Trailmakers Hui — what it is and how it works

Trailmakers Hui are online get-togethers hosted by the Outdoor Access Commission four times a year. They’re open to anyone involved in trail building, maintenance, or outdoor access — volunteer groups, mountain biking clubs, environmental groups, councils, and DOC staff are all regular attendees.

Each hui features a guest speaker on a topic the trail community cares about, plus time to share experiences, swap resources, and help each other out.

How to join

We send meeting dates and registration links to our mailing list. Please forward the invite to others who might find it useful. Each invite includes a register link through Lil Regie (lilregie.com) — we need your name, email, and the group you’re with (if applicable). Once you’re registered, you’ll be added to our mailing list for future hui and follow-up newsletters. You can unsubscribe at any time.

On the day

The meeting link opens 15 minutes early (hui are usually on Thursdays, 12–1pm, so the link is live from 11.45am for informal welcomes and whanaungatanga). At 12 noon, we open the hui, welcome the speaker, and facilitate the session.

A few things that help things run smoothly:

• Show your name when you join. In larger meetings, give a quick intro before you speak.
• Pop questions in the chat during the presentation — we’ll work through them at the end.
• Keep the conversation on topic. The hui isn’t the place to advertise or push the discussion in a different direction.
• Be respectful. Treat everyone the way you’d want to be treated. If someone’s behaviour is making the space uncomfortable for others, the facilitator may ask them to leave.
• Recordings stay within the hui. We record the session and send the link to our mailing list, but please do not record or share the conversation yourself without first checking with the speaker and us. If you’d rather not appear on camera, just switch your video off.

After the hui

We send a newsletter the following week with the recording link, a summary of the discussion, and any useful resources. The video stays up on YouTube (unlisted) for six weeks, then comes down — that way no one’s stuck with out-of-date information.