Event Information - Taitonga South Island Orienteering Champs 2023

Taitonga South Island Champs – Middle Distance

Saturday 28 January 2023 – Moturoa West / Rabbit Island

Registration open: 10 AM
Start times: First start from 11 AM
Course closure: 2.30 PM
Map: Moturoa West / Rabbit Island
Mapper: Michael Croxford (2022, minor updates 2023)
Event centre: Moturoa Amphitheatre
Event centre GPS coordinates: -41.263093, 173.138175
Terrain: Open fast, intricate, forested sand dunes
Map scales: 1:10,000, 1:7,500, 1:5,000
Map contours: 2.5 m
Planner: Amelia Horne
Controller: Matt Ogden

Embargoed area

The area west of Parking is strictly Out of Bounds except for the access route to the Arena. Out of bounds areas in the vicinity of the arena and competition area will be marked on the ground.

Directions

The main access road to Moturoa/Rabbit Island leaves SH60 about 7km north from its junction with SH6 in Richmond. Moturoa/Rabbit Island Domain, where the parking is located, is approximately 15mins / 14km from Richmond & 35mins / 30km from Motueka.

Parking

Parking will be at the west end of the Rabbit Island Domain as designated. The route between the parking and the arena crosses a public road. Please take care when crossing.

Out of Bounds

The area west of Parking is strictly Out of Bounds except for the access route to the Arena. Out of Bounds areas in the vicinity of the arena and competition area will be marked on the ground.

Event Centre

The event centre is in a natural amphitheatre in the forest, 5-10 minutes easy walk from the parking. Toilets will be located on forest roads between the parking and the arena.

Warm-up Area

Warm-up is between the Arena and Parking.

Start and Finish

Start and Finish are both in the Arena.

Terrain

The terrain is varied sand dune pine forest, with trees in various stages of growth. Contour detail is intricate, with features becoming more subtle as you move inland from the main beach. Courses keep to areas of predominantly good visibility while runnability varies. It ranges from poor to good, with differing levels of rotting logs and other low undergrowth. The longer courses will pass through small areas of poor runnability. This undergrowth combined with a few patches of very low level blackberry raise the recommendation for full leg cover.

Specific map symbols

There are areas of dense young pines which have not been mapped as they are not useable for orienteering. The courses avoid these areas and will not affect competitors, but they are still present on the map. The text “DETAIL NOT MAPPED” is used on the map in these areas.

Hazards

All courses cross MTB tracks with the yellow and white courses in particular making use of the tracks as part of their courses. These are designated MTB tracks so please give way to MTBs. Signage will be installed at entry points to the tracks to warn of the event taking place.
Safety bearing is north to the beach.

Full body cover is recommended.

“I love orienteering at Moturoa, because I can see that I’m doing better each time.”
Diana Worthy, Nelson Orienteering Club member and volunteer during SIOC2023

Middle – Courses

Course			Distance	Map scale	Climb (m)	Grade	Controls
	Men	Women
1	M21E, M20E		5.5	1:10,000	60	Red	18
2a	M21A	W21E, W20E	4.6	1:10,000	50	Red	17
2b	M40A		4.6	1:7,500	50	Red	17
3a	M18A, M20A		4.5	1:10,000	50	Red	15
3b	M50A		4.5	1:7,500	50	Red	15
4a		W21A	4.2	1:10,000	50	Red	15
4b		W40A	4.2	1:7,500	50	Red	15
5a	M16A	W18A, W20A	4.1	1:10,000	40	Red	15
5b		W50A	4.1	1:7,500	40	Red	15
6a		W16A	3.5	1:10,000	35	Red	12
6b	M60A		3.5	1:5,000	35	Red	12
7	M70A	W60A	3.4	1:5,000	30	Red	13
	Rec-Red Middle	Rec-Red Middle	3.4	1:5,000	30	Red	13
8	M80A+	W70A, W80+	2.0	1:5,000	20	Red	10
	Rec-Red Short	Rec-Red Short	2.0	1:5,000	20	Red	10
9	M14A	W14A	3.7	1:10,000	40	Orange	13
10	Rec-Orange	Rec-Orange	3.7	1:10,000	40	Orange	13
11	M12A	W12A	2.4	1:7,500	30	Yellow	11
	Rec-Yellow	Rec-Yellow	2.4	1:7,500	30	Yellow	11
12	M10	W10	2.1	1:7,500	20	White	13
	MW10N, Rec-White	MW10N, Rec-White	2.1	1:7,500	20	White	13

