Early in the last month we met for an NZU board meeting in Auckland. I managed to take a couple of days either side and rode my motorbike up and back to Wellington enjoying the, in some of the higher areas, cool but great weather on the way. I visited the Mana Aquatic Divers club to talk about what NZU were up to. I was impressed by the enthusiasm the club had and we had some good discussion about dive flags, catches etc. Thank you to all those that came to listen.

My club, Wellington Underwater club, hosted the Nelson Underwater club for a weekend and while the diving in Wellington is great the vis on the weekend was great.

I have been working towards getting an NZU photographic competition up and running for launch later this year and entries to be submitted over the summer with judging around Easter.

Somewhere in amongst it all I started a new job and all in all the month disappeared very quickly News from Phil Another month has passed and while the days are longer we haven't been able to enjoy it with such inclement weather. Through September the team have been working away on a number of projects which I will try to cover for you.

Pete has completed a submission for Mfish regarding the harvesting of Marcocystis (Bladder Kelp) as it is become another part of the ocean that is commercially viable. As Roger Grace presented on his recent road trip for NZU, our inshore weed belts are being seriously depleted by overfishing, as we all know, the weed is where all the juvenile fish take shelter as well as
being the home for thousands of other species that are so important for the ecology of our marine environment. The last thing we need as divers is the remaining haven for fish and crustaceans to be intentionally removed.

Australia has already made the mistake of allowing commercial harvesting of Bubble Kelp and is now realizing the error of such a decision. The board met at the start of the month along with Alan Warner and David Graham, both
trustees, to discuss how we continue to provide a first class air purity system to the nationwide network of stations that we currently serve. With Alan and David's expertise and experience coupled-with some industry wide consultation, NZU will be moving forward with a some exciting initiatives to ensure that safe diving for all participants remains one of our primary objectives.

Over a number of AGM's there has been questions regarding the Byers Memorial Fund and how it is managed. The board with the consent of the Byers family has now transferred this money to Spearfishing NZ.

Unfortunately Andrea, in the office has decided to move on to brighter things and will be finishing with NZU on the 9th of October so I'm sure that those of you who know Andrea will join me in wishing her all the best for the future and say a big thank you for her efforts.
You will notice that the newsletter has changed slightly as we continue to work on the format and improve the content. If your club could send your monthly publications into NZU we would be happy to let the rest of the country know what you are up to.

Organisation for an Underwater Expo at the Parnell Baths in Auckland is progressing and we are now asking for anyone who wishes to display at the Expo to let us know at NZU. I will be a great opportunity for underwater sports people and divers to get a look at what gear is available on the market, give gear a try and maybe get a friend in the water who hasn't tried it before.

I will be meeting with the Western Underwater Club during at the start of October before I depart for a working holiday in the warmer waters of Fiji. While I am talking about the tropic I would like to express my personal and that of NZU's sympathy for all the families affected by the recent disaster in Samoa and Tonga, I have a personal affection for the Pacific Island and spend a considerable amount of time diving there.

At least one of the operators who we are extremely close to has had their livelihood destroyed but luckily they have not suffered any personal harm. If anyone can do anything to help the people of these Pacific Island Communities I would implore you to do so.