RNZFB Board Chair’s Newsletter – June 2025

Clive Lansink

Hi everyone. Here is my latest newsletter, bringing you up to date with activities of the Board of Directors as Chair of the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind. This newsletter covers highlights of our meeting held in Whangarei on 3 May.

The Board was pleased to approve a proposal that will see BLVNZ make white canes and tips available at no charge. Work is now under way to develop the final details, and this important new initiative should be launched in July. More information will be announced in due course.

For some time, the Board and Management have been following a plan that we hope will improve and streamline communications throughout the organisation, including with clients. We’re about to take the next step in this plan, which is to carry out a comprehensive survey on this topic. This will help us ensure our communications are appropriate and give you the information you want to receive from BLVNZ.

We’re continuing to make progress towards the planned external review of the Constitution. I reported last time that we prepared a brief which we sent to several people who might be interested in leading this review. We have now completed interviews with the people we feel are most able to do this work, and are now finalising the details of the review.

The Board received a comprehensive update on community committees. Andrea Midgen explained that over the next few months, relevant documents will be reviewed and brought up to date, including the volunteer Code of Conduct and Volunteering Agreements. Volunteers, including those who are also clients, community groups and other interested people will be consulted throughout this process.

The Board was pleased to receive a very positive report on the organisation’s financial results for the financial year up to the end of March. It was noted that the investment portfolio has been hit by the worldwide tariffs situation, but the operating result for the period is $10.8m favourable to budget (excluding investments) mainly due to higher income and effective management of costs. Cashflow is very positive, with strong liquidity. The Guide Dog Services build and the Dunedin office refurbishment are now completed, with no more major property projects of that scale planned.

The Board approved a draft terms of reference for a proposed client reference group. We want this group of clients to be as diverse as possible and provide strategic advice to the Board on BLVNZ services from the client perspective. The next step is to encourage clients and consumer organisations to comment on what we are proposing so you’ll be hearing more about that soon.

The Board’s Client Services Committee discussed the ongoing issue of stray dogs, particularly in Auckland, which pose a serious threat to people using guide dogs and other assistance dogs. An update was received on the work between BLVNZ and BLENNZ in engaging with Auckland Council on this matter. It was positive to receive the update and discuss the current actions underway to address this problem.

Other points noted include:

• The Braille project led by Dan Shepherd to look in detail at various aspects of Braille is taking shape and meetings are now planned for June and July. The Board looks forward to an update in due course.
• The first step in the process of electing directors later this year is an information event for people thinking of standing for election. This is a Zoom session scheduled for Monday evening 28 July at 6:30pm, in which people will learn a lot about the organisation and what is involved in being a director. If you are thinking of standing for election to the Board or you know someone who is, please contact the Board Secretary for more information and to indicate your interest in attending this event.
• Strong positive feedback has been received on the recent equipment displays held in Tauranga, Hamilton, Dunedin, Nelson and Auckland.
• The Board received a report on Ms Midgen’s recent overseas trip to the UK which highlighted significant developments in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in the areas of mobility and access to information for blind and low vision people. Staff will be closely monitoring such developments to see how they can help blind and low vision people in New Zealand.
• The Access Barrier Register is now open to receiving reports from employees, clients and visitors to Blind Low Vision NZ. This will help the organisation set a high standard of accessibility in all its premises.
• The new Guide Dog Development Centre at Homai was recently officially opened. This will dramatically improve the way our staff nurture and train dogs to set them up for success and integrate them into the community as active guide dogs.
• Five former BLENNZ students have been selected for the peer mentoring program. The mentors are trained by the Employment and Youth Pathways team, and are eager to share their experiences and leadership skills with the BLENNZ students. This is a significant step toward enhancing experiences for clients coming out of school and starting to receive adult services from BLVNZ.

Those are the highlights from our last meeting but there is always a lot more going on. A lot more detail can be found in the minutes of our open meetings which are readily available. Remember also most of our meetings are open to observers and we do our best to provide all the agenda papers to observers. So please contact the Board Secretary if you would like more information or if you would like to observe any of our open meetings. Otherwise just keep your ears, eyes and fingers alert for our announcements so you can always be up to speed with what’s going on.

Our next meeting is on 4 July in Dunedin. I’ll be back with another newsletter after that meeting.