Taitonga South Island Champs – Sprint Distance

Saturday 28 January 2023 – Nayland College, Stoke, Nelson

Registration opens: 5 PM
Start times: First start from 6 PM
Course Closure: 8 PM
Map: Nayland schools – Nayland Primary School, Broadgreen Intermediate and Nayland College, Stoke, Nelson
Terrain: Intricate network of paths and covered walkways linking a range of buildings on three campuses
Mapper: Michael Croxford (November 2022)
Event centre location: Nayland College Gym
Event centre – GPS coordinates: -41.303851, 173.230980
Map scales: 1:2,000, 1:3,000
Map contours: 2 m
Map flip: Yes, for courses 1-3
Planner: Daniel Penney
Controller: Calum Coombs

Out of Bounds areas

All three Nayland schools, Nayland Primary School, Broadgreen Intermediate School and Nayland College, are out of bounds until the start of the competition. There are a few out of bounds areas on the school terrain due to construction, marked on the map. These areas are fenced off.

Directions

Please access the Nayland schools from the south, as indicated by the map. Correct google maps directions

Travel north on Nayland Road, turning left into Norwich Street (opposite the Primary School) and driving down to Thetford Chase. Park on Norwich Street or Leicester Street which loops back round to Norwich. Entry to the Arena will be through Thetford Chase and across the field. Orienteering signage will be located on the Nayland Road/Norwich Street corner.

If you do find yourself heading down Nayland Road from the north, travel past the College with your eyes on the road (and the road only) and turn right into Norwich street.

Parking

Please park on Norwich, Leicester Streets or Seaview Road and access the school from the Thetford Chase walkway/bridge and cross the field to the arena (College gym). Nayland College itself is out of bounds – do not enter Nayland College from Nayland Road.

Please note: Out of respect for the local residents please only park on the inside of the Norwich/Leicester road loop so the road is still able to take two way traffic.

Start and Finish

To rattle even the most seasoned orienteer, the Start and Finish have been placed in two different locations. The Start is located at Nayland Primary School, next to the dairy on Nayland Road. Please use the zebra crossing on Nayland Road to get to the start.

The Finish and the Event centre are located at the Nayland College Gym.

Event centre

The Event centre will be at the Nayland College Gym. Please see the parking information and follow the indicated route to the Event centre area, entering via the Nayland College sportfields only.

There is plenty of seating and grassy areas for a picnic dinner during/after the event. Bring your own dinner, grab some on the way in from Rabbit Island or smash some fish and chips at Two Little Fish which is just by the start line (1km from the arena).

Toilets

There are toilets at the Event centre / Finish. There are no toilets at the start area. There are public toilets located at Broadgreen House where the model map is, approximately 300m from the start.

Warm-up Area

From the arena to the start is approximately 1 km, which should be sufficient to break a sweat. There will be a model map provided at the Broadgreen Historic House Gardens which is an extra 300m from the start area. Maps will be at the model map start (next to the road and sign posted). Please return the map to the start once you are done with it.

The model map will be loaded up onto MapRun! (available on the day) So preload your watch and practise at full speed and compare your inferior result against the map creator 🏃💨

Terrain

The terrain is typical for a Kiwi school. At the Nayland schools you will find sealed paths and courts, grassy fields, barked and rubber playgrounds. Plenty of steps, fences gates (both open and closed) and walls will be added to spice things up. As it is a weekend, you shouldn’t have to fight off many tamariki for a turn on the swings.

Specific map symbols

There are multi level areas on the map which will use the ISSOM2019-2 symbol for an area passable at two levels. See https://omapwiki.orienteering.sport/symbols/512-3-area-passable-at-two-levels/ for more information

Below are some examples of what are passable and impassable on the map. There are many fences, gates and walls that are a mixture of both impassable and passable. Always check your map, as we will check your Strava 😉.

