This is just a thought at present and not in place as im wanting to get some feed back on this before seeing if it would be worth it and what it will take to get this setup and started in New Zealand.
As a owner of a kiteboarding centre/school in NZ my partner and i are IKO qualified and have been relatively happy with the IKO group, the IKO standards are good and all instructors get tought to teach clients the safest way and follow along the same teaching safety standards etc etc etc.
BUT as we talk to more and more IKO instructors, past IKO instructors and other kiters it seems like alot of people are not happy with IKO for there own certin reasons.
A big problem that myself and partner see is that alot of kiteboarding instructors around the world don't teach Safe Kiting pratices and don't teach alot of the important things like: self rescue, walk one hand, set up a kite, what size kite to put up in different wind conditions and safe kiteboarding locations etc etc etc.
For all water sports/activities or anyother sport in New Zealand you have to have qualified Instructors wether its for windsurfing, sailing, Kayacking, diving, Jet boating sky diving etc etc etc but for kiteboarding any joe blogs can start a school and not have to be qualified to teach. Do you think this is right?
Im keen to here what anyone else has to say and even some responses from other kiteboarding schools around NZ would be cool too.

Cheers

"A big problem that myself and partner see is that alot of kiteboarding instructors around the world don't teach Safe Kiting pratices and don't teach alot of the important things like: self rescue, walk one hand, set up a kite, what size kite to put up in different wind conditions and safe kiteboarding locations etc etc etc."

Have you seen that in NZ? I have not, and I would probably say NZ instructors are some of the most experienced clued up instructors in the world. You don't get anywhere else in the world with as much wind and varied conditions year round to build up an absolute wealth of experience. Your average NZ kiteboarding instructor, probably grew up in the water, is totally experienced with NZ weather and has an awful lot of common sense. They might have 100 times more water experience on average that those from other countries. On the flip side you potentially have someone that grew up inland in europe, doesn't even know what the red and yellow flags are for or what rips are and who saw a career path in kitesurfing instruction, who got in an ocean for the first time a year ago but met all the IKO criteria and got an IKO golden ticket - so i can see why there may be problems in the rest of the world.

I don't think it is a great idea, it could cause more problems than it resolves, and who is going to want to pay, run it - anyone with time to do that is probably exactly the wrong person for the job. Also NZ conditions can be sooo varied by location I am sure instructors have adopted teaching techniques of their own.

So far there have been no problems I am aware of, the kitesurfing community here are pretty damn good and upfront at communicating to anyone they thing might be putting anyone at risk for whatever reason and in a diplomatic, friendly and helpful way.

ok i share some teaching ideas, always open to new ideas...

When you put someone on an inflatable kite for the first time (preferably in the water...) - tie a leash (2/3/4m) to the 5th line /pump attachment point and wrap it around your wrist/ hold in your hand before you launch the kite - give them 15 minutes of controlling the first 30 degrees of the kite. You have full control of instant depower while they are getting to grips and it is much safer - you save cash in slammed kite doing this too.

Get them to activate all the quick releases 3 times - once for real with kite in air (chicken loop release) and twice pulling them around on land. This is because everyone is scared of releasing unless they are familiar with teh fact that you release sooner that later!

njoi

"A big problem that myself and partner see is that alot of kiteboarding instructors around the world don't teach Safe Kiting pratices and don't teach alot of the important things like: self rescue, walk one hand, set up a kite, what size kite to put up in different wind conditions and safe kiteboarding locations etc etc etc."

Have you seen that in NZ? I have not, and I would probably say NZ instructors are some of the most experienced clued up instructors in the world. You don't get anywhere else in the world with as much wind and varied conditions year round to build up an absolute wealth of experience. Your average NZ kiteboarding instructor, probably grew up in the water, is totally experienced with NZ weather and has an awful lot of common sense. They might have 100 times more water experience on average that those from other countries. On the flip side you potentially have someone that grew up inland in europe, doesn't even know what the red and yellow flags are for or what rips are and who saw a career path in kitesurfing instruction, who got in an ocean for the first time a year ago but met all the IKO criteria and got an IKO golden ticket - so i can see why there may be problems in the rest of the world.

I don't think it is a great idea, it could cause more problems than it resolves, and who is going to want to pay, run it - anyone with time to do that is probably exactly the wrong person for the job. Also NZ conditions can be sooo varied by location I am sure instructors have adopted teaching techniques of their own.

So far there have been no problems I am aware of, the kitesurfing community here are pretty damn good and upfront at communicating to anyone they thing might be putting anyone at risk for whatever reason and in a diplomatic, friendly and helpful way.

ok i share some teaching ideas, always open to new ideas...

When you put someone on an inflatable kite for the first time (preferably in the water...) - tie a leash (2/3/4m) to the 5th line /pump attachment point and wrap it around your wrist/ hold in your hand before you launch the kite - give them 15 minutes of controlling the first 30 degrees of the kite. You have full control of instant depower while they are getting to grips and it is much safer - you save cash in slammed kite doing this too.

Get them to activate all the quick releases 3 times - once for real with kite in air (chicken loop release) and twice pulling them around on land. This is because everyone is scared of releasing unless they are familiar with teh fact that you release sooner that later!

njoi

Cheers for reply and i can understand your point of view about maybe it causeing a few problems and this is why im puting this question out there in to the kiteboarding comunity.
Regarding the non safe kite teaching im sorry to say i have seen this in NZ by a non qualified instructor, i do agree NZ has some of the worlds best Qualified instructors and we can always do with more.
I know you will always have non qualified instructors around the world but is funny how you can get away with this in NZ.
Cheers

just the once?
who?
why?
are they in your local area?
did you talk to them?

I have not put this question on forum to start bagging other schools or people as this is somthing i don't do or wana get involved in.
Just want to get feed back about wether a NZ Instructors quelification is a good idea or not.
Would like to keep to the subject please.

Cheers

Maybe go and discuss it with them then and see if you can even help them out, don't let one example of bad teaching you may have seen make every instructor in new Zealand have to take a qualification. Even after training for 4 years some school teachers are still totally useless. I believe in self policing, and avoiding as much beaurocracy as possible, where possible.

hollyshit its been awhile since ive bothered with this site, u know how u just go off this shit after soooooo long talkin n talkin n more talkin, so i c my profiles been eraced and the whole gigs changed oh well , so its iko time again ink, i remember talkin bout the same thing 5 or 6 years ago and ill telll u wat(ala hank hill) I LOV THAT SHOW ,boooks r 4 learners and u do not want to b taught by a learner, there anit no substitute 4 experience.so i was down at pt chit yesterday and ther were more tutours then kiters, i dont know wat 2 make of that but yeh,anyway have fun n hang on.