PrintNZ held its 115th Annual General Meeting on Tuesday May 23, followed by a meeting of the Management Advisory Group.
The organisation has two key groups that set the strategy and guidelines for the operation of PrintNZ: The Board of Management (BOM) and the Management Advisory Group (MAG).
Board of Management
The role of the BOM is to set the direction for and oversee the operation of the organisation.
The AGM saw the completion of terms for four long-standing members of the Board: Tony Sayle (past president), Mark O’Grady, David Jack, and Lisa Hegh. Each of these people has made an outstanding contribution to the organisation during their time on the Board and this was noted at the AGM.
The remainder of the Board comprises:
President Fred Soar, SCG, Auckland Jill Cowling, Blue Star Group, Auckland David Parsons, CQ, Christchurch, Ruth Cobb, PrintNZ chief executive.
Plus, the Board has one co-opted member Tony Sayle, Jenkins Group, Tauranga.
This means the Board has two vacancies. The meeting noted that it should give consideration to ensuring that the Board is diverse and widely representative across a number of areas. There was a strong desire to have input from the future leaders of the industry and provide them opportunities to learn more about the organisation and how it is governed.
As a result, the nominations that were received for the remaining two positions will be reviewed by the Board througha broad lens, alongside looking to accommodate up and coming board members through a programme of governance associates.
This is an exciting step towards ensuring that PrintNZ has a strong succession plan, something that is just as important to our business as it is to yours.
Management Advisory Group
The MAG comprises representatives from each of the regions and technical sector groups who act as a voice for the members in their specific sector or region. This group meets annually to provide input into the PrintNZ Strategy; feedback from the regions/sectors; training; and help set the focus for the coming year.
This year the group received an update on the review of qualifications that have taken place over the last 18 months with Hanga Aro Rau. This has seen four qualifications reviewed; one new qualification created; 109 unit standards reviewed; and two new micro-credentials established. This massive task that has been undertaken by volunteers from the relevant industry sectors.
The second topic covered was the PrintNZ Strategy with the key priorities for the next two to three being:
• the promotion of print by investing in marketing of the sector
• access to resources for members
• strengthening PrintNZ’s voice
• a continued focus on the changes being made in the training sector
• looking at opportunities to work more closely with other like-minded organisations.
Accounts
The Annual Report and Accounts were presented to the AGM. PrintNZ made a pre- tax profit of $85,960 for the 12 months to 31 December 2022 (compared to $52,078 in 2021). This is an excellent result in a period of continued disruption from Covid-19 and increasing inflationary pressures.
The organisation has equity of $1.4m (up from $1.32m in 2021) and an investment portfolio valued at $1.6 m which generated dividend income of $60,522.
Activities
The annual report details of the activities of PrintNZ and the following outcomes were highlighted at the meeting:
• Membership at December 2022 was 494 compared to 489 at December 2021.
• Learning numbers in 2022 were 416 compared to 484 in 2021.
• A well-attended training graduation was held in Auckland in May once Covid restrictions on events had been lifted.
The Apprentice of the Year Sector winners were:
Sheetfed: Kosema Fuiono, Blue Star Collard, Auckland
Packaging: Frey Head, Oji Fibre Solutions, Auckland
Digital: Nana Southall, Blue Star Constellation, Auckland
Screen: Liam Blom, ACI Screen & Print, Auckland
Reelfed: John Reddy, Philstic, Auckland
Apprentice of the Year was awarded to Kosema Fuiono from Blue Star Collard in Auckland.
PSI Brands in Napier was named Training Company of the Year and Mandy Nilsson from Blue Star Constellation in Auckland was named Workplace Trainer of the Year.
PrintNZ successfully managed the 29th Pride In Print Awards, held in Christchurch at the new TePae convention centre. Logic Print was named the Supreme Award winner, its fourth title, making it the most awarded Supreme Award winner.
In 2022, PrintNZ managed the sale of Rapid Antigen Tests to members, generating extraordinary income of $196,758. Our thanks go to Blue Star Group for the bulk supply of the tests.
PrintNZ worked closely with Competenz as the Review of Vocational continued
to move through its transition and Competenz was merged into the Work Based Learning subsidiary of the large TePukenga organisation. This work was important to ensure that the function that is responsible for delivering training in our organisation was not compromised in the changes.
Hanga Aro Rau makes up the other half of the new training structure. PrintNZ has good representation in this organisation with Mark O’Grady on the Board and Ruth Cobb on the Industry Stakeholder Group, allowing a two way flow of information.
Substantial time was spent lobbying government across a broad range of topics that affect the industry. This was done both individually as PrintNZ and as part of wider groups of organisations to increase the power of our voice.
PrintNZ has continued to participate in the Value of Paper and Print, Two Sides and Love Paper campaigns, promoting print to a broader audience and providing collateral to members to use in their businesses.
Thanks to you
Our organisation exists for our members and PrintNZ remains focused on delivering services that provide value and relevance, looking for opportunities to deliver further benefits and support, and continuing to look for prospects for growth for the organisation, both within the industry and across complementary groups.
But we are nothing without our members, our staff, and our Board, and a huge thank you goes to all the businesses and individuals that recognise the value of having an industry organisation, in good times and in bad, and support PrintNZ accordingly through membership, sponsorship and participation.
