Tree climbing is a spectator sport and New Zealanders are world-class at it, so if you're in Dunedin next weekend get along to the national tree climbing champs, says Zane Wedding (Ngāti Kuri, Ngāti Pikiao).
Zane Wedding in action Photo: supplied
Zane is currently ranked the fourth best tree climber in the country and is also a senior lecturer in arboriculture (tree maintenance) at the Manukau Institute of Technology.
To be a good competitive tree climber you have to be a good arborist and you also have to practice… a lot, he tells Kim Hill.
Tree climbing involves a number of events including the Secured Footlock, for which New Zealander Chrissy Spence holds the world record.
Watch NZ tree climber Chrissy Spence in action:
Zane's favourite event is Aerial Rescue – in which climbers have to rescue a dummy hanging in a tree – for the creativity of movement it allows.
In a tree climbing competition, grace of movement – such as how delicately someone lands on a branch – is assessed, as well as how high and how fast they can move through trees, he says.
"If you can move onto a branch without making that branch move and if you can demonstate complete control when you're up there a judge will score you really well for that.
"It's very much in-tree ballet."
Watch NZ tree climber James Kilpatrick in action:
The New Zealand winners will go on to next year's world tree climbing champs in Tennessee.
To become a world champ, like Kiwis Chrissy Spence, James Kilpatrick and Nicky Ward-Allen, you've got to practice a lot, be really fit and have highly refined techniques, Zane says.
The 2018 Husqvarna National Tree Climbing Championships will be held on 9-10 November at The Reserve, Museum of Otago, Dunedin.
Watch NZ tree climber Nicky Ward-Allen in action:
