CAN Committee meeting 24-25 August 2013

CAN Committee meeting 24-25 August 2013

Formal business opened 9.10 m, 25 August 2013 at Kennett Brothers' office, Bond St, Wellington

Present: Graeme Lindup (GL), Lyneke Onderwater, Don Babe (DB), Stephen Wood (SW), David Hawke (DH), Belinda Sharp (BS), Patrick Morgan (PM); Tom Halliburton (TH; 9.30am)

Apologies: Ash Holwell

1. Strategy workshop (facilitated by BS)

  • Action point 10.
  • PM & BS had come with a table of Issues, Activities & resources, Outputs, Short-term outcomes, Long-term outcomes, and Impacts - plus unresolved issues
  • Fits in a framework of shared values - strategy - organisational structure - systems - available skills - staff - leadership style; this session focusing on the strategy
  • Cttee members asked to come up with additional Issues (TH arrived during this); evidence-based policy requirement an additional Impact
  • Then asked to come up with additional Impacts (very little addiditonal)
  • Then moved to prioritising Issues:
  • Other road users not empathetic to cyclists - contractual obligation via RST work
  • Low cycling skills - follow up if it is paid work, but otherwise medium priority (noting that these are two separate Issues for CAN rather than for PM). Need to maintain our relationship with the Skills Active ITO in terms of maintaining the quality of cycle skills training
  • Lack of facilitites at end of trip - low priority for CAN
  • Fragmentation of cycling (sport/transport/tourism; BikeNZ/CAN) - Need to meet more often at chairperson level (including need to update CAN-BikeNZ MoU). Presently contact between CAN and BikeNZ is at RST Project Manager level. CAN local groups could work with local cycling clubs to promote Good Bunch etc after CAA model. Medium priority for CAN-BikeNZ work.
  • Rules/laws and their lack of enforcement - Work mostly in reactive mode, responding to issues. A need for local groups to liaise with their local police?  There is a quarterly meeting with NZTA, which CAN attends and/or phones in. CAN also needs to work with ACC at national level around programmes. Some interest from individual MPs around cycling-related legislation - do we put some more resources in? Difficult to respond quickly to these requests with our present structure; one possibility (when we are approached) is for a quick response is PM-Chairperson conversation.
  • Does CAN want to appoint a lobbyist - there are funds available - CAA is certainly keen. Need to move to being pro-active. High priority; would also capture some of the other Impacts listed. Activity - ask Barb Cuthbert to draw up draft ToR. Also approach local groups to contribute to fund raising. 
  • Unsafe traffic speed; works in with Roads not designed to accomodate cycling (this Impact also includes conflicting advice between CAN and cycling infrastructure traffic consultants) - some crossover with the Rules/laws category. CAN is about the right speed for the right traffic environment. A high priority for a straightforward campaign on a particular environment, but need to identify the particular topic; will also need to have in the background the interaction with infrastructure provision.
  • Cycling image problem (related to the [unfortunate] Perception that cycling is unsafe) - encourage local groups to put forward positive messages and to support social movements such as Frocks on Bikes. Noted that people from developing Asian economies see cycling as being for poor people. High priority for local groups but low priority for CAN at national level.
  • Diversity of membership (& cycling uptake in general) - Two areas at the extremes. TH pointed out that DHBs fund bikes in schools at low decile schools. Can promote this in Chainlinks and on the website. SW noted the potential role of PHOs in this area. Then note the issue around the cycling as an activity for poor people. Safety the primary issue for women. Something we need to maintain an ongoing interest.Low priority meantime. 

3. Review of July meeting minutes

  • Action point 2 - GL to ask Ash if he can take over the list of volunteers (Action point 1)
  • Action point 5 - Rule 10.3 has not been fully followed, and following it is hard to do because the authorisation limit is low. Will need review Rule, notify membership, with the aim of fixing at next year's AGM. One way to fix meantime is to have our meetings around 15th or before each month (Action point 2).
  • Action points 7 (benchmarking PM salary), 8 (conference funds), 16 (sister organisation subsecriptions), 17 (lower cost options for cttee meetings) - carry over. Need to do a trial for google hangouts (Action points 3, 4). 

