CHALLENGE AND DANGER IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MOUNTAIN RECREATION IN NEW-ZEALAND, 1890-1940

From 1889 to 1940 in New Zealand, 144 fatalities occurred during climbing, tramping, hunting, walking and other recreation activities in mountain environments. From an analysis of the response to fatal and non-fatal accidents, it is apparent that the accident record acted as an indicator of unacceptable behaviour and played an important role in risk management. A strong subcultural commitment to risk management in this period is evident in the creation of organized strategies aimed at reducing accidents while promoting particular goals and approaches. Efforts to contain fatalities took the form of sanctions and rules, and centred on stopping unacceptable behaviour associated with certain activities and groups of people. Gradually subcultural control over risk management weakened, in part because newcomers railed against established restrictions but also because the nature of mountain recreation was changing. With a looser subcultural risk framework, the stage was set for greater societal involvement. The analysis of this relationship between the occurrence of fatalities and the development of rules about acceptable behaviour in recreation illustrates the importance of the interaction of individuals, the subculture and society. Further, it demonstrates the ways in which ideas about risk influenced the accident record, and were, in turn, affected by fatalities. © 1994 Academic Press Limited.