Chairman's Report June 2008
For NZKM the year from July 2007 to June 2008 has been one focused on systems improvement, service development, and the growth of our Auckland branch.
Knowledge Management as a discipline seems to have stabilised and not died the death that some were predicting. Implementation of KM is becoming more tailored to sector specific needs and particular organisation types. Some organisations have formal KM roles, and others don’t. The Public Records Act has, in New Zealand, encouraged increased attention to information management and supported some aspects of KM initiatives. Web 2.0 tools have provided more options for technology mediated knowledge sharing. KM has become more embedded into the way organisations operate, and KM theory has informed a number of disciplines including records management, IM/IT, and HR.
I took up the NZKM Chairman role two years ago. In the first year I focused on putting in place the strategy, team, and action plan to complete the transition for NZKM from a startup group of enthusiasts to a professional network of academics, consultants, and knowledge managers. Over the last year the emphasis has been on building the technology platform to help us deliver on many aspects of the strategy, enhancing internal processes, trying out some new meeting types in Wellington, and developing a branch in Auckland.
The technology platform project has consumed a lot of time and energy. We’d hoped to have this launched by the end of 2007, however it being an IT project and based mostly on volunteer effort, it took till June 2008 to complete. We’re hugely excited about this new platform. It’s based on Drupal, an open source content management system and community portal framework, which is fantastically flexible. It’s enabled us to get all membership data in one place. This means you can now change your contact details online, renew your membership subscription, and control how you receive emails from us. We’re also launching a number of new services in the coming months including member only content, podcasts, and online communities (both regional and communities of practice/interest). Mike Riversdale, a KM expert has agreed to champion the development of our online communities. A big thank you to Jonathan Hunt from Egressive, Josh Campbell from Zype, and the members of the NZKM management committee for all the hard work they’ve put in to implementing this new system.
This year we’ve initiated ‘knowledge café’ style events in Wellington. These involve informal discussions about KM topics over lunch, and enable members to share ideas and lessons learned. These have been popular and will continue over 08/09. Thanks to Diane Edwards for championing this idea and organising the events.
It’s been a big year for our Auckland branch. For a couple of years we’d struggled to establish a presence in Auckland, then we found Paul Tudor. Thanks to his energy and enthusiasm, and the commitment of those in the KM community in Auckland, we now have regular events and a growing group.
Over the last year we’ve continued to hold events in Wellington and Christchurch. We’ve successfully negotiated discounts for our members to a range of KM related events including the Brightstar Information Summit, Records Management Conference, and Intranets and Portals conference, and to KM Australia and KM Asia. Sally Jansen van Vuuren has come back on board as our marketing coordinator, after a break to focus on her Phd, and will continue sourcing member discounts for you at partner events. She’s also relaunched our newsletter which we’re very excited about.
Thank you to James, Janita, Nick, Alistair, Sally, Paul, Nelly, Diane and Lindsay to all their contributions on the management committee this year. Alistair and Diane are moving on to other things this year, and I’d like to express my gratitude for their efforts, enthusiasm, and passion. Welcome to Anita Rapson who’s been newly nominated for a role on the management committee.
Over 08/09 we’ll continue to work towards the vision of NZKM as a strong professional community where people know and trust each other and share their knowledge freely. We’ll roll out new functionality on the web site, provide new content, interesting presentations, and more opportunities for you to meet and learn from each other.
Julian Carver
NZKM Chairman
