2010 annual report - itp.nz · nzcs%report%from%council%and%executive%for%2010% page%2%!...

NZCS Report from Council and Executive for 2010

New Zealand Computer Society Inc.

Report from Council and Executive for 2010

Authored by:

Ray Delany, President

Paul Matthews, CEO


About The New Zealand Computer Society

NZCS is the body of ICT professionals in New Zealand, and works hard to improve both the professional development and education of those working with computers and technology, as well as the education and digital literacy of the country as a whole.

NZCS VISION STATEMENT To advance ICT Professionalism and Education for the benefit of New Zealand. NZCS MISSION STATEMENT NZCS promotes education and sets policies, standards and practices for ICT in New Zealand.

NZCS works with ICT professionals, government, the industry and the community to increase the professionalism and expertise of those working in the ICT sector (and hence the professional standing and reputation of our profession).

Society representatives also actively represent the profession and the sector on many different policy and standards-‐setting boards across NZ and the world.

Our members are typically those that place a high priority on professionalism in the delivery of ICT solutions and have committed to improving the standards of the ICT industry. Professional membership of the Society requires a proven dedication to professionalism plus a combination of education and experience, plus a commitment to the Society's Code of Ethics.

Put simply, our members believe professionalism matters in IT.

The NZCS also works closely with a number of international collaborative organisations such as the IFIP, as well as our kindred societies across the globe (including the ACS, BCS, ACM, CIPS, and IEEE Computer Societies). See a full listing of NZCS partners at the end of this document.

NZCS Directory

New Zealand Computer Society Incorporated L24 Grand Plimmer Tower Phone: (04) 473 1043 PO Box 10044 Toll free: 0800 252 255 Wellington 6011 Fax: (04) 473 1025 General Enquiries [email protected] Membership Information [email protected] Event Info & Registrations [email protected] Accounts Enquiries [email protected] Scholarships [email protected] Webmaster [email protected]


Table of Contents

About The New Zealand Computer Society .................................................................................... 2 NZCS Directory ............................................................................................................................... 2 A word from the President ............................................................................................................. 4 Operations Report 2010 ................................................................................................................. 5 Main 2010 Activities in Brief .......................................................................................................... 8

NZCS 50th Anniversary Conference .................................................................................................... 8 KiwiSkills Digital Literacy project is born ........................................................................................... 8 Software Escrow (NZ) Ltd .................................................................................................................. 8 NZCS Event Programme ..................................................................................................................... 9 ITCP continues to grow ...................................................................................................................... 9 Degree Accreditation ......................................................................................................................... 9 International Alignment .................................................................................................................. 10 Advocacy Activity ............................................................................................................................. 10 NZCS Newsline ................................................................................................................................. 10 In summary ...................................................................................................................................... 10

Honorary Fellows of the NZCS (HFNZCS) ........................................................................................ 11 Fellows of the NZCS [FNZCS] ......................................................................................................... 11 NZCS Council 2010 ........................................................................................................................ 12

Executive .......................................................................................................................................... 12 Branch-‐elected Councillors .............................................................................................................. 12

NZCS Branch Committee Chairs 2010 ............................................................................................ 13 NZCS Corporate and Education Partners ....................................................................................... 14 Affiliated and Associated Partner Organisations ........................................................................... 15

New Zealand Organisations ............................................................................................................. 15 International Kindred Partners ........................................................................................................ 15


A word from the President

Our 50th anniversary year was for me one of the most exciting that I have experienced in my 25 years as a member of NZCS. The hard work of rebuilding the society reached a high point in September at the conference in Rotorua. I think that this may have been not just one of the best conferences that NZCS has ever run, but one of the best I have ever attended.

The achievements of the last few years are all the more remarkable because of how far we have had to come. We have achieved a remarkable turnaround in recent years, and now it is time for us to build for the future. We have great foundations on which to do so. Our credibility as the voice of the IT professional in New Zealand has been re-‐established, there are few areas of the industry where you will not find the NZCS presence, and few issues where we have not at least made a contribution and in many cases shaped the debate. On top of that our credibility in the international IT scene continues to grow.

The credit for this, and for the many other significant achievements outlined in more detail in this report must go to my predecessor Don Robertson and of course to our tireless CEO Paul Matthews, whose energetic efforts on behalf of NZCS continue to be a major factor in our continuing success. I also would like to acknowledge the tremendous dedication of our branch committee members, together with the many co-‐opted volunteers around the country, and of course the team at national office who keep the wheels turning on everything from membership subscriptions to event co-‐ordination.

