Well happy new year to everyone and welcome to the first weekly update for the new year. The weather hasn’t been great in the Eastern Region but I guess that the upside has been a relatively quiet holiday period for most Units. 

    In case you haven’t already heard, Baz Kirk has resigned as Operations Manager for the Eastern Region. Baz is currently on leave and returns briefly to the office next Thursday before finishing on February 2. He takes up a position with Maritime NZ in Auckland and I’m sure many of you will want to wish him well before he leaves.

    With Baz’s departure, I will be endeavouring to pick up the slack until we have a replacement. However, if you have been waiting for something to be actioned and you think it may have fallen through the cracks, please contact me directly. Better to be sure that it is at least on my radar than find its been forgotten. Your patience and understanding over the next 6-8 weeks is most appreciated.

    A Position Description for a replacement person is currently being finalised and it is expected that advertisements will be placed on SEEK and TradeMe next week. Please keep an eye out for these advertisements and let anyone who you think is suitably qualified and experienced know about the vacancy. I would like to think interviews will begin in 2-3 weeks.

    Details of a farewell for Baz will be advised once they are finalised upon his return from holiday.

    While on the subject of staff, it looks like I have someone starting part-time next week to cover Donna Bennett who did a great job keeping the Unit database/training records up to date. Since Donna left things have started to slip again so we need to keep on top of this. Until we find a replacement for Baz, they will also be helping with some of the on-going reporting functions. I will send you all contact details once these have been set up. 

    Nikki continues to provide our accounting/finance support one day per week. This is usually a Wednesday if anyone needs to speak to her in person. Otherwise please leave a message on her extension or send her an email and she will get back to you when she is next in the office. 

    At least one more Unit has decided to make the move across to the Coastguard Xero accounting system. One of the big advantages of Units using this system is Nikki can help Unit Treasurers set up their accounts in a way that is consistent across Units. She can also access your system on-line and give assistance with any account processing queries if required. If you would like more information about Xero please contact Nikki.

    As the CER office is often unmanned, it may pay to phone before making a special trip into Mount Maunganui. If you are passing by anyway, please just drop in at any time. We are always keen to see you and find out what’s happening in your part of the world. 

     Similarly with emails…if you need a same-day reply, please phone and let the recipient know that there is an urgent email for their attention. We will always try to respond to emails within 24 hours unless we know something is more urgent.

    Last year the CER Board made a recommendation to all Units about the creation of a new Unit Forum to replace what was OPSCOM. Units were asked to consider the recommendation by the end of February 2012. This is just a reminder that I am more than happy to come and talk to your Unit Committees about this proposal if it is helpful. Otherwise I look forward to hearing from all Units over the coming weeks once you have had a chance to meet.

    The next CER Board meeting is a workshop to look at how we can grow overall membership (and membership revenue). The pros and cons of Regional membership will be explored and several guests have been invited to participate in the discussion. This has historically been a contentious issue for the Eastern Region. However, with the uncertainty of relying predominantly on Government funding, CCR and CCR Boards have both agreed that the concept is worthy of serious consideration by their Units. As you know CNR has already adopted Regional membership. The CER Board will not be making any decisions about such an important issue without genuine consultation with all Units. However, it is hoped that the CER Board will reach Regional view on the issue that can then form the basis for more discussion with Units. 

    Finally, our Regional events calendar is empty so please let us know what is happing in your Unit. Things like Committee meetings, training days, local events can all go in there. The only event listed is over the coming 30 days is the next CER Board meeting. 

Graeme Hull