Record tourism has driven New Zealand hotel and motel occupancy rates to their highest ever levels and prompted the industry to start making plans to cope with ever increasing demand.

The country's hotel occupancy rate increased 2.4 percentage points to a record high 80.3 percent in February while the motel rate advanced 2.2 percentage points to a record 75.3 percent, Statistics New Zealand said.

Demand for short-term accommodation in New Zealand is building as tourism continues to grow. February visitor arrivals increased 9 percent to a new record high for the month, setting a fresh annual record of 3.2 million visitors. Guest nights have been rising for about the past two years, with the latest figures showing gains across all regions, all accommodation types, and driven by both domestic and international guests.

"New Zealand is just a hot destination right now. We had a record summer and so tourism continues to grow very strongly," said Tourism Industry Association chief executive Chris Roberts. "Occupancy rates are increasing which is good and for now, yes, we do have sufficient accommodation, but with this growth forecast to continue we will need significant additional rooms in the coming years and there's a lot of focus right now on facilitating that investment and seeing that that investment takes place."

Over the next few months, NZ Trade and Enterprise is building a forecasting model to assess current growth and forecast future needs, which can be used to promote investment internationally, Mr Roberts said.

"Market forces will mostly provide what we need but the strength of the growth we are seeing may have caught the market out," he said. "In the past two years, we have probably seen about five years of growth. There might be a lag because of how rapid the growth currently is."

He said there is a role for central and local government to see what they can do to speed up processes to remove any red tape and put opportunities in front of investors.

New Zealand has benefited from a higher profile following the Hobbit movies, and is seeing a "very strong rebound" in tourism following a quiet four to five years after the global financial crisis in 2008, he said.

"We are seeing every one of our major markets growing," he said.

That strong growth is likely to continue for at least the next couple of years after a significant increase in airline capacity, as well as increased demand for one-time events such as the Lions Rugby Tour and the World Masters games next year, he said.

This article was originally sourced from the National Business Review and was written by Tina Morrison.

The New Zealand Food & Grocery Council has its first female Chair with the election today of Veronique Cremades-Mathis.

Mrs Cremades-Mathis is Country Manager of Nestlé NZ. She replaces Pierre van Heerden, of Sanitarium, who steps down after completing his three-year term.

Mrs Cremades-Mathis has more than 25 years’ experience in the food and beverage industry, being responsible for corporate and product development functions in Europe, key Nestlé accounts and Business leadership in Asia, Oceania and Africa.

Before taking up her role as Country Manager of Nestlé in 2011, she was Country Business Manager Nestlé Professional Indochina region, overseeing Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

She has been a Vice-Chair of FGC since 2013 and Chair of the Health & Technical Working Group.

Mrs Cremades-Mathis said she was honoured to be chosen to Chair New Zealand’s peak body for consumer goods.

“FGC’s members represent more than $34 billion in domestic retail sales, more than $31 billion in exports, and directly or indirectly employ about 400,000 people, and so it plays an absolutely vital part in the economy. My aim is to ensure our focus remains on ensuring that our industry produces the best and safest food and grocery products available anywhere."

“FGC also promotes the role the industry plays in the health and nutrition of New Zealanders in making better diet and lifestyle choices, and we will continue to advocate on those issues using an evidence-based approach.”

FGC Chief Executive Katherine Rich said she looked forward to working with Mrs Cremades-Mathis.

“Veronique has been a big part of FGC for the past three years and I really look forward to working with her on a new level.”

She paid tribute to Mr van Heerden for his untiring work for the industry, telling the annual general meeting that “it’s impossible to calculate the number of hours you have given FGC working on issues with me, the Board, and members personally or on their behalf.

“You have led us through some challenging times, but not once did you waver from the basic question as Chair: what is in the best interests of the FGC membership?”

Mrs Rich pointed to his “courage under fire” both during the Christchurch earthquakes, when he organised and personally distributed donated goods collated by the FGC office from the membership, and time and time again during his chairmanship.

“Pierre’s service on the Health Star Rating group, the public/private partnership on food security, and other work on members’ behalf, and lending his personal help for many of the smaller members have been of benefit to the whole industry.”

