President's Column - December 2020
Poipoia te kakano, kia puawai. Nurture the seed and it will blossom.
Kia ora koutou
The whakatauki above seems particularly apt as we farewell a year that has been unprecedented in so many ways. With the Christmas break comes a time for celebration, connection and renewal. Each of you, your kaimahi / workmates and whānau have managed to navigate a rollercoaster of changes in how we live and work over the course of this year.
As a profession, we have been called on to help our workplaces respond to dramatic changes in how and where our people work. The in-house legal community is a very small but important part of our “team of 5 million”, so thank you on behalf of ILANZ for all that you have done this year to help our workplaces adapt and grow and make it through.
We’re off-to-the-races in our planning and preparation for the ILANZ Conference 2021. Like me, many of you will have missed being able to go to conference this year. We’re designing next year’s event to be resilient and adaptable, so we can’t wait to see you there -- hopefully in person (or online if we need to!).
A big thank you to our valued partners: Bell Gully, Deloitte and Dentons Kensington Swan and to our Satellite Network champions for your ongoing support of ILANZ – especially during this challenging year. You have helped to connect and develop our 2700 in-house lawyers in a way that wouldn’t be possible without your effort and energy. We also have some significant plans in the pipeline for next year to start bringing our members together more regularly in major centres. This supports one of our strategic priorities at ILANZ – better connecting our members. I look forward to sharing more details on this in the new year.
And finally, we’re seeking an exceptional candidate for the ILANZ Manager role. The role and position description are advertised on Seek and the NZLS website. If you know someone who might be interested in the role, feel free to connect them with Tiffany or me to discuss this opportunity.
Please take this time to recharge and enjoy a well-deserved break. I look forward to connecting with you in the new year, and as always please get in touch if you have any ideas or feedback for us.
Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me te Tau Hou / Seasons greetings for Christmas and the New Year
Grant