Management of Science In the Ross Dependency

At our Event Briefing at Scott Base on Nov 5, we were fold that we needed to submit a full scientific proposal to RDRC for our "extension" to be approved and we would not permitted to visit areas which fell within this "extension" until approval have been received from RDRC.

After a number of phone calls to New Zealand the issue was resolved but several points resulting from this incident require further discussion.

1)	Our proposed route was sent to Ant Div in March 1989, and was discussed fully at Tekapo. No changes were made to the proposed route and it was not clear to anyone on base exactly where it was we had extended to. If there were a genuine problem why was it not picked up and sorted out earlier, at Tekapo for instance?
2)	On arrival in Christchurch we were met at the Airport and briefed at the Harewood Store, from where we were told that we did not need to report to the Antarctic Division Office. Despite being delayed in Christchurch, no messages were left at the Windsor advising us to report to the office even though, 3 days before Christchurch sent a memo to Scott Base requiring us to submit a new proposal. It would seem reasonable to have contacted us in Christchurch, especially as the problem would have been much easier to solve while we were still in there.page 21
3)	The first we heard of the affair was at Scott Base via "rumour control", and on asking if there were any problems we should know about we were told no! It was not until our Event Brief the next day, that the same person showed us the memo he had received from Christchurch 4 days earlier.
4)	It does not seem reasonable that "sensitivities" between Woolfe and another Antarctic researcher, and shortage of time should be cited as reasons why the Event was not to proceed as approved at Tekapo.

Two members of the Event briefly entered restricted air space above the Barwick Valley SSSI. This occurred while being pulled out from Mt Bastion in bad weather, the helo crew had already spent a night on the mountain when a small clearing provided a flyable route through the Barwick. No landings were made.