new zealand computer society inc. report from council and … report from council and exec.pdf ·...

NZCS Report from Council and Executive, 2009

New Zealand Computer Society Inc.

Report from Council and Executive, 2009

Authored by:

Don Robertson, President

Paul Mathews, CEO


About The New Zealand Computer Society NZCS is the body of ICT professionals in New Zealand, and works hard to improve both the professional development and education of those working with computers and technology, as well as the education and digital literacy of the country as a whole

NZCS VISION STATEMENT To advance ICT Professionalism and Education for the benefit of New Zealand.

NZCS MISSION STATEMENT NZCS promotes education and sets policies, standards and practices for ICT in New Zealand.

NZCS works with ICT professionals, government, the industry and the community to increase the professionalism and expertise of those working in the ICT sector (and hence the professional standing and reputation of our profession).

Society representatives also actively represent the profession and the sector on many different policy and standards-setting boards across NZ and the world.

Our members are typically those that place a high priority on professionalism in the delivery of ICT solutions and have committed to improving the standards of the ICT industry. Professional membership of the Society requires a proven dedication to professionalism plus a combination of education and experience, plus a commitment to the Society's Code of Ethics.

Put simply, our members believe professionalism matters in IT.

The NZCS also works closely with a number of international collaborative organisations such as the

IFIP and SEARCC, as well as our kindred societies across the globe (including the ACS, BCS, ACM,

CIPS, and IEEE Computer Societies). See a full listing of NZCS partners at the end of this document.

NZCS Directory

New Zealand Computer Society Incorporated

Ground Floor, 158 The Terrace Phone: (04) 473 1043 PO Box 10044 Toll free: 0800 252 255 Wellington 6011 Fax: (04) 473 1025

General Enquiries [email protected] Membership Information [email protected] Event Info & Registrations [email protected] Accounts Enquiries [email protected] Scholarships [email protected] Webmaster [email protected]

http://www.ifip.or.at/

http://www.searcc.org/

http://www.acs.org.au/

http://www.bcs.org/

http://www.acm.org/

http://www.cips.ca/

http://www.computer.org/

mailto:[email protected]







Table of Contents

About The New Zealand Computer Society ........................................................................................ 2

NZCS Directory .................................................................................................................................... 2

President’s Report 2009 ............................................................................................................... 4

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 4

Strategy Initiatives .............................................................................................................................. 5

Chief Executive’s Report 2009 ...................................................................................................... 7

2009: A Significant Year for ICT in New Zealand ............................................................................ 9

Professional Certification - ITCP Launches! ........................................................................................ 9

New Digital Literacy Division formed .................................................................................................. 9

Digital Technologies Expert Panel - Schools Curriculum ..................................................................... 9

New Membership/Events System in place ....................................................................................... 10

Dangerous Copyright changes defeated - Section 92a ..................................................................... 10

ICT-Connect - Putting ICT Professionals in the Classroom ................................................................ 10

NZCS Joins International IP3 Partnership.......................................................................................... 10

Professional Knowledge Curriculum launched ................................................................................. 10

Another successful NZCS Programming Contest .............................................................................. 10

NZCS launches new brand and strategy ........................................................................................... 11

NZCS President elected to global ICT Board ..................................................................................... 11

Students of NZCS (SNZCS) Launches ................................................................................................. 11

NZCS supports Imagine Cup, yMedia Challenge and Summer of Code ............................................ 11

Specialist Groups formed: Young IT Professionals and AI SG ........................................................... 11

IT Code of Practice Released to Sector ............................................................................................. 12

New Code of Professional Conduct proposed .................................................................................. 12

Conferences, Events, and much much more... ................................................................................. 12

In summary ....................................................................................................................................... 12

Membership .............................................................................................................................. 13

Honorary Fellows of the NZCS (HFNZCS) .......................................................................................... 13

Fellows of the NZCS [FNZCS] ............................................................................................................. 13

NZCS Council 2009/10 ................................................................................................................ 14

Executive ........................................................................................................................................... 14

Branch-elected Councillors ............................................................................................................... 14

NZCS Branch Committee Chairs 2009 .......................................................................................... 15

NZCS Corporate and Education Partners ..................................................................................... 16

Affiliated and Associated Kindred Partners ................................................................................. 17

New Zealand Kindred Partners ......................................................................................................... 17

International Kindred Partners ......................................................................................................... 17


President’s Report 2009

Introduction 2009 has been another very busy year for the Society. The Society is continuing to grow and

strengthen as the independent ICT professional body covering the full spectrum of IT, from students

through to the most senior IT professionals in New Zealand, all sharing a passion for advancing the

ICT Profession.

