3 minute read
Regional Roundup: Southland Branch
The Southland HRNZ branch is relatively young – formed around 2011/12 by a keen group of professionals who had an informal network and were encouraged by the HRNZ CEO at the time to formalise into a HRNZ branch. Prior to this establishment HR and other professionals would car pool to get to events in Dunedin, a two and a half hour drive away.
Talking with past presidents, some of the Southland branch’s early event highlights include a series of TED talks, covering topics such as Leadership and current HR trends and issues. The top 10 TED talks were voted on and then circulated to other HRNZ branches at that time. A practical coaching session was another early highlight, with one committee member being coached to complete the chartered membership process! There is a real appetite among current members to achieve chartered status, so we are revisiting this topic this year, with our chartered members running a series of workshops to take us through the chartering process.
Each year we run a couple of events based on ‘Stories from the Field’ – these are an opportunity for our more senior practitioners to talk about their career journeys and are often an eye-opener for the audience. From these sessions we often get informal mentoring relationships that endure well beyond the lunchtime event. In fact it was a ‘Story from the Field’ that was my first introduction to HRNZ – I was a third year HR student at Otago University and the highlight of my paper was the guest speakers who came in and related their stories of how they got into HR and where their careers had taken them.
We know how valuable sharing information and resources is in our profession and we feel obligated to support and nurture professionals taking the first steps in their HR career, and those who suddenly find HR is part of their role. With this in mind we have developed a strong relationship with our local polytechnic. Committee members visit new intakes of students to outline the benefits of joining the HRNZ professional network and we also present a regular guest lecture to post graduate students explaining the HRNZ Competency Framework and the Functions of HR in today’s world.
The reduced student membership fee and fee payment options have made it a lot easier for us to recruit students. Last year this resulted in a 31 percent increase in membership. At 39 members we are a small branch, but we are very active and work hard to keep our members engaged by offering events each month and listening to discussions and feedback to inform future events.
Being on a branch committee isn’t all hard work – in fact the opportunities for personal and professional growth have been a huge bonus. When recruiting for new committee members I’m often met with people thinking they don’t have the skills or experience to do the job. Having joined our committee as a newly minted HR professional I would argue that this is precisely the right time to step up to a committee role. The opportunity to be part of a branch committee is also an opportunity to hold a local leadership role.
Reflecting back on my time on the committee, the yearly cycle of creating and hosting branch events has enabled me to sharpen my skills in a number of areas. I’ve learned how to:
• identify the right people and persuade them to present on a topic
• introduce speakers, summarise key points and graciously thank them
• make people feel welcome and valued in our network
• network with many amazing people whom I would not otherwise have been exposed to
• efficiently run meetings
• contribute to the HRNZ strategic plan
• chair the BPAG.
Exposure to the HRNZ board and of course attending the HR Conference is always inspirational!
As I make way for a new Branch President, I’d like to thank our past presidents who have always been very supportive of both the new president and the committee. It is these long serving professionals who hold it all together. I’d also like to acknowledge the support of our members, local community leaders and Crowe Horwath (now Findex), who allow us to use their centrally located offices for events and meetings.
Therese Doyle is a Senior HR Consultant with Findex. She has been the Branch President of the Southland HRNZ, winners of the HRNZ Branch of the Year Award 2019, for the past two years and a committee member since 2014.
