At the last AGM I boldly stated that one of the key events I believed NZILA needed to develop was our conference. This was not intended to take away from the outstanding programme developed by the Dunedin Branch, which was incredibly well received by all the attendees last year, but was laid down as a challenge to our profession to think bigger, think globally, and gear up another level.

I would therefore like to unashamedly put in a plug for the Firth Small Urban conference to be held in Wellington in April. You need to be there.

Martin, Penny, Andrew and the whole Wellington team have responded to my challenge to bring you a conference full of promise, intrigue and professionalism. We will be welcoming not one, but more than SIX international speakers all of whom are incredibly well respected experts in their fields. The format of the conference provides for interaction at a gentle pace, without the rushed timeframes often associated with such events. The venue is one of Wellingtons best, the iconic Embassy Theatre - and we even get to see some movies.

As always, the committee has worked to deliver us a professional conference on a tight budget. Significant sponsorship, including from our great friends at Firth, goes a long way towards this, and I challenge you to find an event of this quality at this price elsewhere on the professional circuit. With this of course comes the opportunity to catch up with your colleagues, to down a beer or two, and to experience everything Wellington has to offer.

I look forward to seeing you there with your best singing voices.

Nga mihi
Shannon