Hi, and welcome to this special edition of NZCS Newsline (30/11/2009).

This edition is focusing on the introduction of a new Code of Practice, changes to the NZCS Bylaws, a proposed new Code of Professional Conduct, NZCS Gold Partner Accreditation for companies, plus other new NZCS initiatives.

In This Issue

• Introduction from the CEO
• FREE Audio Podcasts of previous NZCS Events
• New! NZCS releases IT Code of Practice
• Proposed Code of Professional Conduct
• Significant NZCS Bylaw changes
• New NZCS Governance Boards
• NZCS is all a-Twitter
• Coming Soon: NZCS Accredited Gold Partners
• ITCP Certification - Only 2 weeks left for FastTrack!
• Sneak Peek: KiwiSkills - Want to help solve digital literacy in NZ?
• LinkedIn Group for NZCS Members
• NZCS 2010 Conference - Call for Papers
• IFIP WCC2010 - Call for Papers
• NZCS 50th Anniversary Conference, 16-18 September 2010
• "Free Software" IT Vendor Capability Survey

Introduction from the CEO

What a bumper year for NZCS, and a bumper "special edition" of Newsline to bring you up-to-date on some of the changes approved by the NZCS National Council last week.

However, let me first congratulate Don Robertson and David Cowman, who were elected to the role of President and Deputy President respectively for another year last week. Both were nominated by multiple members and elected unopposed, a strong vote of confidence in the NZCS leadership team over the last year. Well done Don and Dave!

Part of this, I believe, is that NZCS is an organisation that now has a reputation for doing things, not just talking about it. Rather than just making noise the Society beavers away on achieving outcomes for the sector, and NZCS has delivered much over the last year or two resulting in a significant increase in membership.

One of these initiatives is obviously ITCP. With over 500 IT Professionals working through the process in the first couple of months I think it's fair to say that ITCP is shaping up to be a huge success for the New Zealand IT Sector. If you're one of those coming through the FastTrack Route, remember you only have 2 weeks left to submit your application!

However NZCS have been quietly working on a raft of other initiatives too, and we're very proud to announce a number of these today.

The first is the new IT Code of Practice. A Code of Practice outlines a range of appropriate and acceptable good practice in the a particular field (in our case IT) and is another significant cornerstone of a profession.

Details of the Code of Practice are below. If you don't read anything else today, I strongly recommend you have a look at this document and send it through to others in IT - it is very significant and you'll be hearing a lot more about it shortly.

Alongside the Code of Practice is a proposed new Code of Professional Conduct, set to replace the existing Code of Ethics. This is very similar to the existing Code of Ethics, however has been reworked to clarify and simplify the Code so we can better educate our members and the public about what actually constitutes ethics in the context of NZCS, as well as bringing it up to date. Again, more details below.

As well as a raft of other Bylaw changes, today is also the time to announce the formation of the three new NZCS Boards which will effectively oversee ITCP into the future ensuring it remains relevant, up-to-date and sustainable in the years to come. We'll be formally calling for nominations and volunteers for these Boards within the next few days.

And if all that wasn't enough, we're proud to also announce that from next year NZCS will offer an NZCS Accredited Gold Partnership for organisations that are serious about competence and professional development. The general criteria for this are below, and again, more information will be forthcoming in the first couple of months of next year.

This is a significant announcement in itself. Whilst we are "sticking to our knitting" in that we're focusing on the professional capability of key staff as well as an organisation's ability and willingness to ensure their staff continue to develop professionally, this is the first time NZCS have accredited organisations. However the fact is, some organisations are serious about competence and development of staff, and frankly, we think it's important that those that work with NZCS to create a professional culture should receive independent recognition for it.

So obviously there's been a lot happening, but what's behind all these initiatives?

Astute members will start to see a pattern and a plan emerging from the many announcements and initiatives over the last year or two, and indeed into 2010 (there's a whole lot more planned for next year!). All of these projects fit together neatly and paint a very clear picture - we're busy building a profession and creating the tools our members and others need to strive for excellence.

What you're seeing at the moment is historic. We made a statement at the end of last year that 2009 will be the year that the first planks are laid to building a true IT profession in New Zealand, and I'm very proud of the fact that, whilst still in the early days, we've delivered on that promise. 2009 will be the year that IT started to mature into a true profession.