The very ambitious programme of improvement in both operations and strategic initiatives has been

successfully delivered. I should add this has been achieved by the dedication of the both the

permanent staff and volunteers who have worked considerable additional hours often at personal

sacrifice of their own time. I would like to thank you all on behalf of the members and the

community for a job well done.

It is pleasing to see that the efforts are being rewarded in the uptake of many of the initiatives. 2009

saw the significant milestone for the New Zealand ICT industry with the introduction of the

Information Technology Certified Professional (ITCP) standard. This is benchmark was long overdue

and a mark of the success of this programme is the continued grow with 272 certified professional

and another 255 applications in progress. This is without a full marketing promotional programme

to the wider ICT market place.

There has been a noticeable increase in membership growth largely due to the introduction of ITCP

and the national events programme, plus the increasing profile of the Society and other activities.

The engagement with Government, Ministries, Industry, and Academia is continuing to bear fruit

with enhanced cooperation, understanding and progress on a number of fronts including raising the

profile and credibility of NZCS as the body representing practising ICT professionals. This includes a

number of exciting initiatives planned to be rolled out in 2010. Internationally NZCS is continuing to

engage with our kindred organisations and this is paying off with positive cooperation and opening

access to a wealth of information to the Society and our members.

We have continued to work with the Ministry of Education as advisors to the implementation of new

and more relevant Achievement Standards and a computing curriculum in schools which will evolve

into a separate subject alongside Maths, English and other subject streams. This is a direct result of

the work by a number of NZCS members.

During 2009 I was able to represent New Zealand and the Society at the World IT Forum (WITFOR)

held in Hanoi Vietnam. WITFOR is the IT forum for developing nations run by IFIP. This provided an

insight into the innovation and speed which the developing countries are moving to upskill their

population and build ICT infrastructures to enable them to develop and compete on the

international stage.

Following WITFOR I attend the IFIP General Assembly where I was quite unexpectedly honoured to

be elected to the IFIP board as the councillor representing the Member Societies with the role to

chair the Member Society Relationship Committee and the new member Admissions Committee.

This provides New Zealand with a direct link to the international body that represents the ICT

profession on the world stage.


I would like to thank the Council and Executive for their hard work during 2009. We have overseen a

very challenging programme of change which I am sure will enable NZCS to continue to grow and

increase value to our members and to New Zealand in general.

After considerable thought we took the decision to restructure the operations of the subsidiary

company Computing New Zealand Ltd to bring the International Computing Drivers License (ICDL)

programme into NZCS under the Digital Literacy Division banner. This will be followed by a full

programme in 2010 to reinvigorate and expand the offerings of ICT education and certification to

the general public, communities and students across New Zealand.

This restructure enable the successful software escrow business to be refocused with a view to

expanding and growing this enterprise over coming years.

We have planned another full and challenging programme for 2010 and would encourage members

to get involved with these initiatives. Without your help we will not achieve the momentum we

would like.

Special thanks to the Operations staff ably led by CEO Paul Matthews. This small team manage to

achieve amazing result every year.

Lastly 2010 is the Society’s 50th Anniversary year. There will be a programme of celebrations

throughout 2010 culminating in a national conference/celebration in September. I invite you to join

in and help celebrate this significant milestones of your society and wider sector.

Strategy Initiatives In late 2009 the Council carried out the annual review of the strategic direction and updated the

strategy and goals to be the following:

Mission: To advance ICT Professionalism and Education for the benefit of New Zealand.

Vision: NZCS promotes education and sets policies, standards and practices for ICT in

New Zealand.

Updated Goals for 2012:

1. Education and Digital Literacy

NZCS advances Education by fostering ICT education, training and qualifications to raise the

level of digital literacy in New Zealand.