Hazards

Hazards to be expected are similar to any urban sprint event. Competitors should take care running around blind corners, especially when trying to read the map, so as not to collide with a competitor coming the other way. The terrain has steps and levels changes. If conditions are wet, the paths and sport fields may be slippery.

There are some sections of canopy that have a lower than ideal head height. If you are unreasonably tall, please be aware of this. We will make an effort to mark these out, but can not do this for every path you may take.

Given the Sprint takes place on a weekend, it is expected the school grounds will be quiet, but there may be staff or members of the public moving around the competition area. Please be considerate of other users of the space and avoid collisions with them, especially in narrow passageways and on stairs. There is a possibility of vehicles moving in the school car parks and driveways.

There are many gates, fences and walls marked as crossable on the map. Please take extra care if you choose to cross these features. Always check to determine if what looks crossable is marked as crossable on the map (see above for examples).

It is recommended that footwear with good grip is worn.

Road crossing

All courses cross a public road once, using a regular pedestrian (zebra) crossing. There will be a control on both sides of the crossing that must be punched. This leg will be removed from a competitor’s overall time and is not part of the actual race.

There will be a marshal at the road crossing: please walk steadily over the crossing, obeying all road rules and the directions given by the marshal.

Between crossing controls and while waiting to cross, you are not allowed to look at your map.

Sprint Courses

Course			Distance (km)	Map scale	Map flip?	Level
	Men	Women
1	M20E, M21E		3.6	1:3,000	Yes	Difficult
2	M16A, M18A, M20A, M21A, M40A	W20E, W21E	3.3	1:3,000	Yes	Difficult
3	M50		2.9	1:3,000	Yes	Difficult
4	M14A	W16A, W18A, W20A, W21A	2.6	1:3,000	No	Difficult
5	M60A	W14A, W40A, W50A	2.4	1:3,000	No	Difficult
6	M70A	W60A	2.0	1:2,000	No	Difficult
	Rec Red-Med	Rec Red-Med	2.0	1:2,000	No	Difficult
7	M80A, M90A	W70A, W80A, W90A	1.4	1:2,000	No	Difficult
	Rec Red-Short	Rec Red-Short	1.4	1:2,000	No	Difficult
8	Rec Orange	Rec Orange	2.3	1:3,000	No	Moderate
9	M12A	W12A	1.8	1:2,000	No	Moderate
	Rec Yellow	Rec Yellow	1.8	1:2,000	No	Moderate
10	M10	W10	1.3	1:2,000	No	Easy
	MW10N, Red White	MW10N, Rec White	1.3	1:2,000	No	Easy
Model map	Everyone	Everyone	0.7	1:2,000	No	Impossible

Taitonga South Island Champs – Long Distance

Sunday 29 January 2023 – Teetotal / West Bay, St. Arnaud, Nelson Lakes

Registration opens: 10 AM
Start times: First start from 11 AM
Course closure: 3 PM
Map: Buller River Flats: West Bay, Teetotal Flats & Teetotal Flats West
Mappers: Mike Wimpenny, Jason Markham, Nick Smith, Graham Teahan, Bryan Teahan & Michael Croxford
Event centre location: Helicopter Landing Flats – West Bay
Event centre – GPS coordinates: -41.802799, 172.807002
Terrain: Glacial moraine and alluvial features. Erratic boulders set in fast open grassed flats and slow manuka/kanuka forest. Generally flat with intricate contour features in parts.
Map scales: 1:10,000, 1:7:500, 1:5,000
Map contours: 5m
Planner: Riley Croxford
Controller: Michael Croxford

“My favourite orienteering terrain in the Nelson region is West Bay: it’s hard, technical and unforgiving.”
Michael Croxford, controller for the Long and longstanding NOC member

Embargoed area

West Bay and all parts of Teetotal Flats. Camping on the evening of Saturday 28 January 2023 is allowed at the DOC Teetotal and Kerr Bay Campsites. No camping is allowed at the West Bay or Teetotal (Self-Contained) Campsites.

