circulated to the committee before the meeting.

For more information or to submit a proposal please email info@southernlakesnzda.org.nz.

Voting on decisions remains the role of committee members.

When: 2nd Thursday of every month, 7:30pm
Where: Online via Zoom
How to join: A Zoom link will be shared with members on registration

AGM Club Night / Meeting (28 May 2026)

Thu, 28 May 2026 06:30:00 GMT

AGM Night –
Pot Luck Dinner, Trophies & Prize Draw

Pot Luck Dinner.

We’re kicking off the evening with a good feed, so bring a plate of food to share.

Finger food, wild game, something hearty or sweet, it’s all welcome.

There’s a kitchen at the club if you need to prep or reheat.

Come hungry and bring something to the table!

Then we’ll move into the Annual General Meeting and Trophy Competition.

Pot Luck Dinner,

AGM

At the upcoming AGM, all positions on the Committee and Executive will be declared vacant and open for renomination.

If you’re interested in putting your name forward or nominating someone else, you can do so on the night or submit a nomination in advance.

It’s a great chance to get involved, have your say, and help steer the direction of the club. New energy and fresh ideas are always welcome!

Trophy Competition

Bringing in a trophy? Just make sure it’s been scored in advance.
Contact Aaron Shaw – 021 813 760. (Clean heads only, please.)

And yes – there are prizes!

If you’ve attended a meeting this past year and written your name in the book, you’re in the draw.
Every meeting you attended = one entry to win some great prizes on the night.

Agenda

6.30pm Pot Luck Dinner

7.45pm AGM (voting in new committee)

8.00pm Meeting starts (Shortened tonight)

8.45pm Beer and food refills

9.00pm Meeting attendance prizes drawn

9.15pm Judging & Results of Antler, Tusk & Horn Competition

9.30pm Drinks and Social Catch up

10.30pm End of meeting

CLUB MEETING VENUE

Arrowtown Bowling Club,

6 Hertford Street, (Next to Arrowtown Firestation)

1-5 JUNE - Upper Caples Hut Working Bee and Club Hunting (1 Jun 2026)

Sun, 31 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Working bee to dig new toilet - Upper Caples Hut and Club Hunting Ballot

This is another great chance for new or inexperienced members to come along and learn with experienced Club Members. The Primary focus of this trip is to dig a new hole for the toilets as the current one is getting pretty full. Replenish firewood supplies, reconnect the water supply and undertake general tidy up Maintenance of the hut.

As a club arranged event - work comes first - with an expectation of a minimum of 5 hours a day of assistance on the tasks. This trip will be pretty relaxed and we have the hunting ballot so you will going right into the end of the fallow rut

While there is some work to do, we will also be playing as well and cater for all ages. This is a great chance to get to know fellow club members over a whisky/beer/wine or juice round the table at night. It is also Kings birthday on the Monday 1st June.

These working bees are always a popular and fun event and give back to the community.

The Club has the Upper Caples RHA Ballot from the 1st to the 5th June as part of our management agreement with DOC for maintaining the hut, so there is ample opportunity for hunting as well.

No firearms licence?
You are more than welcome to come along too - these are perfect opportunities to learn more in a safe and professional supervised environment in a relaxed learning setting.

Work planned
We plan to achieve the following during this working bee

dig a new hole and timber shore it, for the double toilet. about1.5m by 1.0m by 2.0m deep.
Clean the toilets and move to the new location with new foundations.
reconnect the hut creek water supply.
restocking and Splitting firewood for the hut from previously ringed up trees.
Clean out the grease trap.
Check smoke alarm and monoxide battery conditions.
Eat, drink and be merry.....and of course some hunting!

It is pretty casual and we aim to make it social and its a great place to de-stress by getting into the backcountry :-).

The Club will provide heli fight in and out or you can walk in or out and have your gear/meat flown in/out. the club will be paying for the helicopter.

We will need to limit it to 6 adults for the chopper but plenty of room in the hut if you want to walk in and help out.

Accommodation:

We will stay at the upper Caples Club hut (16 bunks).

Get on our website and look up our hut so you can see what is already there and the sleeping set ups etc. the club will arrange keys etc so don't worry about that.

Getting there
Ideally walking in is preferred however we can arrange to fly gear in and out for you if it coincides with the heli load schedule.

