PRESIDENT’S REPORT

2018 was another busy year for Nelson Grey Power.
Nelson Grey Power remains the Grey Power Association with the highest membership in the NZ Grey Power Federation.

Quarterly Magazine and “In Touch” e-newsletter
Our quarterly magazine remains our flagship for keeping members informed, not just of Nelson Grey Power and Grey Power Federation activities, but also of services and products available locally to older people. Thank you to our contributors for providing us with interesting articles.
The magazine is produced via a contract with Waimea Weekly.
Our “In Touch” e-newsletter has been sent out to members on email where required for communication between the hardcopy magazines.

Regular meetings with local bodies
We have continued to meet quarterly with the Mayors of Nelson and Tasman and their CEO’s
and with Nelson Marlborough District Health Board CEO and key staff and to raise concerns brought to us by members.

Participation in local body planning/policy development
* Committee members attended meetings on TDC Positive Ageing
Strategy
* Represented on Accessibility for All Committee
* Represented on Positive Ageing Forum
* Attended NMHDB Alcohol Harm Reduction Forum.
* Committee members (2) attended meeting of NCC Planning for
change Ageing Demographic and George Truman, Sue Sara, and Ian
Catto will represent us on the Steering Group for
development of NCC policy on ageing demographics
* Committee members (2) attended Elder Abuse Training
* Three committee members participated with NMDHB in planning End
of Life Care Pathway
We also met with NMDHB project manager to plan implementation
of the End of Life Care Conversations project and suggested
involvement of Marlborough, Motueka, and Golden Bay
Grey Power Associations too.
* Nelson Grey Power held two meetings for our members on End of Life
Care Planning
* Committee members (2) attended NMDHB Health Innovation Awards
* Committee members attended and continue to participate in the
Nelson Housing Forum

Submissions to local and national bodies
* Nelson Grey Power submission & presentation to NCC  on Top of
South Land Transport Plan
* Nelson Grey Power submission & presentation to TDC on Top of
South Land Transport Plan
* Presented to Mental Health and Addition Inquiry
* Meetings with Compass re change of Meals on Wheels contract
* Submission and Presentation to NCC on Long Term Plan
* Submission to TDC on Long Term Plan
* Attended NMDHB re Pharmacy Action Plan
* Met with Nelson Airport Manager to express concerns about lack of
participation in planning
for elderly and those with disability during new airport upgrade. Also
spoke to Mayors of TDC and NCC re this as they are the Nelson Airport
shareholders.
* Concerns re removal of post boxes in Nelson Tasman taken to NCC
Mayor (who wrote letter of support to NZ Post), TDC Mayor, and NZ Post. Interview and story on TV One news.
* Submission to Office for Seniors on population ageing strategy
* With support of NCC Mayor expressed concerns to Minister of
Consumer Affairs, Kris Faafol re Home Direct sales trucks
* Wrote to Minister of Building Jenny Salesa re need to upgrade
standards for toilets for people with disability.
* Submission to TDC on Age-Friendly Policy
* Joined in partnership with Nelson MP and Nelson Mayor to oppose
proposed closing of  Kiwibank branch in Stoke and contracting out of NZ Post service.

Nelson Grey Power hosted  a public meeting with around 230 people attending, started Petition to Parliament,  wrote MP’s, Chair Kiwibank Board. NCC, Mayor and President Nelson Grey Power met with
national retail managers of NZ Post and Kiwibank.
We had good media coverage via  TV One news, Newspaper reports, radio

Survey of Members
Nelson Grey Power undertook a survey of its members via our September 2018 magazine to find out how Nelson Grey Power members are being treated in their dealings with Government Departments, local Councils, community services, and businesses. The results were published in our December 2018 magazine.
Members identified agencies, services, businesses easy to do business with and those difficult to do business with. The majority of members used EFTPOS as a means of payment and nearly twice the number of people used cheques than those using on-line payment.

Meeting members
We celebrated our birthday with a mystery bus trip for members.
Your committee continued to make themselves available for regular coffee mornings but only a small number of members have taken up this opportunity to discuss issues.
We will discuss in general business at this AGM whether to continue to host coffee mornings.
Our Waitangi Day picnic was repeated again this year and was enjoyed by the small group of members who attended.

Our “Out and About” volunteers at the beginning of each year remain one of our major means of interacting in person with members, as does our participation in the Positive Ageing Expo each year.
Our office volunteers get to meet a large number of our members and potential members through the exceptional service they give to Nelson Grey Power, week after week, staffing our front office.
With the encouragement of the Minister of Office for Seniors we applied for funding a member social outing bur were then declined funding.

Nelson Grey Power was recognised with an Age-Connect Award by Age Concern for the work we do in helping to reduce social isolation of our members.

Application for registration as a charity with NZ Charities Commission
Our application for registration as a charity has been subject to several delays in analysis and reply by the Charities Analyst, each months long. Nelson Grey Power sent comprehensive information and evidence of our purpose and activities as requested  10 October 2018, and have recently received a decision of not to grant registration.

We have challenged their analysis of our purpose and activities and compared our organisation with similar organisations that have been granted registration. If the Charities Commission do reconsider our request, then it is certain we will need to change our constitution to better comply with their requirements. This will not involve major changes.

The Charities Commission have an aversion to advocacy and lobbying.
Registration as a charity would enable Nelson Grey Power to seek funding rather than having to rely on member subscriptions as its almost sole source of income and reduce tax.

Federation AGM
Nelson Grey Power continues to be an active association at the annual Grey Power Federation AGM.
This year’s AGM is in Wellington and Nelson has put forward a number of remits for discussion – copied to members in our March 2019 magazine issue.

Nelson Grey Power website upgrade
We are currently in the process of updating our website so that is more easily updatable and better reflects the activities Nelson Grey Power is now undertaking.

Thank you to all our volunteers
We have only one paid employee.  A great deal of the work for Nelson Grey Power is undertaken by volunteers and we are so fortunate to have them . Thank you to all those who contribute their time, expertise, and support to our organisation – your contribution is much appreciated.

Thank you to our Nelson Grey Power Committee
Your 2018/19 Nelson Grey Power Committee (also all volunteers) have put a great deal of time and effort into managing the organisation and representing members views to decision makers.

Thank you to Kevin Gardener, Vice President and Zone Director
George Truman, our Treasurer,
Linda O’Dea, our Secretary,
Committee members Pauline Daly, Sue Sara, Anne White, Pam Coltman, and Eric Davey
for being such hard working team members of our committee.

Thanks to Kim Harding, our Office Administrator, for her major balancing act keeping the wheels of Nelson Grey Power turning. There is so much work going on behind the scenes to make sure that we continue to deliver a good service to our members.

Christine Tuffnell
President
Nelson Grey Power

6 April 2019

Comments are closed.