Directions

Drive south from Nelson approximately 30km on State Highway 6 to just past the historic windmill at Belgrove. Turn left into Wai-iti Valley Road and follow road signs for 45km to St Arnaud through Golden Downs and Kikiwa to State Highway 63. Turn right and travel 7km through St Arnaud. The main parking area at the DOC Teetotal Campsite is a further 1.7km on your right after the Alpine Lodge.
To access the priority parking area, as detailed below, at Helicopter Landing Pad Flats drive a further 400m along the State Highway and turn left on to Mt Robert Road. The parking area is 500m on your right, please note that this is a 30 kmph road.

Parking

There is a parking area at the gravelled area outside the DOC Teetotal Campsite with a 10 minute walk to the arena via the Moraine Walking Track. Please park at least one car length away from the road verge. This is strictly limited to 30 vehicles only. If this limit has been reached you must park in St Arnaud and walk via the Brunner Peninsula Walking Track or the Moraine Walk to the Arena. The entrance to the track to the Arena is directly opposite on the southern side of the State Highway. Please cross at a point directly opposite the track entrance and do not linger near the road.

Limited priority parking is available for volunteers, families (MW12 and under) and over 65s (Gold Card Holders) only at the arena at Helicopter Landing Pad Flats. Please do not use this option if you do not meet the criteria even if there are spare car parks at the arena. We need to limit parking in this area as part of our access agreement. Parking at the jetty a bit further down the road around the bend is not allowed either.
If you are staying in St Arnaud Village please consider walking via Brunner Peninsula Walking Track or the Moraine Walk to the Arena.
The limitations on parking are in our DOC Access Permit. Please respect these restrictions so that we may continue to have access to this area for orienteering.

Out of bounds areas

All of Teetotal Flats is out of bounds excluding the DOC Teetotal Campsite. All of West Bay is out of bounds excluding the Arena at Helicopter Landing Pad Flats, the wharf at West Bay, and the Moraine Walking Track from Teetotal to the Arena.

Event centre

The event centre is at the Helicopter Landing Pad Flats where the Finish and Results Centre will be (see diagram). There is limited shelter so please consider bringing your own shade/shelter. A low speed road dissects the Flats – please only cross at the marked crossing point.

Warm-up Area

For warming up, participants on courses 1 to 6 may use the Village Link Track that starts at the Ice Skating Pond at the DOC Teetotal Carpark and heads east towards St Arnaud. Please do not use the Moraine Walking Track to warm-up (except for walking/jogging to the Teetotal Campsite).

Participants on courses 7 to 12 please use the Brunner Peninsula Walking Track for warming up. This track starts at the West Bay public toilet beside the wharf and heads back towards St Arnaud along the lake shore.

Start and Finish

The start for Courses 1 to 6 is a 10-15 minute walk from the Event centre via the Moraine Walking Track back via the main parking area. Please remember to be careful to cross SH63 at the designated crossing point and do not linger by the road. Please give plenty of time to reach the start.

Courses 7 to 12 has a 2 minute walk from the arena along Mt Robert Road to the wharf at West Bay. Please be careful of vehicles along the route to the start. Young children need to be supervised. Do not use the road or parking area at West Bay wharf to warm-up, please use the Brunner Peninsula Walking Track.

Water

There will be water controls available at marked locations for Courses 1 to 4 and at the control before the compulsory route for Courses 1 to 6.

Specific map symbols and notes

State Highway 63 is strictly out of bounds. You may not cross the road or run beside it within the road reserve. A special purple infill of the road symbol has been used to emphasise this.
Courses 1 to 6 will pass under the bridge on State Highway 63 at the Buller River.

On the map it is marked with a purple crossing symbol and a taped route from the last control on Teetotal Flats and leads to a start triangle on the West Bay side of the road. Please remember to punch the control at the start of this mandatory route.
On the ground there will be a tape leading from the fence corner at the last control to the start triangle on West Bay. The taped route crosses the fence, goes under the bridge and along a track to the start triangle marked on the ground as a control stake and flag.

There has been significant regrowth of the manuka/kanuka forest within clearings in the last few years and the edges of the clearings have become vague in parts. The new growth is still relatively easy to pass through and doesn’t affect runnability.
It has been very dry up at the lake in the last month or so and most mapped marshes and ponds are currently dry and may be difficult to see. However, as this is an alpine environment significant rain could result in standing water in marshes. You are warned.

