NZ 2015 Chapter Conference
It was a conscious decision to name this year’s conference ‘Let’s talk Business’. There is a growing appreciation within the education sector in New Zealand that business best practice must be implemented to achieve our organisation’s goals. The national committee wanted to use the conference as a platform to inspire and influence the decision makers who work in governance and senior management as well as those of us who work in fundraising, community relations, marketing and enrolments.
As well as skilled practitioners in our various fields from Australia and New Zealand, experts from the business sector were also invited to present. Having longer session times was also deliberate to give more time for dialogue and in-depth examination of the topics – although it often seemed that there was still not enough time! It obviously struck a chord. We were thrilled with the large number of registrations and positive feedback received on the fresh concept and content.
The conference started with a leadership breakfast for people working in governance and senior management. Ross Blackman, Director of Black Gold (the organisation tasked with generating revenue for the Rio Olympics), spoke candidly to attendees about why investing in and resourcing their Advancement offices makes good business sense. It attracted a large crowd and generated some positive conversations.
The sessions over the next two days focused on the core elements of Advancement, including sessions for beginners. A lot of learning and sharing went on. Complementing this were plenary sessions – highlights included keynote speaker Jason Pemberton, co-founder of the Student Volunteer Army, who gave a challenging and thought provoking discussion around the meaning of education. A panel discussion on Friday afternoon to look at leadership response in a crisis was specifically earthquake focused with Sir Bob Parker, Former Mayor of Christchurch, Jenny Harper, Director Christchurch Art Gallery, Gillian Simpson, Executive Principal St Margaret’s College and David Pine, formerly MFAT NZ Ambassador for Malaysia.
Delegates were privileged to have their conference dinner in the Christ’s College Dining Hall, a building not usually made available for outside groups. The heritage building, beautifully restored after the earthquakes, was a perfect space to gather together to reconnect with old friends and make news ones. During the dinner, a presentation was made to soon to be retiring Deb Cook to honour her contribution to St Cuthbert’s College and service to Educate Plus. A surprise serenade for Deb by a barbershop quartet was a highlight. It was also a chance for us to acknowledge Carolyn Prebble for the Trevor Wigney award she received at the Melbourne conference last year.
The committee is very grateful to sponsors Execucare, Ask Right and Blackbaud for their active and financial support for the conference and to The Commodore Hotel for their friendly and efficient hosting of the event. Thanks also go to our presenters for generously sharing their knowledge and skills. The conference made a healthy profit of nearly $10,000, some of which will go towards ongoing professional development for our members.
There are many benefits to be gained from attending an Educate Plus conference. Regardless of your level of experience, you will gain new insights, have the opportunity to share your skills with others and come away better at your job than when you arrived. You will also leave with new and stronger friendships with people who understand the working world you operate in. Most of all, you will be reminded that you are part of an organisation dedicated to transforming lives through the power of education.
Members can access Conference papers from the educateplus.edu.au website in the document library under Resources. Such resources are categorized under:
- Admissions
- Alumni
- Fundraising
- Marketing and Communications
Rose Crossland
NZ Conference Organizing Committee
