National Annual General Meeting and Conference 2020

Greetings and thank you to the Southern Associations that were in attendance at Hawera.  Oamaru’s absence was previously advised and they assigned their proxy to Otago.  

It would be fair to say that for a small Association, South Taranaki organised a well-run conference with a single venue. The food service was well executed and abundant. In conjunction with the National Office, the programme was well thought out and executed.  

As befitting their region, a Powhiri commenced the proceedings and a spontaneous reply was provided by the Chief District Court Judge, Heemi Taumaunu. Within his address he also spoke directly to the school children who participated in the Powhiri. 

The CDCJ addressed the Conference after lunch and gave glowing praise to the role and work of Justices’ of the Peace and detailed their service to Aotearoa/New Zealand for over 200 years. He remarked than the country was no longer bi-cultural but multi-cultural and we all had to move with the changing environment.

The Guest Speakers provided plenty of topics of conversation after their addresses.

• Hon Aupito William SIO – Associate Minister for Courts (Justices of the Peace)
• Andrew KIBBLEWHITE – Secretary of Justice
• Dr Ang JURY – Chief Executive – Women’s Refuge
• Arun CHAUDHARI – Chief Executive – Taranaki Chamber of Commerce
• Hon Chester BORROWS – Former Minister of Courts

The Workshops presented by members of the RF Board included:
Selecting Great Justices (Do you want the best Justices of the Peace in your Association?)

• How do we get involved in the Nomination process
• Demographic realities
• Selection criteria
• Repairs & Maintenance (Giving life to the Codes of Ethics and Conduct)
• Professionalism
• Social media
• Difficult clients
• Difficult Justices
• Complaint management
• Good customer service
• Building Great Associations

This last workshop was presented by Shona Glentworth – guest professional. The workshop was an interactive session with the focus on the future. How is our world changing and how will we change to remain relevant?   With 2 Workshop sessions allocated, delegates were able to attend 2 of the 3 offered.  

As a presenter of Selecting Great Justices the emphasis was on the re-write of the Best Practice Manual and how Associations need to have good liaison with electorate Members of Parliament to “screen” nominees with a robust interview process.  Succession planning is a way of ensuring the right individuals are presented for appointment.  JP Retired is an option for those members/non members to bow out gracefully. 

The challenge meanwhile is to have a robust Best Practice Manual that the Minister will sign off on – it is his/her document BUT we have the input.

Justice of the Peace Education Trust (JPET)
The Trustees of JPET, who happen to be the RF Board, had presented various options at the last round of Regional Conferences as to the future of JPET.  The vast majority of member Associations agreed to winding up the Trust with the funds being transferred and “tagged” to the Royal Federation for education purposes.

At the final Board meeting for 2019-2020, the Trustees resolved to dissolve the Trust. A legal opinion was sought prior to this resolution, and while the Trustees did not need to consult the membership, the process was transparent. The funds so transferred are “tagged” and information regarding any distribution of those funds will be made as things progress.

Future Conferences

• 2021 Wellington (Confirmed 19-21 February 2021)
• 2022 Taranaki (Confirmed)
• 2023 Southland – applied for
• 2024 Hawkes Bay - applied for
• 2025 West Coast (Centennial) - applied for
• 2026 Otago (Centennial) - applied for
• 2027 Waikato - applied for
• 2028 Gisborne - applied for

Conferences are scheduled to commence at midday on the Friday and conclude at midday on the Sunday. 

This programme of proposed venues will allow Associations to plan well in advance and ensure funds are available for as many as possible to attend.  Conferences are open to any Association members, not just Association Delegates.  Attendance by any Association JP will assist with succession planning.  

Save Greymouth (possible venue for 2025), each of the other conference venues has an airport serving that centre;  probably very little difference in distances from Hokitika Airport to Greymouth as Momona Airport to Dunedin.  This scheduling is very beneficial to the Southern Regional Associations – 3 Conferences within a 6 year period in our region.

In conclusion, I welcomed the opportunity to meet again with our Southern delegates at the Conference and look forward to meeting up with you all in this current term.

Lindsay Dow, JP
Southern Regional Representative
Mbl: 021 1047 198