! ! NZAMH&AGM&MINUTES&2014& Friday!16th!May!2014! Time:!1:35pm!–!5:12pm! Long!Bay,!Auckland! Type%of% Meeting% AGM! Chairperson% Phil!Rasmussen! Minute%taker% Kimberly!Taylor!(Secretary)! Time%keeper% Kimberly!Taylor! Attendees% Phil!Rasmussen!(Chairperson),!Leanne!Halliwell!(President),!Craig!Rhodes!(Vice! President),!Kimberly!Taylor,!Carole!Fisher,!Robyn!Carruthers,!Linda!Jones,!Jill! Dunn,!Sarah!Brenchley,!Mary!Allan!(left!at!3:30pm),!Emily!Boese,!Moana!Hutana,! Val!McArthur,!Angela!Haldane,!Colleen!Anstey,!Isla!Burgess,!Jane!Carter,!Juelle! Hunt,!Joan!Flynn,!Marianne!Stobie,!Rixt!Botello,!Sandra!Clair,!Christine!Manuel,! Jesse!Summers,!Sue!Rubie,!Margaret!Farnsworth,!Dale!Farnsworth,!Tracy! Henderson,!Valmai!Becker,!Carlene!Arnold,!Deborah!Bassett,!Shirley!Belcher,! Alison!Bramley,!Donna!Burgoyne,!Maria!Burns,!Nicola!Butterworth,!Phillip! Cottingham!(left!at!4:30pm),!Leanne!Gardner,!Yvonne!Gattung,!Kohei!Iguchi,! Kamal!Kaur,!Vanessa!Mack,!Kate!McConnell,!Kelly!McGillivray,!GayYLynn! Mokrzecki,!Laetitia!O’Connell,!Nicola!Swanson,!Anna!Swanson,!Hayley!Thompson,! Deborah!Tsavousis,!Clare!Tyler,!Maureen!Verrill,!Kim!Webby,!Anne!Wong!Doo!(left! at!3:50pm),!Anya!Nidd,!Nicola!Dombroski,!Claire!Forster,!Leonie!McLellan,! Bernadette!Bekker,!Raewyn!van!der!Wende,!Robin!Thomas,!Richard!Whelan! (arrived!at!3:30pm),!Danielle!Whelan!(arrived!at!3:30pm)! Apologies% Janet!Melbourne,!Julie!Bainbridge,!Kaye!Keats,!Sam!McSorley,!Asti!Renaut,! Rosemary!Stewart,!Elizabeth!Ryan,!Linda!Bailey,!Patricia!Hishon,!Anah!van! Dorp! Minutes!of!2013!AGM! Presenter! Kimberly!Taylor! Discussion! Accepted!as!true!and!correct! Conclusion! Minutes!moved:!!!!!!Kimberly!Taylor!!!!Seconded:!!Jesse!Summers! Everybody!in!favour! Motion!Carried.! President’s!Report! Presenter! Leanne!Halliwell! Discussion! Leanne!presented!the!President’s!report.% See!Appendix!A! ! Amendment!to!President’s!report!–!Leanne!missed!out!on!commenting!on!Moana! Hutana’s!departure!from!committee.!!Moana!has!had!significant!family! commitments!and!nearly!resigned!earlier!in!the!year!but!we!convinced!her!not!too.!! Thank!you!Moana.! Conclusion! President’s!report!moved:!Leanne!Halliwell!!!Seconded:!!Angela!Haldane! Everybody!in!favour! Motion!carried.! Treasurer’s!Report!! Presenter! Craig!Rhodes! Discussion! Craig!presented!the!treasurer’s!report.!!See!Appendix!B! AGM!and!conference!section!of!Treasury!report!not!valid!at!this!point!due!to!Linda! Jones!disputing!figures!of!Dunedin!conference.!!She!says!conference!did!breakeven,! accountant’s!figures!in!the!report!say!it!made!a!loss!of!$14,000.! Several!changeovers!with!treasurer!over!past!few!years.!!Transition!between! treasurers!hasn’t!been!fluid.!!Sue!Rubie!is!not!responsible!for!the!$10,000!loss! reported!at!last!year’s!AGM.!!! The!accountant’s!conclusions!are!that!there!are!no!missing!funds!but!very!poor! record!keeping.!!!We!now!have!an!‘examined’!set!of!accounts!–!not!an!audited!set! of!accounts.! Sue!Rubie!–!we!need!to!have!an!audit!at!some!point,!it!may!cost!money!but!it!is! necessary.!!! Late!filing!fees!for!GST!and!Company’s!Office,!etc!have!been!charged!to!NZAMH.! Sue!Rubie!says!the!Company’s!office!papers!have!been!filed!on!time.!!Accountants! say!they!haven’t!and!charges!incurred.!!! NZAMH!have!taken!out!insurance!in!the!event!that!we!may!get!audited!by!the!IRD.!! There!is!an!extremely!high!chance!of!this!happening.!!The!insurance!will!cover!the! accountants!fee!if!an!audit!occurs!which!can!be!very!expensive.! Isla!Burgess!–!Recommends!not!to!leave!that!much!money!in!the!PayPal!account!as! she!has!had!her!own!PayPal!account!hacked!and!money!stolen!from!her!account.!! Rixt!Botello!supports!Isla’s!view.!!Craig!happy!to!reduce!the!balance.! Phil!Cottingham!–!There!must!be!options!with!Avena!for!subscriptions!to!be! purchased!by!libraries!and!other!organizations!to!get!additional!income!in.! Isla!Burgess!–!How!about!making!Avena!available!online!and!then!members!can! choose!whether!they!purchase!the!hardcopy!magazine!or!not?!!She!values!the! magazine!significantly!and!would!definitely!pay!to!purchase!the!hardcopy.! Leanne!–!As!a!savings!idea,!how!about!we!are!no!longer!a!member!of!NHC?!!Will! talk!to!this!point!later!in!NHC!report.! ! Craig!moved!motion!to!remove!treasury!from!the!election!and!coYopt!Terry!Harris! (associate!member)!onto!committee!as!Treasurer.!!! Sue!Rubie!–!will!it!be!a!book!keeping!role!as!well!as!treasury!role?!!Yes!it!will.! Phil!Rasmussen!–!personally!he!thinks!it!would!be!an!offer!we!would!be!crazy!to! decline.! Vote:!! Yes!=!63! No!=!0! Everyone!in!favour.!!Motion!passed.! ! Leanne!Halliwell!–!the!financial!loss!can!mostly!be!explained!by!some!big! expenditure!during!the!year,!the!liquidation!of!The!Website!Guys!$8,000!+!$3,000! from!investigation!into!apparent!$10,000!losses.!!Removing!these!makes!the!loss!to! the!Association!less,!about!$5,000.! Phil!Rasmussen!–!Having!a!proper!accountant!as!our!treasurer!is!important!and!will! limit!our!losses.!!! Craig!will!discuss!with!Terry!the!audit!trail.!!! ! Rixt!Botello!–!regarding!the!website:!Since!there!is!a!personal!interest!from!one!of! our!members!(Craig)!then!should!we!all!vote!as!an!Association?!!! Leanne!Halliwell!–!perhaps!for!this!situation!for!Craig,!you!are!right.!!But!we!don’t! want!to!delay.!!Without!having!seen!and!read!the!original!proposal,!you!don’t!have! all!the!information.! Jill!Dunn!–!Remember!we!trusted!someone!we!didn’t!know!and!we!lost!$8,000.! Phil!Rasmussen!–!From!what!I!know!of!websites,!I!think!we!are!getting!a!very!good! deal!with!Craig.!!Also!according!to!the!NZAMH!Constitution!clause!12(c),!we!allow! our!committee!to!make!these!decisions!for!us.!!The!decision!has!been!made.!! Moana!Hutana!–!Craig!did!actually!put!in!a!web!proposal!years!ago!and!as!a! committee,!we!declined!him.!!He!is!the!one!we!trust!and!knows!our!association! best.! ! !Phil!Rasmussen!Y!I!think!we!need!more!discussion!about!‘enhanced!membership’.!! My!view!is!we!need!to!be!careful!about!how!we!go!about!it.!!Details!to!be!worked! out!by!committee,!but!I!don’t!think!we!need!6!levels!of!membership.! Craig!–!details!of!enhanced!level!of!membership!to!be!decided!and!worked!out.!!! Member!–!I!think!we!should!all!be!treated!equally!in!the!association,!I!pay!my!fees! and!I!want!to!be!treated!equally,!not!give!some!members!fancy!listings!just!because! they!can!pay!more!etc.!!! Leanne!–!it’s!the!rich!getting!richer.! Craig!–!charging!for!an!enhanced!listing!is!a!way!of!making!money,!also!it’s! acknowledging!that!Val!has!to!load!everything!into!the!site,!it’s!time!consuming!and! costs!money.! Phil!Rasmussen!–!There!are!a!number!of!way!to!generate!some!income!Y!get!more! students,!increase!advertising!costs!for!Avena,!review!AGM/conference!costs!with! good!governance!by!Committee.!!! ! Linda!Jones!to!respond!to!Craig’s!treasury!report:! Shocked!by!$14,000!loss!difference.! Linda!read!reports!from!records!kept!on!Val’s!laptop!saying!difference!was!$1,400,! not!$14,000.!!Also!some!people!paid!early!and!this!is!reported!in!a!different! financial!year.!!Plus!decision!made!to!spend!extra!$5,000!given!100!year! celebrations.!!Therefore!reporting!is!incorrect.! ! Conclusion! Report!moved!by!Leanne!Halliwell!subject!to!an!investigation!by!the!accountant! and!treasurer!into!the!allocation!of!funding!and!expenses!into!the!AGM!and! conference!of!2013.!!Seconded:!!Robyn!Carruthers! Those!in!favour!=!62!members;!No!=!1!member!(Linda!Jones)! Motion!carried.! ! Craig!moved!motion!to!remove!treasury!from!the!election!and!coYopt!Terry!Harris! (associate!member)!onto!committee!as!Treasurer.!!! Vote:!!Yes!=!63;!No!=!0! Everyone!in!favour.!!Motion!passed.! Sub!Committee!Reports! Political!Subcommittee!Report! Presenter! Jill!Dunn! Discussion! Jill!Dunn!presented!the!political!report.!!See!Appendix!C! Phil!Rasmussen!gave!quick!report/update!from!the!May!12th!meeting!of!three! professional!bodies!–!NZAMH,!Society!of!Naturopaths!&!Naturopaths!of!New! Zealand.!!Affiliation!has!different!meanings!depending!on!the!source!but!it’s!not! jumping!into!bed!together!–!it’s!just!courting.! Leanne!Halliwell!–!It!is!a!coup!to!have!both!naturopathic!associations!+!colleges!+! NZAMH!all!in!one!room!to!discuss!the!future!of!our!industry.!!! Leanne!proposed!this!motion:! It!is!proposed!to!combine!the!strengths!of!Naturopaths!and!Medical!Herbalists!to! stand!beside!each!other,!while!maintaining!association!individuality!through!the! affiliation!of!NZAMH,!Naturopathy!of!NZ!and!NZ!Society!of!Naturopaths.! Isla!Burgess!–!what!does!affiliation!mean!exactly?! Phil!Rasmussen!–!the!benefit!is!affiliation.!!In!the!past!(with!TAHI)!the!goal!was! amalgamation!from!the!start.!Herbalists!and!Naturopaths!work!in!very!similar!ways.! But!affiliation!is!working!closer!together!for!the!benefit!of!our!members.!!! Member!–!Do!you!have!ideas!of!what!you!want!to!work!on!together?! Leanne!Halliwell!Y!Education!standards!of!graduates!coming!out!of!the!colleges!is! one!thing.!We!have!only!had!two!meetings!so!far.!!This!is!just!talking!to!each!other! at!this!stage.!!It!can!go!anywhere!we!want!it!to!go.!! Isla!Burgess!–!the!numbers!of!herbalists!are!reducing.!!We!always!ask!why!but!the! answer!is!obvious,!small!colleges!cannot!survive!in!NZ!or!go!through!NZQA!again.! We!are!losing!many!good!people!because!the!only!colleges!are!in!Auckland.!! Leanne!Halliwell!!–!we!need!to!make!sure!we!do!the!postYgraduate!stuff.!!All!of!us! are!trained!in!different!education!institutes.!!Not!just!us!experiencing!this,!it’s!the! government!structure,!bureaucracy!etc.! Rixt!Botello!–!both!Phil!Rasmussen!and!I!were!members!of!TAHI!and!NZAMH!and! involved!in!the!amalgamation.!!We!had!common!ground!–!we!were!all!herbalists.!!I! think!we!have!been!really!pushed!today!right!from!the!start!with!the!focus!of! amalgamation.!!There!is!a!big!difference!between!naturopaths!and!herbalists.!! Amalgamation!or!affiliation,!we!need!to!think!about!this!and!what!we!are!going!to! get!out!of!it!other!than!increased!numbers.! Phil!Cottingham!