News Articles

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint at the "learn-share-grow Conference 2008"

As an attendee at our Conference you can do much to reduce your carbon contribution at the learn-share-grow Conference 2008. Examples include:

Reducing your baggage weight when travelling by air. For every 1 kg weight carried by air for 1 hour, 125gms CO2 is emitted. Challenge yourself to travel with only carry-on baggage.

Make public transportation work for you. The CO2 emissions for a private or rental car are nearly 5 times that for a scheduled coach.Travel by publically provided road transport whereever possible.

Choose to stay at accomodation that actively manages its carbon emissions. For example, Rydges, Queenstown uses Green Globe 21.

Choose activity/restaurant providers that have environmental policies

While staying at the Conference accomodation, minimise your electricity use. For example consider doing the following:

Use water machines in preference to bottled water

When you register, check the option to donate $20.00 to help us offset our Conference greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Media partners announced for NZOQ Learn-Share-Grow Conference 2008

Interest in the NZOQ-hosted Learn-Share-Grow Conference is starting to intensify with the announcement of three key media partners for the two-day event being held in October.

Gold Media Partner NZ Management magazine and Silver Media Partners Asian Quality and The Press will be providing editorial and advertising in the lead-up to and following the conference in Queenstown.

Sponsorship Manager Shelley Grell, of Communicate IT, says the partnerships present a prime opportunity for sponsors to expose their business to a broad range of industries within New Zealand and globally, while aligning their interests with the conference's three key streams - quality, productivity and sustainability.

"The delegates attending the conference are specifically interested in quality, business management processes and sustainability practices that add value to their businesses. Sponsors have the unique opportunity to further enhance their image as a progressive organisation focused on business improvement. There is potential to leverage brand recognition and profile to tens of thousands of senior managers in New Zealand, Australia and beyond," she says.

Management is New Zealand's largest circulating and most-read monthly business magazine, with an estimated readership of over 20,000. It is the only publication written and designed for senior business decision-makers from New Zealand's public and private sectors.

Management Editor Ellen Read says, as Gold Media Partner for the conference, it is a fantastic opportunity to provide the magazine's readers with exclusive content on a subject close to their hearts.

"Management readers include the country's business leaders, and quality, productivity and sustainability are top of mind for them. They have to be at the forefront of advances in these fields in order to remain competitive in the global environment," she says.

Asian Quality magazine is a regional trade publication registered in Singapore, which caters to the quality and business process improvement needs of professional individuals and organisations. The magazine is directed at 'C-level' officers, top management and key decision-makers in organisations spanning a spectrum of industries, specifically covering Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

The Press is the largest circulating newspaper in the South Island and has the highest readership in Christchurch, Canterbury and the South Island. On average, 233,000 people read The Press and The Weekend Press' readership extends to 301,000. The paper reaches into those areas with higher income and business sectors throughout the South Island.

NZOQ General Manager Helen Baines says attention generated by the conference will have wide-reaching advantages for further extending the conference's key messages.

"The conference is not only an opportunity to convey the organisation's messages to those delegates attending, but also to increase awareness of quality management and sustainable practices to a broader business audience around the world. At the same time, with the conference's CarboNZero certification, all those involved are setting an example of how successful businesses should be approaching the issue of sustainability," she says.

The conference, to be held 22-24 October, will comprise a packed schedule of high-value events for delegates, speakers and exhibitors alike, including the opening and closing ceremonies, exhibition, welcome luncheon, social evening and conference dinner. All events will be held in Queenstown at the prestigious Rydges Lakeside Resort which overlooks Lake Wakatipu to the Remarkables.

Keynote speakers for the conference are expected to be finalised and announced in July.

To register your interest, or to find out about becoming a sponsor, please visit http://conference2008.nzoq.org.nz or contact Project Manager Michael Voss on 0274 433 908.

How real people are taking direct action against global warming...

Speaking at the NZOQ Learn-Share-Grow Conference is Nick Lewis, CEO of Celsias. Celsias is a wholly New Zealand-owned global warming website, and Nick reports The Times in London named it one of the top five eco-websites in the world and a 'must read.' Here, Nick gives us all some thoughtprovoking ideas.

At Celsias, we are privileged to have our electronic finger on the global pulse of climate change. Because our website devoted to global warming is read by hundreds of thousands of people in over one hundred and seventy countries, several trends have become apparent.

Voting with our dollars

More than ever, we see a growing desire by consumers to reward 'good' corporate behaviour (and penalize bad) by selecting one company's products over another's, based on their climate-friendly practices. Buying 'green' is a global mega-trend; it's the organic movement on steroids. So consumers now want reliable information that helps them make those informed buying decisions - look for more ranking systems to emerge. The tricky bit will be to separate clever marketing spin ('green-washing') from real corporate action.

Voting with our...votes!

We have been assailed for months by the incessant clamour of the US election. The fire hose of media attention threatens to overwhelm us, but at least the planet is finally on the agenda. Even Senator John McCain of the Republicans (the right-wing party that greenies love to hate) saw fit to set out his global warming programme. Australians elected Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in large part for his climate change agenda. And closer to home (lest we forget that New Zealand is also in an election year) politicians have sensed the sea change in voter sentiment; global warming matters. Sceptics abound

Sceptics abound but are increasingly strident

Have you heard about the call to bring a lawsuit against Al Gore to 'expose the fraud of global warming?' This is only the latest lunacy from the increasingly-fringe but still powerful denier minority. On a more solemn note, long overdue environmental action could be railroaded by the rush to extract oil from coal, tar, sands, and shale - and even the pristine Arctic - in a desperate attempt to postpone peak oil, the point of maximum global oil production, as the world's known reserves dwindle.

Enough talk, time to act

By far, the largest change in public sentiment we have seen on Celsias is the shift from wanting to learn about climate change to a desire to do something about it. To that end, we introduced Celsias Projects, where individuals and organizations can describe what they are doing to help reduce global warming. Here are four examples of how New Zealanders are making a difference:

Where to from here?

If we are to accept Prime Minister Helen Clark's challenge to make New Zealand carbon neutral, we all need to shift one or more steps in the right direction, and follow through with the political will to make permanent changes. Why do we think nothing of tramping three days over rough terrain, yet rely on internal combustion engines to get us around town? Why aren't our mayors encouraging us to 'Dump the Pump' in favour of the simple yet incredibly effective bicycle? And why are they not building the infrastructure we need to ensure our safe ride to work?

In other words, we need to bring the spirit of our weekend outdoor activities into our daily lives.

For further information about the NZOQ Learn-Share-Grow Conference and to register visit: http://conference2008.nzoq.org.nz/

Learn-Share-Grow 2008 To Be Wake-Up Call For NZ Managers

NZOQ learn share grow Conference 2008, Rydges Lakeside Resort, Queenstown, 22-24 October 2008. http://conference2008.nzoq.org.nz/

Press release, NZOQ, 10-Jul-08: An address from Roland Jahnke, director of multi billiondollar global logistics company Deutsche Post World Net (DPWN), may be just what NZ managers need to hear to help lift their game and profit in spite of the economic doldrums.

As the country yearns to play catch-up in OECD productivity rankings, the need for quality management is greater than ever, says NZ Organisation for Quality (NZOQ) general manager Helen Baines.

"There is an urgency in New Zealand to lift the capability of managers. Now, more than ever, we need managers who can project and grow their business sustainably on a globally competitive stage," she says. "That is a big part of the learn-share-grow 2008 conference."

NZOQ has announced that Jahnke, the German director of the world's largest logistics company, DPWN, will be among an exclusive line-up of speakers at learn-share-grow 2008, being held 22-24 October.

Jahnke, regarded as a leading expert in business excellence for postal and express companies around the world, will be one of 27 speakers attending the two-day conference in Queenstown, and one of six high-profile keynotes presenting papers.

NZOQ general manager Helen Baines says the speaking programme comprises a high standard of quality professionals heralding from a wide spectrum of industry sectors in New Zealand and abroad.

"We're delighted to have secured the support of such a high calibre of professionals for learnshare-grow 2008. Quality, Productivity and Sustainability are the conference's key themes assuring delegates an extensive array of insightful and business-relevant topics," Baines says.

Jahnke's keynote address, "Sustainability - Facing the Challenges of Global Logistics", will focus on the unprecedented redesign of DPWN over the past few years. As a result of this redesign, Deutsche Post has moved from a fiscally deficient national agency, with public service structures, to a highly profitable global player with an expanded product portfolio.

The DPWN group, which lists 520,000 employees in over 220 countries, is the sixth largest employer in the world and recorded total earnings of over $106 billion in 2006.

Also presenting a keynote address at the conference, Sarah Benjamin, a sensei for Vanguard Consulting Ltd in the United Kingdom, will speak on "Systems Thinking for Service Organisations".

Vanguard helps organisations move from a command-and-control to a systems-thinking approach to the design and management of work. The Vanguard Method draws on the principles of the Toyota Production System, and has been uniquely transposed by Vanguard to be used within service industries.

Other speakers attending will present papers covering such topics as "Can Lean Six Sigma Improve Productivity in NZ Organisations?," "Quality Challenges in the Not-for-profit Sector", and "Facing Sustainable Challenges - From the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to Carbon Footprints in Supply Chains".

Preparation for learn-share-grow 2008 is gaining momentum, with sponsors so far including NZOQ, JAS-ANZ, Landcare Research, NZ Institute of Management, the Centre for Organisational Excellence Research, BPIR.com, the NZ Business Excellence Foundation, Communicate It Ltd, Resene and Tait Electronics.

Gold Media Partner NZ Management magazine, and Silver Media Partners Asian Quality and The Press, will be providing editorial and advertising in the lead-up to and following the event. NZOQ has also committed the conference to being carboNZero-certified.

Baines says by achieving the carboNZero grade, all those involved with Learn-Share-Grow 2008 will be encouraged to reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible.

"All presentations and exhibition material will be shared digitally instead of on printed material, waste will be reduced or recycled, tap water will be encouraged over bottled water, natural lighting will be used where possible, and more.

"We are endeavouring to not just talk the talk, but walk the walk when it comes to sustainability," she says.

To register your interest, or to find out about becoming a sponsor, please visit http://conference2008.nzoq.org.nz or contact Organising committee Chair Michael Voss on 0274 433 908.

Press release, NZOQ, 6-Mar-08

The New Zealand Organisation for Quality (NZOQ) is calling for papers to present at its inaugural 'Learn-Share-Grow 2008 Conference' to be held in Queenstown 22-24 October. The two-day event will be NZOQ's and Queentown's first ever 'carboNZero' certified conference that will walk the talk and lead by example on the subjects of business Quality, Productivity and Sustainability.

Download the full press release here.

Back to the top

Exhibitions make markets

A conference is a market place where sellers and buyers come together and the NZOQ conference will be more than a fair trade as Malcolm Macpherson explains:
As the NZOQ gears up for the Queenstown conference in late 2008, it's worth thinking about the value of 'conferencing'.

Many of us go to conferences because we more or less have to! Trucking off to your key sector or professional events is often not (very) negotiable. Attendance, even participation, can be a KPI. For me, there's the annual Local Government New Zealand conference. My council sends four or five people every year, always the Mayor and the CEO and a couple of other elected members. None of us go with much joy in our hearts. The organisers try hard, but LGNZ conferences have to be so many different things to so many people that they often end up being not much to anyone.

On the other hand I like to recall, and repeat, a comment made to me by the senior strategist in what was then Trans-Link Express, a client organisation in Singapore specialising in event and exhibition logistics. Those guys live and breathe exhibitions all around the world and are living proof that, as my mate said, 'exhibitions make markets'. He meant that the modern exhibition is a bit like a traditional village market. Suppliers and customers get together to trade, and out of that come new business opportunities and new activities where none existed before.

A well-designed conference serves a similar purpose. Except that the trade is in ideas, rather than products or services.

Conferences make policy. Here's a mini example. Recently I was one of eight participants in a one-day seminar/conference in Dunedin on climate change and peak oil. 'The End of the Age of Petroleum', my title slide declared. The focus of the day was local government, with the implied purpose to think about what our sector's response should be to these two world-changing events, both of which are with us already. The day was put together well. It began with the big-picture painters/scientists with a command of both topics who could illustrate and illuminate, and get the whole room in the same 'space'. Then there were the detail people: what it will mean, whether we should focus on mitigation or adaptation, some of the specifics about planning and so on, rounded off with table-level workshopping and a panel discussion.

I'd take a bet that no-one went home that night with the same perceptions and convictions they had in the morning. My own ideas definitely warmed up. And the act of writing and presenting also forced me to clarify and clearly express some previously half-formed thoughts.

Around our council table, the key lessons from that one day will influence and directly affect our future thinking, as well as the choices we make in our annual and longer-term planning. This is therefore a perfect example of a conference 'making policy'.

So what about Queenstown '08 and the NZOQ? If you're a potential participant, you can safely assume the event will be put together professionally, and that the material will be relevant to your interests, both personal and vocational. The 'supply side' of this 'market in ideas' will be there in force, and ready to 'trade'. The demand side is up to you!

If you go to Queenstown in October because you feel you should, or just because it's Queenstown (which is actually a pretty good reason) then you'll come away short-changed. On the other hand if you go with a clear idea about what you need, and a shopping list of beliefs and assumptions you'd like to test, and some links with other people and organisations you'd like to make, you'll come away with far more than just a fair trade.

Back to the top

Conference scholarship winner elated!

Ros Murrell has worked to make community homes a safer environment for people with intellectual disabilities and / or mental health issues, and is a worthy recipient of the NZOQ Conference Scholarship, as Lyn Nikoloff explains: Winner of the NZOQ Conference Scholarship, Ros Murrell, Project Manager for the PACT Group in Otago, has spent thirty years in the health sector working with people who have an intellectual disability.

Ros is looking forward to attending the NZOQ conference in Queenstown. 'It is such a thrill to win the scholarship because I didn't expect to win. I am honoured to be given this opportunity to attend the conference where I am looking forward to meeting other people in the fild I work in. The conference will also reinforce the quality aspect of my work; and I will hear lots of new messages about ways of better improving quality for both our clients and staff at PACT!'

Ros began her extensive career in the health sector at Cherry Farm. By the 1990s Ros was working in community housing, due to a policy decision by the Ministry of Health to move care for people with intellectual disabilities from an institutional framework to community housing. 'I set up the fist house for people with an intellectual disability for the PACT Trust in 1994. Then one day the manager asked me to carry out staff appraisals. I had no idea what to do!' she explains.

This led to extramural study for fie years as Ros completed her NZ Institute of Management Certifiate in Supervisory Management. Meanwhile she juggled her study with full time work, her young family and farming.

Upon completing the NZIM, Ros was promoted to Operations Manager at PACT. 'The Trustees asked me to implement the ACC Workplace Safety Practices standards which aimed to reduce injury in the workplace. There had to be a big mind-shift about injuries for the staff from no process for incidents to incident reporting.'

While staff initially saw the incident report as extra paperwork, with encouragement from Ros they began to see there was a positive outcome because there was a clear reduction in the number of injuries. 'The incident report made staff stop after an incident had occurred and complete the paperwork. By reflcting on the causes of the incident, staff were able to explore how the injury could be prevented in the future and then to put that process into practice.'

Ros was sent to the West Coast as a relieving manager late in 2002. While there she was involved in restructuring the community houses.

PACT then asked Ros to implement the Ministry of Health standards to gain certifiation. She was given 15 months to complete the work before being audited. 'This required everybody to take on board the new systems and this was a challenge as PACT is responsible for the day to day care for 800-plus people with intellectual disabilities and / or mental health issues, and 380 staff'.

In 2006 two things happened which would lead Ros to apply for the NZOQ Conference Scholarship in 2007. First, Ros enrolled in the NZOQ Certifiate in Quality Assurance. She admits that the CQA has been a huge workload but she has enjoyed the challenge and is now looking forward to implementing in 2008 some of her new ideas.

Second, Ros had a dream to set up a database of incident reports from throughout PACT and her line manager encouraged her to apply for this project to be implemented. It was given the go ahead and became her CQA project. The database took the early part of 2007 to develop and is now maintained regularly. 'We now have a fantastic database from which I can manually look for trends. This saves me having to read every incident report. The database also helped in the start of the Safe and Supportive Environment project whereby feedback is now given to staff about incidents that have occurred between client-client and staff-client. This has led to us better managing risk.'

Looking ahead to 2008 – Ros is excited about attending the NZOQ conference in Queenstown. But for the moment she has put any further study on hold as there are still plenty of ideas from her CQA yet to be implemented. However, after a year of consolidation and also the stimulation from attending the NZOQ conference there is no doubt that Ros will once again set her sights on another career challenge.

Ros Murrell, winner of the NZOQ Conference Scholarship has shown exceptional fortitude and foresight in her career and we wish her well.

Back to the top

Make sure you have a great conference!

In 2008, from 22 to 24 October, NZOQ will be holding its next conference in Queenstown and Lyn Nikoloff talks to Conference Organiser, Rosemary Hancock about how members can ensure it’s a great conference.

Conference Venue

Location, location, location! There is no better location for a conference in New Zealand than Queenstown with its stunning scenery, café lifestyle and outdoor activities, and, of course, fantastic conference facilities.

‘The Rydges Hotel has been chosen as the venue because it offers excellent conference facilities, superior accommodation and is situated in a great location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. Rydges has an outdoor heated swimming pool, a spa and sauna. It is only a short 5 minute walk to the town centre, where delegates can enjoy the café lifestyle,’ explains Rosemary Hancock.

The conference is being held immediately prior to Labour weekend and this date affords a great opportunity for delegates to explore the region post-conference.

How about enjoying a long weekend in Queenstown?

Learn

The theme of the conference is ‘learn-share-grow’. Like all good conferences, there must be an education aspect to the programme. Rosemary points out that a programme with a strong education focus and varied opportunities to learn, can be used by delegates to attend the conference with vital financial support from their employers.

Currently presentations are being called for in the areas of practical information, strategies that work, or lessons that have been learned. Contexts might be: Productivity, Lean/Six Sigma, Creativity and Innovation, Quality Strategies and Best Practice Initiatives etc.

‘It is vital that delegates participate in the conference programme because conferences provide an opportunity for less experienced members to learn about new ideas and ways of thinking, and to gain valuable information and insights from more experienced members,’ explains Rosemary.
Are YOU able to present a seminar or workshop?

Share

During the conference there should always be plenty of time to share ideas with colleagues. Rosemary believes that a good conference must have a nice balance of formal sessions and social gatherings to enable delegates to network.

Currently there are two social functions planned - a casual welcome on the first evening, and a more formal dinner on the second night. ‘These will be great opportunities to network – along with the morning and afternoon teas, and lunches that will be held in the exhibition area. At these times delegates will be able to mix and mingle – encouraging the formation of valuable networks,’ she adds.

Delegates can also share information by presenting a paper at conference. Because members of NZOQ work in a large variety of industries, sharing of information and experiences has the potential to awaken delegates to new opportunities within their own industry.

Do YOU have an idea, experience or information you would like to share?

Grow

Conferences are a time for professional development because they provide an opportunity for members to become aware of new ideas and ways of doing things, which ultimately helps them to grow in confidence and expertise.

This is particularly so for delegates, who give presentations, because they are then encouraged to further develop, hone and enhance their communication skills.

Good communication skills are vital in any business and developing good written and oral communication skills in this way can only be positive for long term career aspirations.

However, giving a quality presentation is more than simply piecing together a PowerPoint or slide show. The speaker must be confident and knowledgeable about their topic, have an understanding of effective communication methods — voice, language and style of presentation, and be able to engage the audience. There is no better way to develop good communication skills than by public speaking. Once again, a conference is a great venue to hone those skills.

Can YOU put together an engaging, interesting presentation?

Back to the top