The National Council.

PositionINSTITUTE NOTES

The NZIIA held its annual National Council meeting at the Wellington Club on 21 June. At the outset, the council acknowledged the passing of three significant figures in the past year--Life Member Bruce Brown, Honorary Vice President Dame Laurie Salas and Nelson branch Chair Hugo Judd.

President Sir Douglas Kidd reported 'a busy and successful year'. He noted four significant events--Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, the visit of a US warship to New Zealand and the NZIIA's conference in November, which he described as a 'triumph' for the director and secretary. He acknowledged 'the massive support of the institutions with whom we have intense partnership engagements, namely, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Victoria University of Wellington' and the valued relationship with the EU delegation in New Zealand.

The ensuing election of officers was notable for the degree of continuity. Sir Douglas and Professors Roberto Rabel and Athol Mann were all re-elected--as president, vice president and treasurer respectively. Dr Anthony Smith having indicated a wish to stand down, the filling of the position of research committee chair was held over for the Standing Committee to resolve. That committee was also unchanged, with all members being re-elected.

Executive Director Maty Nikkhou-O'Brien reported a fruitful year', noting that the NZIIA had 'reached new grounds in our mission to excite and engage New Zealanders, from all walks of life, about international affairs'. She pointed to the greater engagement of people with international affairs, which was reflected in high attendance at National Office events. This had led to the problem of finding venues big enough to cater for the enlarged audiences--'a new experience for the NZIIA, in terms of scale, profile, and reach'. 'It is fair to state', she suggested, 'that the Institute sits in a "growth industry" where there is demand: people want to know, discuss, debate current affairs, and, additionally, people are willing to pay to attend. Corporate and Institutional members remain stable.' Meeting attendances were up from a 50-80 average a few years ago to 150-350. The aim was to broaden interest to fill the gap between students and seniors by bringing in young professionals and people from the business sector. Maty noted an active presence on social media. She expressed her hope that it might be possible to replicate Wellingtons success elsewhere, especially Auckland.

Treasurer Athol...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT