The mood against 4wders in New Zealand is darkening

Dave Hansford

Forum Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2020
Messages
119
Location
New Zealand
Car Year
2008
Car Model
Outback
Transmission
4EAT
This cartoon appeared today in a major metropolitan newspaper here... still more infuriating incidents of four-wheel drivers behaving like a..holes has precipitated a conversation about beach bans. My own district council in Tasman has launched a proposal to bring several accessible beaches under a Government-mandated “Significant Natural Areas” programme that would, if approved, provide for closure of those areas to vehicles. To be honest, I think I’d approve - it’s clear this problem is getting worse instead of better. Advocacy never works on people who just don’t give a s..t.
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It is, mate. Because I know that some four-wheel drive clubs have worked hard to educate and advocate. But of course, anyone who’s engaged enough to join a club in the first place probably isn’t the sort that needs educating. As in the rest of life - guns, censorship, speed limits, health and safety - the rest of us have to live down to a few idiots that can’t be trusted.
 
I think its far from few idiots there. And with covid situation especially what i see is people who never before went somewhere localy ,now just flooding all places that they can drive, or cant drive but they do it anyway. Before iv never seen so much people so much cars parked all over places in forests near lakes as now. So im sure they just want to close now some of those roads to keep them in good state.
And subarus are not those cars who drives via tracks slowly and accurate, they more use pedal to metal tactics as no low range
 
It’s not a good situation and I don’t think it’s restricted to several countries - it’s possibly a world wide issue.

When does the private vehicle ownership become saturated with offroad orientated vehicles? When does this flow over to actually using said vehicles offroad and thus saturate our natural environments to the point that it can’t recover (not that it should have to!) between major influxes?

It could get to a point of off-roading via a licence system, or mandatory to be part of an official club, or the governments makes it an expensive user pays system (how do you police that?!) or all of the above.

As you all know, this is why it’s so important to do all the different tread lightly/leave no trace principles/actions!

It’ll be a sad day if/when it come to this.

I wish ppl would take responsibility for their actions and ACTUALLY respect our natural environments and the various creatures that call it their home, we are the guests! It is not a place to flog “out of sight, out of mind” - I saw plenty of that on our recent trip to the Vic deserts, one area in particular that is quite special to us :madred:

End rant.

@Dave Hansford - I hope the situation over there gets better. Maybe a proposal is to close those beach areas to a strict permit system only. While admin and initial setup of this would be somewhat costly, it would keep those out there accountable. Cameras at each entry point could easily record illegal entry to the area and fines imposed accordingly.

Cheers

Bennie
 
Unfortunately, as has been shown the world over, a great percentage of humans are ignorant and prone to self interest over anything else.
I'm all for the general population of humans being banned from lots of places.

El_Freddo said:
it’s possibly a world wide issue.
Click to expand...

Youtube probably doesn't help.
 
Thanks for all your thoughts, guys. And yes: it’s indisputable that there’s much more vehicle pressure on our backcountry here.

At the bottom end, thanks to our practically non-existent exhaust emissions regulations, New Zealand had for decades been a dumping ground for flogged-out second-hand dirty diesels that couldn’t get certified anywhere else. That torrent only just got stopped a couple of years ago.

That means any Joe punch-clock can afford a completely knackered 2002 Pajero with no compression, and because it owes them nothing, they don’t think twice about hurling it at anything and everything.

At the top end, you are no longer officially a man here in Aotearoa until you own a ute - preferably a Ford Ranger - and, now that you can’t spend your cash on an overseas holiday, an “off-road” caravan to go behind it.

Meanwhile, the SUV mania - something I called a “fad” back in 2004 (worst prediction ever) - accounts for some 80 per cent of non-ute sales now.

And don’t get me started on quads... the sight of small children being encouraged to tear up dunes makes me want to top myself.

Something has to give, and it will be our wild places, I’m afraid unless our Government can find some backbone.
 
Ben Up North said:
Youtube probably doesn't help.
Click to expand...
And Facebook! Ever heard of video peer modelling? Fascinating stuff and helps explain why poo behaviours seem to be everywhere these days.

Basically, people can change behaviours easily by watching a video of themselves doing the correct/desired behaviour. They need to watch this several times in the first week for it to be really effective. If the video is not of themselves, they need to watch the video more often over the first two weeks for the effect to take place. That’s the crash course...

Now apply that to dip-$hit behaviours that are videoed and shared on Facebook and YouTube/Instagram etc. Ppl watching the same “genre” $hit videos are more likely to have their views/ideas and actions reinforced and in their small minds, thus making it “ok” to do or continue the same actions and behaviours. Then they video and share their actions...

Now apply that to students that have lost interest in their education and spend their time watching videos of thug behaviours/life. Scary stuff! On the flip side, there are also many positive benefits to this as well (how good are many YouTube tutorials?!).

Cheers

Bennie
 
El_Freddo said:
how good are many YouTube tutorials?!
Click to expand...
Oh absolutely!

I'm sure though that youtube & the social sites could use their algorithms to promote environmentally sensitive 4wding (or more accurately demote environmentally destructive behaviour) if they wanted to.
 
Ben Up North said:
Oh absolutely!

I'm sure though that youtube & the social sites could use their algorithms to promote environmentally sensitive 4wding (or more accurately demote environmentally destructive behaviour) if they wanted to.
Click to expand...
Good suggestion, but quite how an algorithm would know the difference would be the wicked problem here, I think... given most programmers wouldn’t have a clue themselves.
 
We can all thank the 1%'ers for the increasing lockouts to vehicles of our national parks, and to a lesser extent, state forests.
 
I might make up a rear window sticker after your comment @duncanm:

“Don’t be a 1%er” or another “I’m not a 1%er, are you?” This could be the start of a new movement!!

🤣

Cheers

Bennie
 
Dave Hansford said:
My own district council in Tasman has launched a proposal to bring several accessible beaches under a Government-mandated “Significant Natural Areas” programme that would, if approved, provide for closure of those areas to vehicles.
Click to expand...
We have the same mood here, @Dave Hansford. We used to have open access to many beaches and forests here. Now, it's just Woodhill's northern end and the 4x4 park itself.

I still have access to Northland's beach highways and camp in the dunes beside them. They are likely to stay that way as not many tour/visit the area, especially campers because many fear the remoteness, which we always like. Inland tracks in the North Island are in danger of being closed, though, because of the behaviour of the 1%er. It's getting very, very limited up here already.

My tours are now mainly photography-related now with 2 to 3 off-road/camping ones. I smile when I the gravel road gets corrugated and say "Yee haw!" ocassionaly when I encounter proper obstacles. Cheers.
 
Perhaps an exclusion could be written for Subarus.
Because, as every serious off-roader knows, Subarus aren't 'real 4wds'
:)
 
ABFoz said:
Imagine having exclusive access to all tracks just because you drive a Subaru!
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I remember that there is a similar situation in the US where, OSCO (Offroad Subarus of Colorado) adopted Gold Mine Hill because they wanted to rehabilitate it, so members have exclusive access to it and it angered TFL (The Fast Lane) Cars crew, which explained why they produced really, really salty videos about Subarus. It became really personal to the point that even the main guy would rant for 5 minutes in about Subarus in almost every Subaru-related video and how they lost contact with them regarding exclusive access to the models. I haven't really heard/seen yet the side of Subaru of America in that small issue but I find that the YTers in this case actually documented their immaturity.

Not sure how a similar exclusive access can be given to some clubs here in NZ because even some 4x4 clubs are irresponsible (documented). There is rivalry amongst clubs even.
 
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