Institute reappoints first elected woman President

New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF)
Te Pûtahi Ngâherehere o Aotearoa Inc.

MEDIA RELEASE
April 20, 2006

Forestry Institute reappoints first elected woman President

The New Zealand Institute of Forestry’s first elected woman President has been reappointed at the group’s Annual General Meeting held today.

Jaquetta (Ket) Bradshaw welcomed the news of her fellow colleagues and friends reappointing her to the position for a further two-year term from 2006-2008.

“I thank you for your mandate to continue leading the Institute,” she said during her president’s report to the AGM, held as part of the NZIF’s Annual Conference at Te Papa in Wellington.

“The institute is in good heart and now has over 800 members, bringing our membership back up to levels not seen since the 1990s.

“Our increasing membership, despite a sustained downturn in the New Zealand forest industry, indicates the Council is taking the right path and members see value in being part of the Institute. This is positive news and a platform from which I hope to see further improvement,” she said.

Over the next two years, Ms Bradshaw has indicated she wants to see three specific changes – improved communication with members through revamping the NZIF website, journal and newsletter up to the level of professionalism required in the new century; adapting the membership structure to help attract and retain younger members; and finding ways to ensure that women are retained within the NZIF’s membership and forestry industry as a whole.

“New Zealand lacks policies that encourage greater gender balance in forestry. However, we have begun to address this by developing policies for our own organisation.”

Ms Bradshaw said the group needed a strong foundation and the ability to provide sustainable services if they were to achieve the NZIF vision of being a “vibrant professional organisation, demonstrating leadership, well respected for its independent and considered views, advocating forestry in its widest sense, and relevant to current and new members”.

As part of her president’s report to the AGM, Ms Bradshaw also thanked the Council and local section committees for giving the many voluntary hours it took to run the NZIF.

She also thanked the continuing members of the Council – Howard Moore, Hugh Bigsby and Angus McPherson and Euan Mason while she welcomed the “new blood” of John Schrider, Geoff Thorp, Peter Brown and Murray Parrish. Euan Mason also takes over as editor of the NZ Journal of Forestry from Bruce Manley.

“I look forward to leading this new team and encourage you all to participate fully. To the outgoing council members, Stephanie Rotarangi, Rob van Rossen and Rob Miller, it has been great working with you.”

Ms Bradshaw said over the next year she was confident the Council would take a greater leadership role within the forestry sector.

“As I said last year, the Institute is well-placed to take a wider view of forestry as well as understanding the need to take a lifecycle approach for the products we grow and process.”

ENDS

http://nzif.eventmergers.co.nz/

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