Communications Report May 2021

Communications Officer Report for May 2021

I have taken on the role of Communications Officer until the end of the current Executive Term

 

The STANZ Executive met at St. Patrick’s College Wellington at the end of Term One. Here is a summary of decisions and discussions.

 

  • STANZ AGM

This was held on a Zoom Platform and a number of technicians from outside Wellington were in attendance and there were also a couple of local Technicians who attended in person. It included a Zoom Meeting with Chris Walker NZEI.

Chris bought us up to date with progress on our Pay Equity Claim which was lodged last year.

  • STANZ Executive meeting
    1. Helen Jordan from the ConSTANZ21 Organising Committee was present and bought the committee up to date with planning. (You may have noted that the ConSTANZ21 website is up and running and registrations are now open). Members can rest assured that planning for possible CoVID 19 eventualities is in progress. Hand sanitizer will be available at the venue for example. Keep watching scitech talk for details of the various Scholarships that will be available to help members attend the conference.
    2. Executive Elections for 2021-2023. Arwen Heyworth (retiring President) was appointed Returning Officer for this on- line election. Further details will be given as this term proceeds but do consider whether you or a colleague would be willing to stand for the election as there will be a number of vacancies to fill, we also do see the need for a wide geographical spread of members. Feel free to discuss this matter with any current Executive Member should you want more detail
    3. Privacy Policy. STANZ is required to develop a Privacy Policy and as a first step towards this we have appointed Monique Arts (Current Past President) to this role. There will a more formal discussion at the ConSTANZ21 General Meeting but in the short term we would like to mention that members have the right to opt out of any publicity photographs. The conference application form states that your photo may be used and give an opt-out option for this. Also note that any comment you post on Scitech talk may end up in Accumulated Wisdom with your name assigned. Photos may be used in Tech tonic newsletter so there will again be an opt- out option in due course.
    4. There was discussion about the HSNO exception for school laboratories which only applies to areas teaching science. Members need to be aware that this means areas like art, food technology and technology are not part of the Possible Responsibility of the Laboratory manager and that these subjects would have to adhere to the full HSNO regulations. Worksafe have said they would talk to MOE to clarify this issue. Arwen will send specific detail to members clarifying these changes as some lab managers were in charge of these areas previously.
    5. A reminder that STANZ has funding available for specific Cluster Groups or individuals to use for Professional Development opportunities. The details are available from the STANZ Website.
    6. We have decided to have a ‘member’s only’ section of our website to protect our collective intellectual property: look for details of this shortly.

 

  • Finally a reminder about the protocols to be followed by those posting to Scitech talk.
  • Keep the discussion to topics of interest to science technicians.
  • Keep posts to a reasonable length.
  • Be polite and considerate when commenting.
  • If you would like to thank someone, send it to their individual email rather than the group.
  • Do not send or reply to test emails.
  • Do not use icons in your email posts
  • Do not send copyright or paid content through scitechtalk Be aware and respectful of the intellectual property of members posting to scitechtalk
  • If you are unsure about your subscription, contact the Group Administrator, whose address can be found in the footer of all emails from Scitechtalk.
  • Respect the privacy of members and do not post photos or identifying material unless you have checked with the person involved. Be aware that attributed content may appear in Accumulated Wisdom or Tech Tonic unless you specifically ask that you not be identified.

 

 

David Cook

Health & Safety Officer

Acting Communications Officer

STANZ

[email protected]