3 minute read
Chairman’s Message
by NZBPT
Trust Operations
Yet again Pandemic restrictions have had a significant impact on the activities of the Trust, this is particularly so as so much of what we offer really works best in a face to face visit to Parliament. The COVID-19 Alert System that saw several lockdowns and ongoing restrictions, throughout the year forced us to cancel two parliamentary seminars, a members’ network event planned for Auckland and a President’s dinner. However, we did manage to deliver two Parliamentary seminars and a small number of Members of Parliament were able to undertake or complete their Business Attachments before all of the country moved to Alert Level 4 on 17 August.
The lengthy lockdown which had Auckland at either Alert level 4 or 3 from August through to December, limited our ability to engage with corporate members face to face and while consideration was given to moving our Machinery of Government -Taking a Closer Look seminar to a virtual platform, this was eventually not pursued.
Our tertiary funding programme was maintained with each of the four Universities awarding prizes but again with the lockdowns and school visits to Parliament unable to take place from August onward, this reduced the number of schools receiving financial support through the Travel Fund Assistance for School Visits to Parliament programme.
The Trust turned thirty on 11 December and at rather short notice, between lockdown restrictions, were able to acknowledge this with a small networking event at Parliament. With so much uncertainty throughout the year, the decision had been taken not to hold a major event marking this milestone but rather to celebrate it from December 2021 to December 2022 through our ongoing programme.
Trustee Council and Board
At the Annual Meeting in June, our Deputy Chair, Nancy McConnell was re-elected for a further term of three years. John Dakin [Goodman NZ Ltd] retired and we thank him for his service to the Trust. To fill the vacancy Joanne Mahon [Southern Cross Group] has joined the Trustee Council. Catherine Soper [Genesis Energy] was also elected as an additional member on the Trustee Council.
In December, Gretta Stephens, a long serving Board member and Trustee resigned, following an appointment to a new position with BlueScope Steel Limited requiring her to re-locate to Melbourne in early 2022. The Trust warmly thanks Gretta for her work in supporting the mission of the Trust.
Corporate Membership
We were pleased to welcome ASB Bank, WSP New Zealand Ltd, Contact Energy Ltd in the first quarter and Silvereye Communications Ltd in August. We trust that these corporates will gain much from their membership and look to actively engaging with them once restrictions are lifted.
Acknowledgements
The contribution our Corporate members make to the Trust and its activities is important and your on-going support in these challenging times is highly valued.
I wish to place on record the Board’s appreciation of those Ministers, parliamentarians, staff of the Cabinet Office, Ministerial offices, Office of the Clerk, the Labour Leader’s Office and the Parliamentary Press Gallery, who gave freely of their time to speak at one of our two seminars.
Our corporate attendees gain so much from these presentations leading to a more in dept understanding of how Parliament and the Executive work.
My thanks also to the Rt Hon Trevor Mallard, Speaker of the House of Representatives who acts as the President of the Trust in hosting our parliamentary seminars and ensuring our continued presence in the Parliamentary complex, and to my colleagues on the Trust Board for their valued input and support. To the Trust Secretariat, thank you for your efforts in somewhat challenging circumstances over the past year.