The future for NZCS is very positive. I have no doubt that there is an important role for a professional society (or whatever we chose to call it) now and in the future, indeed there are many people telling me that it is essential for the industry that NZCS does succeed and continue to prosper. To do that we must continually reinvent ourselves to keep pace with the ever-‐increasing pace of change in our industry and in society as whole. We must continue to attract more and younger members, and offer them value so that they see that they will be better off staying on as members. We must continue to influence public policy and ensure that our political leaders are fully informed in their decision making processes. In particular we must strive to achieve the recognition by our communities that IT isn’t about toys and games, but is a significant part of the fabric of the community and as such it cannot be left to amateurs to look after.

There are many challenges ahead for us, but we can face them with confidence and pride. I am greatly looking forward to working with Council to make a difference over the next couple of years.

Ray Delany President

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Operations Report 2010 2010 was the 50th Anniversary year for NZCS and another extremely active year for Society, especially in two areas.

50th Anniversary Conference

The first was the bumper 50th Anniversary Conference in Rotorua. This was the first conference the Society has run in a number of years and was hugely successful. A handful of photos are contained on our website but these hardly catch the buzz of September 2010.

A very special thanks to Conference Chair Liz Eastwood who worked incredibly hard to make this event a huge success, as well as a range of members such as Clare Nixon, Ray Delany, Steve Swallow and many others.

A very special congratulations also to Janet Toland who put together “Return to Tomorrow”, a book outlining many of the stories of the last 50 years of computing in New Zealand.

Charitable Status

The second significant development in 2010 related to the Society’s charitable status. The new Charities Act meant that all charitable organisations were required to be registered on the Charities Register. NZCS received charitable status in 2009.

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During late 2009 and into 2010 the Commission reviewed NZCS’s charitable status and came to the conclusion we didn’t exist for the purpose of advancing education. We were extremely surprised and disappointed by this decision and appealed to the High Court.

The High Court chose not to overturn the Commission’s decision and consequently the Society lost its charitable status and corresponding tax exemption.

The Society remains deeply concerned at the precedent set and some of the statements made in this decision. One of the more significant concerns is the extremely narrow and somewhat arbitrary definition of “Education” adopted by the Charities Commission and their determination that educational activities undertaken for working people are not charitable under the Act.

While we have maintained business as usual this decision will invariably result in some changes to Society activities in the latter half of 2011.

Membership Growth

Net membership continued to grow in 2010 on top of the membership growth in previous years and it’s particularly excellent to see that this has been driven by a strong increase in the number of students and young professionals joining our ranks.

Membership growth -‐ 2010

The number of companies supporting NZCS through the Corporate Partner Programme has continued to grow at a steady pace as well.

It’s also very pleasing to see that Society membership has more than doubled since I started in the CEO role in 2008. During this time the average age of new members dropped to 34 (with the previous average age being 50) and the mean member age dropped by 7 years.

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Paul Matthews Chief Executive

Some other interesting statistics from the 2010 Membership Survey include:

• 94% of members believe membership enables their careers

• 76% believe membership is value for money

• 94% say the value of membership was the same or better in 2010

• 82% believe NZCS events are great or excellent (with 99% saying average or better)

• 98% believe the Society is relevant in ICT

As you can see from the list of main activities below, NZCS has been hugely active in a range of projects and initiatives. We've also helped progress a great many initiatives both within NZCS and externally. As well as working directly with Government Ministers and Officials, NZCS senior staff and members have been appointed to various IT-‐related Boards, Panels and Committees across New Zealand, and, indeed, across the world.

We've had our share of disappointments along the way, in particular the charities debacle, however looking back, I'm proud of what we achieved in 2010.

And most importantly, through the continual efforts in 2010 we have credibility. Not just credibility for NZCS, the organisation that has made all this happen (and much more besides), but real credibility for our members, and recognition that NZCS members and ITCP certified professionals are a community of true professionals. Those letters on our members' business cards and lines in their CVs make a true, professional statement, and a statement that is increasingly difficult to ignore.

We're also proud to have continued to work with all other significant ICT-‐related groups, associations and organisations in New Zealand, promoting collaboration and achieving great outcomes across the board.

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Main 2010 Activities in Brief NZCS focused on a broad range of both new and existing activities in 2010 including the following:

NZCS 50th Anniversary Conference 2010 saw the return of conferences to NZCS, with over 250 people making their way to Rotorua to celebrate the 50th anniversary of both NZCS and the ICT sector in general – the primary focus of NZCS this year.

With 32 top-‐notch presenters over four streams including the top kiwi technology talent from across New Zealand and the world, this was an event like no other. The vast majority of those attending rated it 10/10 with many saying it was the best conference they’d ever attended.

KiwiSkills Digital Literacy project is born In May 2010 the Society launched a major project tackling digital literacy in New Zealand branded “KiwiSkills”.

This was launched following NZCS-‐commissioned research completed by Beverley Bunker from KnowledgeWeaversNZ which found that New Zealand is losing over $1.7 billion each and every year through low computing skills in the workplace.

