About Us

We are a national organisation who has been working for more than 50 years with a mandate to encourage safe participation in land-based outdoor activities. We do this through the development and promotion of safety messaging, by identifying and responding to insights provided by the ongoing collection and analysis of data, and by building partnerships with relevant organisations. 

Our vision

Safer places, safer activities, safer people.

Our mission

Enabling people to enjoy their outdoors recreation safely.

Our values
  • Professionalism: We will collaborate with the rest of the outdoor sector and share what we know.
  • Integrity: We will be open and honest in everything we do.
  • Trust: We will be the organisation people look to for how to get prepared and stay safe outdoors

How we work

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How it all began

In December 1965, the National Parks Authority Chairman at the time, R.J. MacLachlan, welcomed the setting up of a national organisation to promote mountain safety as a result of increasing incidents in New Zealand's outdoors.

This council consisted of members of various recreational and governmental organisations who worked as a preventative solution to these issues by providing safety messaging, safety advisory systems and volunteer-run courses for those wanting to experience New Zealand's great outdoors.

Some of the iconic pieces of work produced with the help of our partners have been:

  • 'The 'Bushcraft Manual' which can be found in many old holiday baches' shelves – this was first released in 1968 and is still alive today - This manual has been repeatedly revised and updated since its first release in 1968, and is still in active use today
  • 'Dumb Ways To Die' is one of many educational resources provided to outdoor education courses.

For 50 years we continued these practices with many partnerships, insights and forms of safety messaging being continually developed as we grew as an organisation. Our primary goal has always been, and remains, the safety of people in the outdoors. But we know a lot more now than we did in 1965.

We would like acknowledge and thank everyone who has been a part of our history. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to face the future with such confidence. Your past and present contributions have given us a solid platform to build on and we’re excited to see where it takes us. #MakeItHomeNZ

Historical NZ Mountain Safety Council logo Historical NZ Mountain Safety Council logo
Mt Taranaki

Board

Our organisational efforts rely on the collaboration of many outdoor representatives and supporters. This includes our board, member organisations and funders who all strive for improved outdoor safety in New Zealand. You can also contact our MSC team on the Contact Us section. Read more

Group Tramping

Partners

Partners, Our Member Organisations  Our partnerships are at the core of how we work. They are one of our three strategic platforms, flowing into our business plan, campaigns and projects. Read more

Rob Frost Walking out the Copland valley after an attempt on Mt Sefton

Funders

New Zealand Lottery Grants Board The New Zealand Lottery Grants Board’s purpose is to benefit the New Zealand community by distributing the profits from state lotteries run by the New Zealand Lotteries Commission. Read more

Gillian In store

Retail Partners

See who we work with The Outdoor Safety Retail Partnership allows us to reach outdoor users through New Zealand outdoor retailers.    We work with the following retailers to implement safety campaigns and messaging to their customers via in-store and social media. Read more

Moeraki Boulders Walk | Tom Harris

Business Documents

Explore our business documents in the links below. Annual Reports Strategic Plan MSC Constitution Annual General Meeting Minutes Business Plans Audited Accounts Read more

Mt Somers

International Outdoor Safety Forum

The International Outdoor Safety Forum (IOSF) is a group of organisations from around the world that focuses on outdoor safety, specifically, prevention. Purpose Foster global collaboration to enable the delivery of effective outdoor recreation safety and prevention work. Read more