President's Report to the Annual General Meeting

JETAA Wellington: President’s Report
27th March, 2008

The Wellington committee had its strategic planning meeting in April 2007 and mapped out a plan of events for the year. We considered the aims for the organisation and decided they were still valid for the year ahead.

Our social and promotional activities were guided by our planning session and 3 objectives:

➢ Support and promote the JET Programme

In May various volunteers from JETAA assisted with Embassy run events to support newly selected JETs. The teaching workshops held over the information weekend have been successfully coordinated by embassy/JETAA staff for the past four years, and volunteers this year were happy to take part in this organised and fun day of workshops. This was augmented by a follow-up ‘Omedetou drinks at JET bar’ the following week to congratulate the 2007 JETs leaving from Wellington. Around 15 people attended the drinks, which provided a valuable chance for communication and support for new JETs to be given.

It is hoped that the ‘Omedetou Afternoon’ will be held at Minoh House again in 2008, as this had been a successful way of providing an informal information session to the new JETs.

A number of JETAA volunteers were involved in pre-departure activities at the Japan Information and Cultural Centre (JICC), taking time out of work to attend the question and answer sessions. In Wellington I believe we are lucky enough to have a number of generous and highly motivated members of the chapter, which means that such events can go ahead and assist new JETs. JETAA Wellington is thankful to have so many members willing to give their time and effort in this way.

JET alumni Oceania Regional Conference (October 2007) was attended by Michael Allen and myself, and was held in Christchurch. A weekend of hot springs, wine tasting and networking with the S.I. representatives made for a highly productive weekend. Three chapters from NZ and five from Australia shared ideas on activities to support members and promote the JET Programme. The conference will be held in Melbourne in 2008.

➢ Support and encourage friendship among JET Programme alumni

JET alumni were able to enter their own artwork alongside that of local Japanese artists in the 2007 exhibition ‘To Japan with Love’ held at Thistle Gallery (August). Music and cultural performances were provided by Japan Society volunteers and over 40 artworks were exhibited; over 300 people viewed the art over the week. Paula Kerslake, Matt Campbell, Helen Kono and team did a fantastic job of putting on such an impressive exhibition. A sushi making evening was held in June, at a friend’s house in Seatoun Heights, with 35 attendees and a sushi chef who was hired for the evening. This self-funding evening proved that foodie events are always very popular with JETAA members.

A karaoke night was held in August, with smaller numbers than previous years. NZIS (New Zealand Institute of Sport) students were in attendance, which made for an interesting night (they are mainly rugby players). The Japan Society and other Wellington interest groups were welcomed once again in September for the 5th annual JETAA quiz night. Wellington and Auckland JETAA groups swapped quiz questions from previous year’s to lighten the workload. This year the committee were interested in a new venue for the event, and found Hell Bar in the CBD to be an excellent choice. Some field research went into this, with the committee meeting for quiz night practice for several weeks in the lead-up to the quiz; emails were sent out to JETAA members inviting them to join the team. At Hell Bar 5$ tabehodai pizza was negotiated for our JETAA quiz, and around 40 people attended. Joel Woodbury’s skills as quizmaster helped the evening become a big success; he gave the other participants a chance by not being in any team! New questions have already been acquired for another quiz from the S. Island chapter, so this event looks set to be held again in 2008.

In September the Sakura Festival at Palmerston North’s IPC (International Pacific College) was attended by JETAA Wellington committee members. All JETAA were invited to this, and promotional details about the scholarships IPC offer were circulated prior to the event. It was thought that to organise transport might be hard work, and the offer of a lift to the festival was considered a gesture. There were no new members joining this event, and as it was highly dependent on weather, may always be one which has limited appeal.

Alumni attended an annual bonenkai at Hede restaurant in December. The large amount of ‘teriyaki-anything’ was not hugely popular, and vegetarians were not best pleased by the ‘alternative’ menu on offer. Despite these shortfalls, the event was popular, and around 35 alumni attended.

➢ Support and encourage friendly relations between Japan and New Zealand

Two weekend trips were held this year which took alumni and friends out of Wellington: Onsen and Haiku weekend (October) and Tongariro Crossing weekend (January). The highly cultural but small group of 9 attended full-moon haiku viewing at five onsen sites around Rotorua, providing an excellent opportunity for those who loved Japanese onsen to relive their experiences. A big thanks must go to Chris Boorman for his vision and contribution to the weekend’s events (and for his haiku). A larger group of 25 attended the joint event (Auckland JETAA also in attendance) at the Tongariro National Park in January. Some brave souls even climbed Ngaruhoe. Former Wellington JETAA President Paul Irons is to be thanked for his valuable contribution to the organisation of this event. Auckland is interested in another joint event in June this year.

Japanese Film Night (October 2007) – jointly held with the Embassy, the Japanese film, Yojimbo, was selected by the committee and shown at the Film Archive theatre; over 40 people attended including representatives from the Japan Society who enjoyed the choice of film immensely. A mini film festival was held in January, with JETAA committee members volunteering time to introduce the JET programme before each movie. Otari-Wilton BBQ (Feb 2008) was attended by various people throughout the day including those with young families. A game of cricket was held in the afternoon rain – which was not enough to dampen spirits! The event was promoted through the Japanese mothers group and organised by Vice Pres. Katy McTeigue.

Future concerns for the Wellington chapter of JETAA will continue to be those of previous years: how to provide the right balance of events, how to offer popular events, how best to get people involved in the organisation, how to publicise what we do. While some of these challenges appear to be difficult to overcome, the committee enjoy making headway and offering a range of events for all members to get the chance of being involved in. I encourage all JETAA members here tonight to consider becoming part of the social committee, which is a low-key way of getting involved and possibly running an event of your own choice.

On behalf of the chapter, I’d like to thank the Embassy of Japan and the staff of the Japan Information and Cultural Centre for all their support over the last year – from providing a meeting space to supporting this Annual General Meeting. I’d like to express our gratitude to CLAIR for their continued support through their annual grant-in-aid. I’m grateful for the huge contribution made by the committee over the past year including Katy McTeigue (Vice President), Michael Allen (Treasurer), Brad Thompson (Secretary), and Helen Kono (Webmaster). A huge effort was put in by the art exhibition organisers, under the guidance of Paula Kerslake. Joel Woodbury, Snaiet Shalav, Daniel Woods, Chris Boorman, Jane Turner and Gary Blick have provided invaluable support for the association throughout the year. Unlike in some larger chapters internationally, Wellington JETAA is successful because of its volunteers (we are not paid). We are carrying on the good work done by previous presidents, and are thankful to be part of a very strong chapter of the JET alumni network worldwide. Many thanks for your continuing support.

Tara McIlroy
Wellington JETAA President 2007