5. Governance Warrant of Fitness Checklist review 

  •  Go through a section at each committee meeting (Action point 7), with committee mebers to read in advance of the meeting

6. Financial reporting

6.1 Performance against 2012/2013 budget; completion of accounts

  • Latest version posted. Have made money instead of losing money. Will need to adjust income to take account of liabilities in future years (especially the RST income)
  • SW website hosting fees (and basis for fees) will be charged at different interval now, a result of the change in website host.
  • Auditor really early September.
  • Do we need financial review rather than a full audit? DB to check possibility for changing the Rules so they keep the cost down - maybe along the lines of doing financial assurance as required by the appropriate government authorities (Action point 5)

6.2 Budget for 2013/2014

  • No indication yet fronm donor as to likely level of support next year.
  • Note inclusion of money for some campaign work, but only 5hrs/week
  • Allowance for the CAN-Do: $1500 for local group plus $900 subsidy are perhaps rather light? Decision to leave as is meantime.
  • Budget adopted: DB/LO (approved)

6.3 Financial approvals

  • See Action point 2.
  • Current practice around project spending approvals (as they apply at different amounts of money) has a history, explained by GL. This delegation practice to Project Manager is not compatible with Rule 10.3.
  • Issue to be resolved by (1) change of meeting date as above, or (2) email around proposed payment list.(DB/SW - approved)
  • Financial Policy to be reviewed then formally adopted. DH to start by re-formatting & report for next meeting (Action point 7)
  • Jena project invoice ($2931.03), Jena miscellaneous ($88), Next bike (Julian) ($1636.98), and Vodafone invoice ($50.04) - approved DB/DH 
  • DB suggested that Cttee members (if they wish to donate travel etc expenses) claim reimbursement then donate back. DB emphasised that money has to move. (There is a GST benefit for CAN, and a tax benefit for the donor.).

7. Staffing

7.1 Any changes to Patrick's scope of work?

  • Discussion this morning may influence future scope of work. Campaign work may be over & above current scope of work, but campaign work could (in a potential sense) involve another person. (Action point 8, around matching up strategy meeting results) with PM's scope of work.)  

7.2 Utilisation of volunteers

  • See Action point 1.
  • After this, and a first pass through the volunteer database, maybe consider asking for particular skills as well. Skills might include initial policy drafting; leadership of Chinese community; auditor; research skills; fundraising skills. Maybe include this in the Annual Appeal letter.

8. CAN external policies to be adopted

8.1 Cycling Conference Funds

  •  See Action point 4

9. Action items from Wellington workshop - update

  • Phaedra Upton has informally indicated a willingness to be involved at national level; GL to approach (Action point 11)

9.1 Google groups

  •  Has been set up, is sporadically active.

9.2 Website improvements

  •  Nothing yet from Maria

9.3 Admin support for parliamentary cycling group

  • Nothing yet from Kevin Hague, so Jane Dawson will approach his PA. The FPA model won't work, because they have a source of outside funding.
  • Robert Ash (a Green Party researcher) might be another point of contact (Action point 12).

9.4 Dunedin recruitment activities (Chainlinks article)

  •  Article submitted

10. CAN Projects

10.1 Reports for Making the Journey Safer

  • GL talked with Jena during the week. A setback with Toll, who had tentatively agreed to have training videoed for TV; CEO has vetoed any involvement.
  • Jena is getting traction with more bus companies. TH suggested Fulton Hogan; they have a strong safety record.
  • DB asked if there in any assessment of results such as decreased accident rate.
  • GL plans to go to next face to face meeting with NZTA, which is at BikeNZ's Cambridge site.

