Bob Dylan once said there’s nothing so stable as change. We’ve been going through a lot of changes at NZISM lately.

Our new Board members, Karl and Tom, have hit the ground running as part of a brilliant team comprising Robyn (in her new seat as Chair), Krissy, Vance and Gareth. NZISM members are ably represented by the Board. They bring a huge range of skills and knowledge to the table; Karl and Tom are bringing some great new skills and perspectives to bear. We miss Mike’s wisdom and Grant’s perception, of course, but we’re inventing something new, too.

The dissolution of the SLT means that we’ve created a new Risk & Assurance Committee, led by Rob Birnie as our redoutable Risk & Assurance Manager. The RAC will provide guiding lights for the organisation. I miss the conversations at the SLT but I’m sure that we’ll see great things from the RAC.

As highlighted in the article below, there have also been significant leadership transitions across several of our key branches. I’m deeply grateful to our outgoing Branch Managers for their leadership and contributions. I’ve already had some energising discussions with their successors about opportunities for improvement and innovation.  

We’ve also welcomed new talent into our operational team. Nicole Smith joins us next week as Office Manager - and Pamela Cameron will take up the role of Events & Branch Support Manager, in mid-August. While we will certainly miss those who have moved on, I’m excited to see the energy and ideas Nicole and Pamela will bring.  

In parallel, we’re embarking on an ambitious project to reinvent NZISM’s website and member services. This involves improving some of the systems and processes that are clunky or difficult to use and developing some cool new tools.  

At some point in the hopefully distant future, NZISM will be the Ship of Theseus, with every board and nail replaced, but still sailing on. This is an appreciation post for those who've been part of our crew previously (you are missed) and a welcome aboard for the new folks bursting up the gangway full of enthusiasm. Last but not least, I’m profoundly grateful to those long-time staffers and volunteers who keep us seaworthy and shipshape.  

Ngā mihi  

Jeff Sissons

NZISM CEO