I do have an excuse for not presenting an edition of 'In Touch' earlier this year, well three actually, but you would not believe them so I will not elaborate.

 

Most of this edition is on the results of the surveys carried out in 1991 by the NZNF. Please do take time to read and digest them as the findings are relevant not only to the development of a marketing plan but also to the effort necessary by us as individuals to advance nude recreation as a great activity. The Hawkes Bay Sun Club is working on a plan of its own by using socials as a 'Bring a friend' event. The number of new members resulting is yet low but it gives members of the public a better understanding of what we are about and who knows, they may join us at a later date. There is no better advertising for the movement than personal contact from as a member.

 

National Rally - Hawkes Bay Sun Club

 

The theme is 'Back to basics' - 'Pre—Historic' - The rally team are a small but enthusiastic bunch and without your at’tendance they cannot complete their aims and dreams for a successful rally at a small club. They have had the chance to prove that it can be done so come alongand loin ‘Dunno’, the friendly Dinosaur to make this rally a success. The rally team promise you that you will not be disappointed. Registration forms can be obtained from your club secretary or The Co—ordinator, P.O. Box 14, dive, Hawkes Bay. Telephone 06 8356568

 

Did you know? Water keeps fat away.

 

Incredible as it may seem, water is quite possibly the single most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off. Although most of us take it for granted, water may be the only true ‘magic potion’ for permanent weight loss. Spring water or distilled. water is highly recommended. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits. Here’s why. The kidneys can not function properly without water. When they don’t work to capacity some of their load is duBped on the liver. One of the liver’s primary functions is to metabolise stored fat into usable energy for the body. But if the liver has to do some of the kidney’s work it can’t operate at full throttle. As a result it metabolises less fat, more fat remains stored in the body, and weight loss stops. When the body gets less water it perceives this a threat to survival and begins to hold every drop. Water can help constipation. When the body gets too little water it siphons what it needs from internal sources. The colon is one primary source. Result, constipation. But when a person drinks enough water normal bowel function returns. On average, a person should drink eight 8-ounce glasses every day. that’s about 2.3 litres. However, the overweight person needs an additional glass for every 25 pounds of excess weight. The amount you drink should also be increased if you exercise briskly, or if the weather is hot and dry. Water should preferably be cold.

It is absorbed into the system more quickly than warm water. And some evidence suggests that drinking cold water actually helps burn calories. By adding a dash of lemon juice to the water weight loss can be noticed at a greater rate. Believe me, it works - I have tried it - the only thing that is missing is the Gin.

 

Did you know? Malicious telephone calls.

 

This very occasionally happens if your number is listed as a contact for your club. Never fear. If an offender is persistent ring Telecom on 0800 809 806. If you can give them the approximate time of the call and you also inform the Police the call can be traced and the offender spoken to.

 

Survey Results

 

Here are the main results of the surveys of past and present club members carried out by the NZNF in 1991 and some suggestions on how each of us can help improve the recruitment and retention of members. The surveys were done to obtain firm information on which clubs can improve the way they go about recruiting more members and keeping the existing ones happy. A full set of the survey results, both at the national level and for your club, has been sent to your club to put on its noticeboard for general reading. The NZNF is well advanced in developing a marketing plan containing suggestions that clubs may action. The survey results confirm that the best ways of recruiting more members will rely on the actions of individual clubs and members. The NZNF can only take a background role in this.

 

The members of our clubs are older than the general population - 33% of members are less than 40 yrs old compared to 50% of the total population. 96% of our members have european origins. Our education and occupation tends to be a bit above average.

 

Two thirds of members have been so for more than 5 years and 40.% for more than 10 years. Interestingly 17% have belonged for less than 2 years. Two clubs which have been making a good recruitment effort lately have an even higher percentage of newer members. This shows that we can recruit more people if we try. If we upped this rate a little more and held onto a few more members we would reverse the downward trend in membership. We are losing members from all age groups and all membership length categories with only a little bias towards older members.

 

The most common way people find out about nudism and how to contact a club is through a family mernber/friend/workmate. It seems that men tend to learn about nudism from magazines and newspapers and pass it on to their partners. For how to contact a club, newspaper articles and advertisements were the two most common source of information.

 

In marketing terms the most useful information is why people belong. Primarily it is for relaxation. 88% of members gave this reason. Next, freedom from clothes, 66%. Total exposure to fresh air 52% An allover tan 49%. Therefore we should be pushing naturist clubs as a great way to relax. Less than half of our members belong to get a good suntan.

