CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT I am pleased to provide the 29th review of the business and activities of the Trust to the year ending 31 December 2020.
COVID-19 COVID-19 impacted on the Trust’s operations. Parliamentary seminars, members events and Business Attachment programmes were all initially suspended. Two of three Parliamentary seminars were rescheduled and held in between lock downs and the Dissolution of the 52nd Parliament and we managed to hold a Stakeholders function in December before Parliament rose for the year. The Board held a virtual meeting immediately following the first lockdown to assess the likely impact on Trust membership and operations and at the August Board meeting, approved a process for corporate members impacted by COVID -19. Overall, the Trust has fared well. The Board acknowledges the loyalty of its corporate members through the support given to the two parliamentary seminars and through renewing their membership at the end of 2020.
2020 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Trust’s 28th Annual General Meeting was held at Parliament on 29 July 2020. Working within the ‘new normal’ our corporate members and associate members were given the choice of attending either in person or via Zoom. The Rt Hon Trevor Mallard MP, Speaker of the House of Representatives, presided as President of the Trust and Peter Griffiths chaired the meeting. The meeting ratified changes to the corporate membership of the Trustee Council and Board as outlined in the Chairman’s message and adopted the Annual Report in addition to an update on COVID-19 impact on Trust operations. Gretta Stephens, Chief Executive of New Zealand Steel Limited was re- elected for a further term of three years. Guy Waipara, General Manager Generation & Natural Resources from Meridian Energy was elected to the Trustee Council replacing Simon Mackenzie who was standing down at the conclusion of his term.
The result is that the Trust will move into 2021 in good shape which was not how the initial scenario was looking following the first lockdown.
Gretta Stephens, Chief Executive, NZ Steel re-elected at the AGM for a further term
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Ricardo Menéndez March MP appointed as the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand member on the Trustee Council with Nancy McConnell, Deputy Chair
