MNZ and the internet

[RS2000]

a few pages of discussion

[codgyoleracer]

6 pages of discussion? great? we have only had the wheel for about 2 million years, lets re invent a new idea better than the wheel, I guess you guys do care and have passion about the sport, but a little respect would be nice

i am not happy with people talking shit, when they know what has happened

I might join the speedway riders club or the sidecar association cos mnz is almost a political party now? Certainly seem to be censoring what their members read

Tend to agreee,
Personally i like / prefer the idea of a " public forum " like KB - the very name of it invites any party from any angle to participate in a discussion about any matter.

Sure there are a bunch of one-eyed nutters and banjo playing 3 fingered nupties getting their 2 cents worth of comments in as well, but it often takes someone with a differnet angle on life or someone with no political connections to the sport to see the wood for the trees.

The bonus along the way, is that a lot of comments are riddled with good ole fashioned kiwi knocking, short-mans disease sarcastic humour...........

[jellywrestler]

Sure there are a bunch of one-eyed nutters and banjo playing 3 fingered nupties getting their 2 cents worth of comments in as well,

hey, Formula Three/ superlite riders are people too!!!

[Drew]

The bonus along the way, is that a lot of comments are riddled with good ole fashioned kiwi knocking, short-mans disease sarcastic humour...........

You forgot to mention the gingas. Day walkers sometimes post here too.

I think a lot of the problem with the form being open, is all the dribble that gets said because of no accountability. Few people on here are willing to say what they really think, and then follow it up with their name.

Real names and licence numbers would make people take it more seriously...prolly not me though.

[codgyoleracer]

hey, Formula Three/ superlite riders are people too!!!

Are you mad ?, who wants to listen to those tossers :-)

[shoutout]

The structure of the whole set up with MNZ serving clubs and the clubs serving the licence holders is how it was designed and how it still operates. Perhaps this is now past its use by date?

Do not get me wrong, I am sure MNZ can improve direct communication but doing this will only serve to increase the drift from the clubs from the licence holders as the need to be connected further reduces. Clubs without the support of active members taking part in running the club, organising events and helping out at events will spell the end of clubs as we know them. GUYS...its the clubs that run the events we all enjoy riding at...NO clubs = No events. So then private individuals will take over running events for profit, not for the love and passion of the sport and motorcycling as the clubs do now.

So how should it be? Does MNZ drive people back to the clubs so the sport and the clubs are better for it????

Very keen to get some constructive views and opinions.....The board sees the trend and is very mindful of what is occurring. The clubs are the sport right now, MNZ is only the administrator....think about it.


Kevin Goddard

Hi

My 2cent, i have been involved in our sport from 2009, bought a road bike, rode around thinking shit this is great, had a friend invite me to a track day and bought a track bike fallowing month. Down to track and ride very slowly, but the members of our sport where and are still very supportive. I joined my local club and have been a committee member since 2010 trying to give back and grow our sport.
I was one of the team members who helped run one of the National rounds, and just loved it, i was so thrilled to see ideas develop for the benefit of our national riders, and separators.
I'm still a committee member and now putting together a true Supermoto track at Ruapuna, my business partner and i have invested 100 of hours each and thousands of dollars to get this off the ground and to date no profit and will be no profit for a while, WHY.. we are passionate about our sport we believe" build a track and they will come " but also we realize that having a track is not the be all. We are trying to promote our sport for the spectators, we wont survive if we don't plan to support our sponsors, and make it a show, hence all dirt section down at A track not B track, this is where the spectators stand ,sit have a picnic. If we get the crowds to watch and support, we get more sponsors, we provide a show, we entertain.
Yes love racing and we will have some of the best in the world GP circuit riders coming to support us, goal is to put on a event that will be a big show like bringing the circus to town, if we get the spectators we want, we make a profit, we don't make a profit from riders just do the maths, but they do help support our goal.
My club is helping me get a MNZ permit (thank you ) and i love this sport and putting my BALLS on the line to grow our sport and make a profit.

Win Win for us all

Cheers Dean James Shoutout Events

[Billy]

You forgot to mention the gingas. Day walkers sometimes post here too.

I think a lot of the problem with the form being open, is all the dribble that gets said because of no accountability. Few people on here are willing to say what they really think, and then follow it up with their name.

Real names and licence numbers would make people take it more seriously...prolly not me though.

Now that right there is why you'd be a useless Roadrace commissioner,You have correlated ALL the facts and know exactly what this is about,MOST on here just read a couple of posts and form an opinion without having a clue.

Anybody else read the article in the Herald this morning about the police monitoring websites??????
Fits with some of the action taken earlier in the week following a particular thread on this very site,The investigation into Paeroa had some unusual twists we don't normally see and believe me theres plenty more to come with possibly some huge ramifications for roadracing.

Talk about a kneejerk reaction,Nobody is suggesting closing down KB or stopping people from having their say on here,Open discussion so to speak can still be had,But be careful what you say on here from now on if your an MNZ member is all we ask.

[RobGassit]

I'm still a committee member and now putting together a true Supermoto track at Ruapuna, my business partner and i have invested 100 of hours each and thousands of dollars to get this off the ground and to date no profit and will be no profit for a while, WHY.. we are passionate about our sport we believe" build a track and they will come " but also we realize that having a track is not the be all. We are trying to promote our sport for the spectators, we wont survive if we don't plan to support our sponsors, and make it a show, hence all dirt section down at A track not B track, this is where the spectators stand ,sit have a picnic. If we get the crowds to watch and support, we get more sponsors, we provide a show, we entertain.
Yes love racing and we will have some of the best in the world GP circuit riders coming to support us, goal is to put on a event that will be a big show like bringing the circus to town, if we get the spectators we want, we make a profit, we don't make a profit from riders just do the maths, but they do help support our goal.
My club is helping me get a MNZ permit (thank you ) and i love this sport and putting my BALLS on the line to grow our sport and make a profit.

Win Win for us all

Cheers Dean James Shoutout Events

This sounds really exciting. Promoters like yourself are a huge part of the future for Motorcycle Sport in NZ. The likes of the very successful TRI Series, born at Wanganui and the World Speedway at the Springs are the way the world is moving. Events like the Troy Bayliss Classic recently run in OZ could be as successfull here as the Burt Munroe or The Sound of Thunder. I went to see the Nitro Circus tour recently, and the formula for getting bums on seats, and general public bums at that, is working great for them. Motard Racing, like Flat Track, is some of the very best racing you will see anywhere in the world. Well overlooked in my opinion.

[roadracingoldfart]

Billy, I agree that a closed MNZ members forum is actually good idea. However, admin, getting folk to signup and "traction" is a first class PITA (especially the first item on that list). Many of us have been there, done that.

Why reinvent the wheel?
How about asking MentalTroosers to create a closed subforum on Kiwibitcher that a few MNZ member(s) can moderate
OR
Do similar with farcebook (generally has the advantage of real names etc too).

The anti Intertwebber old farts can keep using ye olde telephone and postal system if they wish to spend more time and money than necessary.

Also, how you gonna correlate who's a current MNZ member (and who's roadracing) without some sort of interaction with the MNZ secretary or online database?

Last but not least, you need to ensure that valid outcomes are made public if it's a closed forum. Dont' want it to end up as some old boys club where everyone who's not in it is left in the dark. Say what you like about Kiwibiker but it's openness has got a hell of a lot of people into racing, asking questions and finding out about events and rules that they'd otherwise be in the dark about.

Who the fuck are you calling an Old Fart buddy ???

I'll take the job. Should be a bit of fun. I'm approachable, friendly, and tolerant.

You forgot level headed and portly.

Call the office first thing Monday and we'll get the ball rolling then

Stop taking advantage of Drews vulnerable side.

Tend to agreee,
Sure there are a bunch of one-eyed nutters and banjo playing 3 fingered nupties getting their 2 cents worth of comments in as well, .......

Not everybody in this sport is a Holden driver from Palmy you know .

[Billy]

Not everybody in this sport is a Holden driver from Palmy you know .

Err get it right mate Jag....Waaaaaaa driver from Palmy

[slowpoke]

Well now here is the funny thing. MNZ's primary customer that it serves are the MNZ affliated Clubs all over NZ that all MNZ licence holders must be a member of to get said licence. All MNZ communications are sent directly to the clubs, stewards and officials as needed or required (immediately if its urgent). The only direct relationship riders have with MNZ is getting their licence yet it is becoming apparent that the licence holders all want a direct relationship. Go back a few years and the clubs also did the licences. MNZ licence holders are no longer linked in with their clubs and/or their clubs are not communicating with them. How many clubs are sending out the information or adding it to the monthly newsletters? How many licence holders attend their club meetings to hear what is happening and hear or read the correspondence that is sent?

I know this trend of riders not been actively involved with clubs has been happening for a while and its not getting better...in fact its getting worse.

The structure of the whole set up with MNZ serving clubs and the clubs serving the licence holders is how it was designed and how it still operates. Perhaps this is now past its use by date?

Do not get me wrong, I am sure MNZ can improve direct communication but doing this will only serve to increase the drift from the clubs from the licence holders as the need to be connected further reduces. Clubs without the support of active members taking part in running the club, organising events and helping out at events will spell the end of clubs as we know them. GUYS...its the clubs that run the events we all enjoy riding at...NO clubs = No events. So then private individuals will take over running events for profit, not for the love and passion of the sport and motorcycling as the clubs do now.

So how should it be? Does MNZ drive people back to the clubs so the sport and the clubs are better for it????

Very keen to get some constructive views and opinions.....The board sees the trend and is very mindful of what is occurring. The clubs are the sport right now, MNZ is only the administrator....think about it.


Kevin Goddard

Ours is a particularly fragmented sport though eh, Kev? It's not footy or tennis or Scottish bush bashing (golf) where everyone lives within a 2 iron of the clubhouse. Look at VMCC where the members are strewn from Taranaki to Hawkes Bay and all points in between, and actual mambers located within the Wellington metro area I'm guessing are in the minority. Is it reasonable to expect a big turnout for committee meetings? Not to mention free time seems to be at more and more of a premium these days, with evenings in front of the telly becoming less and less the norm.

I dunno, MNZ communicating to members via clubs seems to be a fairly roundabout way of getting the job done and surely only gives clubs one more thing to do? Why wait a month for the next newsletter when every MNZ member could know (insert safety/competition info here) virtually instantly with the press of a "send" key.

But doesn't all this correlate nicely with an MNZ forum? Separate Club area's whereby clubs could interact far more easily/quickly/intimately with more of it's members more of the time? Seriously, clubs could get a general feeling for issues within hours, not wait days or weeks for feedback that might never come. Far from distancing members I can see the possibility for members to become far more involved, and peronally invested which may just translate into more hands on involvement too?

How about interaction between clubs? How much of that goes on at the moment? It's always suprised me that there isn't more social stuff, like some sort of Vic Club expedition down South. Bugger the NZSBK serious face, weeks off work, and shitloads of spares etc, just cram as many bikes into as few trailers as possible and head down for a fun weekend. How hard would it be via newsletters etc to gauge interest and organise? Versus how easy with some sort of internet forum?