The Board Blog

You can only do so much with online meetings and, after 7 months apart, the Board and Operations Team recently went ahead with a physical meeting (in a well ventilated area in a private residence).

With Mike Renner joining us on the screen and our first physical meeting with Jaime Bigwood (who joined us as Communications and Marketing Manager in October), it was a relief to be able to talk (socially distanced) face to face.

Operations Team changes

We are currently working on a reshuffle of the support team at Fencing Contractors NZ.

Heather Kawan has stepped back from the Operations Manager role to concentrate solely on the WIRED. Heather has been an excellent and dedicated Operations Manager over the last two challenging years and we will miss her effective Board management skills. We are delighted Heather will continue to produce the WIRED magazine, to which she has already made significant improvements over the last 18 months.

Jeanette Miller is stepping up with some of the Board and meeting support. We have added the Events portfolio to Jaime’s current Communications role, with Jaime having a strong events background.

The Events portfolio includes – Conference 2022, Webinar series, Best Practice Days Roadshow in 2022, and the concept of industry awards and localised regional social get togethers. This leaves the Partners / Sponsorship side exposed so we have taken some of the hours that Heather has dropped and put them towards a Partnership Development Manager which we are now advertising for (see page 7).

Ideally, we’re looking for someone with a working knowledge of the farming / fencing industry and who has a sales background to help capture the increased partnership categories that we have introduced: Retail – for those with a retail footprint; Brand – which covers a number of our existing partners; and Corporate services – targeting professional services that our members use / can benefit from.

Board changes

Shaun Davies resigned from the Board at the beginning of February, with Members advised of the vacancy on 16th February and a Board Nomination process instigated. We look forward to introducing you to our newest Board member in the coming weeks.

The Board would like to thank Shaun for his contribution and commitment to Fencing Contractors NZ.

Other activity

Jaime has been working on getting to know our Gold Partners, keeping our FCNZ Facebook and Instagram page more active, and has started a website revamp, making it easier for clients to ‘Find a Fencing Contractor’.

Jaime will be contacting media companies regarding the supply of regular features – starting off with a focus on what a great industry Fencing is to work in and its many benefits, in an effort to attract some attention to our industry’s constant plight for workers.

Event planning

Of course unfortunately there are many considerations at hand with our events and much thought and discussion has been put into trying to accommodate the situation we have been dealt with in light of the Government mandates, and working to deliver to all our members.

With industry event after event being cancelled we are planning for our Conference with a Plan A and a Plan B. In the meantime our proposed Best Practice Day Roadshow in the spring of 2022 will require some outside-the-box thinking under the current circumstances, but we hope things may have calmed down by the time the events actually roll around.

Webinar series

With the view of assisting with your Professional Development we are arranging a webinar series on various issues that you face as a Fencing Contractor and small / medium business owner. These will be held in the evenings and we hope you will take an hour of your month to take advantage of the learnings and guidance that will be available in these webinars.

Partners survey

A Partners survey has just been sent out with regards to material price rises and shortages – we look forward to using the feedback from our partners to support one of our webinar topics (see page 30 for more information).

Those who took part in last year’s Members survey were sent the results as a Christmas present. A useful tool providing industry insight, the next survey will be sent to members in late February.

Partner Development Manager Vacancy

Fencing Contractors NZ (FCNZ) is an industry organisation that supports and benefits the fencing industry of New Zealand. During the past 10 years the Association has established a solid foundation and steadily grown membership year on year, with total membership exceeding 500 members in the rural, residential, commercial, civil, security, horticulture and viticulture sectors.

FCNZ is supported by commercial partnerships with organisations who share the mutual vision to see the fencing industry grow in professionalism and in quality standards through the recognition of Fencing as a professional trade.

We are looking for a Partner Development Manager to support Fencing Contractors NZ and its governing Board through the establishment, development and maintenance of successful commercial partnerships which reflect the diversity of the fencing industry.

THE ROLE

Working alongside our experienced and passionate team, you will be able to identify and develop partnership opportunities which provide mutually beneficial initiatives, and professionally represent Fencing Contractors NZ through presentations and all negotiations. You’ll develop and strengthen effective relationships with all commercial partners through regular contact and communication.

To succeed in the role you will need:

• Great relationship building and management skills

• To have a sound knowledge of the NZ rural sector and a good understanding of the fencing industry

• Excellent interpersonal skills and be passionate about delivering excellent outcomes.

• High levels of motivation and resilience to achieve and sustain a high level of personal productivity

• Excellent time management skills with an ability to be organised and work to deadlines

• To be able to work collaboratively within a diverse team and to build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders

• To be willing and able to travel nationally, where required

• To have the right to work in New Zealand

The position is offered as a part-time ongoing contract (approximately 10 hours per week). The role will be carried out from the individual’s own home and can be based anywhere in New Zealand, with some national travel required.

Applications should be submitted via: seek.co.nz/job/56015306