Association News

UN IYC 2012 featured in UN Youth New Zealand blog "UN+Censored"

Lets not forget about the “UN” part in the UN International Year of the Cooperatives – here is a blog post in UN Youth New Zealand’s official blog UN+Censored about what a cooperative is, and why it is the International Year of the Cooperatives.

 

Haven’t we come a long way

The May 1996 issue of the newsletter of the New Zealand Agricultural Co-operative Association Inc is now available for download from the newsletter page.

Haven’t we indeed come a long way ... and yet how similar are the concerns of this Association today. Download it from here.

 

CRT Cooperative announces sponsorship of UN IYC 2012

We are well on track with fundraising appeal for the UN International Year of Cooperatives 2012 with great support from a number of members, but haven't quite hit the target.

Our thanks goes to CRT Cooperatives, who have just announced they will be providing sponsorship towards this fund. To find out more about the International Year of the Cooperatives, visit our IYC page.

 

AGM elects Blue Read as new Chairperson

At the 2nd December 2011 Association annual meeting, Taranaki dairy farmer Blue Read was elected Chairperson. More information is to be found on this page.

Held in Wellington, the meeting also, among other things, reviewed the year’s activities, looked forward to the UN International Year of Cooperatives in 2012 and elected a new Council.

Check the photos from the event on our facebook page.

 

Silver Fern Farms' Silver Sponsorship

A $200,000 fundraising appeal for funds to celebrate the UN International Year of Cooperatives was launched by the Cooperatives Association at the beginning of September 2011.  Our thanks goes to Silver Fern Farms, who have announced that they will be providing Silver Sponsorship towards the UN International Year of Cooperatives.

Go to the IYC page for more details.

 

First steps in social media

A Facebook page, a page on wikipedia, a YouTube channel and a regular series of tweets on Twitter (@NZdotCoop) are the first foray into social media for the Cooperatives Association.

Check them out, "friend" us if you're a Facebook user,  subscribe to the YouTube channel, and follow us on Twitter. In the run up to the International Year of Cooperatives you’ll see quite a bit of activity.

Watch this space!

 

Rabobank first donor to UN for IYC 2012

Rabobank has come forward as the first donor to the UN for the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) and the UN’s work on cooperatives in social development. 

In an effort to ensure the success of the upcoming IYC, Rabobank has earmarked US$200,000 for the United Nations fund to help finance the communication campaign and other activities focused on promoting and supporting the role of cooperatives in social development.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, Rabobank is one of the 30 largest financial institutions in the world, and is a cooperative governed by its members which provides a wide range of financial services.

 

2011 AGM to take place in Wellington

With the general election on everyone’s minds, this year’s annual meeting will be taking place at the Brentwood Hotel in Wellington on Friday 2 December, starting at 10am and ending with a light lunch. Contact the Association office for more information.

 

New chair for IYC working group

Taranaki dairy farmer Blue Read has taken over the chairperson role of the Association’s UN International Year of Cooperatives 2012 New Zealand Steering Committee.

An individual associate member of the Cooperatives Association, Blue was a member of the Fonterra Shareholders Council for nine years, serving as deputy chair for four and chair for three of those years.

 

UN IYC 2012 Fundraising appeal launched

A $200,000 fundraising appeal for funds to celebrate the UN International Year of Cooperatives was launched by the Cooperatives Association at the beginning of September 2011. “We’re confident we’ll get good support for this appeal,” said Executive Director Ramsey Margolis.

Go to the IYC page for more details.

 

Half yearly council meeting

The Association’s half-yearly council meeting for 2011 took place in Wellington on Thursday 28 April. High on the agenda was the UN International Year of Cooperatives which will be taking place in 2012.

Members are invited to contact the councillor for their section to find out more.

 

Co-ops respond to the Feb 22nd Christchurch earthquake

New Zealand cooperatives and mutuals have both  been affected by and are actively engaging with the recovery process.

For regularly updated news on this tragic event go to the Executive Director's blog "The View From Level 3" or click HERE.

 

Governing a Successful Cooperative Business

A two-day governance training course specifically aimed at directors and potential directors facilitated by Peter Harris and using The LEADing Board took place in Wellington on 24 & 25 March 2011.

To find out more go to the Education & training page.

 

UN International Year of Cooperatives 2012

Chaired by Capricorn Society director Russell Green, the Cooperatives Association working group to plan events and celebrations for the UN International Year of Cooperatives 2012 had its first meeting in Wellington on 19 January, 2011.

To find out more about the UN IYC 2012, take a look at www.2012.coop and contact the Association office to find out about how you or your business could get involved.

