A note from our President, Priyani de Silva-Currie
Early December saw our last Board meeting for 2022 and our strategic planning session for the year ahead. Key items discussed as a Board were:
Environmental Scan
The Government’s reform programmes are progressing and 2023 will be the year of Local Government change, along with the continuation of the 3-waters transition. There is uncertainty over funding and nervousness around ambitious delivery programmes for many public works projects. People movements within our industry are continuing with resource scarcity, providing the opportunity for IPWEA NZ to help advance asset management skills. It is anticipated that capital-intensive agencies will be continuing their asset management improvement programmes with Health and Education featuring strongly. Te Waihanga has commissioned an Asset Management State of Play report, with IPWEA NZ contributing to this assessment.
Health and Safety
Concern over the H&S of participants at our events will see an initiative to strengthen our processes in this area, especially around walks, dinners, activities and off-site visits, with a template for organisers being prepared by our team.
Cyber Risk
Cyber attacks are a key risk to our organisation and our 2nd annual independent review of our web presence resulted in a small number of improvements to our systems and processes being implemented. A separate independent IPWEA Australasia group review of our shared operating systems will also result in some changes to reduce risk.
Policies and Processes
The Board regularly reviews our policies and processes. This meeting updated the policy for reimbursement of expenses incurred in the normal course of business by staff and governance members.
Financial Situation
Each board meeting considers the organisation’s financial situation following a thorough analysis and interrogation by our Finance Audit and Risk Committee. Although ahead of budget for the year to November, a small deficit has been tentatively forecast for the full year.
IPWEA Australasia and IFME activities
I updated the Board on a recent IFME congress in South Africa. There were many comparisons with New Zealand in terms of infrastructure challenges facing our two countries. It was an extremely worthwhile trip to learn new ideas and share the methodologies that are working well in New Zealand with the international delegates.
Other reporting
Our CE and Staff Reports are presented at each Board meeting and each quarter we are amazed at the progress and initiatives that our staff have completed to further our business plan objectives and meet our organisational targets. Highlights include several branch meetings spanning North and South Island, a significant increase in activity in Digital Badges’ Online Learning portal, and insightful engagement with a diverse range of professionals across Aotearoa. Our NAMS Group Ltd (NGL), Investment Committee and Audit and Risk Committee reports were also ratified at this meeting.
Strategy
A “Reimagining our Future” initiative undertaken earlier this year identified what is working well for IPWEA NZ now, our challenges for the future, and aspirational ideation for what we could be in the future. A large list of possible actions and interventions is supporting our continued growth, development and direction as a professional body. This work formed the basis of a workshop held at this meeting around future options and changes to our organisation to meet our members’ wants, evolving markets, environmental and cultural commitments, and strategic direction as the peak body for asset management within New Zealand. Watch this space as we emerge and grow in 2023.
Board Development
The Board has undertaken Not for Profit Governance Training with the Institute of Directors. A comprehensive half-day training session followed the completion of online learning modules, greatly improving the knowledge and application of our decision-making practices within our unique governance setting. This was valuable for our new and seasoned board members alike, with good initiatives and practical considerations for us to collectively take forward. An example of that is this post-board meeting summary, provided for your interest.
If there are any questions or you require more information, we are happy to talk – our Branch Chairs or our National Team are all here to support you.
