Bushcraft Manual

Welcome to the New Zealand Bushcraft Manual. This manual has been developed to help newcomers and those with some experience to enjoy the New Zealand outdoors safely. It provides foundation knowledge on which recreationalists, group leaders and those responsible for individuals and groups in the outdoors can build experience and understanding. 

We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the development of this resource over the many years, your contribution of time, energy and passion continues to help make people safer in the outdoors each day, thank you. We trust that this manual will add to your developing knowledge, and to help you #MakeItHomeNZ.



Get the best out of your online experience, you can:

  • Read it in the full screen page viewer
  • Share it with your friends, you can even share certain pages by copying and pasting the URL in your search bar when you are on that page
  • Download the PDF by clicking the download icon in the top left corner of the viewer
  • Word search the PDF with the search icon in the bottom right corner.

If you have further questions, please get in touch with us.


A part of New Zealand's outdoor recreation history

The first edition of the Bushcraft Manual was produced in 1968; over this period the manual has been used by thousands of people as they seek to extend their knowledge in all things bushcraft. Over the years new developments have contributed to revised versions, and this fifth edition is the culmination of that compounding knowledge and continued development of best practice. This edition has been updated at a time when the digital space continues to evolve at rapid pace.

This is a 5th revised edition | 2020


Want to learn in other ways?

Continue your preparation with our online resources, there is still plenty to learn to ensure for a safe and enjoyable trip!

Explore our resources

  • Get more skills | Navigation, River Safety and more essentials in our Skills Section
  • Watch our how-to videos | There are plenty more and useful tips in our video section