Three new Board members were elected by the AGM: Leon Clement, Managing Director of Fonterra Brands NZ, Sharna Heinjus, General Manager of Kimberly-Clark NZ, and Shane Webby, Director of Twin Agencies.

The full Board is: Veronique Cremades-Mathis, Chair; Scott MacKay (Design Print Partners), Vice-Chair; Gerry Lynch, (Mars NZ) Vice-Chair; Pierre van Heerden, Immediate Past Chair; Leon Clement; Mark Hamilton (Bell Tea & Coffee Co); Sharna Heinjus; Shane Webby; John Kippenberger (Manuka Health); Tim Deane (Goodman Fielder).

This media release was sourced directly from Scoop Independent News.

This month AuSAE welcomes Siobhan Molloy of Agencies for Nutrition Action (New Zealand) as our Member in Focus. Siobhan recently spoke with AuSAE about her role, changes and challenges at Nutrition Action and exciting projects underway for the organisation. 

How did you first become involved with Agencies for Nutrition Action?

With over ten years at the helm of  Occupational Therapy New Zealand, I was seeking a new challenge and the role of executive director for Agencies for Nutrition Action – Ngā Takawaenga Hāpai Kai Hauora (ANA) seemed a perfect opportunity. I loved the challenge of reframing my view of health from the familiar personal health model to public health. Learning about the values and strategies that underpin health promotion has been a rewarding journey.

I found that health promotion was not simply education, or telling people what to do, but it is much bigger than this. There are many ways that people’s health and wellbeing can be improved through policy, environmental or personal changes – and usually a combination of strategies is most effective.

Can you share how the organisation came about and the benefits it presents to its members, and the wider public health workforce?

ANA was conceived in 1992 by our founding members, the National Heart Foundation of New Zealand, the Cancer Society of New Zealand, Te Hotu Manawa Māori (now Toi Tangata), Diabetes New Zealand, Dietitians New Zealand and the New Zealand Nutrition Foundation. These national organisations have a common interest in improving the health and wellness of New Zealanders and saw an opportunity to collaborate, share their resources and strengthen their voice on public health nutrition issues. Since then, ANA has added the promotion of physical activity to its mandate. The founding members have been joined by The Asian Network Inc, Stroke Foundation, Home Economics and Technology Teachers Association of NZ, New Zealand Recreation Association, Pacific Island Food and Nutrition Action Group, Kidney Health New Zealand and the Asthma + Respiratory Foundation NZ.

ANA connects people and organisations to the cause of improving the nation’s nutrition and increasing physical activity. We do this by informing, engaging, mobilising and linking people to each other and to research, resources and knowledge through our member organisations and through our now extensive database of professionals working to promote healthy eating and physical activity in their communities.

What exciting projects are underway at Agencies for Nutrition Action?

ANA is engaged with the Ministry of Health’s Childhood Obesity Plan and recently took the opportunity to submit on the review of the Advertising Standards Authority Code for Advertising to Children and the Children’s Code for Advertising Food. This review was an opportunity for members to review the unequivocal evidence that the marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages is related to childhood obesity.

This year we are running a series of regional professional development forums for the public health nutrition and physical activity workforce. These biennial forums are growing in reputation and are increasingly in demand. The opportunities offered are about learning about new initiatives, sharing information and making new connections with organisations and others working in like fields. Participants come from a broad range of organisations and sectors including regional sports trusts, NGOs, schools, district health boards, universities and local authorities.

A highlight for 2017 will be our delivery of New Zealand’s only national nutrition and physical activity conference. Participation increased by 50% at the last conference, so we are very excited to begin our planning with such a buoyant sector. Providing a positive experience that leaves our delegates feeling refreshed and inspired is our primary aim.

What would you say to someone starting out in the not-for-profit sector with a view to become a future leader?

Just do it. Most of us do not arrive in a leadership position with all the competencies and skills well honed. We use our passion and self-motivation to make the connections we need, take opportunities as they arise and surround ourselves with people who can contribute their skills and expertise.

Step up. Seek any opportunity that will foster leadership skills whether in work or out. Volunteer in a professional body or local school board.

