A MESSAGE FROM YOUR FIRST DISTRICT 112 DISTRICT DIRECTOR
Toni Sharp QSM DTM
Greetings valued Members, Clubs and District Officers of District 112 in this, our historical year of charter. As we embark on the 2018-19 Toastmasters year I am excited, motivated and inspired by the possibilities ahead.
Please allow me the pleasure of first introducing you to your Top Table members, who have already been working incredibly hard behind the scenes in preparation for the year ahead:
District Director Toni Sharp QSM DTM – Taupo (Front 2nd from right)
Programme Quality Director Neil Stichbury DTM – Auckland (Back 2nd from right)
Club Growth Director Sharon Kerr-Phillips DTM – Auckland (Front 3rd from right)
Public Relations Manager Rob Wightman DTM – Auckland (Back 1st from right)
Administration Manager Jonathan Darby DTM – Auckland (Front 4th from right)
Finance Manager Murray Coutts DTM, PDDG – Auckland (Back 3rd from right)
Logistics Manager John (BJ) O’Leary DTM – Auckland (Back 4th from right)
Parliamentarian Chrissy Meyer DTM PDDG – Tauranga (Front 1st from right)
The bulk of the in-coming District Officers, 88.6%, have already attended their first training weekend in Hamilton and are keen to hit the ground running in each of their respective roles. We have a committed team who will all keep the needs of you, our members, to the forefront.
In my welcome to our District Officers I wrote; “I connect each of us as the key link in a chain that will function at its full capacity whilst the chain is intact. The united links of our chain will always be supported through the personal development each of us will undergo as we stride forward to complete each task that is set before us”.
This chain linkage also crosses to each of you as members within clubs. I encourage you to look to those more experienced members for direction, guidance and support as you advance through your own personal development plan. Please remember, we are never alone in this journey of discovery and self enhancement.
The Year ahead
There are a number of changes ahead for us all this year.Toastmasters International has instructed that no District should hold a November Conference from this point forward. Due to this several changes are required to be implemented.
- A “Virtual” Semi-annual Council meeting will need to be held for the District 112 Council to approve District Officer appointments and the District Success Plan and budget. The date that has been set for the District 112 virtual meeting is Sunday 29th September 2018. More information will be forthcoming in relation to this.
- The May Conference is being extended out to three days in order to provide the platform for the District Annual Council meeting, four sets of District level speech contests, workshops and valuable networking.
- The District level International Speech Contest is now required to be video recorded. The video of the District winner will be sent, unedited, to a new Regional final panel for judging. More information on this will be circulated in due course.
Goals
With our new Toastmasters year we start with a full fresh set of goals. The first responsibility of our in-coming Division and Area Directors is, in conjunction with Programme Quality Director Neil Stichbury, to coordinate and run the first round of Club Leadership Training (CLT). I would like to offer an incentive to clubs, that if you have 10 or more Club Officers complete training over both rounds of training, your club will be presented with a special banner ribbon to commemorate our D112 year of charter. History proves that clubs who have officers trained on a regular basis achieve higher levels of success for both members and clubs alike.
Having Your Say and vote
The Toastmasters International Annual Business Meeting will be held on August 25 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Your voice is important, and you have a significant role to play in this process as every club holds two votes. Start by learning about the candidates and proposed amendments which will be voted on at this meeting. At your next club meeting, discuss which candidates best meet the future needs of Toastmasters International and if you are in agreement with the proposal.
If no one in your club is planning to attend the meeting, you may designate a proxy holder to cast the club’s votes. Proxy holders are required to vote in the manner a club designates; if a voting preference is not designated, the proxy holder may vote in their own best interest. The most common assignation is to the District Director. If you don’t have specific instructions then just assign the proxy to the District Director who will carry your votes in the best interests of the District as a whole. If you do have specific voting instructions please send them to D112director@toastmasters.org.nz in order that they may be documented.
Club President’s and Secretary’s will soon receive instructions from Toastmasters International in relation to assignment of proxies so please watch for this email.
This is a lot of information for our inaugural newsletter however I am keen to ensure that District 112 is fully prepared for the brand new year ahead. My personal goal is to maintain an open communication link with you as a charter member of this new District and that is best done by regular updates and sharing of information.
Wishing you all the best for the month ahead.
Toastfully yours
Toni Sharp QSM DTM
District Director 2018-19 – District 112
Toastmasters International
M: 021 1147 254
D112director@toastmasters.org.nz