2. Certification

NZCS Professional ICT certification is in place and widely accepted in New Zealand.

3. Experiential Knowledge

The NZCS body of knowledge, research and innovation significantly contributes to the

success of ICT practice in New Zealand.


4. Independent Advice

Certified members of NZCS are the source of authoritative independent advice on ICT in New

Zealand

5. Advocacy for ICT Education and Professionalism

NZCS proactively addresses key ICT issues while advocating productive, widespread ICT use

in New Zealand in accordance with NZCS ethical and professional standards.

I am pleased to report that significant progress has been made on all fronts. Additionally there has

been a continuing lift in public relations with press releases, and media enquires requesting

comment from the Society on a range of matters. NZCS is regarded by many as the leading trly

independent ICT organisation in New Zealand, and comment is frequently sought.

We have also experienced an increase in requests for independent professional advice that we have

been able to provide through our professional members.

Thanks for another great year!

Don Robertson

President


Chief Executive’s Report 2009

Wow, what a year 2009 has been for NZCS and IT in NZ.

Although I'm sure we were not alone, at the end of 2009 there were a few weary faces at the NZCS

offices, looking forward to a much needed break and a spot of fishing as we wind down from what

has quite possibly been the most fundamental year for ICT in New Zealand in a long time.

As an organisation, we generally don't rave about our successes, preferring to let them speak for

themselves as we quietly start on the next thing. However, frankly, I'm making an exception this

time around. Our team has worked incredibly hard in 2009 - staff and volunteers alike - and I'm

immensely proud of what we've achieved over the 12 months.

One indicator of success of an organisation such as ours is membership stats. Whilst it isn't actually

the be-all and end-all, it does give us an indication of what the larger ICT community are thinking; If

people truly believe in what we're trying to achieve and how we're going about it they will want to

be a part of it.

This year New Zealand's been faced with economic conditions that will be remembered as some of

the toughest in recent history. We've sadly lost a number of members due to personal economic

circumstances and we hope that as things improve these members will re-join. However despite this,

we've still achieved an approximate 20% net gain in membership over the year, and climbing fast.

Individual Membership Levels - 2009

But here's an even more interesting statistic:

Around 35% of our current membership joined in 2009.

Yes, 1 in 3 of our members are new in 2009. That's significant in anyone's language and if you're one

of them, welcome aboard!


Paul Matthews

Chief Executive

As you can see from the list of main activities below, NZCS has been hugely active in a range of

projects and initiatives. However behind the scenes we've also achieved great things. From an

administrative perspective, there's been an ongoing and significant cleanup of processes and the

membership register (accounting for another chunk of members departed - those that were not

active from previous years).

We've also helped progress a great many initiatives both within NZCS and externally. As well as

working directly with Government Ministers and Officials, NZCS senior staff and members have been

appointed to various IT-related Boards, Panels and Committees across New Zealand, and, indeed,

across the world.

We've had our share of ups and downs along the way, however looking back, I'm proud of what we

achieved in 2009. New Zealand now has independent certification for senior IT Professionals. We

now have significant changes occurring in the school curriculum and achievement standards. We

have a Code of Practice for our sector as well as active engagement with students, the IT

Professionals of the future, and much, much more.

And most importantly, through the efforts in 2009 we have credibility. Not just credibility for NZCS,

the organisation that has made all this happen (and much more besides), but real credibility for our

members, and recognition that NZCS members and ITCP certified professionals are a community of

true professionals. Those letters on our members' business cards and lines in their CVs make a true,

professional statement, and a statement that is increasingly difficult to ignore.

We've listed some of the main achievements and projects of NZCS over 2009 in the following pages,

and with even more planned for 2010, it's going to be another great year.

We're also proud to have continued to work with all other significant ICT-related groups,

associations and organisations in New Zealand, and in 2009 welcomed NZICT to the scene (a

business association for ICT vendors, aligned with BusinessNZ) which has made a considerable

impact in the short time it's been operating. Well done, Brett and the team.


