Our Next Conference - 2009
Work is under way for our 2009 conference planned for Christchurch.
We will have details here when the are ready. In the meantime, remember there are travel and accommodation subsidies available for the 2009 conference.
Looking back at conference 2008
Presidents Report on the School Executive Officers Conference held in Bay of Islands 9-11 July 2008
This year’s conference was held in the lovely Bay of Islands. The night I arrived it was pouring with rain but the next dawn fine and clear and the rest of the week weather wise was great.
The conference was opened on the Wednesday morning by John Carter the National Party member for the Northland area. John was supportive of the work of the association and also of the functions our members undertake in schools.
After the open the first keynote speaker Chris Budge spoke on fraud and the high technology methods that are employed in its detection. It was very interesting and I am sure that the delegates have confidence that the problem of fraud is being tackled.
There were various workshops held during the afternoon. I would like to comment at this stage generally on the workshops. They were all of a very high standard and a lot of work had gone to them both by the local committee and the presenters themselves.
On Thursday night we were all involved in the Elite Sponsors Café Crawl. This involved nine groups of delegates, randomly chosen, moving around different cafes for a three course meal. Each café was hosted by one of our elite sponsors. It was a great night and I am sure we all met new people.
First thing on Thursday morning we were entertained and informed by Ian Yorston. I had heard Ian at a conference I attended in Adelaide last year and was thrilled when he accepted our invitation to speak at our conference. Ian spoke on the Future of IT and all the audience were spellbound. He also ran a workshop later in the conference that was very well attended.
The associations’ Annual Meeting was held after Ian and I can assure members that he was a hard act to follow. There was not an election this year with myself being returned as President, Diana Blair as Secretary and Janet Danks as Treasurer.
After further workshops in the morning and early afternoon we were all involved in the conference challenge late afternoon. This was another great initiative with different groups visiting different areas and attractions of the Bay of Islands and performing tasks that earned points for their region. This challenge was won by Auckland
When we returned to the hotel the Konica Minolta Happy Hour was held. This is an important part of the conference as it gives the sponsors the opportunity to mix with delegates in a social situation.
Friday was taken up with workshops until the final session that was led by Dr Tom Mullholland. He was very passionate and made us all think.
After Tom spoke I had great pleasure in conferring Life Membership of the association, after many many years of hard work on our behalf, on Athol Leask. Athol will have retired by the time that this report is published.
After the final session there was a break before the conference dinner. It was a superb night and the venue was great and was themed in the Island Time style.
The conference was held at the Copthorne Hotel and Resort and it turned out to be a superb venue. The sponsors were very happy with the setup. The food and service were of top quality.
Without our sponsors, lead by Konica Minolta, the cost of running conference would be prohibitive. We are really so lucky to have such a great family of sponsors. All they ask for in return is that you give them a chance to quote for any products or services they are able to provide to your schools. Support them and they will continue to support us.
A conference such as ours does not just happen. There is an enormous amount of work to ensure that it runs smoothly. Some import is necessary from members of the national executive mainly on the sponsors’ front but most work is undertaken by the local conference committee. This year Northland delegate Alan Oliver and his local committee did an outstanding job. The comments I heard from members reinforce this and I am sure that I speak for all those who attended when I give you our sincere thanks for a job well done.
Well another conference over. It’s back to the grindstone. See you all in the Red and Black country next year.
Dennis Rea, President