–!At!our!college!Isla,!we!still!offer!a!diploma!of!Herbal!Medicine.!! We!have!never!stopped!offering!this.!!But!it!is!not!a!viable!option.!!It!is!only!a!viable! option!if!it!is!combined!with!naturopathy.!!To!Rixt!–!I!started!out!on!the!same!plant! based!path.!!The!fundamentals!are!the!same,!both!started!the!same,!both! philosphosy’s!are!very,!very!similar.!!Herbalists!can!still!be!herbalists,!naturopaths! can!be!naturopaths.!!I!can!hear!so!much!fear!in!what!you!are!saying.!!There!is!no! need!to!feel!threatened!by!this.!!We!have!a!lot!more!in!common!than!we!have! different.!!!!! ! Phil!Rasmussen!–!the!committee!are!trying!for!greater!transparency.!!Do!we!want! regulation?!!Our!members!say!that!we!do.!!The!government!has!no!interest!in! pushing!this,!they!are!happy!for!things!to!go!ticking!along!with!no!change.!!We!have! no!mana!in!the!eyes!of!the!public.!!We!need!to!move!forward!as!an!Association.!!If! we!are!not!even!talking!to!each!other,!if!we!don’t!get!some!form!of!regulation,!the! IRD!are!going!to!start!linking!employment!to!student!loans.!!If!there!are!no!jobs,!the! NZQA!funding!will!be!gone.!!The!biggest!growth!in!our!industry!is!in!retail!health! shops!–!people!aren’t!consulting!us,!trained!herbalists,!they!are!just!going!to!health! shops.!!! Jill!Dunn!–!there!are!more!people!outside!our!Association,!than!inside!our! Association,!that!are!prescribing!herbal!medicine.! Richard!Whelan!–!I!have!read!the!reports!and!thought!about!them.!!I!understand! where!Rixt!is!coming!from.!!The!committee!has!had!time!to!process!this,!we! haven’t.!!We!need!to!look!at!weaknesses!or!disadvantages!with!this!motion!also.!! This!needs!to!be!looked!at!and!written!down!before!having!a!vote.! Leanne!Halliwell!–!Yes,!I!understand.!! Leanne!reads!a!list!of!strengths!and!weaknesses!already!drafted.!!See!appendix!D.!!! Leanne!Halliwell!Y!We!are!trying!to!be!transparent!about!where!this!might!go.!!A! disadvantage!is!the!potential!loss!of!our!identity.!!Would!you!feel!that!you!have!lost! your!identity?! Moana!Hutana!–!do!we!need!a!visual?!!We!do!have!two!members!discussions!to! talk!to!this!more!over!the!weekend.! Richard!Whelan!–!It!is!easy!for!everyone!to!just!agree!with!the!last!speaker.! Kim!Webby!–!I!am!a!real!newby,!just!graduated!with!a!Naturopathy!diploma!and! then!as!a!Herbalist!a!few!months!later.!!To!me,!I!am!one!in!the!same,!I!can’t! separate!them!out.!!I!am!a!member!of!the!Society!of!Naturopaths!and!NZAMH!and!I! would!love!to!just!join!one!association.!!! Kate!McConnell!–!there!is!no!definite!definition!around!affiliation.!!There!is!nothing! wrong!with!talking,!but!I!don’t!feel!the!objectives!are!clear.!!There!is!a!lot!of! confusion!around!where!this!might!go.! Leanne!Halliwell!–!we!are!trying!to!be!transparent!and!open!to!where!our!talks! MIGHT!go.! Phil!–!with!the!amalgamation!of!TAHI,!it!was!very!different,!we!were!trying!to!get! two!herbal!bodies!together!that!were!poles!apart.!!I’m!not!on!any!of!the! committee’s!of!these!associations!but!we!are!the!biggest!and!strongest!association.!! Repeating!the!association!processes!3x!over!doesn’t!make!sense.!!We!are!a!small! country.!!But!affiliation!is!just!talking!and!building!a!relationship!and!maybe!sharing! resources.!!Your!committee!has!to!report!back!to!you!about!what!is!happening.!!It!is! emotional.! ! Leanne!reYread!the!motion!again:!! It!is!proposed!to!combine!the!strengths!of!Naturopaths!and!Medical!Herbalists!to! stand!beside!each!other,!while!maintaining!association!individuality!through!the! affiliation!of!NZAMH,!Naturopathy!of!NZ!and!NZ!Society!of!Naturopaths.! Rixt!Botello!–!you!said!‘combine!the!strengths’!that!means!you!are!combining,!you! are!joining!together.! Jesse!summers!–!can!we!amend!the!motion!to!just!allow!talking?! Joan!Flynn!–!proposed!an!amendment!to!the!motion.!!In!a!motion,!you!don’t!need! to!talk!about!why!you!are!doing!it.!!Wipe!the!beginning!bit!out.!!! Leanne!Halliwell!proposes!the!amended!motion:!It!is!proposed!to!affiliate!the! NZAMH!with!Society!of!Naturopaths!and!Naturopaths!of!New!Zealand.!!! Seconded:!Jill!Dunn.! Those!in!favour:! Yes:!49!member! No:!1!member!(Rixt!Botello)! Abstaining!from!vote:!8!members! ! Richard!Whelen!–!abstaining!from!vote!because!it!needs!to!be!considered!and!given! more!voice!and!not!under!the!pressure!of!time.! Joan!Flynn!Y!now!we!need!to!vote!on!the!amended!motion.!!! After!Joan!made!statement!that!we!had!voted!on!the!amendment!to!the!motion,!it! was!realised!that!the!room!had!actually!voted!on!accepting!the!motion,!NOT! accepting!the!amendment!to!the!motion.! ! It!is!noted!that!the!motion!was!amended,!and!then!voted!as!motion.!!The!motions! amendment!itself!was!not!voted!on!(ie!a!change!to!the!motion).!!Even!though!the! new!motion!was!voted!and!moved!–!the!amendment!from!old!to!new!was!not! separately!voted!on.!!The!room!was!asked!if!they!thought!they!were!voting!on!the! amendment!or!on!the!motion!itself.!!The!consensus!was!that!the!motion!itself!was! voted!on,!and!therefore!a!vote!for!the!amendment!was!now!not!required.! ! Amended!motion:!It!is!proposed!to!affiliate!the!NZAMH!with!Society!of! Naturopaths!and!Naturopaths!of!New!Zealand.!!! Seconded:!Jill!Dunn.! Those!in!favour:! Yes:!49!members! No:!1!member!(Rixt!Botello)! Abstaining!from!vote:!8!members! Motion!passed.! ! Phil!Rasmussen!–!do!we!need!to!ballot!our!other!members?!!According!to! constitution!we!don’t.! Leanne!Halliwell!–!we!will!work!on!clarifying!where!we!are!at!and!will!keep! communication!channels!open.! Isla!Burgess!–!we!are!missing!out!on!so!many!good!herbalists!due!to!substandard! education.!!Why!are!we!diluting!ourselves?! Leanne!Halliwell!–!we!are!not!getting!stronger!though!with!how!we!are!currently! going.!!We!have!to!adapt!to!survive.! Phil!Rasmussen!closes!discussion!due!to!time!constraints.! Conclusion! The!Political!report!is!moved!by:!Jill!Dunn!!Seconded:!Carole!Fisher! Everyone!accepts!it.! Motion!carried! Education!Subcommittee! Presenter! Carole!Fisher! Discussion! Carole!Fisher!presented!the!Education!report.!!See!appendix!E.!!Colleges!Meeting! Summary!report!was!not!presented!due!to!time!constraints.!!See!appendix!F.! ! Carole!proposes!the!motion!that!NZAMH!introduce!a!membership!category!of! “limited!membership”!to!be!given!when!necessary!at!the!discretion!of!the! education!subYcommittee,!for!potential!members!during!the!application!process!to! full!professional!membership.! Seconding!the!motion:!Robyn!Carruthers! Sandra!Clair!would!like!to!talk!to!the!motion.!!I!have!sent!an!email!to!the!committee! about!a!herbalist!who!is!trained!in!Germany.!!This!brings!up!a!bigger!issue!about! who!we!accept!into!our!Association.!!How!does!our!committee!accept!people!into! our!Association?!!! Leanne!Halliwell!–!we!cannot!talk!about!specific!cases!or!people.! Carole!Fisher!–!it!is!a!difficult!situation.!!There!are!very!different!training!standards! across!colleges!and!countries.!!We!try!and!get!a!full!description!of!what!has!been! learnt,!if!there!is!any!doubt!we!look!for!clinical!competency.!!! Jill!Dunn!–!we!are!looking!for!safety.!!Some!key!criteria,!not!specific!herbs!learnt.!!Is! their!case!taking!bringing!out!what!is!needed!for!competency?!!We!want!to!support! those!people!by!providing!supervision!around!the!country!and!allow!them!to!bring! up!their!skills!to!our!standards,!not!have!them!leave!and!go!practice!herbal! medicine!anyway.!!! Sandra!Clair!–!we!can’t!say!that!because!they!are!different,!they!have!substandard! education!when!they!have!not.!!Germany!has!very!high!standards!in!education.! Phil!Rasmussen!–!I!suggest!you!email!the!education!subcommittee!and!continue! your!discussion!with!them.! ! Motion:!that!NZAMH!introduce!a!membership!category!of!“limited!membership”!to! be!given!when!necessary!at!the!discretion!of!the!education!subYcommittee,!for! potential!members!during!the!application!process!to!full!professional!membership! Seconding!the!motion:!Robyn!Carruthers! Yes:!45!members!in!favour! No:!0!members! Abstain:!4!members! Motion!passed.! Conclusion! Education!report!moved:!!Carole!Fisher!!!!Seconded:!!Leanne!Halliwell! Everyone!agreed.! Motion!carried.! Public!Relations!Subcomittee! Presenter! Moana!Hutana! Discussion! Moana!presented!the!Public!Relations!report.!!See!Appendix!G! ! Moana!Hutana:!Today’s!topics!have!really!highlighted!our!diversity!and!we!need!to! ensure!that!herbal!medicine!is!never!lost!from!our!vision.! Conclusion! Public!Relations!report!moved:!Moana!Hutana!!Seconded:!Linda!Jones! Everyone!in!favour! Motion!carried! NZAMH&Representative&Reports& Natural!Health!Council!(NHC)! Presenter! Sarah!Brenchley! Discussion! Sarah!Brenchley!presented!the!Natural!Health!Council!report.!!See!Appendix!H.! ! Sarah!has!just!recently!taken!over!this!role.!!So!far!one!NHC!meeting!was!attended! and!one!NHC!meeting!was!cancelled.!!! Sarah!explained!the!problems!within!the!NHC!–!administrator!left!suddenly,!Chair! had!bereavement!and!then!chaos!occurred.! Sarah!read!a!letter!that!was!sent!from!NHC!to!members!two!days!ago.!!See! appendix!I.!! ! Jill!Dunn!Y!Very!concerning!that!they!are!looking!at!taking!on!practitioners!who!are! not!members!of!any!Associations!and!take!them!on!as!Associate!Members.!!They! are!taking!on!new!membership!category,!ie,!GP’s!+!naturopaths!etc!that!are!not! Association!members.!!! Sarah!will!seek!clarification!of!the!NHC’s!intention!and!report!back.! Conclusion! Natural!Health!Council!report!moved:!Sarah!Brenchley!!Seconded:!Jill!Dunn! Everyone!in!favour! Motion!carried! Administration!&!Web!Report! Presenter! Val!McArthur! Discussion! Due!to!time!constraints!Val!McArthur!did!not!present!the!Administration!and!Web! report.!!See!Appendix!J! Val!McArthur!Y!Due!to!time,!my!report!is!purely!statistics!and!has!already!been! emailed!to!all!members.! Phil!Rasmussen!