And lastly, you'll remember earlier in the year we established our Digital Literacy Division, to significantly and seriously tackle digital literacy in New Zealand. The team's been busy beavering away, so look forward to some very significant announcements in this area shortly - including the opportunity for you or your organisation to get involved in the most significant change in the computing skills landscape New Zealand has seen to date.

Until next time...

Kind regards,

Paul Matthews
Chief Executive
NZ Computer Society (NZCS)

New! NZCS releases IT Code of Practice

NZCS are very proud to release the new IT Code of Practice for New Zealand, a guideline to good practice in IT.

The Code of Practice will be heavily promoted as a base guideline of practice for IT professionals, organisations, and in fact anyone involved in the delivery of IT services in our country.

The Code covers key practices common to all disciplines within IT (such as conflicts of interest, competency, methods and tools, workload and representation), as well as key practices around project and relationship management, security, change management and others specific areas. There's also a section on Education and Research, as well as business-related IT practice.

The Code, which has been put together by a team led by Deputy President David Cowman over the last 6 months, also draws on the work of our international partners combined with material that is specific to New Zealand's environment.

NZCS strongly recommends that all those involved in IT study the Code of Practice and adopt the principles contained throughout their organisation. The code will be made available to all of New Zealand and, whilst NZCS members should be exemplars of the Code, all those working within IT should consider it.

Additionally, the Code may be used free of charge (with suitable attribution) by our Educational Partners in the development of tertiary courses - this stuff is important and we strongly encourage the tertiary community to use the Code to help embed a culture of professional practice in the IT professionals of the future.

Computerworld have also reported on the Code of Practice in this article.

Download the new NZCS Code of Practice document now.

Proposed new Code of Professional Conduct

Last week the NZCS National Council formally recommended updating the current NZCS Code of Ethics to a new Code of Professional Conduct.

The new Code of Professional Conduct is heavily based on the existing Code of Ethics, however helps clarify the Code to make it easier for members to interpret the 8 tenets and hence fully understand their ethical and professional responsibilities.

The Council also adopted a new Guideline and Interpretation to the Code, as well as a fully revamped Complaints and Disciplinary Bylaw, significantly tightening up the process of laying complaints with the Society about the conduct of members in the wake of ITCP.

Note that changing from the Code of Ethics to the Code of Professional Conduct is a significant constitutional change for the Society hence requires a vote of members at a Special General Meeting called for that purpose. An SGM will be held early next year to ask members to formalise this change.

Both the Guideline and Interpretation and Complaints and Disciplinary Bylaw are in place now, and refer to the existing Code of Ethics until such time as the Code of Professional Conduct is adopted.

Download the new NZCS Code of Professional Conduct document now.

Significant NZCS Bylaw changes

At the recent Council Meeting a raft of changes to the Society's Bylaws were adopted.

As well as a general tidy-up, this change clarifies the different membership grades, formalises a more extensive complaints and disciplinary process, formalises earlier changes to Specialist Groups and Affiliated Groups, enshrines ITCP, provides for the creation of 3 new ITCP Governance-related Boards (see below), formalises the new Accredited Partnership Programme (for full launch next year), and clarifies acceptable use of the NZCS Logo (more on this in the next Newsline).

You can always view the latest verson of the Constitution and Bylaws at www.nzcs.org.nz/about/constitution

New NZCS Governance Boards

The Bylaw changes also provide for the creation of three new Governance Boards, as outlined in the previously circulated ITCP Model. These Boards are designed to ensure the governance, standards and conduct related to the ITCP Certification programme are maintained, relevant and sustainable into the future.

The objectives and scope of these Boards is outlined in Section 9 of the NZCS Bylaws and NZCS is currently putting together a document outlining this in detail at which time we will ask for members to volunteer to sit on these Boards.

These Boards are non-remunerated, however count towards both CPD and Service to the Community requirements of membership and ITCP, as well as obviously reflecting well on the professional reputation of participants.

The Boards are:

Certification Governance Board

This Board will consider the overall ITCP Programme and hold an annual review process, as well as making recommendations to the National Council on how the programme could be improved.

