Kia ora koutou katoa,
Today marks my first month as GM, and I can honestly say this is the most enjoyable and personally significant role in my career. Thank you to those I have met, your patience and support is appreciated. I have asked the same question to everyone I have met, “What is the thing you would most like me to work on and what is the thing you would most like me to change?” The consensus has been about communication and I fully accept that this has to be a priority. As a small step towards a Communication Plan, I will be sending out a weekly blog on what’s happening. There will be more on how we will improve this in coming weeks.
The Boards of RHL/RIL and the Trustees meet this week. There is a lot to discuss and it will be a couple of intense days. From my perspective, the business is doing really well, there are a lot of opportunities and most importantly, an exciting strategy is being developed for consultation with Iwi.
On Saturday, my wife Bridget and I had the privilege to be invited to a kapa haka practice session with Te Rourou Kura at Omaka Marae. Under Wayne Hippolite and Janis de Thierry’s tutelage, these rangatahi will represent Te Tau Ihu to the rest of the country. Believe me, they are amazing and you can be very proud.
Afterward, it caused me to reflect on what a strategy is all about. The huge effort Wayne, Janis and her whānau are putting into the kapa haka group summarises what a strategy is all about – it is about leaving a strong legacy for our children and their descendants.
I am looking forward to a vigorous kōrero when we meet to discuss our strategy.
I would like to thank Wendy Hynes for leaving a strong and very well organised business. Like all good managers, she has left it in a better state and it has been easy entering a well-run business with a great team. Otherwise, it’s business as usual.
There have been meetings on fisheries, Maui and Hector Dolphin protection, the Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan and much more.
The Marlborough District Council is asking for feedback on its long-term plan on key priorities, which are:
- looking after the environment
- building and maintaining infrastructure
- investing in economic development
We intend to make a submission, so I would love to hear what’s important to you. Submissions close on Monday 14 May, so please email nick.chin@rangitane.org.nz with your thoughts by Friday 11 May.
Many of you know we are tidying up the maara kai at Tuamātene and looking into costs to get the wharenui compliant so that it can be used again. I hope to report more on this next week.
My door is always open, please give me a call if you need to discuss anything. Kia pai tō rā wiki!
Mā te wā
Nick