KiwiSkills targets a number of demographics including communities and community groups, but also those working with computers every day in different organisations and has over 100 testing and training centres throughout New Zealand.

KiwiSkills was launched with the announcement of 1000 free KiwiSkills ICDL-‐based training programmes for those working within charities with the objective of contributing towards lifting the efficiency and productivity of the charitable sector.

Software Escrow (NZ) Ltd NZCS subsidiary Software Escrow (NZ) Ltd (“SENZ”) invested heavily in redeveloping their branding and operations over 2010 with the operations vastly improved by the implementation of a contract management system plus the launch of a new website and other marketing.

This company continues to thrive under the leadership of NZCS Fellow Gillian Reid (Chair) and 2010 Directors Dave Cowman, Paul Matthews and Ray Delany.

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NZCS Event Programme In 2010 the Society ran 140 educational events and presentations across New Zealand. These included a diverse range of activities from small local events through to the 50th Anniversary Conference.

A very big thanks to those that served on an NZCS Branch Committees in 2010, responsible for the vast majority of this comprehensive event programme.

NZCS remains committed to educational presentations, events and networking opportunities in 2011 and beyond.

Additionally, NZCS supported almost every significant ICT conference throughout the country, also gaining a discount for NZCS members to attend most major ICT events in New Zealand.

ITCP continues to grow 2010 saw continual growth in the uptake of ITCP, with over 500 working through the process and over 300 having submitted applications in 2010.

ITCP has gained support from every significant nationwide ICT organisation, as well as Government (both at Ministerial and Official level), academia, and the industry as a whole.

You can find out more about ITCP at www.itcp.co.nz

Degree Accreditation The Degree Accreditation Project is progressing favourably.

In 2010 NZCS and the Australian Computer Society (ACS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding including (amongst other things) a joint approach to Degree Accreditation in Australia and New Zealand. Currently all Universities in Australia undertake Degree Accreditation in ICT-‐related degree courses.

Through the Degree Accreditation programme New Zealand ICT-‐related degrees and institutions will gain access to the global Seoul Accord programme to ensure NZ degrees were viewed as being at a comparable standard to degrees in the other signatory countries (USA, UK, Australia, Korea, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan).

NZCS worked with ACS to modify their existing programme to be suitable for New Zealand and conducted two rounds of comprehensive consultation with New Zealand-‐based tertiary institutions (initially an advisory round then a full consultation round).

The submissions have been analysed and the results discussed in detail with ACS. This work continues in 2011.

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International Alignment 2010 saw NZCS step up and contribute significantly to the global ICT profession in a number of areas of priority for the Society.

Don Robertson was re-‐elected to the Board of the UNESCO-‐founded IFIP federation, made up of the IT professional bodies from 54 countries and representing over a million IT professionals worldwide.

NZCS CEO Paul Matthews now sits on the global Board of IP3, the organisation overseeing the international professional programme (which ITCP is closely linked to) and working to grow the ICT profession across the globe.

And head of the KiwiSkills programme Rebecca Magee attended the Digital Literacy Forum in Bonn, Germany, working on global digital literacy strategies.

Advocacy Activity NZCS continued to keep a watching brief in a huge range of areas and advocate strongly on matters of concern to the ICT profession such as ICT-‐related education in schools, professional practice, New Zealand's digital literacy levels, the current moves towards ultra-‐fast Broadband, software patents and copyright and associated laws and policy to name a few.

As well as seeing through the changes in the school curriculum and standards, earlier in the year we took a strong stance on software patents on behalf of our members. Ministerial briefing papers released under the OIA make it clear that our contribution was a significant factor in the Minister's decision to stick with the recommendations from the Select Committee looking into the issue, despite significant lobbying to the contrary. We see this as a significant win for innovation in NZ.

NZCS was joined by the two largest software exporters in New Zealand (Orion Health and Jade Corporation) plus many others in challenging the legitimacy of software patentability.

NZCS Newsline NZCS’s newsletter was redeveloped into a comprehensive weekly e-‐Publication with articles submitted by NZCS members and others and edited by well-‐known tech journalist Juha Saarinen.

Newsline has continued to grow and develop and reaches around 10,000 ICT Professionals.

In summary NZCS made a real difference in 2010. We're an organisation that "does stuff" rather than talking about it, and we're proud of what we achieved -‐ combining a 50 year history with a zest for making a difference.

Thanks again to those who were involved in these and other projects. As well as the core NZCS team, around 100 ICT Professionals volunteered their time and energies in various capacities this year, and if you were one of them, we salute you.

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Honorary Fellows of the NZCS (HFNZCS) From time to time the Society recognises the significant long-‐term contribution made by an individual to the ICT sector or NZCS by conferring the title of Honorary Fellow of the NZCS (HFNZCS).

Honorary Fellow is the highest honour that can be bestowed on an individual in the ICT profession and is very highly regarded both in New Zealand and around the world.