Professional Standards Board

This Board will review and "own" the specific standards and requirements of ITCP (and any certifications in the future).

Professional Conduct Board

This Board has a dual role of both considering the NZCS complaints process and standards of conduct and professionalism, as well as being responsible for conducting hearings into conduct-related complaints made against NZCS members.

We would ask that you consider volunteering for these Boards - a formal call for volunteers will be made within the next week.

NZCS is all a-Twitter If you're on Twitter and are keen to see what NZCS Chief Executive Paul Matthews gets up to day to day, check out @nzcspaul for his personal news, views, updates and general ramblings. Also, check out @nzcs - the official NZCS twitter with news tweets plus events, blog links, press releases, podcasts and a whole heap more. If you're not yet twittering, just visit http://twitter.com/ to find out what it's all about.

Coming Soon: NZCS Accredited Gold Partners

NZCS are also proud to announce a new NZCS Accredited Gold Partner Programme, for organisations that are at the forefront of IT (either inhouse or providing services).

The purpose of the programme is to provide recognition for those companies that are at the forefront of professionalism and focus on the competence and educational and professional development of their staff.

The criteria are simple. As well as the Corporate Partner Programme requirements (such as adhering to the Code of Ethics and professional integrity requirements), an organisation must:

• Be a current NZCS Corporate Partner, adhering to all requirements of such, and have been a Corporate Partner of the Society for at least 12 months (this time requirement can be waived for organisations with a history of supporting the development of the IT profession in NZ)
• Have 5 or more full-time ICT staff (for those with smaller staff, the individual ITCP Certification is more suitable);
• All senior ICT staff possess ITCP Certification (ie those with project responsibility or higher that have been employed or contracted by the organisation continuously for six months or more are independently accredited);
• A majority of ICT staff are professional members of NZCS (this effectively ensures that the majority of staff have the experience and educational requirements for NZCS professional membership, at Associate or higher)
• Have a suitable formal professional development programme in place and in use, accessible and available to all ICT staff, and preferably aligned with the SFIA Framework;

There will be no cost to the Accreditation Programme - this is a move to help grow a culture of professionalism in the sector not a profit-making exercise.

This is the first time NZCS has ever given any form of accreditation to organisations and is a continuance of the Society's moves to create an environment where investment in professionalism and ongoing education is richly rewarded. This will give organisations the ability to show a seal of quality from NZCS, the professional body with almost 50 years of history and reputation behind it.

We'll also be shortly announcing a programme where we assist our Partners in building professional development programmes within their companies by providing expertise and significant resources on a cost-recovery only basis. More on this in the new year!

ITCP Certification - Only 2 weeks left for FastTrack!

Just a quick reminder for those eligible that the ITCP FastTrack Process is only available for another 2 weeks, until 15 December 2009.

What is the FastTrack Process?

ITCP doesn't include a "grandfathering" clause, meaning everyone must work through an assessment process against the specific standard before ITCP can be awarded. This is to protect the integrity of the certification.

There is a FastTrack Process, however, for those that were full professional members of NZCS or an equivalent overseas professional body at the start of June 2009. This is because these individuals have shown a commitment to professionalism, plus have undergone a partial assessment already as part of their membership application process.

The main differences between the FastTrack Process and standard routes is that those entering the FastTrack Process generally don't need to work through the interview process with a Subject Expert or meet some of the entry requirements for the other routes.

When is the FastTrack Process available until?

The FastTrack Process is available for 6 months only, until 15 December. This is around 2 weeks from now. All FastTrack applications must be received before then to qualify for this route.

Those eligible for FastTrack can still apply for ITCP after that date, however will need to work through one of the more indepth standard routes.

Sneak Peek: KiwiSkills - Want to help solve digital literacy in NZ?

You may remember earlier in the year we announced we'd be putting in place a huge programme to improve digital literacy in New Zealand.

This is an extremely important programme and NZCS is absolutely committed to making a difference in this key area. Unfortunately some of these plans were delayed a little while we put ITCP in place, however our Digital Literacy team have been hard at work over the last few months preparing for the significant release of the new NZCS Digital Literacy Programme - KiwiSkills.

