Chairman’s Report to 2011 AGM

It is my pleasure to report on the 2011 year of the Nelson Marlborough Branch of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand Inc.

The key objectives of our branch for 2011 were to:

• provide for on-going professional development to our members
• facilitate networking opportunities
• grow our membership by providing ongoing benefits associated with the IoD
• focus on Nelson Marlborough SME sector and related governance needs

It is pleasing to see good attendance at all our functions, and in particular the two functions where we provided a forum for discussion for SME’s. Other functions with guest speakers were held to allow for discussion on relevant issues facing New Zealand and directors in particular.

Nelson Marlborough Branch
This past year has seen the continuing consolidation of the two regions combining as one to grow the branch membership and coverage. The local sub-committee in Blenheim provided a good programme for the year which was well supported by local attendees. The opportunity is there for Marlborough to grow its membership in the coming year. Throughout the year, the committee and sub-committee met to provide ongoing functions that support our objectives for the year, and I wish to thank everyone for their input and time. Support from our Branch Manager and the local committee for 2012 will see further growth in Marlborough.

Membership
At the beginning of 2011 we had 160 members, with a target of reaching 176 by year end. I am pleased to report that we have exceeded our target and expect the final numbers to be around 185. This is almost a 100% increase in three years for the branch. We are targeting in excess of 200 members for 2012.

However, the local committee is aware that with economic restraint in our local economy, we need to make sure that your membership delivers value for the annual fee, and to this end we have planned for relevant meeting functions for 2012.

Functions for 2011
The following functions were held in Nelson and Marlborough throughout the year. They are as follows:
2 March, Mr Grant Rosewarne, CEO New Zealand King Salmon. “New Zealand King Salmon – Our Story”. Nelson Cocktail Function, 30 attendees.
14 April, Mr Mike Simm, Independent Director. “Directing the Brightwater Growth”. Nelson Cocktail Function, 37 attendees.
13 May, Mr Michael Stiassny, Korda Mentha. “Recent Receiverships in New Zealand: How better
corporate governance might have changed the outcomes”. Nelson Lunch Function, 48
attendees.
24 May, Mr Grant Rosewarne, CEO New Zealand King Salmon. “New Zealand King Salmon – Our
Story”. Marlborough Cocktail Function, 31 attendees.
29 June, Mr Richard Westlake, Independent Director. “Directors Dilemma - Workshop”. Nelson Cocktail Function, 41 attendees.
5 July, Hon Fran Wilde. “Governance Experiences in Local and Central Government”. Marlborough
Cocktail Function, 22 attendees.
18 August Mr Roger Taylor. “Governance – “Does One Size Fit All?”. Nelson Lunch Function, 22
attendees.
4 October, Cawthron Institute, CEO Gillian Wratt. Nelson Site Visit, 22 attendees.
2 November, WineWorks Marlborough, CFO Kelvin Deaker. Marlborough Site Visit, 16 attendees.
8 November, Mr Adam Feeley, CE Serious Fraud Office. “SFO and the Business Community:
Tackling Financial Crime Together”. Nelson Cocktail Function, 27 attendees.

These various functions provided a cross section of experiences from the various speakers that would have broadened the knowledge of our members and highlighted governance issues around the country.

Finances
The local branch is pleased to acknowledge the following ongoing sponsors; WHK, Fanselow Bell Ltd and Hardy Jones-Clark. In addition, Port Nelson has again come on board as an additional sponsor for our 2011 Annual Dinner. We greatly appreciate these sponsorship relationships and thank our sponsors for their continued support, without which we would have struggled to grow our branch.

We expect to achieve a small surplus by year end which is pleasing as it shows that our budgeting was correct with the ability to support our members through the various functions.

Committee representation
The Nelson Marlborough Branch committee comprises:
John McCliskie, Brian Rhoades, Judy Fanselow, David MacGibbon, Darren Mark, Paul Dalzell, Bill Dahlberg, Jeanette Lusty, Graeme Coates and Phil Robinson
The Blenheim sub-committee comprises:
Graeme Coates, Phil Robinson, Peter McLeod, Tony de Reeper and Tim Smits.

I wish to thank all of the committee members that give of their time to assist the Nelson Marlborough Branch.

The following committee members retire by rotation according to branch rules. They are John McCliskie, Brian Rhoades, Graeme Coates and Phil Robinson.

All have indicated their willingness to stand for re-election for the 2012 year. Any additional nominations can be made for committee membership, and can be done by completing the nomination form as supplied and returning to our branch manager, Julie Baxendine.

Branch manager
Julie Baxendine continues to provide excellent support to both the local branch including Marlborough, as well as administering the responsibilities we have for the Institute of Directors in New Zealand (Inc). Thank you Julie for your time and expertise you make available to the branch.

IoD
The national Council has recently reviewed its vision and purpose of the national organisation. We wish to move from a membership organisation to a professional body. This journey will take some time, but already some strategies of significance have been implemented. They include; Mentoring for Diversity, Practice Notes, the formation of a special interest group that will cater for large and listed company director interests, added and better Board Services, a beefed up research capability to place the IoD as the voice of New Zealand governance, and an upgrade to our IT capability to allow our members better access to our website.

Ralph Chivers has been appointed as CEO, and has already brought a great deal of energy and plans for the IoD, which will roll out over the next few years.

Your local branch has already planned functions for 2012, with a number of speakers that support the national strategy, but with a local focus that can add value to our local members. Included in next year’s programme, are both outside speakers with relevant topics for the Nelson Marlborough branch, and outside presenters for Director Development, including the Governance Development Programme held over 10 sessions to be held in Nelson for the first time. We hope to see a number of you take up this very well attended course.

Conclusion
It is pleasing to see the two regions working well together and in particular the interest being shown by members at our regular functions. With the spotlight very much on directors and best practice throughout New Zealand, it is paramount that we continue to provide ongoing education and services for our local members.

John McCliskie
Chair
Nelson Marlborough Branch
1 December 2011