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Otago Chairperson?s Report for the AGM May 2008

Thank you for taking the time to attend this AGM.  Thank you to Kavanagh and Amelia for hosting us today, to Dunedin Community College for providing the nibbles, and to Lynda for organising the teleconference.  CATE has had 27 financial members over the last year, a very similar number to 2007. My gratitude to Russell Stuck whose efficiency has kept our accounts and membership lists up to date again this year.

Although we have not had an actual CATE meeting since our last AGM, I have tried to keep members informed by email. We seem to be well catered for in this region in terms of updating days etc. So far this year, there has been; a Gateway update, a Star update,  a TOOLS4WORK training session, Tertiary Open Day with teacher update, and the Careers Expo with teacher evening.  There is a careers update planned by the Careers service for June at which I will have a slot to speak about CATE matters. I also spoke at the STAR update.

I have found it very difficult to find a date even for this meeting which suited all of the committee.  Extra meetings are not always welcome unless they are of very high value or of a social nature which people enjoy as an antidote to their busy schedules. I think the elected committee should take a few moments after this AGM to discuss the future planning for CATE Otago for this year and even possibly term 1 2009.

This AGM is earlier than last years June meeting.  This is driven by the fact that National Executive, through the National Constitution, have set down that their annual subscriptions must be paid by the end of June.  We need to get our 2008-09 membership list to them by then for the purpose of registration for the ?Catching the Wave ? conference in New Plymouth from 19-22 November. Up until that date the current membership list holds good for registration. Many regions hold their AGM as their first April meeting for the year and we may need to consider this also. I have resisted this to date as I feel having an AGM as a first meeting would be off putting for potential members but if we have less meetings overall,  which seems to be the trend, we may need to do it that way.

Last year?s ?Breaking the Ice? conference was great for our members in terms of location and Otago may have had a record number of attendees. Living space worked well as accommodation, keeping us together as a group.

I attended a National Executive Meeting on 11 April this year, and this was discussed earlier. The last two during the year meetings have been held at the Miramar Golf Course in Wellington.  This is beside the airport and people can fly in for the day.  With no need for accommodation, this is a good option. Another meeting is planned for 29 July.  The National executive serve us well and CATE is definitely becoming well known with a higher profile than when I first became Otago chairperson. We are being consulted more eg over Schools Plus by the Ministry, by the PPTA, and others, and we have been invited to affiliate with the Career Industry Council of Australia which we are going to do.

I was disappointed that I completely missed the boat in informing members about a Mark Watson workshop in Dunedin earlier in the year. His workshops, presented in several centres, were collaborations between CATE and CPANZ. My internet provider, XTRA, was having problems at the time, and my local CPANZ did not inform me of it.  Judy Shields attended [she found out about it through CPANZ] and was our only member to do so. I have since had email contact with Anne Potter, Kathy Jones, and Glenys Ker and the links we had with CPANZ when Glenys was chair here have been re established and we are now, once again in the CPANZ link which is great. We have been invited to a Joel Porter workshop in Dunedin to be held on 4 and 5 December 2008 which looks great.

As you will be aware I have been CATE Otago Chairperson for many years and have done my best to keep it going.  I was convinced of its value to us even in times when interest in CATE was at a very low ebb. CATE has a much higher profile in Otago now and when I move on I will leave it in good heart.  Next year I will turn 60 and as a part time teacher with many other strands to my life, my farmers market appearances being one of many, I feel it is time to hand over to another, and possibly but not necessarily, younger person. Although prepared to stand again this year, I would like to give notice that this will be the last time I will do so. This will give others plenty of time to consider their options.  My successor can be assured of my every assistance.

Alice Baird

Chairperson CATE Otago