2009: A Significant Year for ICT in New Zealand 2009 was a very significant year for ICT in New Zealand, with a huge range of initiatives launched or underway. The following is a list of some of the more high-profile activities NZCS has been involved with over the last 12 months:

Professional Certification - ITCP Launches! After 49 years, NZCS were very proud to launch independent certification of senior IT Professionals in 2009.

This was seen by many as the most significant announcement in IT in New Zealand since day dot, and an absolute cornerstone to IT being viewed as a true profession. Almost every other profession or vocation already has independent professional certification in place, as does IT in many countries overseas.

ITCP has been hugely successful with over 500 working through the process and almost 300 having submitted applications in the 2.5 months it has been available, around 20% above projected takeup for this stage in the project and growing fast.

ITCP has gained support from every significant nationwide ICT organisation, as well as Government (both at Ministerial and Official level), academia, and the industry as a whole.

You can find out more about ITCP at www.itcp.co.nz

New Digital Literacy Division formed The year began with the announcement that NZCS had formed a new fully staffed Digital Literacy Division to tackle the issue of core computing skills in New Zealand.

This division has been beavering away in the background most of the year and will be making a series of very significant announcements in the New Year, including revolutionalising how digital literacy is measured and considered in New Zealand, and a series of projects designed to significantly assist communities with the greatest needs.

Stay tuned - it'll be huge!

Digital Technologies Expert Panel - Schools Curriculum As with 2008, NZCS was at the forefront of changes to Computing and ICT Education in schools in 2009 and helped progress what is becoming very significant change in this area.

Following consultation with the Ministry of Education, the Digital Technologies Expert Panel was formed, made up of NZCS, ICT teachers, academics, industry folks and other stakeholders to make a series of recommendations to the Ministry about the structure of ICT education in schools in the future. These recommendations were, for the most part, accepted, are the changes indicated are now well underway.

http://www.itcp.co.nz/


A full December update on this work is available on the NZCS website. We strongly recommend anyone with an interest in ICT in schools read the update.

New Membership/Events System in place At the start of the year we also completed implementation of a new Membership and Events Management System which has considerably streamlined the operations of NZCS. We hope you've found registering for events and managing your membership to be greatly simplified as a result.

Dangerous Copyright changes defeated - Section 92a Along with other organisations, NZCS were at the forefront of objections over the proposed Section 92a of the Copyright Act - the section that had the potential to force ISPs to disconnect the internet from families, schools, businesses and libraries based on accusations of copyright infringement (eg if someone downloaded their favourite song).

NZCS strongly supports the notion of copyright, however the draconian and out of proportion nature and potential outcome of this law was simply unacceptable.

ICT-Connect - Putting ICT Professionals in the Classroom ICT-Connect, a project which saw NZCS members and other ICT Professionals giving presentations in schools, was piloted in Christchurch, Wellington and Hawkes Bay in 2009.

The project was designed to introduce school students to the versatile and broad options available in ICT, as well as creating a connection between the ICT teaching community and the local ICT professional community.

The ICT-Connect Pilot was a resounding success. the feedback was amazing, and several hundred other schools have indicated they wish to take part in 2010.

NZCS Joins International IP3 Partnership On the international stage, 2009 also saw NZCS joining the international IP3 Partnership, providing a vehicle for NZCS to assist other developing societies around the world. NZCS CEO sits on the Board of this initiative.

In 2010 NZCS will seek to have ITCP Accredited under this programme, meaning formal international recognition of our certified professionals.

Professional Knowledge Curriculum launched NZCS also developed and released the ICT Professional Knowledge Curriculum, listing the non-technical knowledge ICT Professionals should possess. This ties in with other guidelines and documents (such as the Code of Practice) to help provide resources to those entering or growing within ICT in New Zealand.

Another successful NZCS Programming Contest The annual NZCS Programming Competition ran again in 2009, with teams from schools, tertiary institutions and companies competing across the country. This was a very successful and well supported event.


NZCS launches new brand and strategy 2009 also saw a significant re-brand of NZCS to better reflect the new strategy and direction of the organisation.

This wasn't just a change of logo; this change represented the fundamental shift in mindset and direction during 2008 and 2009, with NZCS continuing to develop as ICT's professional body and helping advance the ICT Profession as well as providing significant educational benefit to the public at large.

