2010 Annual Report |
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Chairman's Report
Year Ended 31 March 2010
We also recognise the support we get from their all of their staff, in particular Allan McKinnon who has taken up a new position back in Canberra and Mark Pearson who continues here in Japan. To Alan’s successor, Brendon Hammer, let me say “welcome” and we all look forward to working with you.
The trade and business promotion frontline teams led by Liz Masamune at Austrade and Shaun Conroy at New Zealand Trade & Enterprise work very closely with us and we appreciate their continued support and assistance.
We thank our Platinum Sponsors this year – the Australian Embassy, Austrade, the Australian and New Zealand Banking Group, BHP Billiton, the Commonwealth Bank, Meat and Livestock Australia, the National Australia Bank, and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
Thank you to our other sponsors, we very much appreciate what you do for the Chamber. We have listed all of our sponsors in the AGM Pack, so please take note of who has been supporting your Chamber.
My fellow Executive Council members – Treasurer Ryann Thomas, Vice-Chairs Melanie Brock and David Devlin, members Geoff Dossor, Steve Burson, Bryn Rowdon, Glen Feist, Alison Airey, Ben Austin, Paul Butler, Jon Sparks, and Committee Chairs who have served at some point throughout the year, Paul Butler, Geoff Dossor, Joe Gayton, Glen Feist, Chris Glenn, Darren Morrish, Chris Hodgens, Emil Gorgees, Alan Lind, Jon Sparks, Paul Jones, Paul Previtera, Dean Page, Ryann Thomas and Shannon Walker all spent time, effort and money for the Chamber’s benefit. Please join me in thanking them.
Let me also thank the Chubu Branch steering committee of Chris Glenn, Declan Murphy, Steve Burson, Bryce Conlan, James Hanna, and Sally Philips for their success in flying the flag in Chubu.
In Osaka, I would like to recognise the efforts of Mark Roth, Darren Morrish, Derek Hamilton, Raymond Tait, Cindy Lineburg and Chris Rees in getting the Kansai Branch up and running.
The Chamber is only as successful as its membership decides it will be. Any success we have enjoyed has come off the back of our members’ continued support, so thank you everyone for ensuring our Chamber continues to evolve and succeed. Please keep supporting your Chamber!
Personally, I would like to thank our previous Chairman Tim Lester and our Lifetime Honorary Membership holder Bill Hall, for their advice to me over the past year – I have found it invaluable.
2. ANZCCJ Progress & Activity
The Asahi on April 17th reported that 47,000 foreigners departed Japan in the wake of the Lehman Shock. Sadly some of our members were part of that diaspora, as they relocated back home or to third countries, as their companies’ positions here suffered because of the Global Financial Crisis. Some of our members lost their jobs completely or suffered financially in the global meltdown.
This last year has been hell for many of us, myself included.
2009/2010 saw a decline in membership of 15%. We currently have 264 members represented in the Chamber. This decline, while it is in line with the experience of the other chambers here in Japan, still hurts!
This has been an active year of events - 71 compared to 78 in the previous year. The full list of events is also included in the full AGM Pack.
The Chamber attended a special event at the Australian Embassy for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd during his visit to Japan last December.
It was a great pleasure to welcome back Australian Minister for Trade the Hon Simon Crean MP and to meet his counterpart New Zealand Minister for Trade, the Hon Tim Groser MP.
We had an unfortunate incident between our two countries called the Bledisloe Cup, which despite the result for the Wallabies, did provide an excellent networking opportunity for our members.
Last year the Chamber was able to avail our members of the opportunity to attend the Tokyo Chamber run Australia-Japan Symposium at which Mr. Shinzo Abe, previous Prime Minister, was the keynote speaker.
In October, the 47th Japan-Australia Joint Business Conference was held in Tokyo. The 48th Conference will be held in my hometown of Brisbane from 10 -12th October.
The 36th Annual Joint Meeting of the Japan New Zealand Business Council took place in October. The 37th Annual Joint Meeting will be held in Tauranga from 6-8th October.
These are important conferences, so if you have the chance to attend it is well worthwhile.
We attended the regional Chamber Forum held in Hong Kong, at which was signed a Memorandum of Understanding with 12 other Australian Chambers in Asia for the development of regional Australian Chamber co-operation. The aim is to increase the connectivity and mutual benefit between Chambers and businesses across Asia which will ultimately benefit you, the members.
Last year saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Kea which promotes the interests of the New Zealand business community around the world.
As you will recall, we gathered funds in the wake of the Victorian Bushfires and were pleased to use those funds to assist the re-establishment of the tourism industry in the Marysville Triangle Area. Again, I would like to thank all those who supported our charity appeal for your contributions.
After a long wait, many iterations, much debugging and a lot of effort, the Chamber's new website is finally completed. Over the weekend we will transition to the new site which will be available for business from Monday. We have gone with the most up to date technology to ensure we can run our Chamber as efficiently as possible. Please take a look and let us know what you think. A lot of the new features are in the “engine room” and will be hidden from the general user’s view, however these will significantly help the operations of the Chamber.
3. A Look at 2010-2011
Survival gets your attention; in fact it gets all of your attention.
Our members have been totally occupied with staying afloat over the last year, and certain Chamber activities originally planned back at the strategic planning meeting in 2007 were neither timely nor appropriate over the last year.
It is timely and appropriate now to hold a fresh planning meeting, to encompass the direction the Chamber needs to take over the next few years in this post meltdown world.
One of the big questions we will have to grapple with is “whither Japan over the next decade?”.
Are we all admiring the slivers of silky moonlight radiating over a dark sea, while leaning on the rails of the Titanic?
“Japan passing” or “Japan nothing” - which is the future?
Value? Gravitas? Relevance?
Whither Japan and whither the Chamber and our businesses?
We stand on the brink, as a Chamber, are we to remain observers or architects of our fortune?
With APEC activities being hosted here in Japan this year, there will be many opportunities to interact with decision makers from our two countries.
It also presents the chance to make points about Japan’s continued significance as a business partner.
We need to grab these opportunities with both hands.
4. General Acknowledgements
On behalf of our members I would like to thank Executive Director Katherine Nozaki and Operations Manager Deborah Lee for the good work they have done throughout the year.
We are fortunate to have a full time secretariat and to have such dedication from our two staff members.
A large part of the work of the Chairman is done outside of the meetings, so it goes unseen, but there is no doubt I could not get through the work required without the help of Katherine and Deborah.
Thank you very much for your support for me both professionally and personally.
I would like to remind everyone that this Sunday there is the ANZAC Day remembrance at the Yokohama Commonwealth War Cemetery at Hodogaya. The maps and details of how to get there are on the New Zealand Embassy’s website in the section on the Relationship between New Zealand and Japan, as they are this year’s hosts for the event.
The ceremony begins at 9.00am.
It is a worthwhile experience, so if you have the opportunity to attend please do so, and while you are down there, maybe enjoy the delights of Yokohama for the rest of the day.
Let me conclude my report by thanking all of you for your support for me during the year. The Chamber is a living organism and it is the culmination of all of our efforts, so thank you for your support and I look forward to a much better year ahead!
Thank you.
Dr. Greg Story
Hon. Chairman 2008-2010
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