RNZFB Board Chair’s Newsletter – December 2024

Clive Lansink

As we wind up after a really busy year, here is my latest newsletter. In my last newsletter I covered the main outcomes of the AGM held in South Auckland on 16 November, including the results of the election and changes to the Constitution that were approved by members. This newsletter covers the main outcomes of the September and November Board meetings held in Wellington and South Auckland respectively.

We also met in committee after the AGM to make our various appointments. I have been re-elected Chair and Judy Small is Deputy Chair. The full committee appointment list is as follows, with these subcommittees electing their chairs at their first meeting:

• Audit and Risk Committee: Richard Patete, Anne Marie Taggart, Ron Scott, Chris Orr.
• Governance Committee: Judy Small, Donna McCaskill, Ron Scott.
• People Committee: Anne Marie Taggart, Martine Abel-Williamson, John Billings, Richard Patete.
• Client Services Committee: Martine Abel-Williamson, John Billings, Donna McCaskill, Chris Orr, Judy Small.
• Pearson Fund: John Billings, Chris Orr.
• BLENNZ Representative Trustee: Martine Abel-Williamson.
• Blind Sector Forum Aotearoa New Zealand: Clive Lansink and Judy Small.

The Board received and signed off the Community Impact Report and audited performance report for the last financial year which ended on 30 June. These reports are now available, and are certainly worth reading to understand all the activities and achievements during the last year. It was a tough year financially, with BLVNZ recording a deficit of just over $5m, mainly due to a tough fundraising environment and a significant drop in legacies. In addition to the financial statements, the auditor now checks the organisation’s performance across a range of areas. We are pleased that the auditor found no major concerns and have issued an unqualified opinion.

After receiving a report on street fundraising collections, the Board decided that these will now cease, and the organisation will focus on other ways to raise funds and be visible in the community. We took into account that fewer people now carry cash, there are more restrictions on where collectors can operate, there is increasing concern about theft and safety of the collectors, and it is just more expensive to organise and carry out this activity.

The Board is well aware of the challenges the organisation faces in the area of fundraising, probably reflecting current economic conditions. We are aware that three quarters of the organisation’s funding comes from fundraising, so we know staff are having to be careful to ensure all expenditure is really focused on delivering outcomes for our clients in line with our agreed strategic and operations plans. So, the Board was pleased to see the accounts for September show a strong financial performance for the first three months of the financial year.

The Board approved the BLVNZ Engagement and Marketing Strategy FY25-28. It focuses on diversifying fundraising activities, increasing engagement with digital platforms and moving away from street collections. It also highlights the importance of donor stewardship to build relationships and encourage regular giving, and aims to enhance public engagement, advocacy, and outreach to a wider potential client base, including Māori, Pasifika, and Asian groups.

The Board has approved a policy to ensure that people who take on the director role are appropriately supported, where there is a level of sight loss or other circumstance that means the person requires additional support. This support may be adaptive technology, a support person, or other assistance to help the individual prepare for and fully participate in Board meetings and activities. This support can be provided where there is genuine and reasonable need and support is not available from other sources.

Following a paper received from Dan Shepherd, General Manager Community and Inclusion, the Board agreed to support the implementation of a national Accessibility Framework that will engage clients/members and staff in identifying, reviewing and addressing access barriers within the organisation. The intention is to reach a gold standard of accessibility for the blind, deafblind and low vision community, and provide an accessible working environment for staff so they can produce their best work every day free of access barriers. The framework should also set a gold standard example of the commitment to accessibility BLVNZ advocates for in the community.

The Board receives regular updates on a communications strategy currently under way. Of particular note recently is the work being done on a system that should be available by mid next year, to allow individuals to manage their own accessible format preferences and choices of information they would like to receive from BLVNZ.

People will know that a major project is currently under way to build a retirement village on the Parnell site. Stage one is already complete and occupied. Back in 2018, the Board identified this as the best option to obtain long-term value from the Parnell site, which is BLVNZ’s most significant asset. The Board approved a Partnership Agreement with Generus Retirement Living to develop and build a retirement village on the Parnell site. The Board is aware that from time to time there is criticism from the community about the investment in a high standard retirement village. Noting that most directors on the Board today were not on the Board at that time, the Board received an informative paper which explains why it was decided this is the best use of the Parnell site, for the organisation’s long-term future. This paper was on the open agenda and is available from the Board Secretary if you would like to read it.

The Client Services Committee continues to work with staff to develop our thinking on a client reference group. The idea is for this group of clients to provide strategic advice to the Board from the client perspective that is relevant to BLVNZ services. We expect a discussion paper on this early next year, which we plan to circulate to clients and consumer organisations for feedback.

The Client Services Committee has been taking a close look at the library service. We are aware that Booklink is no longer functional, but some people are frustrated with Easy Reader as its replacement. We are working with staff to consider the possibility of:

• implementing the Daisy online protocols to allow clients to directly access library content using compatible players like the Victa Reader Stream and some Braille displays.
• making content from the Accessible Books Consortium directly available to our clients.
• providing ephemeral materials such as government and local authority publications so these can be more easily accessed by BLVNZ clients.

The committee is also working with staff to consider a number of concerns about the library service raised by Blind Citizens NZ.

The Board has committed to reviewing the Constitution in consultation with clients and consumer organisations. The review will consider a variety of issues including Te Tiriti o Waitangi, co-governance, representation on the Board, disability philosophy, and recent changes to the Incorporated Societies Act. The Board took a big step forward on this by approving the Terms of Reference that clearly sets out in some detail what the review needs to cover. Judy Small, Ron Scott and I will now work with Andrea Midgen to progress this. The next big step is to find a truly independent person with the right knowledge, leadership and skills to lead such a review.

One of the Board’s most important functions is to set policies for the organisation to follow. The Governance Committee has been working closely with Andrea to revamp the policy manual to make it easier for people to find the information they want. The new approach separates guidelines and procedures, and some policies that are more operational in nature have been delegated to staff for ownership. The Board approved the new revised policy manual in November. Work is now underway to put this on the website so you can directly access our policies online. But you can still receive a copy of the new policy manual in accessible formats.

The Board has legal responsibility for health and safety in the organisation. We receive and discuss a health and safety briefing at each main meeting. The organisation is making good progress in hazard and incident reporting and integrating health and safety throughout the organisation, including volunteers. The Board recently approved a revised health and safety policy, and decided that a director would attend monthly BLVNZ health and safety meetings every three months instead of every month, but reports and minutes will be presented to the Board for discussion.

The Board received an informative presentation from Sue Emirali, Sight Support Trust. She gave an overview of the trust, focusing on the supports they provide to individuals with low vision.

The Board also received a report from Anne Marie Taggart who represented the Board at the recent conference of Parents of Vision Impaired, and also the report of the conference from their Chief Executive Rebekah Graham. Anne Marie said she was privileged to attend and thanked us for the opportunity. She highlighted the sharing and engagement of parents, noting the challenges many face with their children, which emphasised the importance of the work being done and the vital support BLVNZ provides.

That brings you right up to date, and as you can see, we covered a lot of ground in these two meetings. Please keep your ears, eyes and fingers alert for our announcements so you can always be up to speed with what’s going on. Remember our main meetings are open to observers and we do our best to provide all the agenda papers to observers. Please contact the Board Secretary if you would like to attend any of our open meetings as an observer.

I will finish by wishing you a wonderful time during the Christmas new year break. We’re all looking forward to some downtime, hopefully great weather, and the chance to relax and do other things while we recharge for next year. For the Board, next year begins with a strategic planning session with the Chief Executive and Executive Leadership Team at the end of January, followed by a short Board retreat. Our first main meeting is in Gisborne on 1 March. I’ll be back with another newsletter after that meeting.