NZCS President elected to global ICT Board Don Robertson, NZCS President, was elected to the global Board of IFIP, the International Federation for Information Processing. IFIP is the premier global ICT federation, representing bodies from around 55 countries and collectively over a million ICT Professionals worldwide.

This is the most senior position a New Zealander has ever held in IFIP.

Students of NZCS (SNZCS) Launches The Students of NZCS (SNZCS) Programme also launched in 2009, helping create networks of ICT students both within and between campuses throughout New Zealand. This project is designed to build ICT communities amongst our student bodies and significantly ease the transition from student to professional via a series of events, projects and initiatives.

The SNZCS will continue to develop and grow through 2010.

NZCS supports Imagine Cup, yMedia Challenge and Summer of Code The Society was also proud to be strategically partnered, or associated, with the three most significant student ICT projects in New Zealand - the Imagine Cup, yMedia Challenge and Summer of Code.

Each of these has been designed to make a real difference to the development of the students taking part.

These projects are hugely important and help students grow significantly - NZCS is proud to be associated with all three.

Specialist Groups formed: Young IT Professionals and AI SG 2009 also saw a number of Specialist Groups form or plan to form in 2010.

Those launched in 2009 included the new Young IT Professionals Group (YITPG) and Artificial Intelligence Specialist Group (NZCS AI-SG), with groups forming in early 2010 including a security group, ICT Women's group, and several others.

If you're interested in taking part in the AI Specialist Group, simply sign up to the online portal at http://nzaisg.ning.com/

http://nzaisg.ning.com/


IT Code of Practice Released to Sector NZCS were very proud to release the new IT Code of Practice for New Zealand in 2009, a guideline to good practice in IT.

The Code of Practice will be heavily promoted as a base guideline of practice for IT professionals, organisations, and in fact anyone involved in the delivery of IT services in our country.

The Code covers key practices common to all disciplines within IT (such as conflicts of interest, competency, methods and tools, workload and representation), as well as key practices around project and relationship management, security, change management and others specific areas. There's also a section on Education and Research, as well as business-related IT practice.

New Code of Professional Conduct proposed The Society also put together a new Code of Professional Conduct to replace the existing Code of Ethics.

The new Code is built on the same foundation as the Code of Ethics, however helps clarify and simplify the Code to ensure member gain a greater understanding of their professional requirements.

The Code of Professional Conduct requires a Special General Meeting (SGM) to formally adopt, scheduled to run after the AGM in 2010.

Conferences, Events, and much much more... NZCS held over 100 educational and networking events across New Zealand in 2009, catering for a great many communities and interests.

Additionally, NZCS supported almost every significant ICT conference throughout the country, also gaining a discount for NZCS members to attend most major ICT events in New Zealand.

In summary NZCS made a real difference in 2009. We're an organisation that "does stuff" rather than talking about it, and we're proud of what we achieved - combining a 50 year history with a zest for making a difference.

The projects listed above are only a portion of the projects and initiatives NZCS were involved with in 2009, and we really believe 2009 will be remembered as the year that the ICT sector in New Zealand turned a corner and joined the global ICT profession.

Thanks again to those who were involved in these and other projects. As well as the core NZCS team, around 100 ICT Professionals volunteered their time and energies in various capacities this year, and if you were one of them, we salute you.


Membership

Honorary Fellows of the NZCS (HFNZCS) From time to time the Society recognises the significant long-term contribution made by an individual to the ICT sector or NZCS by conferring the title of Honorary Fellow of the NZCS (HFNZCS).

Honorary Fellow is the highest honour that can be bestowed on an individual in the ICT profession and is very highly regarded both in New Zealand and around the world.

Current Honorary Fellows are:

Prof Mark Apperley, HFNZCS John Good, HFNZCS Prof Philip Sallis, HFNZCS

Dr Colin Boswell, HFNZCS Derham McAven, HFNZCS Sir Gil Simpson, HFNZCS

Prof Bevan Clarke, HFNZCS Bruce Moon, HFNZCS Nicola Walmsley, HFNZCS

Hon David Cunliffe, HFNZCS Jack Morgan, HFNZCS Hon Maurice Williamson, HFNZCS

Prof Bob Doran, HFNZCS Ralph Norris, HFNZCS Donald Wilson, HFNZCS

Rod Drury, HFNZCS Chris Potter, HFNZCS Laurence Zwimpfer, HFNZCS

Gillian Eadie, HFNZCS Dr John Robinson, HFNZCS

Fellows of the NZCS [FNZCS] Fellow status is only achieved by those that hold a position of eminence or authority within the

discipline of Information Technology.

