1. business and industrial
2. company
3. annual report

!
!
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!