NI VICE PRESIDENT ANNUAL REPORT -
Everyone else says it, so I might as well say it too - lack of effective means of communication has been a problem. People ask what is the Association doing? First of all I must ask what is the Association, and secondly, what is the Association meant to be doing?
Every member of the Association appears to have different answers to these two questions.
I believe the following to be the main reasons for people joining N.Z.T.C.A.
1. To meet and communicate with people having similar ideas, aims and aspirations.
2. To learn about Tree Crops. i.e. education.
3. Advice on what are the best trees to grow in their locality.
4. As a means of obtaining propagating and planting material.
How best to achieve these ends?
Let us look at the present structure of the Association. -
At the base we have the members, formed into 20 branches throughout New Zealand. A branch's activities seems largely to depend on the energy and inspiration of it's Chairman and Secretary. Whilst some branches hold regular monthly or two monthly meetings, some branches only have one or two meetings a year.
I realise that the area covered by most branches is a problem. I consider the answer to that is to form sub-area groups within the -branch. This has worked well in Bay of Plenty. Waikato branch has now started a similar scheme, which means that an N.Z.T.C.A. meeting or Field Day is taking place somewhere in the Waikato area at the rate of three a month. Time and expense in travel cut out a lot of our members from attendance if not done on a locality level. Each area organiser only has to arrange one meeting or field day per month in his own area. This of course means more branch functions, with the burden of organising not falling solely on the shoulders of the Branch Chairman or Secretary. More people are now involved, which means more people having more knowledge and experience to pass on to others.
As North Island Vice President I have endeavoured to set up two North Island Region groups of branches. In July last year I called the first meeting of the Northern Region - Northland, Auckland, South Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne-East Coast and Waikato branches, each branch being invited to send two delegates. At least one delegate from each branch turned up to the July meeting in Tauranga for a full day meeting. Various matters were discussed such as branch finances, branch newsletters, joint meetings, Field Days, seminars and workshops and visits to other branches.
Matters relating to the Association were also discussed. The National Secretary was in attendance at the meeting and he and I were able to bring the branch representatives up to date on what the Association Management Committee was doing, and also to obtain views on different matters from the branch representatives.
A second Northern Regional Meeting was held in March this year. Although apologies were received from most branches, only myself, the National Secretary, the National Treasurer, and two delegates each from Bay of Plenty and Waikato turned up. Nevertheless, all members attending felt that the meeting was worthwhile and both branches would continue to participate even if other branches could not send delegates.
As a Regional venture, in conjuncture with Waikato Technical Institute, we have held two very successful one-day seminars, "An Introduction to Tree Crops", and "Chestnuts". Applicants, in excess of the 120 that could be catered for had to be turned away from the first seminar, and the second seminar attracted 60 participants - it is noted that members from South Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki and Waikato branches attended.
Last year I wrote to Taranaki, Central Districts, Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa Branches suggesting a Central Region meeting in February 1981 in Palmerston North and requested Central Districts Secretary to arrange a meeting place. Unfortunately I did not hear back until 3 days before the suggested date that the meeting was on, and giving the venue. Probably because of the short notice, only myself and two delegates from Central Districts and Taranaki were in attendance. However, once again the delegates thought that the meeting was of value.
Reports on these meetings have been distributed to branches.
Northland and Gisborne - East Coast have a very long distance to attend Northern Region meetings, and frankly, I cannot provide an answer except to give as much notice as possible of a meeting and hope that someone from that branch may be able to attend as a delegate. With the exception of Auckland branch, all North Island branches seem to favour regional meetings, even if they cannot always send a delegate. I must admit that the regional meetings have thus not been a resounding success, but they have just started. I think branches should give serious thought to regional meetings
My concept is that at least one member of Management Committee would attend each regional meeting (each region meeting twice a year) - I can see no more economical way of increasing communication between branches, and between branches and Management Committee.
Management Committee has been, in effect, an advisory sub-committee of the Executive Committee. It is very difficult for Management committee to obtain feelings, thoughts, and ideas, from branches. Communication by letter is not successful. With 20 branches in the Association it has not been financially possible to call an Executive Committee Meeting. As an advisory committee, Management Committee has not had the authority, or the direction, to complete such matters as the Journal, or Tree Crops Coordinator.
Our Association has set down little in the way of policy and Management Committee has been hampered by not having ascertainable policy to work within. I will give two examples. We had a tremendous session on the High Country at out Conference in Queenstown last year - no policy, however, was set down at the Annual General Meeting on follow up. I understand that a number of High Country pastoral leases are now up for renewal. I personally believe that this is a matter upon which N.Z.T.C.A. should make representations to Government (Department of Lands & Survey). Management Committee has not been able to take any action because it has had no directive on the matter from the Executive Committee or the Association in Annual General Meeting. The other matter is Town and Country planning. I note that several branches (with no authority) have been involved in objections to their local district schemes. Tree Croppers have always talked about Town and Country planning and alternative land use, but I have not been able to find any record in the minute books of our Association of us having any policy that the Association should involve itself in such matters - I think we should.
Such policy is considered its major function by the Small Holders Association, whose aims, I imagine, many Tree Croppers would be in sympathy with.
New Branches. I assisted in the inaugural, meetings of two new branches in the past year Thames Coromandel and Wellington - Horowhenua. We now have pretty good branch coverage in the North Island. I do not think we need any further branches in the North Island, but would request branches to give earnest consideration to forming area groups within their branch to make sure that all members within their branch area are catered for by local events as well as branch events.
Rules. This is a classic example of the ineffectiveness of communication by letter. At the Annual General Meeting in Queenstown last year, a sub-committee was appointed to prepare new rules for the Association, and correspondence on that matter was requested to be forwarded to a member of that sub-committee. A draft of the new rules was forwarded to branches in November last year inviting comments, but it is only in the last two months that any communication at all has come back from branches. I will repeat that copies of the proposed rules were not forwarded to individual member of the Association as it was considered that most members were simply not interested in Rules, and that the expense involved (in excess of $1,000.00) was not financially possible. The National Secretary has advised me that not one individual member of the Association has asked him for a copy of the New Rules as proposed in the last issue of the Journal.
Constant discussion of the rules is not one of the aims of our Association, although I suspect that more time has been spent on this one non-achievement matter than on, say, tree registration which should be of major concern to our Association.
I am concerned at the lank of organised branch trial areas, and effective policy and use of Tree Registration. These matters have been covered in discussion papers. We must rapidly sort out what are the best trees, and cultivars of those trees, to plant in different areas, and then ensure that propagating and planting material is made available to members on some organised basis.
I would like to see more evaluation and ideas on "fodder-farming" - apart from Doug Davies' efforts in this direction, I have heard little. This is a matter of great interest to most of our farmer members and, if there is anything in it, could be of national interest in our pastoral farming economy.
I may be naive, but I think we have virtually sorted out our nuts - it is mostly a matter of time now to prove us right or wrong in our selections. Nuts have been discussed in detail at all our conferences and our accumulated knowledge to date will be culminated at this Conference. Frankly, I don't think experienced members will be prepared to spend the time and money attending further conferences to talk largely about nuts - I think this could be more effectively done now at regional level through week-end or day seminars and workshops. I would recommend that the "theme" of the next few conferences be based on "fodder-farming" and alternate land use.
Finally, it is my hope that Regional Meetings will play a major role in communication and discussion to the end and intent that we can spend less Conference time on meetings and more on tree crops.
Ian Howat
Vice President