The Society's Fellows represent a unique base of knowledge and skills that underpin all aspects of

the Society and help ensure that we maintain our status as the society of IT Professionals.

The current NZCS Fellows (FNZCS) are:

George Allan Mike Harte Ian Mitchell

John Beatson Jim Higgins Prof Steve Reeves

Dr Robert Biddle Alison Holt Gillian Reid

Brian Boutel Ian Howard Clive Smallman

Douglas Brown Robert Irving Brett Sumner

Dr Brian Cox Neil James Felix Tan

Sally Jo Cunningham Dr Lech Janczewski Chai Keong Toh

Ray Delany Dr Peter Komisarczuk Miles Trent

Sriyan De Silva Professor Nikola Kasabov Dr Henry (Hank) Wolfe

Ralph Green Warren Marett Prof Wai Yeap

Perce Harpham Andrew Mason Alison Young

Alan McKinnon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Simpson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Cunliffe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Williamson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Norris

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Drury


NZCS Council 2009/10 The National Council is the governing body of the NZ Computer Society and is responsible

for the overall governance, direction and functions of the Society. The Council is has an Executive (President, Deputy President and CEO) plus a representative from each branch.

Executive The Executive is responsible for the day-to-day running and management of the Society under the governance and direction of the full Council. The CEO sits on Council in a non-voting capacity.

Paul Matthews Chief Executive

Don Robertson NZCS President

Dave Cowman Deputy President

Branch-elected Councillors Each of the five Society branches elects a National Council representative to serve on the Council. Councillors serve for a 2-year term and can then be elected for additional 1-year terms.

Ian Mitchell

Auckland Branch

Jo Komisarczuk Wellington Branch

David Hallett

Waikato/BOP Branch

Steve Davis

Canterbury Branch

Anthony Dowling

Otago Branch


NZCS Branch Committee Chairs 2009 The NZCS is a truly nationwide organisation with branches throughout the country. Each branch coordinates a range

of local events, furthers the organisation's interests in their region, provides valuable feedback through to the

national organisation, and helps ensure we maintain a truly nationwide agenda.

Each branch has an active Branch Committee which coordinates local activities of the NZCS. The following were the

Branch Chairs in 2009:

Peter Cornelius Auckland Branch Chair

David Hallett Waikato Branch Chair

Paul Webb Wellington Branch Chair

Mehdi Asgarkhani Canterbury Branch Chair

Sam Mann Otago Branch Chair


NZCS Corporate and Education Partners The Society is very appreciative of the support received from our Corporate and Educational Partners:


Affiliated and Associated Kindred Partners The NZCS is part of an international community of professional bodies, working together to improve

the delivery and standards of ICT globally.

New Zealand Kindred Partners Association of Local Government Information management (ALGIM)

Canterbury Software Cluster

Employers and Manufacturer’s Association (EMA)

NZ ICT Group (NZICT)

Internet NZ (INZ)

Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ)

National Advisory Committee of Computer Qualifications (NACCQ)

Project Management Institute of New Zealand (PMINZ)

Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ)

Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand (TUANZ)

International Kindred Partners

Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

Australian Computer Society (ACS)

British Computer Society (BCS)

Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS)

Centre of the International Cooperation for Computerization (CICC)

Hong Kong Computer Society (HKCS)

IEEE Computer Society (IEEE CS)

International Federation for Information Processors (IFIP)

Indian Computer Society (ICS)

Malaysia Computer Society (MCS)

Pakistan Computer Society (PCS)

Philippines Computer Society (PCS)

Singapore Computer Society (SCS)

South East Asia Regional Computer Confederation (SEARCC)

South Pacific Computer Society (SPACS)

Sri Lanka Computer Society (SLCS)

new zealand computer society inc. report from council and … report from council and exec.pdf ·...

Documents