Hazards

Wasps	Numbers can be very high in the native bush around Nelson Lakes National Park. They can be very aggressive, and are capable of stinging multiple times. Once a nest is disturbed, wasps can swarm. Thankfully, they do not tend to nest in the manuka/kanuka forests on the Buller River Flats and are in relatively low numbers. If disturbed, leave the area immediately.
Bees	The manuka/kanuka trees were flowering in early January and there are hives present on Teetotal Flats marked on the map as a small out of bounds area but not taped in the field. If you are allergic to bees please carry your own epipen with you and inform the event organisers prior to your race.
Compulsory route for Course 1 to 6	There is a compulsory route to follow from Teetotal Flats to West Bay, as detailed in the Specific Map Symbols section. The route crosses a fence, goes under the State Highway bridge and traverses some rocky ground. All competitors must pass through this route.
State Highway	The State Highway is strictly out of bounds unless crossing between the main parking area and the Moraine Walkway. Please do not linger near it as it is an 80kmph zone. Young children must be supervised in this area.
Road Crossing along Mt Roberts Road	All courses cross Mt Roberts Road at least once. It is a low speed environment (30 kmph) but vehicles have the right of way. Please brief young competitors regarding crossing these roads before they compete.
Lake Rotoiti and Buller River	Some courses pass close to the Buller River and competitors are advised that this is a fast flowing river that is not safe to enter. Some courses have controls along the lake foreshore, these may require some wading if there has been significant rainfall in the week prior to the event.
Weather	St Arnaud is in an Alpine Environment being at just over 600m above sea level. Weather can be highly variable and please ensure that you are prepared from all conditions from very still hot days to very cold wet conditions.
Firing Range	There is a small firing range on Teetotal Flats used for sighting guns. It is marked on the map as out of bounds and signposted in the field but not taped.
Fire Danger	Please follow any instructions issued by Fire and Emergency NZ. If you hear six long blasts on a car horn move immediately to the State Highway or the Lake shore.
Eye Protection	The manuka/kanuka is dense in parts and can be difficult to pass through in places. Please consider eye protection.

“West Bay is my favourite orienteering terrain in the Nelson area because you can have a refreshing dip afterwards and it is always challenging because of the dense, unique vegetation.”
Jane Orbell, Nelson Orienteering Club member & volunteer during SIOC2023

Long – courses

Course	Class		Distance (km)	Map scale	Climb (m)	Grade	Controls
	Men	Women
1	M21E		14.3	1:10,000	200	Red	35
2	M20E		11.4	1:10,000	170	Red	28
3		W21E	9.3	1:10,000	145	Red	26
4a	M18A, M20A, M21A	W20E	7.6	1:10,000	125	Red	22
4b	M40A		7.6	1:7,500	125	Red	22
5a	M16A		5.7	1:10,000	100	Red	20
5b	M50A	W40A	5.7	1:7,500	100	Red	20
6a		W16A, W18A, W20A, W21A	4.8	1:10,000	75	Red	15
6b		W50A	4.8	1:7,500	75	Red	15
6c	M60A		4.8	1:5,000	75	Red	15
7	M70A	W60A	2.9	1:5,000	45	Red	10
	Rec-Red Middle	Rec-Red Middle	2.9	1:5,000	45	Red	10
8	M80A+	W70A, W80A+	1.7	1:5,000	25	Red	8
	Rec-Red Short	Rec-Red Short	1.7	1:5,000	25	Red	8
9	M14A		3.4	1:7,500	60	Orange	9
10a		W14A	2.7	1:7,500	45	Orange	7
10b	Rec-Orange	Rec-Orange	2.7	1:5,000	45	Orange	7
11	M12A	W12A	1.6	1:5,000	35	Yellow	9
	Rec-Yellow	Rec-Yellow	1.6	1:5,000	35	Yellow	9
12	M10	W10	1.2	1:5,000	25	White	11
	MW10N, Rec-White	MW10N, Rec-White	1.2	1:5,000	25	White	11

General event information

Directions and parking

Each event will be signposted with square orange/white orienteering signs and a directional arrow and there are required parking areas. Please read the specific sections per event, especially for the urban Sprint event.

