Megan Dimozantos has been elected president of Federated Mountain Clubs. She talked to Wilderness about her priorities, future challenges and her unusual tramping habits.

What are your top priorities for the term ahead?

Iwi engagement is one thing high on my list of priorities. We are kidding ourselves if we think we can do a good job for the recreational community without working well alongside mana whenua.

It is also really important to me that we protect our huts and track network. [This is] a national treasure which we all get so much benefit from in terms of recreational enjoyment, wellbeing, the ability to gather kai and do mahi that protects our native species and biodiversity.

What do you see are the main challenges for outdoor recreation and tramping?

Climate change, and how it impacts the places we love spending our time. Those of us who have spent a long time exploring the hills will have seen the changes first-hand. As recreationists, we need to be thinking about how we help with the recovery of the places we love after these events, and also, how do we go about minimising the carbon footprint of our own activities?

I know that for my packrafting adventures, I’m notorious for trying to avoid ‘shuttling’ with a car, much to the annoyance of some of my mates. I’ve been known to stash my bike in the bushes and do the car shuttle with my legs instead. Small changes collectively make a big difference, and it feels nice to do it, too.

Do you have any hiking rituals?

I carry a mini tape measure with me everywhere I go and measure up every hut I get to in case I need to work on it at some stage.

How will you use your FMC position to help get more women into the outdoors?

I do hope that in leading by example, and being out there doing it myself, there will be women who ‘see themselves’ in the outdoors and say ‘yeah, that looks like me. That looks like something I would like to do.’