Current Honorary Fellows are:

Prof Mark Apperley, HFNZCS John Good, HFNZCS Prof Philip Sallis, HFNZCS

Dr Colin Boswell, HFNZCS Derham McAven, HFNZCS Sir Gil Simpson, HFNZCS

Prof Bevan Clarke, HFNZCS Bruce Moon, HFNZCS Nicola Walmsley, HFNZCS

Hon David Cunliffe, HFNZCS Jack Morgan, HFNZCS Hon Maurice Williamson, HFNZCS

Prof Bob Doran, HFNZCS Ralph Norris, HFNZCS Donald Wilson, HFNZCS

Rod Drury, HFNZCS Chris Potter, HFNZCS Laurence Zwimpfer, HFNZCS

Gillian Eadie, HFNZCS Dr John Robinson, HFNZCS In 2010 NZCS welcomed the following as Honorary Fellows at the NZCS 50th Anniversary:

Sam Morgan, HFNZCS Ernie Newman, HFNZCS Ian Taylor, HFNZCS Gordon Grimsey, HFNZCS

Fellows of the NZCS [FNZCS] Fellow status is only achieved by those that hold a position of eminence or authority within the discipline of Information Technology.

The Society's Fellows represent a unique base of knowledge and skills that underpin all aspects of the Society and help ensure that we maintain our status as the society of IT Professionals.

George Allan Mike Harte Ian Mitchell

John Beatson Jim Higgins Prof Steve Reeves

Dr Robert Biddle Alison Holt Gillian Reid

Brian Boutel Ian Howard Clive Smallman

Douglas Brown Robert Irving Brett Sumner

Dr Brian Cox Neil James Felix Tan

Sally Jo Cunningham Dr Lech Janczewski Chai Keong Toh

Ray Delany Dr Peter Komisarczuk Miles Trent

Sriyan De Silva Professor Nikola Kasabov Dr Henry (Hank) Wolfe

Ralph Green Warren Marett Prof Wai Yeap

Perce Harpham Andrew Mason Alison Young

Alan McKinnon

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NZCS Council 2010

The National Council is the governing body of the NZ Computer Society and is responsible for the overall governance, direction and functions of the Society. The Council is has an Executive (President, Deputy President and CEO) plus a representative from each branch.

Executive The Executive is responsible for the day-‐to-‐day running and management of the Society under the governance and direction of the full Council.

Paul Matthews Chief Executive

Don Robertson NZCS President

Dave Cowman Deputy President

Ray Delany was elected NZCS President in November and Steve Davis Deputy President.

Branch-‐elected Councillors Each of the five Society branches elects a National Council representative to serve on the Council. Councillors serve for a 2-year term and can then be elected for an additional year

Ian Mitchell

Auckland Branch

Paul Webb

Wellington Branch

David Hallett

Waikato/BOP Branch

Steve Davis

Canterbury Branch

Anthony Dowling

Otago Branch

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NZCS Branch Committee Chairs 2010 The NZCS is a truly nationwide organisation with branches throughout the country. Each branch coordinates a range of local events, furthers the organisation's interests in their region, provides valuable feedback through to the national organisation, and helps ensure we maintain a truly nationwide agenda.

Each branch has an active Branch Committee which coordinates local activities of the NZCS. The following were the Branch Chairs in 2009:

Peter Cornelius Auckland Branch Chair

David Hallett Waikato Branch Chair

Paul Webb Wellington Branch Chair

Mehdi Asgarkhani Canterbury Branch Chair

Anthony Dowling Otago Branch Chair

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NZCS Corporate and Education Partners

The Society is very appreciative of the support received from our Corporate and Educational Partners:

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Affiliated and Associated Partner Organisations The NZCS is part of an international community of professional bodies, working together to improve the delivery and standards of ICT globally.

New Zealand Organisations • Association of Local Government Information management (ALGIM) • Canterbury Software Cluster • NZ ICT Group (NZICT) • Internet NZ (INZ) • Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) • National Advisory Committee of Computer Qualifications (NACCQ) • NZ Rise Inc (NZRise) • Project Management Institute of New Zealand (PMINZ) • Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ) • Software New Zealand (NZ Software Assn) • Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand (TUANZ)

International Kindred Partners • Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) • Australian Computer Society (ACS) • British Computer Society (BCS) • Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS) • Centre of the International Cooperation for Computerization (CICC) • Hong Kong Computer Society (HKCS) • IEEE Computer Society (IEEE CS) • International Federation for Information Processors (IFIP) • Indian Computer Society (ICS) • Malaysia Computer Society (MCS) • Pakistan Computer Society (PCS) • Philippines Computer Society (PCS) • Singapore Computer Society (SCS) • South Pacific Computer Society (SPACS) • Sri Lanka Computer Society (SLCS)

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