Event Centre / arena

Each race will have an event centre or arena, which will incorporate Registration, Finish, Download and the unofficial O-Lynx results display. Registration is where competitors pick up their pre-hired SIAC and/or compass. There are no race bibs. A copy of the start list and Bulletin 2 is available at Registration, and it is also the place for any Lost & Found property.

There will be no tent space available for competitors, so participants are encouraged to bring their own tents.

Parking differs per event: please make sure you are familiar with each event’s parking set-up, especially for the Sprint and the Long.

Mobile phone coverage is available at all three arenas.

Water

There will be no water at the event centre: please bring your own, and bring plenty. There is no water on any of the courses, with the exception of the Long (course 1 – 6 only) on Sunday.

Clothing

Full body cover is recommended for the non-urban events, to protect arms and legs from vegetation.

Smoking

Open fires or smoking (including vaping) is prohibited during all three events.

Dogs

Dogs are not allowed at any of the event sites during the Taitonga South Island Orienteering Champs.

Waste

Taitonga SIOC2023 aims to be eco-friendly, and to leave each site at least as clean as you found it, tidier no problem. This event will operate under a ‘Pack-in, Pack-out’ policy, so if you carry it into the venue, please carry it out again.

First aid

An external medical service provider will not be available during the Middle and Sprint events on Saturday 28/1/2023. We ask that you bring your own first aid kit and tend to minor injuries such as cuts and grazes yourself. A first aid kit is also available at Registration.

An external medical service provider will be available at the Long on Sunday, located at/near the Event centre.

In a medical situation where you need professional help:

For a medical emergency: call 111 and ask for an ‘ambulance’, or go to the Nelson Hospital Emergency Department on 98 Waimea Road, Nelson. Phone number: (03) 5468881
For urgent medical attention, but not an emergency: go to the ‘Medical & Injury Centre, 98 Waimea Road, Nelson, next to Nelson Hospital Emergency Department, Nelson. Phone number: (03) 546 1800.

Whistles

It is strongly encouraged to carry a whistle for both non-urban events. The recognised distress signal is a series of six short blasts on a whistle. Pause and listen for reply and repeat to allow them to locate you. Please only use your whistle in an emergency. Competitors are expected to render assistance to anyone who is injured and requires help. Please make event officials aware of the issue, so they can organise the appropriate response, including adjusting your overall time.

Weather

The weather at this time of the year can vary, with temperatures between 16 and 25 degrees Celsius. New Zealand weather is quite variable and prone to rapid changes, especially in the mountainous areas. So be prepared with both sun hats, sunscreen and extra water if it turns out to be a lovely Nelson summer day, but also with warmer clothing.

Evacuation

Competitors are responsible for their own safety. Evacuation could be required in a number of scenarios, including fire or strong wind. Use common sense and take action if you smell smoke or experience an earthquake. Make sure you are safe, which could include abandoning your course. Help any other competitors to evacuate if that is safe.

The evacuation direction is indicated per event.

If safe, evacuate to the Event centre, inform organisers, and download your SPORTident. If you evacuate to somewhere else for safety reasons, contact organisers. Call 111 if there is a fire or you require emergency assistance.

Photos and video

During the event, photos and videos may be taken and published on the Nelson Orienteering Club Facebook page and this event website. We encourage anybody who would like to share their photos for publishing on the Nelson Orienteering Club Facebook page, to please contact the organisers via email.

Orienteering gear for sale

During the weekend, you can buy gear from MAPsport Shop or Grassy Knoll.

MAPsport continues to support charities working in Ukraine with every Moscow compass sold, read more at www.mapsport.co.nz;
Grassy Knoll will have a small selection of gear (compasses, control description holders and gaiters) available at the event. For our full range please order online at www.grassyknoll.co.nz and place your order before the 23 January and we can bring your order to the event. Simply select ‘pick up’ as the delivery option.

Competition information

Fair play

All competitors shall behave with fairness and honesty. Attempts to gain any information related to the courses, beyond that provided by the organiser, is prohibited before and during the competition. A competitor who breaks any rule, or benefits from the breaking of any rule, may be disqualified.
As maps will not be collected at the finish on any day, we ask you to please do not show or discuss your map with any competitors (on any course) who have yet to run.