Seek support. For me key supports along the way have included a peer mentoring group with people in like roles; having GOOGLE as my best friend; taking advantage of the resources and networking opportunities through AuSAE and similar professional bodies, and a willingness to learn, make mistakes and laugh. You don’t have to know it all.

Siobhan can be followed on LinkedIn. 

April 15 marks Microvolunteering Day when volunteering is recast as an activity that needs not be constrained by stereotypical views of volunteering being a time and commitment intensive activity.

“Microvolunteering is volunteering done in small increments of on-demand actions that benefit our communities” says Scott Miller, Chief Executive of Volunteering New Zealand.

“The Serve For New Zealand initiative which encourages New Zealanders to spend at least one hour volunteering on Anzac Day is an excellent example of how volunteering can be done in a micro-capacity” says Miller.

By 14 April more than 4,100 hours had been pledged via ServeFor NZ by more than 3,400 individuals of all ages. The campaign initiated by the Student Volunteer Army, RSA and the University of Canterbury encourages New Zealanders young and old in all areas of the country to volunteer.

“One advantage to microvolunteering with a local non-profit or community organisation is the opportunity to connect with other members of your community, and knowing that you’re doing something to benefit your area” says Miller.

Additional opportunities for microvolunteering throughout the year are available in your community, for example, by counting birds for Forest and Bird, using your lunchbreak to knit clothing for the Neonatal Trust, or “guerrilla gardening” a neighbour’s street front.

“People may feel they are unable to get involved because they have limited time, but even a brief amount of time and effort can make a difference to projects and purposes to our community”, says Miller.

Register your interest for the Anzac Day initiative at servefor.nz, or contact your regional volunteering centre to discuss what kind of project might be right for you.

Volunteering New Zealand (VNZ) is an association of New Zealand organisations that have a commitment to volunteering, such as volunteer centres, national and other organisations. Their mission is to promote, support and advocate for volunteering. www.volunteeringnz.org.nz

This media release was sourced directly from Independent Scoop News.

The Public Health Association wants to change the conversation about why Māori have worse health outcomes than other New Zealanders.

Māori are more likely to get sick and live shorter lives than other New Zealanders and many of the root causes are blamed on the aftermath of colonisation.

The Public Health Association, which is holding a Māori health symposium in Wellington next month, does not want to focus on the impact colonisation has had on Māori.

Association spokesman Anton Blank said going on about it would not solve the problems.

"As Māori, we need to move on from being solely focused on colonisation because if we stay in that space we focus on our own victimisation and ... we will miss out on a whole lot of new ideas that are beginning to circulate."

He wants to see new ideas refreshing the sector, which is why a line up of emerging Māori public health experts has been selected to speak at next month's symposium.

"Traditionally, we are used to Māori public health leadership being dominated by one or two key figures. What we have now is many, many more young leaders working in a whole range of fields."

The association intends to bring them together to share ideas and tackle health issues facing Māori.

This year they will be talking about brain science and a few stubborn issues which include nutrition and rheumatic fever.

Dr Willy-John Martin from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne said these gatherings were key.

"A collective approach by having connections between researchers and the community can be a lot more powerful."

Bridget Williams Books has published books on inequality in New Zealand and recently published a huge history book Tangata Whenua.

Its director and publisher Bridget Williams is speaking at the symposium and said while it was important to know where we came from, it was time to focus on what lay ahead.

"Colonisation did happen, it had its impacts, they were real, they were important, but it is not the only story."

"There is also a tremendous story of resilience and creativity and that is one of the very strong threads that comes through in Tangata Whenua."

Another speaker will talk about breaking down barriers for Māori in tertiary education.

The symposium will be held at Te Papa Tongarewa Museum on 2 May.

This article was originally sourced from Radio New Zealand and was written by  Leigh Marama McLachlan. 

Peter Clark, the chief executive officer of PF Olsen Ltd, has been elected president of the Forest Owners Association (FOA).

He replaces retiring president Paul Nicholls. George Asher, chief executive officer of the Lake Taupo Forest Trust, has been elected vice-president.

The association’s members own the majority of New Zealand’s plantation forests. It works closely with the Farm Forestry Association and is administrator for the Forest Levy Trust Board, which represents the interests of all forest owners.

