Welcome to NZCS Newsline Edition 1: March 14, 2008
In This Edition:
- Introduction from the CEO
- Time to Get Involved - NZCS Working Groups
- Professional Certification - What's it all about, anyway?
- Computerworld Excellence Awards
Welcome, all, to the new NZCS Newsline, which sees the return of the NZCS Newsletter albeit in a slightly different format. We'll be sending all members the latest edition of Newsline every 1-2 weeks.
Well, what a hectic few months!
As many of you know, I came aboard as Interim CEO in October last year - initially for a few weeks to get a number of operational issues sorted then to bring someone in and step back. Little did I know that I would still be here now, having accepted the permanent position offered and moved to Wellington!
I firstly want to pass on my genuine "thanks" to the many within the Society that have pulled up sleeves and really got stuck in making the huge task I had (and still have!) possible. I'm not going to name names, but a huge number of members have come together to help over the last few months. The membership should truly be proud of the Society's leaders - the National Council, Branch Chairs, Fellows, and other members that have lent their support in any of a hundred ways.
Speaking of thanks, thanks also to all members who filled out the NZCS Member Survey shortly after Christmas. There was a huge response and we're currently considering the responses very seriously. One thing I can promise you, though: we're listening, and we have a huge number of changes planned based on this and other feedback. Look out for a condensed version of the results going to all members next week.
Anyway, on to the future. As many of you know, Don Robertson was also elected as the new NZCS President in November, along with Waikato's David Cowman as his Deputy. Don is a visionary and we're very fortunate to have him as our President. Congratulations are in order, too - his team (at Meridian Energy) have just beaten out some stiff competition and been awarded Silver at the LexusNexus National Direct and Interactive Marketing Awards - well done, Don (and congrats to Progressive for taking out Gold with their OneCard). The category was Products or services that make the use of customer data easier or more effective.
If you know of a member that has been awarded or recognised personally or as part of a team drop me a note and I'll get the word out. Our members represent the best in the field and it's important that we as members recognise, acknowledge, promote, and reward success.
Speaking of success, nominations for the annual ComputerWorld Excellence Awards are now open for nominations. There are 12 categories (details at the end of this mail) however we're really keen on members especially considering the Young ICT Talent category. If you know a student member or young lad or lass that's excelling in what they are doing, whatever that might be, why not nominate them? Nominations are easy - just visit http://computerworld.co.nz/awards.
And while we're talking about students, we're currently working on some huge changes planned for our Student members. I can't let the cat out of the bag yet, however the changes are designed to recognise the importance of our Student members and to give them the opportunity to be far more involved in the Society - more info soon!
And lastly, are you a budding cartoonist? Know or hear of any good ICT-related jokes? Email them through to me (ceo@nzcs.org.nz) and the best one will go in the next newsletter. Please, no racist/sexist/*.*ist jokes, however. Rude jokes welcome of course (although maybe not included in the newsletter!)
Until next time, thanks for reading, and please seriously consider putting your hand up for one or more of the Working Groups below. We're a Society of individuals, but we're also stronger with each other. A little bit of effort from a lot of people will get the job done and we'll all benefit from a powerful, progressive, and strong Society.
Thank you.
Regards,
Paul Matthews
NZCS Chief Executive
P.S. NZCS President Don Robertson will be joining me from next week with a regular column in NZCS Newsline.
Welcome to our new Corporate Partners!
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As alluded to earlier in the year (and late last year), we're in the process of putting together some Working Groups to look closely at a number of initiatives and projects. We've got some fantastic plans, however we also need our members to get involved to help see them through to fruition.
Note that involvement in a Working Group or Standing Committee isn't overly taxing and won't take a great deal of time, and can be a heap of fun and excellent for your CV.
To apply: If you think one or more of these groups are for you, just send a short email (ceo@nzcs.org.nz) outlining (1) the group(s) you're interested in; (2) whether you'd like to be considered for Chair of the group; (3) your background in the particular area. Thanks!
The groups being set up this month are:
Certification Working Group
Chaired by the President and including the CEO and Deputy President, the Certification Working Group will consult widely nationally and internationally and put together the proposal for the implementation of our Certification Programme. We're really looking for members with a background in certification to come aboard.
Mentoring Working Group
Whilst part of this group was formed before Christmas, there's still an opening for one or two further participants, and we also need to consider a Chair for this group.
The group should be chaired by someone with experience implementing a Mentoring solution, and we would love to see members from both academia and industry participating.