Maps

Competition maps are digitally printed on synthetic waterproof paper. The maps are produced using the current International Specification for Orienteering Maps (ISOM).

Control descriptions

For all classes, descriptions will be printed on the front of the map and be available loose at the start. For A-classes, only IOF symbol descriptions will be used. For those on orange difficulty courses, both IOF symbols and English written descriptions will be available. For classes on yellow and white courses, only English descriptions are provided.

Map legends

Legends are not printed on the map. You can download a legend/ description of orienteering mapping symbols here.

Controls

Each control is equipped with:

one electronic punching station (SI unit). Some control sites with high traffic (e.g. Finish) may have two SI units;
one backup needle punching device, only to be used if SI unit fails;
a white / orange control flag.

The control code is located on top of the SI unit, or on the tag on the side. There are many controls in the competition terrain, so it is important to check the control code when you punch.

Radio controls will be used at all three events at the Finish. This makes no difference for competitors.

Electronic timing

During SIOC2023, the SportIdent (SI) electronic punching system will be used, where the orienteer carries an SI Card (also known as ‘dibber’) on their finger. Each visited station at each control writes the time of the visit to the card. The control times are read out after the finish line to determine total race time, spli times, and whether all controls were visited in the correct order.

In addition, the SI Air+ contactless punching system is enabled, allowing orienteers to take advantage of the SportIdent Active Card or SIAC. Rather than inserting the SI card into the control station, a punch is recorded when the orienteer brings their card within a short distance (roughly 50cm) of the station. The station will beep and flash in the usual way, and the SIAC beeps and flashes to confirm the punch. SI Air+ also allows for run-through finish gates, where instead of stopping to punch a finish control, orienteers can pass through the gate at full speed and still have their finish time recorded.

The event run with SIAC is fully compatible with older SI cards – the same control stations are used and orienteers can insert their card into the stations to punch as usual.

Electronic punching

Please read the following instructions carefully:

Both types of cards must be cleared and checked before each race at the stations located in front of the start area – this is the responsibility of each competitor. Use the ‘clear’ box first, to remove data from your chip, and then punch the ‘check’ box. The check box also turns on SIAC.
At each control, either insert your SI-card into the control unit until the unit beeps and flashes, or pass your SIAC close to the control box and check that the SIAC beeps and flashes.
If you punch an incorrect control, ignore it and continue to the correct control; the extra punch will be disregarded by the results software.
If the SIAC stops working in Air mode (no beep or flash), it can still be used like a regular SI card and inserted to punch each station.
If an SI unit does not function (there is no beep and no flash) then use the pin punch attached to the control stand and punch on your map in one of the spaces provided. If you have pin punched any controls on your map you must hand the map in at the Download before leaving the Finish area and explain what you have done.
A competitor with a control punch missing or unidentifiable will not receive a result, unless it can be established that the punch missing or unidentifiable is not the competitor’s fault. If a competitor punches too fast and fails to receive the feedback signals, the card will not contain the punch and the competitor will not receive an overall time, even though the control unit may have recorded the competitor’s card number as an error punch. Note: SIAC does not record a punch in the control unit.
If you have hired a SIAC for your races, please return it to Registration after your final download. Lost or broken SIACs will incur a charge of $90 to cover the cost of a replacement.

Start

The start procedure will be the same for every event. Each competitor is responsible for following the marked route to the start area. The competition area is out of bounds until your start time.

The pre-start area has clear, check and SIAC battery check boxes in it. In the Start area, competitors will pass through three consecutive starting pens, and remain one minute in each one.

Each competitor is responsible for following the correct marked route to their Start area. The competition area is out of bounds until your start time. It is the competitor’s responsibility to be there on time. Report to the start when the clock shows your start time: the clock is set to three minutes before race time.