Clark has 40 years’ experience in forest operations and consulting in New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia, China and the Pacific. He is a long-standing member of the FOA board and is on the board of the Wood Council of NZ.

He says he is keen to see the multiple economic and environmental benefits of forestry recognised by all New Zealanders.

Clark holds or has recently held a number of positions on forest industry and government advisory boards involving climate change, bioenergy, and forestry sector research. He is also a board member of the NZ International Business Forum and the NZ China Council.

He served on the steering group of the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum from its formation in 2010 until October 2015 and is now a board member of the Forest Industry Safety Council. He holds an honours degree in forestry science from the University of Canterbury and is a registered forestry consultant and a fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Forestry.

This media release was sourced directly from Scoop Independent News. 

The National Beekeepers Association (NBA) will become Apiculture New Zealand as at April 1 this year after members voted last week to adopt a new constitution and rules.

The formation of Apiculture NZ is a major step forward in unifying the beekeeping industry and embracing the many stakeholders in the wider apiculture industry who didn’t see a place for themselves in the NBA.

“Apiculture NZ will support and help facilitate the growth of beekeeping in New Zealand,” says NBA President, Ricki Leahy.

“Beekeeping in New Zealand has the potential to become a billion dollar a year-plus industry, but we need good systems and structures in place to achieve this growth.

“The formation of Apiculture NZ is the first step in that process.”

The move will give the apiculture industry a stronger voice with government, and will support enhanced industry research.

Apiculture NZ will also lead the industry’s negotiations with government on the Government-Industry biosecurity agreements.

The formation of Apiculture NZ comes after many years of debate within the industry about its own future.

Members of Federated Farmers Bees will become foundation members of Apiculture NZ, as will existing NBA members.

This media release was sourced directly from Scoop Independent News. 

Governance 101 online training

In this programme you’ll learn the fundamentals of governance, which can be applied to any organisation and are particularly relevant to not-for-profits. This programme is based on the sport and recreation governance framework and uses the resources available on the Sport New Zealand website. There’s more than one right way to govern, so these modules focus on the key principles that are applicable no matter which context or governance model you are working within.

Focusing on

• Clarity of purpose and setting outcomes
• The board as genuine governors - acting as a layer of ownership rather than a layer of management
• Being accountable for the use of time and money

Course Includes

Module 1 "What's my job?"

• The role of the director

Module 2 "What's our job?"

• The board's strategic role

Module 3 "Who does the job?"

• Recruiting and inducting for the board

Module 4 "Let's meet"

• How to prepare for and participate in a board meeting

Module 5 "Who do we work for?"

• Board accountability, ethics and integrity

Module 6 "What's next?"

• Resources, tools and advice to help put better governance into practice

Module 7 Short assessment

• Short learning check to confirm you've understood critical learnings from the programme.

Who is Governance 101 for?

• Aimed at not-for-profit directors on "Governance Boards". Generally this is where there is a logical governance/staff separation.
• All directors on these boards, even experienced practitioners will find the refresher useful.
• Chief executives and senior staff.
• The modules are broadly generic with limited sport specificity. They are available to the wider NFP sector.

Vicki Lee has been appointed CEO of Hospitality New Zealand, replacing Bruce Robertson who stood down at the end of 2015.

"Ms Lee brings with her a significant background in not-for-profit, marketing and advertising, advocacy and leadership and joins us having been the Chief Executive for Cure Kids for the last six years." says Hospitality New Zealand National President, Adam Cunningham.

"Hospitality New Zealand is going through a period of strong growth, with the recent launch of AccommodationNZ, and Vicki’s expertise in steering not-for-profit organisations through growth phases will be invaluable to the team. Vicki is a great team player, which fits well with our sector and this is a very exciting development for Hospitality New Zealand" he said.

Ms Lee was a finalist in the NZ Women of Influence Awards 2014 for her contribution to social enterprises in New Zealand and, since stepping down from her Cure Kids role, has undertaken a number of consulting and director roles.

Ms Lee will join the Hospitality New Zealand team from 26 April 2016.