–!the!reports!have!already!been!emailed!out!and!the!expectation!is! that!members!will!have!read!them!prior!to!the!meeting!and!then!issues!can!be! discussed!at!the!meeting.! Jesse!Summers!–!that’s!fine!but!the!motions!need!to!be!sent!also.! Leanne!Halliwell!–!yes.!!The!motion!we!discussed!earlier!came!out!from!a!meeting! on!Monday!12th!May.!!It!was!presented!to!be!transparent.!!! Jill!Dunn!–!It!is!good!to!have!a!healthy!debate.!!! Phil!Rasmussen!–!it!shouldn’t!be!obligatory!that!all!reports!be!read.!!Like!Val’s! report,!it’s!straight!forward!and!shouldn’t!have!to!be!read!out.! Conclusion! Administration!and!Web!report!moved:!Val!McArthur!!Seconded:!Kimberly!Taylor! Everyone!in!favour!! Motion!carried!!! Avena!Report! Presenter! Mary!Allan! Discussion! Moana!Hutana!presented!the!Avena!Report!written!by!Mary!Allan.!!See!Appendix!K! ! Conclusion! Avena!report!moved:!Phil!Rasmussen!!!Seconded:!!Craig!Rhodes! Everyone!agrees.! Motion!carried! Election&of&National&Committee&Members& Presenter! Phil!Rasmussen! Discussion! Nominations!were!called!in!March!2013!for:! President,!Vice!President,!Treasurer,!Secretary,!Student!Representatives!&!General! Committee!Members! Leanne!–!For!the!first!time!ever!all!committee!roles!have!been!filled!with! nominations!prior!to!the!AGM.!!! Conclusion! New!Committee!is:! Committee' Member:' Committee' Position:' Nominated'by:' Seconded'by:' Result:' Leanne%Halliwell% President! Kimberly!Taylor! Linda!Jones! Motion! carried! Robyn% Carruthers% Vice!President! Emily!Boese! Hayley! Thompson! Motion! carried! Terry%Harris% Treasurer! CoYopted!onto! committee! ! Motion! carried! Debbie%Bassett% Secretary! Robyn! Carruthers! Jill!Dunn! Motion! carried! Jill%Dunn% General! Committee! Carole!Fisher! Sarah! Brenchley! Motion! carried! Mary%Allen% General! Kimberly!Taylor! Linda!Jones! Motion! Committee! carried! Kelly%McGillivray% General! Committee! Robyn! Carruthers! Karen! Wesseling! Motion! carried! Emily%Boese% General! Committee! Robyn! Carruthers! Karen! Wesseling! Motion! carried! Carole%Fisher% General! Committee! Kimberly!Taylor! Yvonne! Gattung! Motion! carried! Deborah% Tsavousis% General! Committee! Mary!Allan! Yvonne! Gattung! Motion! carried! GayFLynn% Mokrzecki% General! committee! Kimberly!Taylor! Jill!Dunn! Motion! carried! Fiona%Willson% Student! Representative! Sarah!Brenchley! Robyn! Carruthers! Motion! carried! Claire%Forster% Student! Representative! Sarah!Brenchley! Robyn! Carruthers! Motion! carried! ! ! Appointment!of!Natural!Health!Council!Representative! Presenter! Phil!Rasmussen! Discussion! Sarah!Brenchley!would!like!to!carry!on!being!the!Natural!Health!council! representative!despite!going!traveling.!!She!will!miss!a!couple!of!meetings!and!Mary! Allan!will!try!and!attend!in!her!absence.!!! Conclusion! Sarah!Brenchley!is!the!NHC!representative!for!NZAMH! General&Business & Presenter! Phil!Rasmussen! !! Due!to!time!constraints,!there!are!two!1!hour!slots!of!member’s!discussion!over!the! weekend!for!members!to!talk!to!issues!they!want!to!raise.!!There!is!also!a!letter! that!needs!to!be!discussed!over!weekend!from!Trisha!Hushon.! ! Meeting!closed!at!5:12pm.! ' ' ! APPENDIX!A! ' AGM President’s Report 2014 Welcome to all, It is wonderful to see that so many of you have taken the day off to further the development of your association, and therefore your practise. I would like us to acknowledge firstly the hard work and dedication from the conference team, particularly Mary Allan, who have given an enormous amount of time and energy into making this weekend possible – All voluntarily, and with a smile. (Clap). This has been a very busy year on committee. We have had several changes in the committee personnel. Changes occurred due to commitments with other aspects of their lives. These occurrences were unpredictable, and I must thank those who have come and gone during the year. First we lost Sam McSorley to motherhood and student rep Blair Morgan. Sue Rubie resigned and Bridget Clare took on the role of treasurer, but was unable to fulfill the commitment. Thank you to these people for putting their hands up and giving it a go. Craig Rhodes as acting treasurer and vice president has been amazing in picking up the pieces for us and moving treasury forward. Craig is leaving the committee this year. Craig you have dedicated 6 years to NZAMH. He has been challenged on many levels, and calmly works through the problems. We will miss his insight and pragmatic approach to NZAMH. In the treasury report there will be extensive discussion on our situation, and how we will move forward. Rest assured the committee has worked hard to find the right solutions. A major hiccup last month has been the liquidation of the The Web Guys Ltd whom we contracted and paid, to build our website. This was a devastating blow, as it had taken us more than a year to make a decision on who to contract this extremely important work to. This event is unforeseen, disappointing to the extreme, frustrating, and downright hurtful to our association. All of the committee is mortified. In the web report by Craig who has managed this project along with Mary Allan and Moana Hutana there will be more detail. An important group has been meeting with the colleges to establish the future in education and standards. We NZAMH set the standards, and we are putting in a lot of time to ensure the colleges meet these standards. Carole Fisher, Jill Dunn, Robyn Carruthers and Tracy Cowley have worked really hard on education. Ladies I cannot believe the energy and time you willingly devote to the future of Herbal Medicine, without your knowledge, commitment and drive, we would be floundering. Tracy is a new mum and has retired from the Committee, we wish her well. I hope you realise that none of these things are mutually exclusive. Education, integration, registration and our members - all needing to co ordinate at the right time and at the right level to be effective. We want to be effective. We have initiated closer relationships this year with the Naturopaths of NZ and Society of Naturopaths. Many Naturopaths use prescribed herbal medicine, many of us are naturopaths. I propose that we work towards joining forces with the naturopaths to create a stronger more united voice. We will discuss the important aspects of why we are putting this to you for consideration. Personally when I graduated, I had no idea of the difference between associations, it was difficult to know how to choose. I acknowledge that a herbalists is not always a naturopath and a naturopath is not always a herbalist. Intelligent structure could mean all of us be united as one voice, one hope, for the future of our trades. This is about our future, our future graduates, and working united. Sarah Brenchley has supported Mary strongly in her role. She is leaving the committee to travel. We would like to wish her well and look forward to her future involvement in NZAMH. Emily was an asset as a student rep for NZAMH. Along with Sarah, she has actively been working to educate students on joining our association. Quite a lot of work goes into this field. Emily has taken over the NZAMH facebook page – do like us. Branch meetings are the strongest I have ever seen. Many new branches have popped up around the nation. In the next year we would like to have more communication with those running these meetings, so we can support them with resources. Also we want these meetings to serve as a way to feed back to the committee. Many non NZAMH practitioners are attending these meetings, as we encourage all practitioners in an area to be invited. There is potential here for gaining new members. The mentor program, with a defined structure is functioning better. Politically, the draft of the application to HPCAA is in its final stages. Carol, Craig and others have worked very hard, and editing is underway. Decisions need to be made today on where to from here. The election year does complicate things. Some discussion on how to use the elections to our advantage needs to occur. Sarah will outline what the NHC has planned. In the background, keeping us all sane is Val McArthur, our dedicated Administrator and Membership secretary. Nothing functions without you Val. You are very much appreciated. Finally we say goodbye to Kimberly, our dedicated secretary. She has become efficient and has taken the role of keeping us all in line and on track with grace and brilliance. I see a future president. We have also lost her to motherhood for now. Thanks so much Kimberly, we look forward to having your skills on committee in the future. There has been considerably more meetings and time put into the NZAMH by the current committee members in the last year. I would like to personally thank you all so much for your continued support and dedication. It is a strong group, and many many hours are being put into the work. I would like you all to give your appreciation in applause. I look forward to the dynamics of the new committee, and a year of finished projects and vision. Leanne Halliwell NZAMH President APPENDIX!B! NZAMH&Treasury&Report&2014&AGM& Current&Account&Balances& • • ANZ! o Current!Account! ! o TD!1! ! o TD!2! o TD!3! ! ! ! $!!!!!4,700.45! Matures!03/06/2014! ! $!!27,518.15! ! Matures!28/07/2014! ! $!!13,360.32! ! Matures!13/10/2014! ! $!!21,715.57! Kiwibank! o Current!Account! ! ! ! ! $!!12047.07! o Online!Call!Account! ! ! ! $!!45,000.00! ! ! ! ! $!!!!!1866.97! TOTAL'CASH'POSITION' ' ' ' ' $126,208.53' • PayPal! ! ! Member&Subscriptions& There!are!currently!88!subs!outstanding!for!a!total!value!of!$18,875.00! There!are!currently!21!professional!members!who!have!taken!the!‘split!payment’!option!for!the! 2014/15!year.! ! Financial&Reports& INCOME' 2014' 2013' Professional!(Practicing)!Subscriptions! 45,621! 22,119! Professional!(NonYPracticing)!Subscriptions! 5,209! 5,757! Student!Subscriptions! 1,956! 