It is certainly going to be an interesting year

What a February it has been. Who, at the start of 2023, could have predicted the devastation that Cyclone Gabrielle would bring to the North Island. Although cyclones in this region are not uncommon, the sheer force of Gabrielle, coupled with the fact that we have had a very wet spring and summer, meaning the ground was already saturated when she struck, caught most people by surprise. Northland felt it first, then Auckland and Coromandel, followed by the East Coast and parts of the Central North Island. For our industry, it was not just the flooding that caused havoc on our roads, but also the consequences of that flooding: trees being uprooted by the strong winds, as their roots were loosened and exposed by the floods, falling across roads, houses, fences and railway lines, and the landslides, triggered by the loose soil (and not helped by earthquakes that also stuck during the period) cutting off whole communities. Bridges were washed away; washouts made many roads impassable; it proved a difficult time for anyone trying to transport freight. Even as I write, there are still some townships cut off and relying on boats and helicopters for emergency support. There is also widespread damage to many farms which means that even where there is the ability to transport goods, the quantity (and in many cases quality) of those goods is not at the expected level. On behalf of CILT New Zealand, I send condolences to all our members and their families who have been personally impacted by the aftermath of the cyclone. Losing loved ones, losing homes and losing livelihoods, and supporting friends and relatives who have experienced these terrible circumstances, will cause will stress for a long time to come. Our thoughts are with you. Even if you were not personally affected, there is the long clean up ahead which will impact most of us across Aotearoa. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, regional councils, local bodies and businesses are all struggling to prioritise the repair to roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure, not just in terms of money but also in allocating people and resources. It is certainly going to be an interesting year. CILT NZ is hoping to put out a special edition devoted the Cyclone Gabrielle, so if you, or your organisation, want to contribute, please let us know by emailing the office at info@cilt.co.nz

On a different note, in my past editorial I told you a little about the strategy that your Council are working on. I am pleased to report that the sub-committees that were set up to look at different parts of that strategy have started to put plans together to bring it to life.

The focus of the ‘Visibility Sub-Committee’ to was look at how we can better promote CILT New Zealand to its membership. A number of actions are planned but one you will see soon is an improvement to our website to make it much easier to see the events we have organised and what is coming up. But more importantly, we have agreed that the website needs a complete refresh to make it more user friendly and accessible to both members and visitors to the site, and a vehicle to supply value to our members.

The ‘Value Sub-Committee’ has also met and is very keen to promote all the benefits of belong to CILT. Central to this, we will be sending out a short questionnaire to our membership to find out what you value the most, so we can be sure we are putting our efforts into the things that YOU value. We are also planning to increase the number of in-person events held this year as well as offering some webinars which will allow you to join in wherever you are located.

Finally, I wanted to let you know that the planning for the National Forum and Awards Dinner is well underway. This is a chance to meet your colleagues from all over New Zealand for interesting presentations, followed by an awards dinner. Information about this is on the last page of this issue. So, how about thinking about who you will be nominating for an award this year. Stay safe.

Diane Edwards

Diane is an experienced executive, change agent and business transformation facilitator, enabling organisations to prepare for the future of work through practical initiatives to transform the business to be agile, resilient and innovative.