The media release was sourced directly from Hospitality New Zealand. 

Cyber security conference in safe hands

Hard work in Hamilton has quietly carved the city a reputation in the computer science and cyber security circuit, and this New Zealand knowledge centre is now receiving international attention. Dr Ryan Ko, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at Waikato University, has been on the committee of the IEEE International Conference on Trust, Security and Privacy in Computing and Communications (IEEE TrustCom) in recent years. “They tapped me on the shoulder and mentioned they were exploring New Zealand and wondered if we would be interested in hosting the event. Our Computer Science Department is becoming internationally renowned. We have a very strong research group working in networking, data mining, and digital libraries. We are home to the first Cyber Security Lab in New Zealand and the country’s first postgraduate programme in Cyber Security.”

Ko was keen, and called for support: “I got to know about Tourism New Zealand’s bid support and Conference Assistance Programme through one of their roadshows. They helped me with bid advice and we created a really attractive bid document which made the case that hosting the event in New Zealand will be a win-win for everyone - a ‘no-brainer’ solution. I presented it to the steering committee at last year’s TrustCom in Helsinki, and they agreed!” Ko says. “And they were so excited that they get to come to a conference in one of the most beautiful countries in the world!”

Meeting ambitions to be the best

Hosting IEEE TrustCom-19 at The University of Waikato in 2019 will provide a huge boost to New Zealand’s burgeoning IT industry. The conference is expected to attract between 200 and 300 experts in cyber security, privacy and trust from around the world.

“Having an internationally ranked conference here will raise the visibility of New Zealand in this discipline,” Ko explains. “It will ensure top-class research submissions from renowned scientists around the world. It will lead to a great cross-pollination of ideas from a lot of forward-thinking people. One of the key challenges in the IT industry is the transfer of research into the industry. This will help the New Zealand IT industry be exposed to the ideas of the top IT security researchers from around the world.

“Cyber security is a boundary-less, transnational problem, so this event opens up huge opportunities for collaboration,” he notes. “I’ve benefited personally from these interactions at conferences in the past, meeting like-minded people who want to get things done. For New Zealanders, they don't have to spend a lot of money to travel here, it will cut costs and allow major opportunities.”

The international attention will no doubt boost the profile of the host venue in the sector, too: “The Cyber Security Lab at the University of Waikato aims to be one of the top cyber security research programmes in the Asia Pacific region by 2018,” Ko says. “It's a goal - let’s try to be the best.”

But the wider benefits will extend beyond academia. Some of the more prominent speakers are expected to take part in public engagements, talking about a topic that is of increasing importance to all New Zealanders, from business protection to the online security of their personal details.

Ko also notes that the meeting aligns with Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment goals. MBIE has awarded a $12.2m research grant to STRATUS (Security Technologies Returning Accountability, Transparency and User-centric Services in the Cloud), a project which aims to create a suite of security tools, techniques and capabilities which return control of data to Cloud computing users. “This event will be a international platform for our Kiwi STRATUS companies,” Ko adds. “It is a niche area to address a larger market concern, so this is not just about knowledge, but economic benefits as well.”

Recognising the benefits

Ko is quick to thank Tourism New Zealand’s Business Events team for recognising the importance of winning the bid. “Tourism New Zealand definitely understood the potential. They were able to bring out the best of Hamilton in the bid document. We are in proximity to some of the hot tourist destinations in New Zealand - Rotorua, Waitomo Caves, Raglan, and Hobbiton in Matamata. They also helped with information about access and accommodation - Hamilton is not the best-known city, but the facts and figures strongly justified this is a great destination. Add to that the core knowledge centre in this sector at Waikato University, and we proved it's an apt location."

“I have had fantastic support,” Ko says. “Tourism New Zealand shared the joy of a successful bid, knowing it will help our country.”

Tourism New Zealand’s Conference Assistance Programme will now provide further financial and strategic marketing support to help Ko promote the 2019 conference at upcoming IEEE TrustCom events. “In 2018 I will present at a conference banquet for 300 delegates and will use the impressive videos and resources from Tourism New Zealand to help them get excited about 2019,” Ko concludes. “I look forward to showcasing New Zealand as a conference destination.”