New Zealand Statistical Association Newsletter 56
October 2002
President's Column - Steve Haslett
Because I have been overseas, it is only recently that I have been able to take over from David Scott after my election as NZSA President at the last AGM. I am looking forward to this opportunity to work with you all.
My first President’s column provides me with a welcome opportunity to thank David and the last Exec Committee for their excellent work. Together with the efforts of the Association’s members generally, they are responsible for NZSA’s currently sound state. Of course, this is not all history. A number of past Exec members were willing to put their names forward again and were re-elected - one of the strengths of the Association is that it contains a group of members willing to remain on the Exec from one year to the next. It is also good to be able to welcome several new Exec members, because it is only by us all taking enough interest to become involved that NZSA can remain viable, especially as we are not a large enough professional body to run a national office with paid staff at fixed premises. The role of the Association has changed over the years. All past Exec committees have been careful, if not frugal, with spending NZSA subscription income. This means that the Association has been able to build up some reserves, even though subscription rates are very low by international standards. They have been able to be kept so only because a number of the members donate a considerable amount of free time. I have become more aware of the range of activities that the Association encompasses since becoming President, and the extent of these personal contributions. The preparations for the next NZSA Conference, the development of a branch in Wellington and very likely one in Otago, and the work of the Education Subcommittee come immediately to mind, if only because I have recently been directly involved, but there are, of course, others. In addition to these activities, which clearly form part of the NZSA’s brief, there are statistical projects outside of the Association. These are occasionally accompanied by requests to NZSA for funding support from statistics-related groups or individuals. NZSA is very fortunate to have recently received the Campbell bequest funds. Follow this link for recommendations on how this money should best be managed and allocated. The major question is whether to distribute all the capital involved, a sum close to $50,000, or to use this as a reserve fund and make annual or biannual allocations that leave the principal intact. The same issue arises with any funds that NZSA is presently holding in reserve. It is certainly very much easier to spend or allocate such funds than it has been to accumulate them. With the Association’s reserve funds there is also the open question of whether they were originally collected (generally from subscriptions) on a basis that allows the capital to be distributed in this way. It is important, I think, that decisions about any provision of NZSA funds to external statistical causes, however worthy, are not made on an ad hoc basis. I look forward to the Exec formulating a clear policy and procedures on this matter that are both in the best interests of the Association and its members, and also provide support for more general statistical causes without putting the Association’s finances in jeopardy, or consistently running the annual budget at a loss. My nine or ten years as Convenor of the Survey Appraisals and Public Questions Committee left me very aware of how our professional responsibilities extend to the wider community. I am also aware that being able to take such broader responsibility is dependent on the maintenance of the goodwill and a sense of shared direction among our members and the continued financial viability of the Association. Your views as members would be appreciated. Steve Haslett