We understand that it’s not easy for parents to leave their children in other people’s care. Here at the YMCA we are all about Strong Kids, Strong Families and Strong Communities, therefore we take the rights, safety and well being of all the children in our care seriously, providing a fun, educational and caring environment that children love to be a part of. YMCA delivers all services in accordance with our values of Caring, Respect, Responsibility and Honesty.
To help us deliver the services in this way, we ask that you please take a moment to read the following terms, conditions and risk disclosure carefully:
The YMCA North is proudly New Zealand’s first and only Safeguarding Accredited organisation through the Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF). For more information about Safeguarding visit ymcaauckland.org.nz
By enrolling in a YMCA Outdoors holiday camp you accept that you are responsible for all fees payable to YMCA in respect to the child in your care.
Full payment for the camp is required at time of booking – on receipt of a tax invoice.
YMCA Outdoors has a voluntary tiered pricing system. This allows families to choose the price that works best for them while supporting the work YMCA Outdoors is doing. Please see our website or contact the host Camp for further information.
Should a child not attend a camp due to illness or family emergency a credit may be granted at the discretion of the YMCA Outdoors Senior Management for the day(s) to be attended at a future date. This credit will not be extended further than the next 30 June.
Additional fees can be charged for, but not limited to late pick up, willful damage to property, emergency medical treatments, debt collection… Please refer to all our terms and conditions for details.
When taking part in outdoor activities children are exposed to risk. YMCA Outdoors works hard to and is committed to protecting the health and safety of everyone however due to the nature of outdoor activities we cannot guarantee anyone’s safety.
Safety briefings will occur at the start and / or during the activity, highlighting any significant risks and their controls. Children are required to follow the rules set out in these briefings. If they do not, or act in a way that puts others at risk and they are not prepared to change their behaviour they will be: stopped from taking part, removed from the activity or required to be collected from the programme immediately.
By accepting these terms and conditions you are agreeing that you understand your child, by attending a YMCA Outdoors holiday camp will be participating in outdoors activities such as, but not limited to: Abseiling; Archery; Bush Cooking; Bush Craft; Climbing; Coasteering; Coastguard Education Safe Boating Programme; Confidence course; Fire Lighting; High Ropes; Kayaking; Mt Biking; Mt Boarding; Orienteering; Pioneering; Raft Building; River Safety and Tubing; Sailing; Team Challenge; Tramping; UHF Radios.
Please contact the host Camp if you have specific questions regarding the safety management of a specific activity.
YMCA Outdoors acknowledges that the activities we offer may for some children be physically, emotionally and or mentally demanding, and therefore applies a ‘Challenge by Choice’ philosophy to all its activities - children are encouraged to take part in activities but are not forced to do so. Activities are structured to include all children in as much of the activity as possible.
As far as is practical in the residential camping environment, staff will endeavor to be able to see and hear children at all times. This will not be possible 24 hours a day – such as when children are playing hide-and-seek or spotlight, or participating in activities which require children to roam a larger area; such as orienteering. YMCA Outdoors recognises the adventurous choice made by the child and their parents to participate on a residential program and they have an expectation that the programme will foster independence and self-reliance. YMCA Outdoors will manage the supervision of these activities with this in mind.
Your child will be issued with and be using various forms of activity equipment. Whilst under their care or use, they are responsible for its wellbeing. Should your child break or damage any equipment, by any means other than an accident or by normal wear and tear, you will be required to pay for it. We are sure that during the normal running of the activity and with a sensible attitude no problems of this nature will arise.
Children may be stopped from taking part in an activity if they are taking medication that could affect someone’s safety – please check with the child’s doctor that medications do not pose a safety risk.
It is a safety requirement that all children have a good understanding of English – both speaking and listening (understanding). If, once the child is on camp, and staff feel they do not have the ability to take part in an activity due to their language skills YMCA Outdoors reserves the right to stop them from taking part in activities or require them to be collected from the holiday camp immediately.
Children are required to wear proper shoes for all activities. Please send your child to the holiday camp with at least two pairs of proper shoes (one for water and one for land activities). A full gear list will be sent out prior to the start of the camp.
Please ensure any changes to your contact details or information about your child is updated through the Parent Portal – it is very important this information is up to date, and it is your responsibility to clearly inform us of any potential issues.
If your child has additional needs, please contact the host Camp to discuss whether this holiday camp is right for them. While we aim to offer inclusive camps we do not have the facilities to provide one on one care.
For each holiday camp your child attends at one of our Camps, you are deemed to have repeated the information you provided in your Aimy Plus registration and you warrant that it is up to date and correct.
We take due care with children’s belongings but accept no responsibility for lost or misplaced items. Please name your children’s belongings so any items left behind may be identified. All lost property will be held for 2 weeks after the camp has finished before being disposed of at YMCA Outdoors discretion.
Please note that the YMCA reserves the right to change scheduled activities without notice where circumstances beyond our control prevent them from being delivered.
YMCA Outdoors holiday camps are ‘Sun Smart’ programmes and children are required to wear sunscreen and a sun hat for all activities from September to April. If your child requires a specific sunscreen please provide a named bottle.
Please notify the host Camp if your child will not be attending, otherwise a search fee of $30 per hour or part thereof will be charged to your account.
Where medical conditions or dietary intolerances have been medically diagnosed please ensure that medical information is completed on the child’s Aimy Plus profile and accompanied with the relevant treatment plan from the child’s medical practitioner.
Any prescription medication your child needs during the holiday camp must be in its original packaging with the name of the child and dosage clearly shown on a pharmacy printed label.
All medication must be handed to a YMCA Outdoors staff member at the start of the camp.
If a child is unwell (vomiting or diarrhoea within the last 24 hours or has insufficient energy to take part in activities) they should stay home and not attend the holiday camp – contact the host Camp as soon as possible.
While our staff have current first aid certificates, we do not have the facilities to look after sick children. If your child appears unwell we will phone you or your emergency contacts and request that your child is collected as soon as possible.
In the instance of an accident or illness requiring emergency treatment, we will contact you immediately (or those listed as emergency contacts if you are unavailable). Where we are unable to contact you or the emergency contact the YMCA staff will proceed to assist your child as deemed appropriate.
If we are required to arrange any urgent medical treatment, you will be required to reimburse any costs incurred.
All accidents and incidents are recorded and significant events reported to parents during the camp or when you collect your child.
All children must be signed in and out of the holiday camp at the time of drop-off and collection.
Only those parents/carers identified within Aimy Plus will be permitted to collect the child from the camp. Any person collecting a child may be asked to show photo ID at any stage, please ensure all authorised pickups are aware of this.
Please ensure you complete the Authorised/Unauthorised pickups section in Aimy Plus. Children will not be released to any person not named without prior consent.
If you have any custody agreements in place regarding non-access to your child, please provide relevant documentation and a current photo (if possible) of the unauthorised person for easy identification for the staff.
Parents/Caregivers are liable for late fees at a rate of $2 per minute for collecting your children after the finish time of the holiday camp. Late fees are invoiced separately from the main booking fees.
If you have not collected your child by the end of the camp, and we cannot reach you, we will phone the child’s emergency contact and request that the child be collected immediately. Please ensure your emergency contacts are aware of their responsibilities.
YMCA Outdoors has well-structured behaviour management strategies and processes in place, reflecting our safeguarding code of conduct and requirements. These are available to view at the host Camp.
Should any behaviour displayed present a considerable immediate and/or significant risk to the child, other children, staff and/or property, YMCA Outdoors may request immediate collection of the child and review future placements within the YMCA service/programme.
Aimy Plus provides the YMCA with the ability to take photos and upload them to your parent portal. Images taken will only be used on the Aimy Plus Parent Portal and will not be used in our printed and online publicity. By accepting these terms and conditions, you agree to allow us to upload photos and tag your child. Without permission photos will not be posted.
By enrolling on a holiday camp you agree to allow us to transport your child by bus or YMCA Vehicle. No private vehicles will be used.
As a Ministry of Social Development approved provider, parents who are eligible may apply for the Out of School Care and Recreation (OSCAR) Subsidy from Work and Income. For more information, or to see if you are eligible please refer to the Work and Income website.
To apply for the OSCAR subsidy through Work and Income you will need to select the option within the Aimy Plus portal when booking your child onto a holiday camp. The host Camp will then email through the relevant sections of the application form. Application forms then need to be submitted to Work and Income. It is your responsibility to ensure the forms are accurate and submitted to Work and Income.
Full payment will be required at the time of booking then YMCA Outdoors will reimburse any funds granted by Work and Income once the payment or notification of payment is received.
Please note that you are ultimately responsible for all fees. Please see the Work and Income website to view subsidy amounts.
YMCA has a suite of accredited child protection policies and procedures. All are available via our website and in hard copies within our Camps.
Should YMCA have any concerns, receive any disclosures relating to the wellbeing or safety of any child/young person (or associated community member), YMCA are required to share this information, along with any known child data to child protection services. This may include Oranga Tamariki and/or NZ Police.
YMCA aims to be open and honest with parents/carers around any concerns and offer support where possible. However, YMCA are not able inform parents/carers of our reporting concerns, if to do so could:
You are ultimately responsible for all fees payable.
Your child’s access to our programmes may be withdrawn if your account is not kept up to date. We will contact you via the email you provided during the sign up process to notify you of the status of your account (if required).
Overdue amounts may be referred to a debt collection agency. Any expenses, disbursements and legal costs incurred by YMCA in the enforcement of any rights contained in this contract shall be paid by the parent/caregiver, including any solicitor’s fees and/or debt collection agency fees.
If you have questions/concerns please talk to our YMCA Outdoors staff at the host Camp.
We encourage feedback about any aspect of our programmes and services.
If you have a complaint about YMCA Outdoors, its staff or services please lodge the complaint with a member of YMCA staff who will attempt to rectify the situation. If you are still not happy then escalate the complaint through to senior YMCA management. If you are still not happy then complaints can be taken to MSD.
All of our programmes are approved by the Ministry of Social Development and meet the requirements in the Level 3 Social Sector Accreditation Standards, and the MSD Specialist Accreditation Standard: Out of School Care and Recreation (OSCAR) Programmes. These can be viewed on the MSD website.
The collection of information in the enrolment process is for the effective delivery of our services. Customers under the age of 18 may have their data shared with Oranga Tamariki and this data is managed in accordance with the Privacy Act 1993.
Information collected through the website is maintained by Aimy Plus – please see their Privacy Policy.For information on YMCA’s privacy policy please click here.
To the extent permissible in law, YMCA shall not be liable for any injury, loss or damage of any type, or physical injury arising from YMCA programmes.
To the extent that YMCA is liable to the customer for any reason, its liability is limited to a maximum amount equal to the value of fees payable by the customer in any 12 month period.
The customer shall be responsible for any malicious damage they cause to equipment of the facilities used in delivering YMCA’s programmes.
Nothing in these terms and conditions is intended to have the effect of limiting or reducing the customer’s rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or the Fair Trading Act 1986, to the extent they may apply.