Executive View
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Jane Holden, Chief Executive
Welcome to the summer edition of Outlook and my last as Chief Executive of the Foundation.
You may have heard by now that Paula Daye, divisional manager of Adaptive Living, has been appointed as Acting Chief Executive for eight to twelve months when I depart.
Paula is an experienced CEO who sat in for me for three months earlier this year when I was on annual leave. She has the Board's confidence and is looking forward to the challenge of seeing the organisation through its transition period to the new governance structure. I know that you will give her every support.
A permanent CEO will be appointed by the new Board once it is in place.
Thank you to those who were able to attend the Annual Public Meeting at Awhina House. It was a productive meeting, with our guest speaker Barbara Disley, group manager Special Education, talking to us about new directions for blind and vision-impaired children's education.
Consolidating and growing the Foundation's children's service is one of our top priorities this financial year (2002/2003) and there has been some interesting news about our youth members over the past few months.
Our two delegates (Ezekial Robson and Donna McCaskill) represented the RNZFB well at the Youth Seminar in Malaysia. They both participated and mixed well and stood out from the rest of the delegates. As a result of this, Ezekiel Robson is now a member of the South East Asia Pacific Regional World Blind Union Youth Committee.
Another youth member, 17 year-old Laura Donegan, is this year's recipient of the AUT Community Partnership Award. She will begin studying next year for the Foundation Certificate in Fashion Technology and Laura's ultimate goal is to have her own fashion label and boutique.
I have had both a challenging and rewarding time over the last four years.
I believe that the Foundation is one of the most effective charities in New Zealand and I hope the government will eventually recognise this more significantly than it has in the past.
I extend a huge thank-you to every volunteer who has helped us over the last year - your support is invaluable.
I also thank you all for your support during my time here and wish you a very merry Christmas, safe holidays and a happy New Year.
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Jonathan Mosen, Chairman
It is often said that people get the government they deserve. So just what kind of governors do we want for the Foundation?
In September 2001, 81 percent of the just over 5000 people who voted in our governance referendum voted for a governance model based on self-determination. Members have made a bold and brave choice in accepting a new role for themselves in the Foundation's work.
All being well, we will soon be voting in the first elections for the Board of the Foundation of the Blind. While those who vote for the eight member seats will be blind, vision-impaired, or a parent of a blind or vision-impaired child, board members can come from the wider community.
Now is the time to think about the new Board. The beauty of the proposed system for electing members is that we are not limited to voting for one individual. With eight votes to cast, voters can be mindful of choosing a group of individuals who, together, have the mix of skills needed for the Board to be effective. Knowledge of the Foundation, the services we provide and of blindness are important, but so too are strategic thinking, financial competence, legal knowledge, and political awareness.
The first step in the election process is to nominate someone you feel has some or all of the above skills. I urge you to give careful thought to choosing those you feel have what it takes to play a role in the governance of our organisation.
Sadly in this issue we say goodbye to Jane Holden, who has been our Chief Executive since 1998. I would like to thank Jane for the short but very effective and constructive relationship we've enjoyed since I became Chairman. I have nothing but the greatest of respect for Jane's professionalism as a Chief Executive. Employed by the Board, she is able to feel its pulse and carry out the strategic direction it sets, delivering effective results. We will miss her and I'm sure we will hear plenty of great things about her in the future.
To all our supporters around the country, our sincere thanks for your generosity this year, whether you have donated your time or given financially. It is only through such support that the Foundation can continue working towards independence for blind and vision-impaired New Zealanders.
Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year to you all!