You'll be hearing more about this soon, however YOU can choose to be a part of this rollout. We'll be giving our members, partners, and others the opportunity to become part of the solution for New Zealand - part of the wider educational programme lifting the IT core skills and hence productivity of New Zealand organisations and New Zealanders.

This programme is all about education and all about productivity and NZCS will soon be putting our money where our mouth is: not just lifting productivity and growth in the wider business sector, but also making a significant contribution to building computing skills in New Zealand communities in need.

This is going to be massive and 2010 will be the year NZCS seriously takes on digital literacy in New Zealand - stay tuned!

LinkedIn Group for NZCS Members LinkedIn is an online community set up to exchange information, ideas and opportunities, and allow users to maintain a professional online profile. Professional NZCS members wanting to join the LinkedIn NZCS Members Group can do so by clicking here.

NZCS 2010 Conference - Call for Papers

FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS

The Call for Papers has now begun and the Programme Committee is seeking papers and presentations with high-calibre, attention-grabbing content to be profiled heavily in New Zealand as well as gaining international exposure.

The conference theme is "Reflecting on a 50-year journey, and the next one to come" with a strong focus on the innovative power of ICT.

We invite individuals and organisations to submit papers and presentations on theme-related practice and research, from ICT practitioners, researchers and decision makers from industry, government/public sector and academia.

Please visit the Conference Website for more information.

IFIP WCC2010 - Call for Papers

SECOND CALL FOR PAPERS

IFIP AI 2010: The Third IFIP International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Theory and Practice, Brisbane, Australia, September 20th-23rd 2010

IFIP AI 2010 is one of the constituent parts of the IFIP World Computer Congress. The conference will follow the same format as the highly successful IFIP AI 2008 at the IFIP WCC 2008 in Milan, Italy. For details see http://www.wcc2010.org

Papers describing original work are invited in the areas of Artificial Intelligence for oral presentation at the conference. Acceptance will be based on quality, relevance and originality and the practical value of the work.

More information: http://www.ifiptc12.org/ifipai2010

NZCS 50th Anniversary Conference, 16-18 September 2010

www.Innovation.org.nz - 50 years of ICT Innovation in New Zealand

Plans for the 50th Anniversary Conference are progressing fast, and we'll be making an announcement later this week with a list of keynote speakers and other information.

The New Zealand Computer Society (NZCS) is proud to announce a special conference to celebrate 50 years of ICT Innovation in New Zealand.

We will not only reflect on our 50 year journey, but more importantly the next one to come. Kiwi ingenuity is needed today more than ever, so we shall embrace this.

Distinction Hotel in Rotorua, 16 - 18 September 2010.

The 50^th Anniversary conference will bring together the people who deliver results for New Zealand - business entrepreneurs, visionary IT academics and industry professionals, a veritable "who's who" of ICT innovation.

Mark this date in your diary to celebrate New Zealand's achievements over the past 50 years, learn from our collective experience and listen to the innovators and entrepreneurs of the future.

International Keynote Speakers include Kiwis who have proven to be highly successful on the international arena of ICT and wish to share and inspire us with their stories.

This conference is immediately prior to the Brisbane World Computer Congress, hosted by IFIP (International Federation for Information Processing) http://www.wcc2010.com and the Call for Papers for both conferences will be advertised by both organizations in September 2009.

Breaking from the traditional approach to conferences, one of the three streams will be "Concept to Reality" where we will focus on a series of promising ideas to assist the initiator to progress, pragmatically, to the next stage.  We will also award a prize to the best ICT Post Graduate, and include an "unConference", where

Sponsors and Trade Exhibitors are encouraged to register their interest as early as possible. The brochure is available now - just email conference@nzcs.org.nz

More information at www.Innovation.org.nz.

Elizabeth Eastwood
Chairman, 50^th Anniversary Conference

"Free Software" IT Vendor Capability Survey

Victoria University (in association with the NZ Open Source Society) are currently undertaking a survey which seeks to identify vendors with capabilities to offer desktop supply, implementation, training and support services around free software.

This forms part of the NZOSS "Public Sector Remix" project, which involves a number of central, regional and local government agencies working together to trial free software for common desktop tasks such as document management, mail, calendar and browser-based information services.

You can complete this Survey online here.