4,166! Avena!Advertising! 6,073! 4,969! Admin!Fees! 870! 662! NZAMH!Resources! 471! Y! Sundry!Income! 4,092! 308! AGM/Conference!Fees! 11,033! 17,882! Conference!Tours!&!Meals! 1,104! Y! Interest!Received! 3,694! 3,666! Total'Income' 80,123' 59,529' ! ! EXPENSES' 2014' 2013' Administration! 8,210! 5,602! Communications! 3,526! 4,982! Financial! 63,319! 46,199! 240! 240! Office!Expenses! 9,129! 1,396! Overheads! 12,059! 11,905! Total'Expenses' 96,483' 70,324' ! ! Net!Surplus/(Deficit)!Before!Taxation! (16,360)! (10,795)! Equity!at!Beginning!of!the!Year! 103,606! 114,402! $87,246' $103,607' ''ADMINISTRATION'' 2014' 2013' !General!Expenses!! 2,676! 2,050! !Subscriptions/Fees!! 5,534! 3,370! Y! 182! 8,210' 5,602' ! ! COMMUNICATIONS' 2014' 2013' !Printing!,!Postage!&!Stationery!! 3,208! 4,821! !Telephone,!Tolls!&!Internet!! 318! 161! Total'Communications' 3,526' 4,982' ' ' ! Marketing! ! EQUITY'AT'THE'END'OF'THE'YEAR' !Loss!on!Fixed!Assets!! 'Total'Administration''' ! ' '' FINANCIAL' 2014' 2013' !Accountancy!Fees!! 5,764! 2,232! !Administration!Assistance!! 10,999! 7,535! !AGM/Conference!! 25,008! 21,454! !Avena!! 19,851! 13,817! !Bank!Fees!! 341! !Insurance!! 1,146! 985! 39! Y! !Interest!! !Penalties!! 5! 171! 'Total'Financial'' 63,319' 46,199' ' ' ' MARKETING'' 171! 2014' Advertising!&!Promotion!! 2013' 240! 240! ! OFFICE'EXPENSES' 2014' 2013' !IT!Expenses!! 7,114!! 1,007!! !Office!Supplies!! 2,015!! 389!! 'Total'Office'Expenses'' 9,129'' ! ! OVERHEADS' 2014' !Travelling!Expenses!Y!National!! 12,059!! 1,396'' ! 2013' 11,905!! ! What’s&Happening&to&Our&Income& Jump&in&Professional&Subs& While!there!appears!to!be!a!jump!in!Professional!subs!between!2013!and!2014!this!is!simply!the!‘missing’! $10,000.00!reported!last!AGM!‘magically’!reappearing!on!the!books,!which!we!will!discuss!again!shortly.! Comparative!figures!for!member!subs!over!the!last!few!years!are:! • 2011! $41,704! • 2012! $37,347! • 2013! $22,169! • 2014! $46,011! Therefore!the!‘average’!professional!sub!income!is!around!$37,500!a!year!and!when!the!‘missing’!$10,000.00!is! ‘reallocated’!to!2013!from!2014!the!income!from!professional!subs!comes!back!into!line.! Drop&in&Student&Subs& We!have!seen!a!rapid!decline!in!student!memberships!over!the!last!few!years!with!the!closure!of!both!the! Christchurch!and!Waikato!colleges,!with!a!rapid!decline!in!the!last!year!as!the!last!‘Waikato!students’!worked! their!way!out!of!the!system!at!SPCNM.!As!a!result!of!the!closures!our!student!numbers!over!the!last!few!years! have!been!as!follows:! • 2011! 91! • 2012! 73! • 2013! 74! • 2014! 45! Increase&in&Avena&Advertising& There!has!be!a!reasonable!lift!in!Avena!advertising!income!between!2013!and!2014,!however!this!has!been! nowhere!near!enough!to!cover!the!increased!production!costs!for!Avena!which!are!discussed!later.!! Increase&in&Sundry&Income& We!have!seen!an!increase!in!sundry!income!from!things!such!as!Phytomed’s!sponsorship!of!the!Natural! Standards!Database!and!GST!refunds!from!previous!overpayments! What’s&Happening&to&Our&Expenses& Increased&Subscription&costs& With!increased!professional!membership!there!has!been!a!resultant!increase!in!NHC!contributions.!Further,! and!predominantly!the!increase!is!due!to!the!provision!of!the!Natural!Standards!Database,!although!this!‘cost’! is!offset!by!Phytomed’s!sponsorship.!! Accountancy&fees& There!has!been!a!‘one!off’!increase!in!accountancy!fees!due!to!the!need!to!investigate!the!‘missing’!$10,000.00! reported!at!the!last!AGM,!which!will!be!discussed!later.! Admin&Assistance& Val’s!role!in!the!last!year!has!expanded!somewhat!with!a!consequential!increase!in!admin!Assistance!costs.! However!Val’s!hours!remain!under!budget!(I!suspect!mainly!due!to!her!‘forgetting’!to!charge!us!on!occasion).! AGM/Conference& With!the!2012!AGM/Conference!in!Auckland!(Auckland!conferences!traditionally!being!larger!than!the! alternate!conference)!we!saw:! Income'$17,882'less'Conference'Expenses'$21,454'='a'small'loss'of'$3572.00' This!was!in!line!with!expectations.! For!the!2013!conference!in!Dunedin!we!expected!a!lower!turnout!(as!is!normally!the!case)!and!as!a!result:! Income'$11,033'less'Conference'Expenses'$25008'='a'loss'of'$13975.' Therefore!the!loss!on!the!2013!AGM/Conference!accounts!for!most!of!this!year’s!deficit.! Office&Expenses& While!there!has!been!a!considerable!increase!in!material!costs!for!running!the!association,!most!of!these! events!are!one!off!expenses!–!website!update!costs!and!the!replacement!of!office!equipment!being!the! primary!contributors!to!cost!increases.!! Summary&of&losses& As!with!the!last!year!the!association!continues!to!make!losses!! • 2011!Profit! $2997! • 2012!Profit! $1968! • 2013'Loss'' ($10,795)' • 2014'Loss'' ($16,360)' While!including!some!one!off!events,!this!still!represents!an!approximately!50%!increase!in!losses!year!on!year! which!is!an!ultimately!unsustainable,!with!our!cash!reserves!now!dropping!below!the!levels!recommended!for! good!governance.! As!a!result!it!is!becoming!important!to!undertake!activities!to!both!increase!revenue!and!contain!losses,!with! the!accountant!recommending!that!we!substantially!raise!fees!in!order!to!increase!revenue!to!a!level!where! the!association!returns!to!positive!cash!flow.! However!the!committee’s!position!on!fees!(which!we!will!discuss!later)!is!such!that!alternative!sources!of! revenue!and!cost!reduction!need!to!be!sought.! Therefore,!other!than!one!off!expenses!in!accounting!and!the!website!rebuild,!both!of!which!will!be!discussed! shortly,!the!key!ongoing!loss!making!activities!for!the!association!remain!in!the!main!areas!of!perceived!benefit! to!members:!Avena!and!the!AGM/Conference.! Avena& As!s!‘short!run’!publication!the!costs!of!producing!Avena!are!inherently!high!–!there!would!be!minimal!changes! in!cost!if!we!were!to!either!halve!or!for!that!matter!double!the!size!of!the!production!runs.!Therefore!there! remains!only!2!options!in!reducing!Avena!losses:! • Reduce!the!frequency!of!Avena!–!not!the!recommended!option! • Increase!Avena!revenue!–!which!will!be!discussed!shortly! Changes&and&Updates& Reporting&back&on&the&‘missing’&$10,000.00&reported&at&the&2013&AGM.& • Following!the!revelation!by!the!previous!Treasurer!that!$10,000.00!was!‘missing’!at!the!last!AGM!we! had!the!Accountants!undertake!an!investigation!of!the!accounts!in!an!attempt!to!explain!the!reported! discrepancy.! The!accountants!looked!at!the!books!for!both!the!2011/12!and!2012/13!periods!and!whilst! finding!several!instances!of!poor!record!keeping!and!data!management!could!not!find!any! actual!discrepancies!or!missing!funds!and!therefore!put!the!reported!‘missing’!funds!down!to! a!probable!incorrect!close!of!the!2011/12!financial!year!and!other!NZAMH!administrative! errors.! To!summarise!their!conclusions!there!are!no!missing!funds.! The!cost!of!this!investigation!was!$3105.00!+!GST! • Following!this!event!we!have!made!several!changes!to!Treasury!and!accounting!processes!to!assist!in! more!accurate!and!timely!record!keeping!within!the!association.! We!have!passed!the!following!activities!from!Treasury!responsibility!to!our!accountants:! o GST!filing!–!following!several!failures!to!file!GST!returns!when!required!over!the!last!2!years! which!incurred!penalties!with!IRD!and!also!filing!incorrect!returns!resulting!in!a!large!credit! to!NZAMH!being!held!by!IRD!the!filing!of!GST!returns!has!been!handed!over!to!our! accountants.! o End!of!year!close!off!–!as!this!not!happening!between!the!2011/12!and!2013/14!financial! year!was!seen!by!the!accountants!as!a!contributing!factor!to!the!reported!‘missing’!funds!we! have!now!requested!that!the!accountants!undertake!this!process!each!year.! o Company’s!Office!reporting!–!again!on!several!occasions!the!required!companies!office! reports!have!not!been!filed!in!a!timely!manner.!As!a!result!we!are!now!also!requesting!this!of! our!accountants.! While!this!will!increase!direct!accounting!costs!to!the!association!it!will!mitigate!the!need!for! expensive!investigative!activities!as!undertaken!last!year!and!also!avoid!the!association! incurring!fees!and!penalties!for!late!filing!of!required!financial!reporting!such!as!GST.! Treasury&Updates& We!have!upgraded!our!accounting!program!from!Wave!to!Xero.! While!Wave!in!theory!met!the!accounting!needs!of!the!association!it!has!proved!to!be!inadequate!in! meeting!the!recording!and!reporting!needs!of!the!association,!requiring!a!higher!skill!set!to!operate! effectively!than!previously!thought.! As!a!result!we!have!moved!to!Xero,!which!whilst!a!more!complex!system!(more!a!‘full!on’!accounting! system,!whilst!Wave!is!more!of!a!cashbook!system)!contains!better!checks!and!balances!in!the! system!to!help!minimise!data!management!errors.!It!is!also!better!understood!and!the!‘preferred’! cloud!option!of!our!accountants.! Using!Xero!also!allows!better!integration!of!the!associations!admin!activities!(membership!records! etc.)!through!the!association’s!administrator!having!access!to!the!Xero!customer!database.! This!has!resulted!in!an!approximate!$600!a!year!accounting!system!cost!however!by!having!our! accountants!handle!our!Xero!subscription!we!receive!a!15%!discount!on!this!sub.! Banking&Changes& We!are!in!the!process!of!migrating!our!banking!from!ANZ!to!Kiwibank! Over!the!last!several!years!ANZ!have!proved!to!be!overly!officious!and!bureaucratic!in!their!approach! to!meeting!our!banking!requirements!with!(as!an!example)!it!taking!almost!9!months!to!update!the! signatories!to!the!accounts!after!the!2012!AGM.! As'a'result'our'account'number'is'now:' KIWIBANK:&38&9015&0398470&00& However!we!have!left!the!old!ANZ!current!account!open!(and!it!will!remain!so!for!about!the!next!6Y8! months)!to!catch!payments!from!people!who!have!not!updated!their!records!or!are!still!using!old! paperwork.! Also!we!are!migrating!the!association’s!term!investments!over!to!Kiwibank!as!they!mature,!a!process! which!will!be!completed!in!October.! PayPal& We!have!established!a!PayPal!account!enabling!us!(in!conjunction!with!our!Xero!account!and!our! website!updates)!to!take!both!PayPal!and!credit!card!payments!for!subs!and!invoices.! This!has!proven!to!be!very!popular,!not!just!in!processing!Conference!enrolments!but!also!in! processing!Annual!subs.!! With!our!website!upgrade!this!will!be!further!integrated!into!our!payment!systems!(although!we!will! continue!to!take!cheque!and!internet!banking!payments).! ! Additional&Revenue& In!conjunction!with!development!of!our!new!website!we!are!looking!at!several!methods!of! generating!additional!revenue!for!the!association!(primarily!centred!around!sponsorship!and! advertising)!min!order!to!contain!any!requirements!for!subscription!increases.! This!is!partially!due!to!advice!from!our!accountant!that!based!on!the!activities!of!the!association!an! increase!in!subs!would!be!advisable.! However!as!a!committee!and!taking!into!account!the!current!nature!of!practice!we!are!very%keen!to! try!to!maintain!rather!than!increase!current!sub!levels.! • We!currently!have!an!arrangement!with!Phytomed!to!sponsor!the!provision!of!Natural!Standards! Database!on!the!current!and!to!be!carried!over!to!the!new!NZAMH!website.! • We!will!be!increasing!advertising!rates!for!Avena!in!conjunction!with!increased!Avena!advertising! services!to!assist!it!in!better!covering!its!costs.!! • We!are!introducing!a!system!of!paid!email!distribution!to!our!email!database!and!(potentially)!our! Yahoo!and!Facebook!group(s).! • We!will!be!introducing!a!system!of!(paid)!promotion!of!seminars!and!events!on!our!new!website! • We!will!be!introducing!a!paid!‘enhanced’!Professional!Member!directory!listing!on!our!new!website.! However%please%note%that%a%‘basic’%listing%will%continue%to%be%free.% • We!are!examining!the!possibility!of!sponsorship!arrangements!around!the!Annual!Conference! With!this!in!mind!Mary!and!the!Avena!team!are!developing!more!comprehensive!association! advertising!guidelines!to!ensure!a!balance!between!the!needs!and!role!of!the!association!and!its! members!and!those!of!advertisers.!The!acceptance!of!any!advertising!will!be!solely!at!the!discretion! of!the!association!as!administered!by!the!Avena!Editor!and!association!administrator.! Particularly!when!it!comes!to!areas!such!as!email!advertising!and!the!Yahoo!group!this!does!not! mean!open!slather!on!‘spam’!promotion!to!our!members!(we!are!acutely!conscious!that!we!are!not! (primarily)!a!marketing!channel).!!Rather!we!are!taking!the!position!that!when!a!member!or!a! business!with!an!interest!in!herbal!medicine!wishes!to!use!NZAMH!channels!(e.g.!Avena,!the!website,! email!or!Yahoo!etc.)!to!promote!something!to!our!members!where!they!stand!to!make!money,!the! association!should!charge!for!such!access.!! Treasury&Office& Following!the!resignation!of!Sue!last!year!the!association!currently!does!not!have!an!official! Treasurer,!however!I!have!been!covering!in!the!role.! As!a!result!the!position!is!open!for!election.!! However!the!committee!has!put!a!proposal!to!Terry!Harris,!the!husband!of!Professional!Member! Glenda!Harris,!that!he!take!on!the!Treasury!role,!which!if!endorsed!by!the!association!he!has! accepted.! Terry!is!a!semiYretired!accountant!and!as!such!he!has!been!approached!to!specifically!undertake!2! functions:! • Working!with!our!accountants!to!ensure!that!the!treasury!role!and!reporting!is!got!back!onto!a!more! stable!footing! • To!develop!a!Treasury!manual!to!help!ensure!the!‘issues’!of!the!last!couple!of!years!in!treasury!no! longer!occur.!! Depending!on!Terry’s!availability!and!the!progress!of!these!activities!it!is!envisaged!that!the!Treasury! role!return!to!a!more!standard!arrangement!at!either!the!2015/16!or!2016/17!AGM.! Under!the!constitution!Terry!would!need!to!become!an!(Associate)!member,!which!he!would!receive! for!free!in!exchange!for!his!services!and!then!be!coYopted!by!the!committee!into!the!role.!! As!a!committee!we!therefore!seek!the!approval!your!approval!to!remove!Treasury!from!election!and! coYopt!Terry!to!the!role.! Website&Redevelopment&Project& Background& Several!years!ago!the!current!NZAMH!website!received!a!midYlife!update!however!even!at!that!time! it!was!acknowledged!by!the!committee!that!the!websites!architecture!was!becoming!dated!and!there! were!growing!issues!in!taking!the!website!forward!to!deliver!the!growing!requirements!of!the! association.! Therefore!a!couple!of!years!ago!a!project!was!begun!to!redevelop!the!NZAMH!website!which! resulted!in!several!tenders!being!received!for!its!redevelopment.!However!at!the!time!none!of!these! tenders!were!deemed!able!to!effectively!meet!the!requirements!of!the!association!and!a!second! round!of!referrals!were!sort!for!a!development!partner.! As!a!result!of!a!member!recommendation!a!company!called!‘The!Website!Guys’!was!asked!to!tender! for!the!website!redevelopment!role!and!their!tender!(of!$11,247.00!incl.!GST)!for!a!WordPress!based! site!was!accepted!in!late!2013!and!they!began!development!work.! Update& In!March!2013!The!Website!Guys!went!into!liquidation!leaving!the!NZAMH!$7,872.90!(in!progress! payments!paid)!out!of!pocket!with!no!possibility!of!The!Website!Guys!completing!the!project.! As!a!result!The!Website!Guys!receivership!the!association’s!website!redevelopment!budget! ($10,000.00!+!GST)!had!been!severely!restricted,!however!we!were!(in!association!with!The!Website! Guys!receiver)!able!to!recover!the!files!of!the!(limited)!work!done!up!to!the!stage!of!receivership.! Following&on&from&the&receivership& • We!were!approached!by!a!company!(The!Web!Company)!who!had!purchased!The!Website!Guys!client! list!and!material!from!the!receiver!to!complete!the!project.!! They!were!provided!with!a!copy!of!The!Website!Guys!contract!and!the!agreed!sitemap!so!they!would! have!an!idea!of!what!the!project!involved!and!invited!to!tender!for!the!project!in!time!for!the!(at!that! th time)!next!committee!meeting!(on!the!30 !March!2014).!However!in!spite!of!several!conversations! with!their!sales!manager!a!timely!tender!did!not!eventuate.! • On!the!recommendation!of!our!accountants!another!web!design!company!(zen!digital)!was!also! approached!with!an!enquiry!toward!completing!the!project!(which!they!declined).! • My!web!development!business!(Site!Simplicity)!proposed!undertaking!the!project!for!the!amount! remaining!on!the!old!Website!Guys!contract!($3374.10!incl!GST)!payable!upon%completion%of%the%site,! although!there!may!be!additional!costs!if!there!are!ongoing!delays!on!developing!the!project!on!the! part!on!the!NZAMH.! th A!formal!proposal!was!supplied!to!the!committee!at!the!30 !March!Committee!meeting!and!copies! circulated!to!the!committee!members!following!the!meeting.!! Please%note%that%I%also%excused%myself%at%the%time%from%any%discussion%on%the%part%of%the%committee% regards%the%proposal.!However!I!was!informed!by!Leanne!while!away!in!China!last!month!that!my! proposal!has!been!accepted!and!we!(Site!Simplicity)!have!begun!site!development.! For'those'who'are'interested'the'DEVELOPMENT'site'will'be'available'during'breaks'throughout' the'conference.' We!aim!to!have!a!new!and!enhanced!NZAMH!website!up!and!running!before!the!end!of!the!year.! New&site&enhancements&will&include&(amongst&other&things):& ! • A!modern!website!architecture!(WordPress)!and!look! • Digital!Avena!hosting!(paper!versions!will!still!be!the!norm)! • NZAMH!Video!and!audio!library!hosting!(in!conjunction!with!YouTube!and!Sound!Cloud)! • Online!membership!application!and!renewal!options! • A!considerably!enhanced!(paid!option)!for!the!Professional!Membership!Directory! • The!capacity!to!purchase!NZAMH!resources!online!(prescription!pads!etc.)! • Downloadable!NZAMH!documentation!including!application!and!renewal!paperwork,!Constitution! and!Complaints!Procedure!etc.! • Events!listings!for!Branch!Meetings,!the!Conference!(including!online!booking)!and!Seminars! ! APPENDIX!C! ! 2013Y2014!Political!Sub!Committee!Report! ! ! Jill!Dunn![Political!Convener]! The!May!2013Y2014!Political!SubYCommittee!year!has!been!one!of!clarification!and!consolidation!of! steps!required!to!be!successful!at!our!next!reYapplication!for!registration!under!the!HPCA!Act!(2003)! and!a!new!way!of!thinking!and!planning!for!this!event!that!requires!ongoing!collaboration!with! professional!associations!colleges!and!working!closely!with!our!NZAMH!education!subYcommittee! and!international!professional!associations!to!achieve!these!goals.! ! NZAMH!has!previously!applied!twice!for!registration!of!Medical!Herbalists!under!the!HPCA!Act! (2003).!The!first!time!(2005)!was!unsuccessful!and!the!second!application!(2007)!under!a!Labour! government!passed!the!first!phase!of!application,!although!later!(2009)!medical!herbalists!and! Chinese!medicine!practitioners!were!declined!based!on!new!criteria.!This!was!clear!discrimination!as! the!anaesthetic!technicians!were!advanced!through!to!HPCA!registration!although!there!application! was!received!later.!Lobbying!took!place!but!to!no!avail.!! ! A!criterion!cited!for!declining!registration!of!medical!herbalists!was!that!there!was!insufficient! membership!numbers.!Four!hundred!members!were!cited!as!minimum!required!for!registration! under!the!HPCA!Act!(2003).!Ours!currently!sits!around!200.! Meanwhile!the!health!environment!in!which!we!are!operating!has!changed!and!our!membership! numbers!have!increased!but!only!marginally.!Natural!medicine!has!increased!in!popularity!and! acceptance!with!consumers!and!with!this!has!come!increased!competition:! • Increased!interest!&!involvement!by!mainstream!(doctors,!pharmacists,!dietitians,!chiropractics,! osteopaths)!and!other!natural!medicine!professionals!! • Mainstream!health!providers!prescribing!'practitioner!only!products'! • Increased!online!purchasing!by!clients!bypassing!the!practitioner! • Pharmacies!and!health!stores!have!inYstore!naturopaths!(natural!health!is!biggest!selling!category!in! pharmacies)!providing!miniYconsultations.!!! • Long!term!continual!trend!that!companies!are!using!herbs!more!in!their!products! ! These!threats!to!our!professional!practice!are!supported!by:! • New!graduates!with!high!student!loans! • Insufficient!employment!to!support!cost!of!education.!In!2012!it!was!reported!in!the!abstract!“The% current%and%future%direction%of%medical%herbalism%in%New%Zealand”!(Dunn,!2012)!that!20%!of!NZAMH! respondents!were!employed!on!a!fullYtime!basis!and!67%!on!a!partYtime!basis.!In!the!recent!(March! 2014)!Membership!Information!survey!39%!identified!themselves!as!working!in!fullYtime!employment! that!was!complementary!medicine!related!although!most!had!multiple!employment.% • Education!providers!at!funding!risk!due!to!insufficient!full!time!employment!of!graduates.!% • Lack!of!integration!and!referral!resulting!from!sitting!outside!mainstream!healthcare!(sit!outside! regulation)% • International!backlash!against!some!complementary!medicine!practices!(has!started!with! homeopathy)% % With!the!current!situation!in!mind!the!NZAMH!is!progressing!registration!of!the!profession!as!a!step! towards!integration!within!mainstream!health!care.!Registration!does!not!imply!integration!but! integration!is!registration!dependent.!! The!survey!of!our!membership!through!published!results!(Dunn,!2012)!of!Mapping%the%Natural% Health%Landscape%in!Avena!in!2012!confirmed!that!90%!of!our!membership!favoured!regulation!with! 73%!favouring!statutory!regulation.!!Members!Carole!Fisher!and!Craig!Rhodes!took!up!the!baton! from!Julia!Fettes!who!had!done!a!lot!of!work!on!the!reYapplication!document!which!is!near!ready!for! submission.!! As!it!is!an!election!year!and!there!are!three!professional!associations!of!naturopaths!(who!prescribe! herbal!medicine)!and!membership!is!only!half!of!that!cited!as!a!requirement!for!registration,!the! focus!now!has!moved!towards!possible!amalgamation!and!grandfathering!of!practitioners!who!are! trained!and!are!not!members!of!any!association.!The!2006!NZ!census!showed!that!there!were!465! naturopaths!in!New!Zealand!at!the!time;!although!it!is!unclear!how!many!of!them!were!medical! herbalists!or!currently!practicing!(Cottingham,!2014).! ! In!Australia,!the!National!Association!of!Medical!Herbalists!(NHAA)!registers!both!naturopaths!and! medical!herbalists!and!are!currently!discussing!a!name!change!to!reflect!this.!Most!of!NZAMH! members!are!naturopaths!who!are!trained!in!herbal!medicine;!76%!practice!multiple!modalities! mainly!herbal!medicine,!nutrition,!naturopathy!and!massage!(Dunn,!2012).!In!the!recent!Membership! Information!survey!23%!of!NZAMH!members!(80!responded!to!date)!were!also!members!of! naturopathic!associations.!The!reason!for!this!could!be!because!they!identify!as!being!a!naturopath! and!medical!herbalist!and!this!need!is!not!met!by!NZAMH!and/or!because!one!other!association! offers!indemnity!insurance!although!this!is!available!at!a!cheaper!cost!through!NHC,!although!the! policies!are!not!similar.!Indemnity!insurance!for!members!working!as!a!limited!liability!company! requires!further!investigation.!!! ! As!current!level!6!and!7!education!programmes!are!naturopathy,!or!naturopathy!and!herbal! medicine,!pure!medical!herbalist!practitioner!numbers!are!few!and!dwindling.!It!is!now!timely!that! NZAMH!considers!meeting!the!current!climate!and!actively!attracts!both!naturopaths!and!medical! herbalists!and!develops!distinct!education!requirements!and!CPE!as!does!NHAA.!NZAMH!should!also! consider!a!change!of!professional!name!that!reflects!its!membership!(possibly!NZ!Association!of! Naturopaths!and!Medical!Herbalists)!or!other.!! ! Grandfathering!of!naturopaths!and!medical!herbalists!is!currently!being!carried!out!(over!3!years)!in! Australia!by!the!Australian!Register!of!Naturopaths!and!Herbalists!(ARONAH)!who!are!setting!up!selfY regulation!in!preparation!for!statutory!regulation.!The!method!by!which!they!are!doing!this!could!be! applied!to!an!NZAMH!drive!for!increased!membership.!A!limited!registration!category!for!a!defined! period!of!time!and!clear!Continuing!Professional!Education!(CPE)!requirements!would!be!essential! for!the!success!of!this!endeavour!and!progress!towards!registration!under!the!HPCA!Act!(2003).!If! not!done!with!this!intention!the!current!NZAMH!professional!position!could!be!weakened,!but!done! well!will!increase!our!professional!position!as!one!body.! ! th At!our!recent!combined!Political!and!Education!SubYcommittee!meeting!(29 !March!2014)!the!NHAA! education!standards!were!adopted!(apart!from!the!clinical!programme)!and!the!ARONAH! competencies!bringing!us!closer!in!alignment!with!our!international!associations.!!! ! With!the!intention!of!creation!of!one!cohesive!body,!NZAMH!held!the!first!combined!association!and! th colleges!meeting!(February!10 ,!2014)!to!discuss!the!present!situation!for!all!associations!and! colleges!delivering!level!6!and!7!programmes.!NZAMH!Education!SubYcommittee!has!increased! education!requirements!to!level!7!degree!for!all!NEW!graduates!by!2020!to!provide!a!suitable! timeframe!to!reach!this!standard.!Level!7!bachelor!degree!is!the!lowest!education!level!of!some! professions!under!the!HPCA!Act!(2003).!Naturopaths!of!NZ!and!the!Society!of!Naturopaths!at!that! meeting!indicated!that!they!had!a!long!term!goal!of!one!professional!body!with!all!naturopaths!to!be! registered!and!educating!the!public!against!the!use!of!nonYregistered!practitioners.!At!this!stage!it!is! unclear!whether!their!intention!is!for!statutory!regulation!or!self!regulation!and!meetings!are! th continuing!(next!meeting!May!12 ).! ! Meanwhile,!Sarah!Brenchley!(from!NZAMH!Committee!and!Natural!Health!Council![NHC]! representative)!is!in!the!process!of!this!election!year!of!organising!a!meeting!where!members!of! parliament!are!invited!to!address!and!answer!questions!of!complementary!medicine!practitioners.! This!is!envisaged!to!occur!in!June!and!members!will!be!advised.! ! With!an!increased!membership!numbers!comes!group!buying!power!which!could!be!attractive!to! other!associations!(through!amalgamation)!and!practitioners!that!sit!outside!the!associations.!One!or! two!people!on!the!NZAMH!committee!could!take!on!this!task!over!the!next!year.!!! To!reach!our!goals!requires!close!collaboration!between!NZAMH!political!and!education!subY committees.! ! The!2014!Y2015!focus!will!continue!to!be!on:! 1.!Continuing!development!of!relationships!and!education!standards!with!a!view!to!amalgamation! and/or!Grandfathering!!! 2.!Working!with!Education!Sub!Committee!to!create!a!CPE!programme!that!supports! amalgamation/Grandfathering!of!members!and!requirements!of!statutory!regulated!professions.! 3.!Submission!of!reYapplication!to!HPCA!agency!for!statutory!regulation!of!the!profession.! 4.!Continuing!development!of!international!professional!relations.! 5.!Development!of!group!buying!discounts!and!benefits!as!a!driving!force!to!support!increased! membership!numbers.! 6.!Investigate!indemnity!insurance!with!other!providers!for!limited!liability!coverage.! ! References:! Cottingham,!P.!(2012).!Personal!Communication.! Dunn,!J.!(2012).!The!current!state!and!future!direction!of!herbal!medicine!in!New!Zealand.!Avena%Journal,% Winter!(June).! ! APPENDIX!D! ! Draft'statement'and'motion'for'affiliation'between'NZAMH,'NNZ'and'NZSN!Y! 12th'May'2014! Preamble! NZAMH,!NNZ!and!NZSN!have!been!exploring!the!advantages!in!combining!our!strengths!to!further! grow!our!profession.!!While!there!are!huge!opportunities!for!professional!Naturopaths!and!Medical! Herbalists!in!the!future,!there!are!risks!to!our!professions!now!and!in!the!future!through:! Changes!in!the!educational!environment! Cost!of!education!to!new!graduates! Limited!career!pathways!for!practitioners!and!new!graduates! Limited!recognition!and!the!need!to!progress!towards!registration!and!integration! Similar!scopes!of!practise,!and!work!outcomes! Possible!regulation!of!our!profession,!either!enforced!or!volunteered! ! Potential!advantages!of!affiliation!include:! ! Greater!transparency!and!safety! Information!sharing! More!united!voice!for!the!public,!other!health!professionals!and!Government! Being!able!to!retain!and!broaden!our!practice!opportunities!in!the!future! To!improve!our!administration!efficiency!by! Avoiding!repetition:!Scope!of!practice;!standards!and!competencies! Combined!code!of!ethics!committee!(complaints)! Cooperation!in!continued!professional!education!(CPE)! Being!part!of!a!bigger!community! Potential!for!larger!conferences!(including!international!speakers)! Work!towards!the!establishment!of!one!national!body! ! Potential!disadvantages!include:! ! Time!and!cost!by!committee!members!to!attend!meetings!post!affilation! The!need!to!consider!everyone’s!needs!and!differences,!both!Naturopaths!and!Medical!Herbalists! Ongoing!requirement!to!communicate!effectively!and!transparently! ! ! Motion:' It'is'proposed'to'combine'the'strengths'of'naturopathy'and'herbal'medicine'to'stand'alongside' each'other,'while'maintaining'association'individuality,'through'the'affiliation'of'NZ'Association'of' Medical'Herbalists,'Naturopaths'of'NZ'and'NZ'Society'of'Naturopaths.' ' ' th To'be'put'forward'by'NZAMH'at'the'AGM'on'Friday'16 'May' th To'be'put'to'committee'at'NNZ'at'their'committee'meeting'on'Wednesday'15 'May' th To'be'put'to'committee'at'NZSN'at'their'committee'meeting'on'Monday'19 'May' ' To'be'able'to'have'confirmation'of'preliminary'support'from'membership'by'the'end'of'June'2014.! ' ! APPENDIX!E! ! Education'Report'for'2013/4' ' As!a!new!comer!to!the!committee!I!must!begin!by!expressing!my!appreciation!of!how!hard!the! committee!members!work!to!keep!the!association!functioning!smoothly!and!moving!forward!! ! Our!great!addition!on!the!education!front!this!year!has!been!the!membership’s!ability!to!access!the! resources!of!the!Natural!Standards!Database!thanks!to!the!generous!sponsorship!by!Phytomed.!! ! !The!other!two!main!areas!of!focus!in!education!this!year!have!been!to!continue!to!build!on!the!work! begun!in!previous!years!and!that!will,!when!complete,!help!our!profession!significantly.!! ! First!of!these!is!the!continuing!support!and!upgrading!of!education!standards!for!medical!herbalists! as!without!this!we!will!find!it!much!more!difficult!to!make!a!case!for!statutory!regulation,!the!first! step!necessary!for!us!to!be!able!to!approach!integration!into!the!primary!health!care!system.!!Our! long!term!goal!is!to!have!herbal!medicine!taught!as!a!degree!course.!!This!is!the!norm!for!primary! health!care!practitioners!and!is!the!direction!being!taken!in!the!countries!to!which!we!are!most! closely!allied.!The!goal!is!for!these!revised!standards!to!reviewed!and!harmonised!amongst!colleges! in!the!future.!The!subYcommittee,!with!college!support,!will!be!looking!into!the!standards!of! education!for!herbal!medicine!and!naturopathy!applied!by!the!National!Herbalists!Association! Australia!(NHAA).!!The!NHAA!have!had!their!qualifications!accepted!by!the!Australian!Register!of! Naturopaths!and!Herbalists!(ARONAH)!which!is!currently!the!supervising!body!that!intends!to!hand! over!regulatory!control!to!the!government!when!statutory!regulation!comes!into!force!there.!!The! committee!have!agreed!to!accept!the!competencies!established!by!ARONAH!for!western!Medical! Herbalists,!these!can!be!viewed!at!http://www.aronah.org/wpY content/uploads/ARONAH_CompetencyYstandards_Herbalists.pdf.! ! We!have!also!reviewed!Continuing!Professional!Education!(CPE)!assessment!and!will!apply!stricter! criteria!to!the!CPE!hours!in!the!future!to!include!a!greater!proportion!of!hours!dedicated!to!herbal! medicine!content.!!The!subYcommittee!will!be!seeking!out!relevant!educational!material!to!make!this! more!feasible!for!members!to!achieve.!!Members!will!be!encouraged!to!take!on!education!relevant! to!their!selfYidentified!knowledge/skill!needs,!these!are!likely!to!differ!for!each!of!us.! ! The!role!of!research!into!the!clinical!use!of!herbal!medicine!will!also!be!an!important!aspect!of! future!acceptance!of!our!profession!into!main!stream!health!care!and!we!will!be!looking!to!increase! this!with!the!help!of!members!and!colleges!in!the!coming!year.!!This!is!a!very!exciting!initiative!with! potentially!important!consequences!for!our!profession.!! ! Secondly!we!have!continued!to!work!on!a!systematic!way!of!assessing!overseas!trained!herbalists!or! those!who!have!been!away!from!practice!and!wish!to!return!to!full!membership.!We!wish!to!support! and!assist!these!potential!practitioners,!if!they!are!falling!short!of!our!required!standards,!to!enable! them!to!upYskill!so!they!can!practice!safely!and!effectively!under!our!association.!!This!is!especially! important!as!New!Zealand!has!a!high!proportion!of!overseas!trained!herbalists!wishing!to!set!up! practice!here.!!The!task!is!made!difficult!by!the!many!different!standards!used!to!achieve! qualifications!worldwide,!and!so!these!need!to!be!measured!against!our!own,!as!well!as!gauging! clinical!competence.!!The!future!plan!is!to!have!a!practitioner!pool!throughout!the!country!that!can! assist!in!the!required!upYgrading!of!a!range!of!skills!and!to!have!regular!assessments!of!applicant’s! progress!charted!to!assist!both!them!and!the!association.! ! Carole!Fisher! ! APPENDIX!F! ! Colleges’!meetings!summary! ! The!NZAMH!has!initiated!4!meetings!over!the!past!eighteen!months,!to!provide!a!collaborative! platform!for!the!Colleges!teaching!herbal!medicine!to!discuss!current!educational!issues,! employment!opportunities!for!their!graduates!and!the!future!of!the!profession.!At!the!first!meeting! held!in!October!2012,!participants!brainstormed!what!the!future!in!herbal!medicine!in!NZ!might!look! like,!and!what!should!incorporated!into!the!core!requirements!for!Colleges’!programmes.!! ! At!subsequent!meetings!there!has!been!a!focus!on!ways!to!increase!employment!opportunities!for! graduates!and!how!we!might!increase!the!public!perception!of!herbal!medicine.!The!importance!of! our!profession!driving!research!was!discussed!and!ways!that!the!NZAMH!could!encourage!this.!With! the!findings!of!the!survey!“Mapping!the!natural!health!landscape”!we!have!confirmation!that! members!want!registration!and!integration.!To!encourage!a!research!culture!the!idea!of!the! graduate!of!the!year!award!being!based!on!student!case!reports.!We!also!discussed!aspects!of!the! curriculum!and!the!benefits!of!standardising!some!subjects!across!all!Colleges,!for!example!physical! examination.!! ! Current!educational!issues!include!the!targeted!review!of!qualifications!(TROQ)!and!the!challenges!in! the!education!sector!with!TEC!funding!restrictions.!Colleges!outlined!any!curriculum!changes!and! their!recent!reviews!with!NZQA.!There!was!general!agreement!that!the!NZAMH!should!accept!a!level! 7!degree!to!be!the!minimum!requirement!for!new!graduates!and!an!implementation!date!of!2020! was!decided!upon.!It!has!been!a!goal!of!these!meetings!to!moderate!student!assessments!from!each! College!to!check!for!consistency!in!teaching!programmes,!however!this!is!yet!to!eventuate.!It!is! evident!that!these!meetings!have!had!the!desired!goal!of!strengthening!cooperation!between!those! who!have!participated.! APPENDIX!G! ! New'Zealand'Association'of'Medical'Herbalists'Publicity,'Promotions'and'Public' Relations'AGM'Report'2014' ' Tēnā!koutou!katoa,! ! For!the!sake!of!transparency!I!begin!this!report!with!sincere!apologies!to!our!members!and!our! committee!for!my!lack!of!contributions!in!these!last!months!as!PR!convener.!Due!to!family!illness! and!my!treasured!grandmother!role!I!have!been!unable!to!give!the!time!required!for!the! advancement!of!promoting!NZAMH.!! Nonetheless!the!vigor!of!our!committee!implementing!initiatives,!planting!seeds!for!future! promotion!contributes!hugely!to!PR!and!the!sustained!growth!of!NZAMH!as!an!association.!! ! Accolade’s!to!Sarah!Brenchley!whose!dynamic!input!has!seen!the!revamp!of!Naturopaths!Benefits!of! Belonging,!formative!beginnings!of!the!NZAMH!Practitioner!of!the!Year,!NHC!representative!with!a! plan!to!advance!our!profession!politically,!and!her!continued!delivery!with!enthusiasm!of!student! talks.!! ! Gratitude!to!Emily!Boese!for!researching,!providing!clarity,!and!the!development!of!the!NZAMH! Mentorship!guidelines!and!all!her!valued!feedback!to!all!sub!committees.! We!may!not!have!our!new!website!but!there!are!a!couple!of!outstanding!additions!to!our!existing! website.!Links!to!viewing!video!library!are!precious,!online!payment!options!convenient,!conference! info!and!updates!invaluable,!and!the!Natural!Standards!database!essential!for!any!practicing! professional.!Again!the!potential!becomes!reality!with!the!dedicated!few!who!make!it!happen.!Craig,! Mary,!Val,!and!Carole!/!Phytomed.! ! Resources!have!a!new!addition!NZAMH!pens!which!you!have!all!received!and!there!are!more! available!for!purchase!while!stocks!last.!The!most!popular!purchase!from!members!are!the!NZAMH! labels.! ! !Appreciation!and!recognition!is!given!to!all!11!of!our!local!branches!for!collectively!uniting!and! strengthening!herbal!medicine!amongst!each!other!and!in!your!communities.!! ! We!heard!calls!from!the!floor!(Members!discussion!2013)!of!the!need!for!a!professional!PR!strategic! plan!that!will!give!medical!herbalists!a!profile!beyond!our!own!communities!highlighting!our! expertise!within!the!health!sector.!As!our!association!continues!to!advance!professionally,!so!does! the!need!to!raise!our!public!professional!profile.!Alicia!Melrose!has!been!a!driving!member!to!make! this!take!effect!and!met!with!PR!consultants!for!preliminary!discussion!July!2013.!Further!training! and!development!is!part!of!future!planning!essential!for!PR!evolution.! This!year!Conference!organising!has!been!exciting!as!well!as!challenging!exploring!new!options!that! we!believe!from!member’s!feedback!over!the!past!few!years!are!closer!to!a!herbalist’s!heart.!The! connection!with!Nature!and!this!environment!is!conducive!of!holistic!health.!Kudos!must!be!given!to! Mary!Allan!for!her!vision!and!dedication!for!providing!a!balance!between!nature!and!a!suitable! venue,!no!easy!task!for!a!conference!in!Auckland,!and!the!countless!duties!it!takes!to!organise!such! an!event.! ! In!these!past!3!years!I!have!seen!the!committee!grow!from!strength!to!strength!led!by!strong! leadership!from!Leanne!Halliwell,!it!has!been!a!privilege!to!work!alongside!you!all.!As!I!depart!I! would!like!to!thank!all!past,!present!and!future!committee!members!for!the!many,!many!hours!that! are!given!nurturing!and!protecting!herbal!medicine.!It!is!an!immense!task.! ! Honouring!the!sacred!heart!essence!and!traditions!of!herbal!medicine!and!elevation!professionally! requires!great!effort!to!strike!a!balance!that!works!for!all,!this!I!believe!can!be!achieved!if!we! embrace!holistic!principals!of!practice.! ! Mauri!tu!(restore!vitality)! Mauri!pae!(maintain!and!balance!vitality)! !Mauri!ora!(health!and!vitality)! ! ! Nga!mihi!nui!ki!a!koutou!katoa,! Moana!Rei!Hutana! ! PPR!convener!2012!–!2014! ' APPENDIX!H! ! Natural'Health'Council'Annual'Report'2014' ' General!Business:!! Poor!attendance!at!previous!meetings!was!discussed!and!it!was!decided!that!monthly!meetings!were! too!much.!It!was!agreed!that!there!would!be!6!meetings!per!year.!There!is!no!longer!an! administrator,!so!communication!has!become!an!issue.!The!main!focus’!for!2014!is!the!development! and!implementation!of!the!Strategic!Plan.! ! Education:! This!has!not!been!active!this!year!due!to!the!members!of!the!subYcommittee’s!involvement!in!TRoQ,! which!will!not!be!finalised!until!the!end!of!the!year.! ! Financial:! The!financial!report!is!currently!being!finalised!for!the!AGM!in!June.!The!transition!of!a!new! treasurer!has!highlighted!a!‘paper!trail!of!weaknesses’.!The!main!focus!is!now!to!create!a!manual!of! processes,!protocols!and!policies!that!can!be!implemented!immediately!and!then!passed!on.!! ! Fee!structure!is!being!looked!at!in!regards!to!types!of!membership!and!cost!of!fees.!Membership!to! include!! !1)!Professional!associates,!! 2)!!Associations! 3)!!‘Friend’s’!Y!A!discussion!is!underway!regarding!who!should!fall!into!the!‘friends’!membership.!! Ideas!include!graduates!who!do!not!belong!to!the!covered!associations,!GP’s,!Universities!etc.!They! are!considering!a!tiered!fee!system!so!individuals!pay!less!than!organisations.!They!hope!that!the! ‘Friends’!membership!will!not!only!increase!income!but!could!also!be!a!vehicle!for!fostering! relationships!particularly!within!mainstream!medicine.! ! Public!Relations:!! A!new!website!has!been!developed!and!is!in!final!stages.!Practitioner!and!public!pages!will!be! available.!!Each!association!has!been!asked!to!provide!a!modality!profile!which!would!provide!an! opportunity!to!market!ourselves!and!raise!public!awareness.!!The!NZAMH!has!been!one!of!the!first! associations!to!do!this.!!Website!will!include!the!opportunity!for!every!member!practitioner!to!be! listed!with!their!own!profile,!logo!and!web!link.! ! Political:! As!this!is!a!national!election!year,!it!was!decided!that!the!NHC!needs!to!be!more!proactive!than!in! previous!years.!!Sarah!Brenchley,!on!behalf!the!NZAMH,!has!taken!on!the!responsibility!of!organising! a!public!Y!forum!in!June,!at!Wellpark!College.!The!date!is!awaiting!confirmation.!!Local!MPs!have! been!invited!to!discuss!their!respective!parties’!health!policies,!especially!in!regards!to!natural! health!and!its!role!in!public!health,!preventative!medicine!and!NZ!health!targets,!integration!into! mainstream!medicine!and!HPCAA!registration.!There!will!also!be!a!time!for!question!and!answers.!All! members!of!the!NHC!are!invited!to!participate.!! ! We!are!also!considering!sending!a!letter!(dependent!on!what!is!discussed!at!the!public!forum)!for!all! members!to!sign!and!send!to!their!local!MP!as!a!form!of!lobbying.!! ! Sarah%Brenchley% NZAMH%Representative%on%NHC% APPENDIX!I! ! Letter'from'NHC'read'by'Sarah'Brenchley'at'AGM'2014' ! 15!May!2014! ! Dear!Members,! ! Over!the!last!2Y3!months!the!Natural!Health!Council!(NHC)!has!experienced!extraordinary!circumstances!that! have!impacted!directly!on!our!ability!to!administer!the!Organisation.!I!would!like!to!apologise!to!anyone!who! has!tried!to!contact!us!and!has!not!been!unsuccessful.!We!wish!to!advise!that!every!endeavour!is!being!made! to!address!your!concerns.!We!very!much!value!hearing!from!you!and!we!are!sorry!if!you!have!been!frustrated! by!our!silence.! ! I!am!glad!to!report!that!we!will!soon!be!reconnected!again.!We!are!working!through!the!backlog!in! correspondence!but!if!you!have!not!had!a!response!from!us!to!any!past!emails!or!telephone!messages,!please! feel!free!to!contact!us!again!and!we!will!attend!to!your!enquiry!as!soon!as!possible.! ! If!your!professional!indemnity!insurance!is!purchased!through!us,!we!can!confirm!that!you!still!have! professional!indemnity!cover.!You!can!expect!to!receive!proof!of!insurance!by!mid!June.!We!will!be!working!on! the!insurance!renewal!in!the!next!three!weeks.!You!will!be!receiving!notification!regarding!your!Insurance! Renewal.! ! Thank!you!for!your!understanding!and!patience.! ! Yours!sincerely! ! DonnaYMaree!Parker! Chair! Natural!Health!Council!(NZ)! APPENDIX!J! ! MEMBERSHIP'REPORT'2014' ' Our!Professional'Membership!currently!stands!at!238!a!good!increase!from!last!year!at!216.!!15! members!have!taken!the!PNP!option.!!!!59!new!members!this!year!compared!with!33!accepted!since! last!AGM.!!These!are!mostly!graduating!students.!!!!We!now!have!seven!Fellowship!members.! ! Members!now!currently!fully!compliant!are!123!and!of!these!21!have!taken!the!half!year!option.!!So! we!are!half!way!to!receiving!all!subs!due!for!this!financial!year.!!! ! Our!Associate'Membership!stands!at!51!last!year!47.!!Of!that!30!are!complementary!memberships.!!! 3!outstanding!with!subs.! ! Student'Register!is!now!45!(74!last!year).!!Only!13!have!renewed!so!far!this!year.!!!Some!have! graduated!and!are!considering!professional!membership!but!not!committed!as!yet.!!(7)!! The!biYannual!visits!by!NZAMH!committee!members!to!the!colleges!to!talk!with!the!students!is! important!in!raising!our!profile.!!!This!has!resulted!in!22!new!student!members!from!May!2013!to! May!2014.!!!A!huge!thanks!to!Sarah!Brenchley!for!her!work!in!this!area.! ! My!hours!worked!remains!within!the!10!hours!a!week!budgeted!for!or!520!per!year.!!!Hours!claimed! from!1/4/12!to!31/3/13!was!466,!(318!last!year).!!(390!the!year!before).!!!!The!increase!is!due!to!that! now!some!of!the!accounting!record!keeping!is!part!of!my!brief!and!also!the!time!spent!checking! payments!from!the!bank!statements!had!been!entered!on!the!accounting!system!Y!due!to!the! previous!treasurer’s!resignation.!!!The!new!accounting!system!is!working!well!and!a!huge!upgrade! from!previous.!!!! ! The!greatest!concentration!of!work!hours!remain!over!the!Feb!–!May!period!leading!up!to!the!AGM.!!! There!is!daily!attention!to!email!questions!from!members.!!I!am!endeavouring!to!direct!questions!as! much!as!possible!to!the!web!site!hopefully!to!get!members!to!use!that!facility!for!information.! ! The!video!DVD!library!is!now!being!managed!by!SPCNT!on!our!behalf!and!thanks!to!Craig!we!now! have!a!huge!list!available!on!youtube.!!!Also!thanks!to!Jill!for!the!guidelines!on!what!is!good!to! consider!on!the!write!ups!for!CPE!hours.! ! The!yahoo!group!continues!its!lively!service!to!all!members.!! ! Thanks!to!the!committee!for!being!such!a!great!bunch!to!work!with.! ! ! WEB REPORT 2014 ! Endeavouring!to!keep!the!site!as!update!and!attractive!as!possible.! !!! The!decision!has!been!made!to!change!the!password!each!year!to!protect!the!security!of!the! members!area!to!current!financial!members.!!!The!new!password!will!be!circulated!by!email! immediately!after!the!AGM!to!financial!members!only.! ! Generally!a!quiet!year!with!just!updating!as!required.! ! Thanks!to!Craig!for!his!support!and!the!addition!of!visa!and!paypal!options!via!the!web!site!has!been! very!well!received.! ! Looking!forward!to!the!new!site.! ! Val!McArthur,!! Admin!Asst.! ! APPENDIX!K! ! AVENA'AGM'REPORT'2014' ! Dear!Herbalist’s,! ! My!report!this!year!is!largely!one!of!acknowledgement!and!gratitude!as!I!humbly!appreciate!the!huge! team!of!dedicated!and!passionate!people!that!make!Avena!happen.! The!past!year!has!seen!some!exciting!changes,!notably!with!lots!of!bright!colour,!and!a!switch!to! Sumo!FSC!(Forest!Stewardship!Certified),!ecofriendly!paper.!You!may!have!noticed!the!little!stamp! that!has!appeared!on!the!cover!or!contents!page!–!this!is!a!hard!to!get!stamp!that!guarantees!the! paper!has!come!from!responsible!sources.!Each!issue!of!Avena!has!to!go!through!quite!a!process!to! get!this!stamp.!Our!switch!to!Brebner!print!has!enabled!this!to!happen.!! ! We!are!also!using!more!colour!now!which!brings!the!plants!to!life,!and!I!think!provides!an!attractive! platform!for!the!contributor’s!creative!efforts!by!showing!the!plant!medicines!through!a!lens!of! increased!detail!and!beauty.!The!positive!feedback!has!been!overwhelming,!and!it!is!with!this!in! mind!that!we!shall!continue!along!this!path.!! ! While!reflecting!on!the!past!12!months,!I!noticed!we!paid!more!attention!to!our!feathered!and!4Y footed!friends.!Vincent!Di!Stefano’s!friend!Noel!Maud!very!kindly!allowed!us!to!publish!his!amazing! honey!bee!in!flight!photo!on!the!front!cover!of!the!December!issue,!John!Grant!shared!an!amazing! series!on!Animal!Health,!and!Dave!Curtis!of!Orokonui!Sanctuary!Dunedin!gave!us!a!beautiful!native! Kaka!photo.! ! We!have!seen!the!return!of!some!of!our!previous!contributors!–!Vincent!Di!Stefano!came!with! concerns!for!our!winged!friends!the!honeybees,!Pa!Ropata!contributed!a!detailed!discussion!on!Wai! 262,!and!Sara!Hamer’s!return!heralds!collaborative!!projects!with!Yvonne!Gattung.!Carole!Fisher! returned!with!a!report!on!GM!foods!and!we!also!had!some!newcomers!and!guest!writers:!!we!were! treated!to!Rongoa!wisdom!from!Donna!Kerridge,!!Dr!Pooja!Maddela!shared!herbal!and!yogic!wisdom! from!the!East,!Hannah!brought!news!from!Italy,!Aroha!Durrant!shared!her!knowledge!on!sun! protection,!Ange!Palmer!astounded!me!with!her!fabulous!article!on!managing!sore!throats!in!clinic! and!Jon!Wardle!opened!our!eyes!to!the!exciting!world!of!hydrotherapy.!The!list!goes!on,!and!our! regular!contributors!such!as!Rixt,!Isla,!Richard,!Craig,!and!Sandra!keep!the!heart!of!Avena,!flowing! steadily!from!one!issue!to!the!next.! ! There!is!some!interest!in!Avena!overseas,!we!have!been!gradually!exploring!the!idea!of!making! Avena!available!to!NHAA!(National!Herbalists!Association!of!Australia)!members!to!subscribe!to!and! the!NHAA!journal!available!to!NZAMH!members!at!a!discount!rate.!NHAA!are!willing!to!offer!us!a! significantly!discounted!rate,!we!expect!it!to!be!around!$80.00!per!year.!They!are!quite!different! publications!in!many!ways,!and!would!complement!each!other!well.!We!will!let!you!know!when!the! NHAA!journals!are!available!so!you!can!subscribe!if!you!are!interested.! Thank!you!again!to!all!the!contributors,!your!creativity,!skill!and!passion!serve!to!keep!Avena! educating,!inspiring!and!engaging!our!readers.!I!can!feel!the!energy,!spirit,!love!and!total!dedication! that!is!put!into!your!work,!bringing!life,!vitality!and!wisdom!into!our!profession.!! ! I!also!acknowledge!and!give!thanks!to!Avena!advertisers,!committee,!members,!volunteers!and!the! Avena!production!team!that!make!it!all!happen.!And!thank!you!everyone!for!your!feedback!and! comments,!I!requested!at!the!last!AGM!that!you!give!me!feedback,!and!you!have!done!so.!I!very! much!appreciate!it,!and!will!continue!to!work!hard!to!bring!you!a!journal!that!reflects!your!heritage,! your!practice!and!your!vision.! ! Warm!regards,! ! Mary!Allan!
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