From the President

Image of Meredith Evans, wearing a cocktail dress at ITx 2018. She is smiling close-mouthed at the camera and looks very presidential.

September 2018

This is my last report before the AGM on 23 September. I’m looking forward next month to reporting on a really well supported AGM and the addition of a few keen new people on the Board. Here’s hoping…

Luckily for me, the TechCommNZ terms of office are two years, so you’ll be stuck reading my reports for at least another 12 months!

In all seriousness, I would really love to see heaps of you at the AGM on 23 September, so please come along or attend via the Zoom meeting option if you can.

Remember, there will be refreshments!

Grant Mackenzie steps down from the Board

We are so sad to lose Grant from the Board this year. But we wish him all the best and also hope he might continue to host our Auckland Board meetings at least a few more times.

Of course, with Grant stepping down, this does open up a spot on the Board, and we’d love to see a new face (especially a North Island face) step up and join us. If you’re interested, and want to know more, flick me an email and we can talk.

Branch News

Yay for the Branch coordinators! You are all doing a fantastic job. It makes me really happy to see our branches thriving.

In August, Christchurch ran an excellent student-focused event, attended by around 30 people. Wellington branch held two events – Signs Say What? with Peter Russell and a virtual attendance to Christchurch's The Tech Comm Career Ladder and You. And I'm thrilled to see that Hamilton branch has been reinvigorating local tech writers with a chilled out networking evening. Well done to everyone involved!

Also, in November, I’m heading up to Wellington for the Plain English Awards. On Friday 15 November I’m planning a catch-up with Wellington branch, so save the date (it’ll be a lunchtime thing) and look out for more details soon.

Our Conference: 16 to 18 October 2019

Superstar conference organiser extraordinaire Kaye has been pretty busy getting things moving on the conference front. We have a wee Christchurch-based conference committee, as well as a couple of hard-working Tauranga locals keen to help (thanks Roy and Earnsy). Don’t forget to put the dates in your calendar and plan to attend next year.

Over the next few months we’ll be announcing the conference theme and asking for speakers to submit proposals. I can also confirm that we’ve got several exciting overseas speakers lined up for you.

ASTC Conference and Write the Docs Australia

A couple of exciting conferences are coming to Australia over the next few months:

  • The Australian Society for Technical Communication are holding a conference on the Gold Coast on 12 and 13 October. This is a great opportunity to network with our Australian colleagues as well as catch such memorable and knowledgeable presenters as Tony Self and Dave Gash.
  • If Melbourne’s more your cup of tea, check out the Write the Docs Australia conference on 15 and 16 November. Our very own Board member Abhay is presenting and there’s a bunch of other interesting looking presentations. All for only AU$100!

And Lastly...

If you’ve forgotten to renew your TechCommNZ membership or simply put off paying in favour of spending your funds on something more exciting, get that money in NOW! Or even better, convince someone at your company to stump up for a corporate membership and everyone at your work can join for free!


Contact our Business Manager if you’ve got any questions about membership.