Start time	Description
-3 minutes	Volunteer officials will check your SI card, name and start time are correct. Each competitor punches the safety check box presented.
-2 minutes	Control description sheets are available for runners to pick up (optional). The control descriptions are also printed on the map.
-1 minute	Competitors wait beside the map box for their course. The five-second start-countdown will be indicated by a series of beeps. On the first (short) beep, competitors should pick up their maps and check it is for their course. Each competitor is responsible for taking the correct map.
	On the long (final) beep, competitors start their run, following the marked route to the start triangle which is indicated by a control with a flag (but without an SI punching unit) in the terrain and a triangle on the competition map. All competitors must pass within 2 metres of the start triangle.

Course splits

Some courses are split into (a), (b) and/or (c) versions. All versions of a course are identical except that each version is provided in a different scale depending on your class. All classes running a certain course have the same Control Descriptions. The participant is responsible for picking up the correct scale map for their class.

Late Start

Competitors who arrive at the start late must report to the late start lane where an official will accompany him/her and the competitor will start the race when told to do so, using a punch-start. The results of competitors who start late due to their own fault will be based on their original start time, without time compensation. Competitors who are late for their start time through no fault of their own will be timed from their new start time, determined by the event controller.

Event volunteers who are unable to make their allocated start time can identify themselves when arriving at the start. This competitor starts their race when told to do so by punching a start box, overwriting the previously allocated start time.

Shadowing

Shadowing by parents is not permitted in any championship classes, including M/W10A. If parents wish to shadow or directly assist their younger children, the children must have been entered in the non-competitive M/W10N (Novice) class. Although there are allocated times for MW10N, competitors can start whenever their shadow is ready. Caregivers shadowing MW10N must either be not competing or have already run their course. These young participants start their race when told to do so by punching a start box, overwriting the previously allocated start time.

Finish

The Finish is in the Event Centre for all three events. All competitors, including those competitors who do not complete the whole course, are required to pass and punch one of the Finish control boxes at the Finish or, when using SIAC, pass your SIAC over one with the card automatically turned off by the Finish control. Each competitor must download their SI-card at one of the manned download stations. This is also where potential downloading problems will be handled.

Competitors who do not download will be considered as missing, resulting in a search for this competitor. If you decide not to finish your race, please come back to the download area, so we know you are back safe and sound.

Results

Provisional live results will be displayed on the O-Lynx results display at the Arena. Official results will be available on the results page of the event website. Results on winsplits will be posted as soon as possible after each event.
Route Gadget and Maps for each event will be published as soon as possible.

Prize giving

There is no prize giving, with the exception of certificates for participants in the categories MW10N, W10, M10, W12A and M12A. These will be presented as soon as all participants in these categories have finished.

Results queries

If there is anything a competitor wishes to clarify about the download, or if a control failed to beep and flash, was missing, or any other problem occurred on the course, please proceed to the download station. Officials there, in consultation with the Controller, will assist to resolve the issue as soon as is practical. There is no punch enquiry fee.

Complaints and protests

Complaints and protests will be handled in accordance with the ONZ rules. Before a protest is made, you are entitled to complain to the controller about an infringement of the rules or organiser’s directions.

A complaint is made in writing on a form available from Registration, and handed to the controller as soon as possible, but within 60 minutes of the affected competitor finishing. A complaint is adjudicated by the controller. The controller’s decision on a complaint shall be advised to the complainant, and displayed on the results board as soon as possible, within no more than 60 minutes of the complaint having been received. If the complainant is not satisfied with the decision, a protest may be made against the controller’s decision.

Jury members

The ONZ technical Committee will appoint a jury of three ONZ A-grade controllers in advance of the event in accordance with the ONZ Rule 29.4.

	Saturday 28/1 – Middle	Saturday 28/1 – Sprint	Sunday 29/1 – Long
Chair	Jenni Adams (PAPO)	Jeff Greenwood (AOC)	Alister Metherell (PAPO)
Members	Greg Flynn (OBOP)	Carsten Joergenson (PAPO)	Bruce Peat (CMOC)
	Martin Crosby (AOC)	Tane Cambridge (PAPO)	Michael Wood (HVOC)
Reserve	Tane Cambridge (PAPO)	Martin Crosby (AOC)	Jenni Adams (PAPO)
	Alister Metherell (PAPO)	Michael Wood (HVOC)	Jeff Greenwood (AOC)


	Passable rail right. Impassable wall left		Passable fence below. Impassable above