The NZIIA's Annual General Meeting.

• Position: INSTITUTE NOTES

The NZIIA held its annual general meeting at the Wellington Club on 3 May. There were 40 people in attendance, of whom just six were female; 15 others were present via Zoom. Among those present were the chairs of the Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington branches, Gary Russell, Sandeep Sharma and Karim Dickie respectively. Oke Blaikie represented the Nelson branch chair.

The meeting was preceded by a luncheon at which branch chairs met with members of the board and the NZIR editor. There was a useful exchange of views on future needs.

The AGM began with an address by the president, Sir Anand Satyanand. After thanking Victoria University of Wellington for its support, especially in providing accommodation for the National Office, he pointed to the upgrading of the website as a highlight of the year. It was now a very important element in the NZIIA's media strategy. Sir Anand noted the impact of COVID on the NZIIA's activities over the previous two years, but commended the enthusiasm of branches, which had helped offset some of the pandemic's effects. He also noted the on-going production of the NZIR.

During his address Sir Anand indicated that it was time for him to hand on the baton and return to being a 'footsoldier' of the institute. He indicated his intention to resign from his role as president/chair shortly, but complete his term on the board. (The board duly decided on his replacement at its meeting on 24 May--see box.)

The NZIIA's new director, Hamish McDougall, then presented the annual plan. Broad-ranging in scope, it would, he declared, provide a broader arena for discussion of international affairs. The aim was an NZIIA that was nimble in its reaction to developments. A 'hybrid model', bringing together elements on the same platform, would help expand the audience. The NZIIA would also continue to support its significant publications--the NZIR and the New Zealand in World Affairs series. The annual plan was designed to increase awareness of the NZIIA, including through social media, and to not only convert interest to membership but also encourage the loyalty of new recruits and grow the base of volunteers. Three categories would be addressed: university students, early/mid-career people and late career/ retired.

McDougall praised the work that had been done on the membership database. His priorities would include smoothing out problems that had arisen in bringing in the new system. He would seek to increase revenue, especially...