ARTICLE : PRESIDENT’S ANNUAL REPORT

 August 2003 – President’s Annual Report

It has been a busy year for the Society.   I would like to thank all those members who have contributed in so many ways to the running of BotSoc, to the study of botany, and to the protection and management of indigenous ecosystems.

Field Trips

We have had a successful programme of 16 trips, with attendances totalling 244 people – average 15.3 per trip:

Thanks to Sunita Singh for organising the programme, to field trip leaders, speakers, and to Joyce Wilson for organising the food for our summer camp.

Evening Meetings

We moved to Victoria University’s Murphy Building Lecture Theatre 101 in 2002, after many years of using Kirk Lecture Theatre 301.   We thank Professor Phil Garnock-Jones and Paulette Stenhouse, for making available these lecture theatres, and their teaching aids.

With a programme of nine excellent speakers on fascinating topics, we had attendances totalling 339 people – average 37.6 per meeting.   We thank Julia White for promoting the programme through her e-mail contact, and George Jones.

Publications

We thank:
• Dr Carol West for editing WBS bulletin 48, September 2002.
• John Sawyer, our new editor, who is nearing publication of WBS bulletin 49.
• Jeremy Rolfe for formatting WBS bulletin 48, and the three issues of the newsletter.
• Ian Goodwin for designing a questionnaire sent to recipients of complimentary newsletters, and for summarising trip reports for inclusion in the NZ Botanical Society Newsletter.
• Lithoprint Ltd for printing 450 copies of WBS bulletin 48, and NZ Print Ltd for printing 600 copies of each of our newsletters.
• All contributors to our bulletin and newsletter, and the committee members who maintain the membership list and do the mail-outs.
• NZ Post’s Community Post for 350 postage-paid envelopes to use when promoting BotSoc’s objects.
• Colin Benson, Julia White, and Ian Goodwin for teaching me computing skills, and bailing me out in crises close to the deadline.   Barbara Mitcalfe for use of her computer since 1993 until Colin Benson gave me a second-hand computer.

Electronic communications

Thanks to Julia White and Penny Currier for designing our website, and Penny Currier and Roger Currier for maintaining it.
Our Newsletter is now available to members by e-mail, and the programme is available to everyone with access to the Internet.

Membership

As at 18 August 2003, BotSoc had 195 financial members, 47 life members, and 110 members in arrears.   THE PROBLEM OF ARREARS IS SEVERELY STRAINING OUR FINANCES.   The 195 financial members include 12 families and 17 new members this year.   We look forward to your continued membership, and thank Jane Humble, Penny Currier and Roger Currier for maintaining our membership records.

NZ Plant Conservation Network

At a time when indigenous ecosystems are increasingly under threat, and professional botanists are struggling to stem the tide, the need for the botanical societies has never been greater.   We congratulate BotSoccers John Sawyer, Mike Oates, Tim Park and Barbara Mitcalfe, for their work as the committee which set up the network, and organised the inaugural meeting at Te Papa on 2 August.   The need for the network was shown by the attendance of 110 amateur and professional botanists from all over the country, and as far afield as Dunedin and Whangarei.

Te Marua Bush

Since 1989 BotSoc has been working on the restoration of this 0.6ha remnant of matai-totara-black maire forest near Upper Hutt.   We have had two workbees this year to plant more trees and to continue weed control, especially around our previous plantings.   Thanks to Greater Wellington Regional Council for its continuing support of our work, with funds for pest plant control by BotSoccer, Darryl Kee, and the presence of rangers at workbees.   Thanks also to BotSoccers Sue Millar and Glennis Shepperd who live nearby, so act as voluntary rangers.

Display boards

These boards, sponsored by the Department of Conservation, are proving invaluable for getting our message to the public.   They have been used at Otari-Wilton’s Bush Open Day, WCC’s Berhampore Nursery Open Day, two NZ Ecological Restoration Network meetings, and during Conservation Week at Wellington Anglican Cathedral and the Legislative Chamber’s Great Hall.   Thanks to Barbara Mitcalfe for designing and updating the display.

Secretary

Thanks to Barbara Clark for her work managing so much of BotSoc’s paperwork, including the printing of AP (Tony) Druce’s Trip Log.

Treasurer, Auditor

Thanks to Treasurer Jane Humble, to Rodney Lewington for his assistance with our accounts, and to Peter Beveridge for auditing them.   Jane is stepping down after three years in the job.

Submissions Co-ordinator

Thanks to Barbara Mitcalfe for preparing our many submissions and letters, all of which have helped to maintain BotSoc’s profile among bureaucrats and politicians in local, regional and central government.   She has attended numerous hearings to speak in support of our submissions.   Barbara is standing down after ten years in the job, but will continue to assist.

Awards

Thanks to Dr Patrick Brownsey, Prof. Phil Garnock-Jones and Dr Barry Sneddon for assessing applications for BotSoc’s Jubilee Award.   No award was made this year because none of the projects submitted met the criteria.

BotSoc wrote a letter in support of Dr Peter de Lange’s nomination of Colin Ogle for the HH Allan Mere Award which is sponsored by NZ Botanical Society.

We nominated Arnold and Ruth Dench for a Conservation Award and regret that our nomination was not successful.   We thank Arnold and Ruth for bringing plants to sell at each evening meeting, and donating the income to the Jubilee Award Fund.

Grants

Thanks to Rodney Lewington and Professor Phil Garnock- Jones for administering BotSoc’s Student Field Grants scheme.

Thanks to Joyce Wilson who liaised with N.I.W.A. about the Wellington Secondary Schools Science Fair, where we sponsored a prize.

Appointments

Congratulations to our nominee Bev Abbott who was appointed by the Minister of Conservation to the Wellington Conservation Board in November 2002.

Congratulations to Robyn Smith who, after seven years as supervisor at Percy Scenic Reserve, Lower Hutt, was appointed as horticultural team leader at Wellington Zoo, and has now taken up the position of Curator Manager, Otari- Wilton’s Bush.

Committee

Thanks to all members of our hard-working committee for dividing up BotSoc’s work between them, thus spreading the considerable workload.

Conclusion

The plant lists we prepare on our field trips help land-owners and land managers, to work towards implementing the NZ Biodiversity Strategy.   The pleasure which we derive from visiting natural areas is reward enough.   The knowledge that we gain about our indigenous flora, and then using that knowlege to promote its conservation, is an added bonus.   Happy botanising in the coming year!

Thank you for the honour of being elected as President for 2002/03.   I have enjoyed working with so many enthusiastic BotSoccers.

Chris Horne, President