Explore

Explore our insight publications online

Collecting data and developing insights is a fundamental part of our organisation, as we aim to prevent incidents in outdoor recreation in New Zealand. Since 2015 we have been working with our partners and developing insights through incident data and uncovering never before seen information in the outdoor safety sector.

MSC’s principle of bringing together the various data sets to gain insights for improving safety in the outdoors is a sound one.
– Kirsten Malpas, Senior Injury Prevention Specialist for ACC
Southern Lakes, Marli Wingens

Issue Specific Advisory Function

The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council (MSC) works closely with council member organisations and partners to access a wide range of data about participation and incidents in the outdoors. Read more

Silberhorn Grand Plateau.Tasman Glacier.Gavin Lang 2

Above and Beyond Mountaineering Research

An exploration of the culture, behaviours and attitudes of the NZ mountaineering community towards avalanche safety.    Published February 2023  The New Zealand mountaineering community is one full of rich history and deep passion. Mountaineering is interwoven into the fabric of our country’s history. Read more

People planning with Plan My Walk at home, Caleb Smith

How a NZ tramp is planned

An in-depth study of behaviours of trip planningPublished October 2021We partnered with Research NZ and the Department of Conservation to conduct an in-depth research project. The research was conducted online and targeted trampers who had booked/stayed at a DOC tramping facility between 1 November 2019 and 31 January 2020. Read more

Public observation submitted by Nick Shearer, August 2019, The Towers, Treble Cone Backcountry

Avalanche Incidents in NZ

An in-depth look at 20 years of avalanche incident dataPublished June 2021Recently we conducted an in-depth analysis of 20 years worth of reported avalanche incident data. This story presents some of those key findings. Read more

scaling success banner

Scaling Success

During 2017/2018 the NZ Mountain Safety Council (MSC) developed a series of track-specific tramping videos.  The purpose of the video series was to provide a specific planning resource that could be used in the ‘active trip-planning’ phase of trip preparations. Read more

Tramping on Ridgeline, Nathan Watson

A Walk in the Park?

A deep dive into tramping incidents in New Zealand Published July 2018A Walk in the Park? is the third insights publication to be released following 'There and Back, 2016' and 'A Hunter’s Tale, 2017'. We now dive into incidents tramping incidents in New Zealand. Read more

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A Hunter's Tale

A deep dive into hunting incidents in New ZealandPublished March 2017A Hunter's Tale represents the most comprehensive exploration of hunting participation and incidents in New Zealand. Read more

Trampers lake tissock - Yap Zhi Y

There and Back

An exploration of outdoor recreation incidents in New ZealandPublished July 2016  For the first time, the outdoor recreation sector has a comprehensive picture of what’s been going on in the New Zealand outdoors from an outdoor safety perspective, across 5 major outdoor recreation activities. Read more