Business Development | AAPNZ
Helping deliver administrative excellence While the terms organisation and organised are from the same word family, they don’t always go hand in hand. Truth is, organisational qualities are the product of a comprehensive professional plan put in place to make sure a business operation runs just so. The behind-the-scenes carefully crafted practises and processes are the key to making a business tick. In many workplaces administrative employees are fine-tuning and streamlining this system every step of the way. Supporting and educating these individuals in New Zealand is the Association of Administrative Professionals New Zealand Inc (AAPNZ). As an organisation that knows and appreciates that a wide skillset is instrumental to administrative excellence, AAPNZ is celebrating 40 years of facilitating professional growth and development in the administrative industry in 2012.
CONGRATULATIONS
AAPNZ WELLINGTON
A growing industry
they are the bridge between the business and upskilling them. And while administrative professionals have in the past been regarded the public, just as executive assistants and personal assistants are the oil in the machine. as unqualified, times are changing rapidly.
With 12 groups nationwide, AAPNZ’s membership pool includes personal assistants, executive assistants, administration “They make sure their manager is in the managers, receptionists, call centre operators, right place at the right time with the right school secretaries and industry trainers. information. Sometimes they’ll even grab the coffee,” she quips. But, quips aside, McKessar It has a strong global presence with sister says there is no compromise when it comes to administrative professional organisations professionalism. throughout the world in countries including England, Australia, South Africa, Papua New Guinea, USA and Uganda to name but a few. AAPNZ’s Wellington Group President Alison McKessar says the precedent for a dynamic and evolutionary organisation was set by the founding national president, the late Doreen Smart. “She was a real believer in the administrative professional,” McKessar says. This belief in the profession resonates today and for good reason McKessar believes. “A lot of people don’t know this but according to the last census there were more than 100,000 administration and clerical professionals in New Zealand,” she explains. Breathing new life into the expression ‘Jack of all trades’, administrative professionals know the ins and outs of business like the back of their hand. “In many workplaces they are the image of the business and impressions really are everything,” McKessar says. “When it comes to front desk administrative staff
“Hiring professionals is paramount. I worked for an accountancy firm where a document was not allowed to leave the building unless a personal assistant had seen it,” she says with sincerity. “If you took out the admin people — who knows what a business would look like.”
Professional excellence In 2009 AAPNZ was successful in securing its bid to host the 8th International Office Professionals Summit, held in Auckland from 5-8 July, 2011. The Local Organising Committee co-ordinated a programme to meet the personal and professional needs of local, national and international attendees and AAPNZ were also able to utilise this opportunity to promote its very own 2011 AAPNZ Drake Administrative Professional of The Year Award. Rewarding its successful members is a significant part of the organisation as is
ON YOUR
40 BIRTHDAY TH
From FAITH FACTOR LIMITED (Administration Training And Coaching)
The Association of Administrative Professionals New Zealand Inc is the national association for anyone working in an administrative or office support role in any sector, in any industry. Membership offers professional and personal development through networking, mentoring, interesting speakers, national conferences and AAPNZ Certification. To find out more, visit www.aapnz.org.nz AAPNZ Wellington Group meets on the third Monday evening (and sometimes lunchtimes) of each month in various central city locations. For information on the next Wellington Group event, contact aapnzwlg@gmail.com
Phone: 027 4117485 tricia@faithfactor.co.nz
Education through the AAPNZ is a recognised certification. Members need to achieve a formal qualification, which is registered on the New Zealand Qualifications Association (NZQA) Register of Quality Assured Qualifications (KiwiQuals), at level five or above or level four for provisional certification. Several members have relevant diplomas or degrees. Distance learning through a training provider and workplace assessment enables members to acquire new knowledge and diversity their skillset. Workplace assessment recognises the skills members currently have and 25 hours of informal learning throughout the previous five years is also part of certification. Monthly meetings for members also sees presenters bringing new topics to the professional table ranging from business writing, negotiation skills, recognising issues in the workplace, how to use Google efficiently and minute taking. “Anything that enhances your ability to do your job better and further your career is critical,” McKessar says of the importance of the presentations. Wellington Group’s mission statement is: ‘AAPNZ Wellington Group promotes personal and professional excellence by encouraging members to develop relevant skills in a supportive environment’. “The networking ability for our members and our sponsors is also enormous. We undertook a survey of our members recently and the main response to the questions ‘Why did you join the AAPNZ?’ and ‘What do you like best about the organisation?’ were related to the networking opportunities. “More than half of our members have also used our sponsors for their events — our sponsors are always at the forefront of our members’ minds which means it is a mutually beneficial relationship. Getting to know other admin people and this sharing of knowledge is what AAPNZ is all about.” AAPNZ Wellington Group E wellington@aapnz.org.nz www.aapnz.org.nz — Advertising Feature
Your Staffing and HR specialists contact us today on 0800 840 940 www.drakeintl.com FIND US NATIONWIDE:
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48 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz