From the President

October 2023

It’s my last ever President’s report

Katie Haggath, smiling. She has long brown hair and is wearing a black top with red flowers on it.…but no doubt, not the last you’ll hear from me.

When I stepped down at the AGM, in line with our Constitution (article 7.5), Noel Anderton temporarily stepped into the role until we could appoint a new President. Thank you, Noel!

We're happy to announce the board has now appointed a new President, and we welcome Ryan Wilson to the role. Ryan is based in Christchurch and has plenty of experience on boards and in the tech support field. You'll hear more from him in the next newsletter.

I would also like to welcome Cassandra Hogan as our new Business Manager. She is currently shadowing Roy to learn the ropes and will officially take over at the end of October.

Your board this year is:

  • Ryan Wilson (President)
  • Noel Anderton (Vice President and Webinar Co-ordinator)
  • Emma Reynolds (Secretary)
  • Cassandra Hogan (Business Manager and Treasurer)
  • Steph Prince (Communications Co-ordinator and Student Outreach Co-ordinator)
  • Sarah Bichan (Social Media)
  • Freya Morris-Cole (Student Representative)
  • Roy McKone
  • Terry Hall
  • Jenny Drayton.

Since our last AGM we have taken some big steps forward in our key projects.

Last year we made our submission in support of the Plain Language Bill, along with our feedback and suggestions as plain language experts. The Plain Language Bill is now the Plain Language Act 2022, and took effect in April of this year. We’re delighted at this step forward for New Zealand, showing that we take plain language seriously!

TechCommNZ also became a gold sponsor of the Plain Language Awards and set up a subsidy to cover entry fees for our members who want to enter the Best Plain Language Technical Communicator category.

We launched the student board member position to help our student members and new graduates gain valuable experience. Freya Morris-Cole took on the role and we are pleased to say they have decided to continue as a member of our board in the coming year.

We’ve begun a collaborative project with ISTC in the UK and ASTC in Australia on a shared technical communication journal. Currently we are on track to launch the pilot in January. This journal will remain separate from the well-established ‘Communicator’ produced by ISTC. As members of TechCommNZ, you will have the opportunity to vote on the name of our shared international journal, or share your ideas for a name that is not on the shortlist.

(We’ll reserve the right of final decision. No JournallyMcJournalFace!)

Vote on a name or make a suggestion

We are also pleased to continue offering a yearly salary survey. It is the only comprehensive review of tools, work types, and remuneration for Technical Communicators in New Zealand, and it is an invaluable tool for professionals around the country. The results of the 2022/2023 salary survey are out now and are available for members to view on our website.

Salary survey results

I would like to thank everyone who contributed this year as an author, presenter, or featured tech communicator:

  • Luke Pivac
  • Jenny Drayton
  • Peter Nock
  • Valérie Genet-Guillou
  • Nicole Kerkhofs
  • Mercedes Glover
  • Dave Gash
  • Earnsy Liu.

And finally, I just want to say a huge thank you to the board for their hard work, cheerful dispositions and unwavering passion for this organisation. I look forward to seeing where you take it next!