Tēnā koutou ki te whanau,

Nga mihi o te ra. 

Last time I provided my monthly Presidents’ update I had just set up my home office and many of you had as well. It seems like a lot has happened since then, yet most of us haven’t been able to go far.  It really has been a test of our ability as a profession, as practices and as people to adapt to a new way of working and servicing our clients and projects. We have all learnt new ways of communicating and sharing over this time. I’m sure we will all be better at communicating with our clients and with each other from a distance as a result of our experience over the last 5 or 6 weeks. 

There has been a lot of good thinking going on as we look at how we will adapt to the new world of pandemic recovery.  The LAA website and our social media platforms have been seeing a lot of traffic. 

It has also been a good time to get your CPD activity up to date and to catch up on conference presentations and webinars if you have had more time on your hands. 

I have also had a bit of contact from a number of members over the last month or so with ideas on how we can respond to the crisis as a profession, some of which I am yet to get back to.  Thanks for your ideas – I will get back to you soon. 

I hope you are all still safe and well with your families and are looking forward to some more freedoms as we prepare to move down through the Alert levels.

Now that we have a bit of an idea of what the next few months might look like, the Executive Committee can start planning for the AGM and our program of events for the remainder of the year.   

We will need to plan to do the first rounds of Branch consultation on the governance review and the landscape guidelines from a distance.  But we are now better prepared for that, so look out for the chance to get together with your other Branch members soon once we can move around a bit more.

The current situation will be a tough time for a lot of businesses.  The government has prepared an economic package to support businesses and workers through the lockdown and beyond.  Work and Income NZ has a useful web page on COVID-19 assistance.

And remember to keep an eye on the Governments COVID-19 website if you need to find out what you can and can’t do in relation to getting back into your workplaces and traveling around Aotearoa.  

Thinking of you all as you prepare to leave your home offices, your garages and your sheds around Aotearoa.  Stay in touch and look after each other. 

Be kind.  Stay calm. 

Kia kaha,
Mā te wā,

Brad