In terms of most enjoyed activities only 20% named sunbathing. This is good information we can all use to show people in these skin cancer sensitive times that nudism is not about baking in the sun.

 

The club pool, lawn areas and clubhouse were all named by more than 60% of people as the facilities most liked. This ties in with the preferred activities being socialising and swimming, with sport next. It is these basic aspects of nudist club life that people enjoy the most. People these days can enjoy social nudity in many places other than a naturist club, but it is on the social side that clubs have the potential advantage. We offer the chance to go nude in congenial company — but only if we improve our personal attitudes. We see this even more when we look at what people do not like about their club.

 

Three quarters of members consider they benefit physically and mentally from being nudists. 60% believe their membership benefits them in their outside life. In these health conscious times surely these are reasons we can advance to friends, relatives, workmates, and the population as a whole, as to why they should join us.

 

What members don’t like about their clubs. Distance from home 31%, cliques 26%, the cost 15%, not enough social activities 15%. These factors are even more dominant in the results from the survey of past members. There is not much most clubs can do to alter where they are located, but if the clubs are made more enjoyable for members they will not mind so much the travel to get there and the financial cost of belonging.

 

It had been thought that many members were put off by the numbers of rules clubs have but the survey revealed that this is not really a problem. That the rules should be administered in an enlightened and unbiased way seems to be the greater desire.

 

The problem of cliques is one that has bedeviled nudist clubs in New Zealand for many years. It is a major problem that reduces the enjoyment of members and even drives some to leave. The answer lies with us all as individuals. Committees can only do so much to bring members together. Surely as thinking people, with enough sense to see past societies false ideas about the human body, we have the ability to rise above the often petty causes of rifts within clubs. Perhaps because we need to be strong minded to overcome society's taboos about the body nudists are also strong-minded about other things as well. That is a pity. We can not have everything the way we would personally like It all the time. That is not possible. We all have to accept that the other members and/or their ideas have to have some limelight as well. New members in particular noted their concern about cliques. New members need to be welcomed into the fold if we are to keep them, and not be put off by endless bickering.

 

About 16% of members thought subscriptions are too high with 10% saying they would prefer a day fee system. Most clubs can not immediately reduce subs greatly without running into financial difficulties. So the first step is to improve peoples' enjoyment of their club. The next step is to increase membership so that the fixed costs are spread over more members.

 

The good news is that once people have adopted the nudist philosophy they seldom let go. Even 75% of ex-members still regard themselves as nudists. The same percentage of members would join another club if they moved elsewhere in New Zealand. So we do have a philosophical commitment to what is a powerful idea.

 

Secretiveness. It appears that nudists in New Zealand have been feeding on a self-reinforcing belief that we need to be, and are, secretive about our own membership of a naturist club, even among family and friends. That is not true. 79% of members have told their immediate family and 85% their close friends. 38% of men have told people at work and 20% of women. (This lower figure for women may reflect their lower participation in the workforce). And how damaging has been this openness. Only 3% of respondents report problems with family and friends and virtually nil with people at work. So we can all be open about our membership without any real fears of being pilloried. Of course there are bigots in the community but they are easily recognised and avoided. We need to be proud to be nudists and to stand up for what is a fundamental and wholesome philosophy. If you do that you will find it a liberating experience. You will not be left with some residual feeling that being a naturist is wrong. We are right and we know it. Only personal and collective good can come from being open about your membership of a nudist club.

 

What did we learn about the incidence of skin cancer among our members. Eleven percent of members have had some form of skin cancer, but for half of these people it was before they joined a club. Of those reporting skin cancer 25% had had melanoma. The location of the cancers were head 40%, limbs 36%, and torso 24%. It is not possible to compare these figures to those for the population as a whole since nobody knows the incidence of skin cancer among the total population particularly among the different age groups. We do not see these figures for club members as alarming provided we all continue to follow the advice on minimising the danger from sunburn. Only a small percentage of members actually enjoy sunbathing as an activity in itself. Social nudism is about much more than getting an all-over suntan.

 

As individual members we need to:

 

  - Be open about our membership and talk to other people about nudism;

  - work positively to reduce the number and impact of cliques;

  - be proud to be naturists with all the benefits it offers.

 

Future of 'In Touch'

 

Part of the reasons for the lack of editions this year is my being rally co-ordinator. But I feel 'In Touch' is important to all members and this will be discussed at the rally. I am quite happy to carry on as Editor next year and with no other commitments I will be able to do a better job than I have this year. But if there is someone out there that feels they would like to take over I am quite happy in whatever decision the NZNF makes. Editor.