Editorial: Adventure sports must be safe, but the risks will never be zero

Adventure sports all carry risk.

EDITORIAL

Outdoor pursuits and adventure sports have become as Kiwi as pavlova and sheep.

But how much onus is on tourism operators and businesses to warn visitors and users of the risks involved in widely popular activities like skiing, href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/cycling/" target="_blank">biking, parachuting, hunting and fishing?

It comes after the family of a mother of two left paraplegic by a tragic mountain biking accident raised health and safety questions with WorkSafe.

Kate Ganner is adjusting to life in a wheelchair after crashing at Woodhill Mountain Bike Park, west of Auckland, in February last year.

Although the bike park has been cleared of health and safety breaches and defends its safety record, Ganner’s family believes more should be done around signage, riders’ education and safety oversight from staff.

Bike parks operate in similar ways to skifields, which share many of the same risks and safety issues.

Every time there is a serious accident or even death during an adventure activity, it raises questions about safety and risk.

During a University of Otago Business School’s Tourism Policy School event earlier this year, an industry expert said tourism operators should warn of the risk involved in adventure activities - but not wrap people in cotton wool.

“That’s what created such a phenomenal tourism industry in New Zealand,” said AdventureMark audit manager Mike Pennefather.

“If you’re going to paddle over a waterfall, we just need to make it very clear that we can’t keep you safe, but we’re going to do everything that we can [to minimise the risk].”

New Zealand is a world leader in adventure sports, with Queenstown often seen as its capital.

The home of bungy jumping, one of the world’s most popular extreme sports, it also boasts snow sports, paragliding, parachuting, mountain biking, jet boating and a whole array of other exciting activities.

The pioneering group AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand, which has never had a fatality, says in its online risk disclosure statement that “despite all safety measures in place, there remains a risk of injury”.

Adventure sports and activities like mountain biking carry inherent risks that could never be entirely mitigated.

But operators must do all they can to make sure that every user is aware of the potential dangers and pitfalls.

New Zealand has always led the way in extreme sports and pushing the boundaries. It has put us on the world stage, kept us fit, healthy and engaged and generates millions of dollars in tourism every year.

We just need to make sure that every Kiwi and every visitor knows what they are getting themselves in for before they strap on the helmet or take the plunge.