The April Board meeting was a telephone conference format rather
than a face to face meeting. It was good to have Trevor
Taylor back from injury for this meeting after a month on the
sidelines. The main items discussed at the meeting were:
- The financial results - a copy of the summary reports are
attached for clubs information. The nine months YTD results
to 31 March remain healthy with a $1.3m Operating Surplus, which
after taking account of timing variances is still on track to
achieve the year-end target of a Net Operating Surplus before Capex
and Revaluations of around $1 million. As we know, out of
this surplus we have to fund some $565,000 of capital expenditure
for which grant income has been received, so the amount of "free
cash" we get to put in the bank at the end of the year is around
$450,000.
- The Board approved an application for the Associate Membership
from the 21 Club - which is an excellent way to help both
organisations work closer together. It is with huge sadness
that I note the passing of 21 Club Secretary Garry Mace in the last
few days. Garry was the driver of this initiative, and
someone the surf life saving movement was very proud to have as a
Life Member. He will be greatly missed and my deepest
condolences go to Shirley and the rest of their family.
- Through rotation three Board members have terms ending at the
2014 AGM and work has started on putting in place the Board
Appointments Panel to oversee the selection process.
- The planning for the latest round of Club Chairs meetings was
also discussed. These are very important opportunities to
share thinking and for Clubs to express their views to the Board
and senior management.
- A report on the National Appeal along with the recommendations
arising from it was discussed. While the results were better
overall than last year, there was a noticeable drop off in street
collector activity in some areas that translated into less money
being raised there. The change of date of the national street
collection from early December to late January came with mixed
reviews - some liked it but others want to go back to
December. It is very clear that there is no date that will
suit everyone, and one of the key recommendations for next year is
to no longer have a single national street collection day, but
instead let clubs decide (and co-ordinate locally) what the best
day is for them over the Dec/ Jan period and support that as best
we can with national PR and media. Feedback from clubs so far
is this is the right approach to take.
- The Board reviewed the detailed Management version of the
2014/15 Strategic Plan - which is where the Management team take
the high level plan circulated to clubs and break it down into
specific actions and timeframes for them to work to at a micro
level for the year.
- We also looked at the summary of Health & Safety incidents
for the season to the end of February - both in sport and
lifesaving. Most of the serious injuries to our members are
happening in a sports context, which reinforces the focus that has
gone on Event Safety. Lifesaving injuries are typically only
minor, but training with IRB's (as with IRB racing) is an area to
put some attention into.
- The Board also noted the progress with the Surf Sport Blue Sky
Review - which having validated the Terms of Reference was about to
enter into the first proper stage of seeking feedback from clubs
and the wider membership (both sports participants and those who
don't). The Board remain focussed on the need for this review
to be driven by the membership and be as transparent as possible
with how any outcomes and conclusions are reached.
For a short meeting a lot was covered. The Board will next
meet in Wellington on the 25th May. So until my
next update…
Yours in surf,
Geoff Hamilton
Chairman
Surf Life Saving New Zealand
