PRANZ is led by a dedicated team of volunteers, who are committed to supporting NZ’s Packrafting Community.
The committee is made up of a Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and general committee members.
If you would like to contact the committee, send an email through to emailpranz@gmail.com
Brendon Nevin (Chairperson)
I grew up in Wellington so my first river trips were on the Hutt River, mostly in tyre tubes. I progressed to the other rivers around the Lower North Island. Packrafting seemed synonymous with adventure. Made for linking routes, sports, land and water without being tied to any single one. I wanted to open up the map to new missions… and then proceeded to spend way more time than I thought on roadside rivers!
Now based in Wakefield, just 100km from Murchison. I try to get out where I can but often need to wait for rain to make the local rivers flow. I have also dragged my wife Julie and two kids (Rose and Griffin) along on a few trips.
Tom Waters
My paddling story began with Coast to Coast, then whitewater kayaking, before continuing to packrafting, thus completing my quest for progressively slower boats.
I was drawn to packrafting on day four of a hard tramp. Sodden, chaffed and exhausted I trudged alongside a spectacular mountain river, and daydreamed of paddling instead.
My favorite journeys involve long, convoluted approaches followed by hard whitewater.
I still flit between packrafting and kayaking, which explains why I have no lightweight paddling gear.
See you in an eddy somewhere!
Matt Kneesch (Treasurer)
From Tauranga and from more of a motorcycle and jet-ski background. I have spent many hours on or in the water with various activities from diving, water skiing, surfing, windsurfing, sailing, jet boating. I have also done my fair share of floating down rivers in rubber tubes over the years including the lower Kaituna gorge a few times.
In 2021 whilst in the back of Muzzle Station on a two week South Island adventure motorcycle trip I bumped into a couple of guys with some funny inflatable things rafting the Clarence river. It seemed like an amazing way to see parts of the country and was the first time I’d seen or heard of a packraft so once back home I ordered myself a big Alpaka two person Forager for the family. After a few little trips I then bought a single for my wife so we could all do a family trip down the Rangatiki. Conveniently this also meant I had a good whitewater boat for myself.
Deane Parker
Deane has a history of commercial rafting and kayaking having developed and operated adventure tourism businesses in Murchison and Hokitika. Now a farmer, father, and filmmaker, packrafting has featured in several of Deane’s Laurel award-winning films. A passion for connecting the community and sharing knowledge has led Deane to PRANZ and a desire to promote safe packrafting.
Dave Cassaidy
I was introduced to paddling by the OUCC when I was a student, and it immediately set me on the path to a lifelong passion for recreating on rivers. I fortunately get to spend a lot of time on the water through my work as an outdoor instructor / teacher, and I always love going on river trips with friends and family. Over the last few years I have added packrafting to my quiver of paddlesports because it unlocks new ways for me to explore rivers. I think the sport has great potential for enabling new paddlers to discover the joy of river journeys and I have an interest in contributing to the promotion of safety and skill development within the packrat community.
Helen Nugteren
A newcomer to the committee who is yet to provide a blurb.
Helen lives in Arthurs Pass and has been a regular at PRANZ events for a few years.
Jude Collett
Embarrassed to say it was the bright colours of Dulkara Martig’s packraft in an article I saw in ana adventure magazine that got me first interested in packrafting A conversation with Arno and a few months later I got my first packraft – an Alpaca Gnarwal. Finally I could paddle down those rivers rather than trudge out – Hollyford Pyke seemed like God’s gift for getting into packrafting and is probably still my favourite trip.
So it’s the journey rather than the thrill of white water that attracts me – but I’m not immune to the adrenaline of running rapids and am constantly striving to improve my paddling (Not having come from a paddling background). PRANZ was a godsend as have the many beginner and intermediate courses that have been available to this end. I’m keen to give back to the community in whatever way I can. Living in Central Otago, it is definitely a summer activity for me.
AJ Esler (Secretary)
I came to packrafting ~6 years ago with no whitewater background, after taking an opportunity to do a course via a tramping club. I then proceeded to have a few years of little paddling, before getting much more into it in the last couple of years. The ratio of roadside runs to back country adventure has been a lot more roadside tilted than I originally anticipated, but I’m slowly working on improving it. And the whitewater provides plenty of adventure.
Packrafting has given me way to view new parts of this beautiful country.