President’s Message

When over 100 delegates gathered in Christchurch this August for the Educate Plus New Zealand Chapter Conference “Let’s Talk Business” it was a watershed moment for the profession.  Professionals from secondary and tertiary, public and independent, and the North and South Islands came together to learn and share best practice for our fields. The mix of familiar and new faces shows the growth of the profession. There is also a growing awareness by our institutions of how Community & Alumni Relations, Admissions, Marketing & Communications and Fundraising generate financial and community support enabling schools and universities to realise their missions.

Educate Plus New Zealand is working hard with Educate Plus Australia to meet the needs of this growing group of professionals. Each of you brings a wealth of personal and professional experience when you enter the advancement field, and our organisation helps you to hone your skills through professional development and personal mentoring. Be it through a formal mentoring arrangement or the email exchange after a conference, I know from personal experience the benefit of utilising the Educate Plus network to improve my skills and knowledge. Educate Plus is a unique professional organisation for its members consistently and willingly offer advice and support to their peers. We are joined by our dedication to education and its great potential to unleash change in our world.

Chris Klaassen has ably led Educate Plus NZ as President for the last three years helping to grow a greater awareness of what this organisation provides for the advancement sector while pushing us, as a volunteer organisation, to better serve our members. With sincere gratitude I acknowledge Chris for his abounding energy and dedication to Educate Plus and all of its members. I welcome our talented New Zealand Committee who will work with me to continue to offer you networking and learning opportunities in your region and internationally.

I look forward to meeting you at the upcoming regional Christmas Drinks and the 2016 professional development events currently being planned. We are here for you, so please come along and always share your ideas to me or a Committee member on how we can better serve you to better serve education.

Catherine Boyer
President, Educate Plus NZ