 

2010 Annual Meeting

Held in Christchurch on 26 November, the Association's annual meeting brought together close on 50 people from the country’s cooperative and mutual businesses. Attendees were in agreement that it was a worthwhile networking opportunity.

The Association has a new chairperson, Chris Knowles from Foodstuffs South Island, and there are three new faces on our council: Kim DeGarnham of Foodstuffs South Island, Kuki Green of Ngati Pahauwerwa Section 30 Representatives Cooperative Society and Bruce McPherson from Electricity Ashburton.

The two guest speakers were:

• TRENT BARTLETT
CEO Capricorn Society Ltd & Chairman, Social Business Australia

Telling Our Story – UN International Year of Cooperatives 2012

Since 1959, the UN has designated International Years to draw attention to major issues and encourage international action to address concerns which have global importance and ramifications.

The International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) declared for 2012 presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to increase public awareness and understanding of cooperatives.

Your cooperative and your community have a unique opportunity to be associated with an awakening of the economic and social contributions made by cooperatives, up and down New Zealand and across the globe.

To make the best use of the IYC requires that co-ops and mutuals rekindle their passion for why they are a co-op and tell the people who matter – their members, communities, governments, academia.

Trent spoke about possible ways and benefits that we can be proud to be a co-op in our very own International Year.

Click here for a PDF of his presentation.

• TOM WEBB
Programme Manager, Masters of Management. Cooperatives and Credit Unions, St Mary’s University, Canada

Managing The Cooperative Difference

Cooperatives are different from other business models with a fundamentally different purpose, values and principles, which makes managing them more challenging and harder. To manage the cooperative difference it’s necessary to understand it, believe it, create it, and measure it.

This is the basic theory and practice behind the unique Masters programme at St Mary’s where every business skill and issue is approached from the perspective of cooperative managers.

Tom set out the features of the programme and outlined its benefits in terms of how it can be used in management development and succession planning.

Click here for a PDF of his presentation.

 

Sunday Star-Times runs three articles on co-ops

The 30 May, 2010 Sunday Star-Times contained three articles on cooperatives by Rob O’Neill in its Business section that show how cooperative business is an integral and important part of New Zealand.

On the front page was an interview with Association chairperson Peter Macdougall with the headline “Call for an alternative Kiwibank future – as a cooperative”. It can be found online here.

“Co-ops fight to retain share assets” looked at the battle cooperatives around the world have been having with the International Accounting Standards Board over whether their shares should be classified as assets or liabilities. It can be found here.

The final article was an overview on the success of cooperative and mutual business during the recession. Entitled “Old fashioned set up has last laugh when the tough times hit”, it can be found here.

 

Ashburton co-op networking lunch meeting

The Association’s second co-op networking lunch meeting took place on Friday 21 May 2010 in Ashburton. Held at the Braided Rivers Restaurant, Burnett St, guest speakers were Philippa Stevenson and Venetia Sherson of JAG Media whose talk on how to get good stories about your co-op in the media went down so well at the first meeting in Hamilton earlier in the year.

Bringing together members, directors and senior executives from cooperatives and mutuals in Central Canterbury and as far away as Christchurch, the discussion was lively.

We are grateful to Ashburton Trading Society for sponsoring this lunch and bringing the speakers to Ashburton.

 

Three new full members

At its April 2010 meeting, the Association’s Council welcomed three new full members, all from the financial sector. They are:

In addition, an application for provisional membership was accepted from a group of electrical contractors who are examining the possibility of forming a cooperative.

 

The Financial Services Providers (Pre-implementation Adjustments) Bill

Cooperative shares are not investments; they are the price of membership, enabling businesses and individuals to transact with a cooperative. The New Zealand Cooperatives Association gave the Commerce Select Committee this strong message in our written submission on this Bill on 23 March 2010.

Although not primarily aimed at cooperative and mutual business, the Financial Advisers Act 2008 and the Financial Service Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Act 2008 are a potential nightmare for any co-op or mutual which has people in the field talking with non-members and encouraging them to buy from or sell to the cooperative, if this means purchasing member shares to do so.

Cooperative and mutual businesses consider it inappropriate that they should be subject to the requirements of these Acts as:

We are continuing to look at the best ways that the Association and our members can let the Commerce Select Committee and MPs in general know in no uncertain terms that cooperatives and mutuals which are not involved in financial products should not have unnecessary compliance routines imposed on them, and so avoid the costs and considerable management aggravation that goes with them.

Download a copy of the NZCA’s submission here. Phone the Association office on 04 384 4595 or send an email with your questions and observations.