11. Proposals & fundraising

11.1 Fundraising activities by Patrick

  •  Carry over

11.2 Potential for application to NZTA; collaboration with BikeNZ

  • An ongoing discussion - lead times are long.
  • Put on agenda for next MoT meeting? Parallel to RST project for driving instructors, taxi drivers? Talk with Jena. (Action point 18).

15. Chainlinks

15.1 The next issue

  •  Copy-editing underway. Proofs should come out in September. Need someone to replace Jane and Adrian (who are dropping off). GL & LO happy to go on the list.

15.2 Mail-out vs PDF

  • Discussion around the way to ask people which they want.
  • Ask Adrian to change "join CAN" page so that people make a choice at joining and renewal (Action point 13)

15.3 Chainlinks as a comms tool (& the Pippa Coomb perspective)

  • Miriam Richardson is keen to try some on-line publishing options, but on a separate website. Will cost, SW uncertain how much.
  • Format, which would include searchable key words (for example), would be much more modern.
  • Ask Miriam to put up a proposal (Action point 14)

16. CAN-Do & AGM for 2014

  • Suggestion of 2-yr timetable, alternating between major centre and provincial centre. So, next one would be a provincial centre.
  • New Plymouth & Hastings (model communities) have both had cycling conferences recently.
  • Wanganui a real possibility, notwithstanding air access.
  • Quaker centre an option for accommodation, with 20-30 beds
  • Possible dates - March-April, bearing in mind that Term 1 finishes Thursday 17 April, with Good Friday 18 April. LO to choose & advise (Action point 15).
  • DH & DB to talk with Spokes about CAN-Do in Christchurch 2015 (Action point 16).
  • CAN-Do 2013 videos - Action point 17.

 

17. Memberships of similar organisations

  •  See Action point 4

18. Phone conferencing options

  •  See Action point 3

19. Need for another membership survey

 

  • Held over

 

Meeting closed 4.20 pm

Action points:

    Comments Done
 1 Ask Ash to look after look after list of volunteers (GL)    Not yet.
 2 DB & ER to come up with a new authorisation limit in time for next Cttee meeting    
 3 Try out Goodle Hangouts to replace 0800 for cttee meetings (DB & SW in the 1st instance)  oops, not done yet, sorry
 
 4 Remaining action points from July meeting (DB)    
 5 Check possibility of changing Rules to allow a lower level of financial review, and report to Committee (DB)    
 6 Reformat Financial Policy (DH) Draft completed (but lots of questions, esp around how we approach policy writing) Yes (for the meantime) 
 7 GL to put a section from Self-evaluation check (Charities Commission) on each Agenda  Done it for the next meeting. Ongoing 
 8 Make sure PM's scope of work is compatible with results of strategy meeting (GL)  Plan yet to be finalised.  
 9 GL to talk with Adrian about getting CiviCRM to provide database of new volunteers with minimal effort, from their join-up.   Not yet. 
 10 Formal thanks to Belinda for strategy meeting work (DH to draft email, & fwd to GL) Draft sent to GL 27 Aug. Sent to Belinda on Thurs.  Yes. 
 11 GL to contact Phaedra Upton about possibly joining committee.      Not yet.
 12 GL to contact Robert Ash about Parliamentary cycling group Sent him an email asking for a time to phone him.  Call this week.
 13 SW to talk with Adrian about putting in a decision box around receipt of Chainlinks on JOIN page of website not done - other webite issues dominating
 
 14 SW to ask Miriam to put up a proposal around web-based publishing of Chainlinks  not done yet - Miriam busy with October issue and other things, defer one month
 
 15 Sort favoured date for 2014 CAN-Do (LO) Details emailed out.  Underway. 
 16 Talk with Spokes about 2015 CAN-Do in Christchurch (DH, DB) Positive (informal) reaction; on the Agenda for October meeting  Yes
 17 Email Barb Insull about status of CAN-Do 2013 videos (GL) Jena has provided the links to the videos on YouTube and there is a CANDO2013 channel.  Yes.
 18 GL to put future funding opportunities on agenda for discussions with NZTA eg driving instructors; talk with Jena first.   Not yet. 
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