National certificate graduates celebrated

National certificate graduates celebrated at annual Co-op Money NZ Forum

AUCKLAND, 11 MAY 2016: Co-op Money NZ, the industry voice representing co-operatively owned credit unions and mutual building societies in New Zealand, honoured graduates from Member credit unions and mutual building societies at its annual Co-op Money NZ Forum, which was held on Saturday, 30th April 2016 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Auckland.

The graduation ceremony saw 16 staff from credit unions, mutual building societies and Co-op Money NZ from around the country graduate with NZQA National Certificate qualifications in business and finance.

“Ongoing staff development is incredibly important in the current business environment. We are really pleased with the success of this initiative for our Members to encourage and enable their staff to participate in these industry recognised national qualifications. In partnership with The Skills Organisation, Co-op Money NZ has been offering NZQA National Certificate qualifications for well over two years now, and it was hugely rewarding to see the smiles and pride in the latest cohort of graduates as they emerged through the programme and were formally recognised by all our Members at the Forum,” says Henry Lynch, CEO of Co-op Money NZ.

Garry Fissenden, CEO of The Skills Organisation says, “People are the most valuable resource in any organisation. For credit unions and mutual building societies, to whom service levels function as a unique differentiator, continued training and up-skilling of staff is an absolutely essential part of ensuring distinctive customer service. We are proud that our partnership with Co-op Money NZ has allowed us to be a part of this continuing process of training and development.”

Structured around the theme of ‘Think Global. Act Local’, the annual Co-op Money NZ Forum brought together nearly 100 leaders from credit unions and mutual building societies around the country to discuss global practices in the co-operative banking sector and ideas for how to adopt them into their local communities.

“Throughout the last century and into this century, credit unions and mutual building societies have long been a valuable part of the New Zealand economy and local communities in which they serve. Seeing the calibre of graduates and the ideas generated from the Forum it is heartening to think of the opportunities ahead for our Members as they continue to adapt and evolve to meet the sector’s needs in the future,” Lynch concluded.

Photo caption: The National Certificate Graduation Ceremony at the Co-op Money NZ 2016 Forum awarded 16 staff from credit unions, mutual building societies and Co-op Money NZ with national qualifications.

ENDS

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