 

The first Co-op Networking Lunch Meeting

With room hire and lunch sponsored by Origin Agroup Ltd, twenty people turned up at The Narrows Landing at Tamahere near Hamilton on 29 January 2010 hear guest speakers Philippa Stevenson and Venetia Sherson speak on “Secrets of the media”.

Award-winning journalists, what they had to say went down well. The event was reported in the December 2009 Cooperatives News.

Clearly a well worthwhile event, the next networking lunch meeting will be taking place in Ashburton on Friday 21 May. To reserve a seat at the table, send an email.

 

UN declares 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives

Since 1959, the UN has designated International Years to draw attention to major issues and to encourage interntional action to address concerns of global importance. The proclamation of the International Year of the Cooperative was included in a resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 18 December 2009.

“The 2012 International Year of Cooperatives is a great opportunity for New Zealanders to learn more about how cooperatives and mutuals contribute so much to our economy and our communities,” said NZCA chairperson Peter Macdougall.

Most people are unaware of the economic and social impact that co-ops and mutuals have on this country, both in rural and urban areas. The Cooperatives Association will be discussing with member businesses over the coming months what kind of programme of International Year activities could be put together to generate awareness of this contribution, and to encourage people to organise themselves into cooperatives to address their own economic and social needs.

 

2009 Annual General Meeting

More than just a formal occasion, the Association’s AGM offered a networking opportunity for those involved in cooperative business that cannot be found at any other time or in in any other place in New Zealand.

With the theme for the year being “Taking Our Cooperatives Seriously”, the meeting took place on 27 November in Wellington. Following the business part of the meeting, three speakers addressed the 50 or so cooperative directors and senior executives who were present:

The newly-elected council met in the afternoon, approving full membership applications from the following cooperatives:

The Association’s first two provisional members were approved:

Margie Scott’s application for associate membership was approved.

 

Postgrad paper on cooperative and mutual business

Starting with the 2010 intake, Massey University will be offering a paper on cooperative and mutual business as part of its MBA course.

With the title “Advanced Studies in Cooperatives”, information on the course can be downloaded here.

To find out more, write to Dr James Lockhart at the College of Business, Massey University.

 

2008 Annual General Meeting

There was a record turnout at the 2008 AGM which was held in Christchurch on 21 November with almost 50 attendees from more than half of our member businesses as well as six non-member co-ops and mutuals.

Following lunch there was a meeting of the newly-elected Council which, among other matters, approved membership applications from four cooperatives and two associate members:

The new associate members are:

Since the AGM, two further cooperatives have applied to join the Association. They are:

To find out more about the Association’s 2008 AGM, see the December 2008/January 2009 issue of Cooperatives News.

 

The Cooperative Advantage of Doing Business

A successful two-day seminar for senior executives was held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Wellington at the end of November 2007. The seminar was opened by the Minister of Commerce, Hon. Lianne Dalziel; her speech is available on the Education & training page.

Overseas presenters included cooperative senior executives from India, Republic of Korea, Japan and Singapore as well as Dr Chris Cooper of the UK Cooperative College, while from New Zealand, Chairman of Ballance Agri-Nutrients Cooperative, David Graham and Cooperatives Association Executive Director Ramsey Margolis both offered presentations. These presentations are available in the members’ area of this website.

Attendees, who came from across Asia and the Pacific rim as well as from New Zealand, visited cooperative sites on the third day, meeting with PSIS Chief Executive Girol Karacaoğlu, hearing about Orb Communications from Wellington member Dave Merrall, visiting a Fonterra-supplying dairy farm in Otaki at milking time, as well as the Otaki outlet of Farmlands Cooperative Society.

Below, seminar attendees are being shown around Maraeroa Marae in Waitangirua by seminar attendee Joe Tepania of Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa Cooperative Society.

The seminar was organised by the International Cooperative Alliance Regional Office Asia Pacific in association with IFFCO – the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative and hosted by the New Zealand Cooperatives Association.

ICA congress in Singapore

In October 2007, the International Cooperatives Alliance held its biannual congress in Singapore. With over 1,000 delegates in attendance from around the world, New Zealand Cooperatives Association executive director Ramsey Margolis addressed the general assembly, outlining the experiences that New Zealand cooperatives have had in facing the effects of the new international accounting standards.

Ramsey Margolis’ speech is available here. Available in the members’ area are presentations from Paul Hazen, President of the US National Cooperative Business Association, and Tricia O’Malley, coordinator of the International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee and former member of the International Accounting Standards Board.

Pictured below is Ramsey Margolis speaking at the general assembly session in Singapore on accounting standards. Also present are (l to r) Jean-Claude Detilleux, chairman of the International Cooperative Alliance international accounting standards working group, Tricia O'Malley and Paul Hazen.

 

Recent additions in the members’ area