Heli flights for those in first (up to 4 spots) are available based on actual gear loading as we are only planning 1 flight in and out to save costs. if we fly out on the 5th we can back load with another party coming in.

Heli flights would leave from the Glenorchy aerodrome just before you get into Glenorchy.

Walking requires you to drive (additional 45 minutes) around or carpool and park at the Greenstone/Caples track carpark. You can fly one way and walk the other, but will need to coordinate pick ups as they are two completely different locations to end up at.

CLUB MEMBERSHIP

You must be a paid up current member of the club, prior to attending the event.

New members/guests are welcome however they will need to join up as member of the club to get this opportunity. If not then the cost of Heli flights is at full non discounted rate and a daily hut accommodation fee $30/day will apply and they will need to arrange and supply the certificates of their own general liability insurances prior to attending the event.

Normally flights will be determined based on when people are available as best possible so please let us know your flexibility for this in the registration form.

What time does the Heli fly?
Once we get closer to the time and have confirmed numbers, we will advise the times of the helicopters and further details, but it will be based on best situation for all so you will need to be slightly flexible.

What do I bring?
Your hunting gear, boots, hut shoe/slippers, gun security bits, food for you, clothes, towel, toiletries, sleeping bag/under sheet, working gloves, tools (will be advised closer to the time). A willingness to have fun, get dirty and enjoy being in the bush with like-minded people and learn heaps.

If someone wants to come in and be camp mother/father who sorts the dinners/ lunches/breakfasts for the team so they can not worry about it then, that would be fabulous, and we would coordinate a communal food menu.

So please book your leave with work now and register asap to secure your place on what will be another very fun and rewarding trip.

There will be a zoom briefing session on Wednesday 27th May at 8.30pm, if you can't make it please let Dave Rider know before hand.

We will also have a whats app chat group set up so you can ask any questions/ coordinate carpooling etc etc.

Committee Meeting (11 Jun 2026)

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 19:30:00 GMT

Our committee meetings are open to all members, and we encourage anyone interested in helping to organise and support the club to come along.

These meetings are where we plan upcoming events, discuss conservation projects, and make decisions that keep the branch running smoothly.

For more information or to submit a proposal please email info@southernlakesnzda.org.nz.

June Monthly Club Meeting (25 Jun 2026)

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMT

WHEN

Last Thursday of the Month
Bar opens at 6.30pm for social catch up
Meeting starts at 7.30pm.

WHERE

Arrowtown Bowling Club, 6 Hertford St, Arrowtown (next to the Arrowtown Fire station)

THEME OF MEETING

TBC

NEW MEMBER?

Come join us for social drinks before the club meeting and meet the members. New faces always welcome.

ZOOM

Alternatively join us via zoom (same link every meeting)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82994024744?pwd=U2xObThpUVdkRjhQTUxTd3MyL0RPQT09

Committee Meeting (9 Jul 2026)

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 19:30:00 GMT

Our committee meetings are open to all members, and we encourage anyone interested in helping to organise and support the club to come along.

These meetings are where we plan upcoming events, discuss conservation projects, and make decisions that keep the branch running smoothly.

For more information or to submit a proposal please email info@southernlakesnzda.org.nz.

Committee Meeting (13 Aug 2026)

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:30:00 GMT

Our committee meetings are open to all members, and we encourage anyone interested in helping to organise and support the club to come along.

These meetings are where we plan upcoming events, discuss conservation projects, and make decisions that keep the branch running smoothly.

For more information or to submit a proposal please email info@southernlakesnzda.org.nz.

Southern Lakes NZDA upcoming events

Committee Meeting (14 May 2026)

AGM Club Night / Meeting (28 May 2026)

AGM Night – Pot Luck Dinner, Trophies & Prize Draw

AGM

Trophy Competition

1-5 JUNE - Upper Caples Hut Working Bee and Club Hunting (1 Jun 2026)

Working bee to dig new toilet - Upper Caples Hut and Club Hunting Ballot

Committee Meeting (11 Jun 2026)

June Monthly Club Meeting (25 Jun 2026)

Committee Meeting (9 Jul 2026)

Committee Meeting (13 Aug 2026)

AGM Night –
Pot Luck Dinner, Trophies & Prize Draw