Outdoor Recreation New Zealand (sometimes called ORNZ) is a small political party in New Zealand. It is primarily based around the hunting and fishing lobbies, but also includes other people who participate in other outdoor sports. The party states its goal as being to fight "the rapid erosion of sporting rights, resources and opportunities for outdoor sportspeople", claiming that current environmental policies impose unreasonable restrictions.

The party was first proposed in October 2001. Shortly afterwards, a meeting near Nelson agreed to establish a political party. The founders of the party say that "lobbying government has never been effective", and that establishing a political party was the only way to achieve their goals. On 8 March 2002, the party successfully registered with the Electoral Commission, having obtained the necessary five hundred members. This entitled it to seek and gain list votes under the MMP system. The party also gained government funding for broadcasting.

Outdoor Recreation New Zealand had its first test in the 2002 elections, and although it did not win any seats, it performed better than many had anticipated. It won 25,985 votes, around 1.28% of the total.

In 2003, the party announced that it would be seeking an agreement with the larger United Future New Zealand party, which was already in parliament. This agreement, further elaborated on in 2004, will see Outdoor Recreation "become affiliated" to United Future - Outdoor Recreation will retain its separate identity, but will contest the next elections under the United Future banner.

External link

• Official website