NZCS Publication Working Group
The NZCS is one of only a very few Professional Societies worldwide that does not have a publication. A Journal or Magazine helps raise the profile of the Society, adds relevance, and provides a tangible benefit to our members (both keeping them informed and providing the opportunity for their work to be published).
This Working Group will investigate the options, format and cost of an NZCS Magazine (hard copy and electronic) or Professional Journal and make a recommendation to Council. This group should be chaired by someone with experience putting together and publishing a magazine or journal.
NZCS 50th Anniversary Working Group
The NZCS's 50th Anniversary is in 2010 and is a momentous achievement. As well as being a very significant cause for celebration, the anniversary gives us the opportunity to significantly raise the profile of the Society with Anniversary events throughout the year and throughout the country, possibly culminating in a major NZCS Conference in October (we were incorporated in October 1960).
For this to be effective we need to start planning now, and this Working Group will investigate options and develop a programme, plan and budget for the 2010 celebrations.
Professional Development Standing Committee
The Professional Development Standing Committee will be responsible for formulating the auditing policy for the new CPD System (more details next week), rule on whether marginal CPD claimed during audits are acceptable or not (on an individual basis), establish a policy to deal with those that do not meet CPD requirements, and facilitate an appeals process for CPD claims. This Standing Committee is restricted to NZCS Fellows.
Professional Guarantee Working Group
This Working Group will investigate how and at what cost the Society could offer a Professional Guarantee to the public at large when working with NZCS Professional Members (or potentially "Certified/Chartered Members" once the Certification Programme has been implemented). This would most likely be in a similar vein to the "Master Builder's Guarantee".
This is a complex and potentially costly issue, however it also has the potential to be a major turning point for the Society from a relevance and tangible services perspective. The concept also received the most support from our members in the recent NZCS Member Survey and consequently deserves further detailed investigation.
This Working Group should ideally be chaired by someone with experience with Professional Guarantees in other organisations, or perhaps from the Insurance industry.
Member Benefits Standing Committee
This Standing Committee will work with the CEO to outline potential Society member benefits (such as Professional Indemnity Insurance, discounts, etc). This committee will be chaired by the CEO and be limited to 4-5 members, at least one from each of Auckland, Wellington, and a smaller branch.
We're really just looking for a number of "typical" members who are happy to act as a sounding board, and have a few ideas, perhaps "outside the box".
NZCS Events Advisory Group
This group will be made up of a number of "connected" people in each region. Meeting occasionally via Teleconference, the group will discuss, consider and recommend the types, style, and subject of NZCS Events into the future.
The objective is that we'll end up with a greater number of high-quality, topical and relevant events for our members.
So come aboard! Simply email through to ceo@nzcs.org.nz and we'll get the process underway.
By now you would have heard about the fact that the Society's looking to implement an internationally-recognised Professional Certification in New Zealand, as part of an international initiative with our kindred organisations around the world.
Certification is already transforming the ICT landscape in the UK and is set to be a big issue over the next couple of years. If you or your organisation is or will be competing for work on the global stage it's highly likely you'll need to be able to provide the certainty of professionally certified staff.
We've put together a Discussion Document to outline the main concepts of certification - why we're doing it, how, when, and what. It doesn't go into too many details, but hopefully will provide enough info to help our members understand what we're trying to achieve.
You can download the Certification Discussion Document by clicking here.
Computerworld is looking for individuals and teams whose skill makes their ICT projects stand out from the rest. Recognised as one of the highest accolades in the ICT industry, the Computerworld Excellence Awards celebrates the best of the country's ICT talent. Entry is free, so we encourage you to take the time and get the recognition you and your team deserves.
The categories for 2008 are:
- CIO of the Year (entry or nomination)
- Young ICT Talent (entry or nomination)
- ICT Educator of the Year (entry or nomination) - NEW
- Best Mobile, Wireless or Telecommunications Solution
- Best Sustainable ICT Project - NEW
- Excellence in Infrastructure Innovation - NEW
- Excellence in the Use of ICT for Customer Service
- Excellence in the Use of ICT in Government
- Excellence in the Use of ICT in a Small to Medium Enterprise
- Excellence in the Use of ICT in Health
- Most Successful Project Implementation of the Year
- Innovative Use of ICT
- Overall Excellence in the Use of ICT
Entries are now open, with submissions due by Friday 11 April. Register or nominate online at http://www.computerworld.co.nz/awards or call 09 302 8779.
Thanks all, and have a great weekend!
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