It's a great privilege to once again take on the role of EIANZ President. My thanks to the membership for entrusting the role to me for a second term. As always the next two years will be filled with many challenges. These will include building membership and expanding member services. We are well positioned to respond to those challenges, and I have great confidence that our new Board will do so with great energy and enthusiasm. 

Our new Board provides a mix of experience and some great new talent. My thanks to all of the incoming Board members for putting up their hands to serve the Institute over the coming few years.

Members would be aware that EIANZ's Annual Conference was held recently in Perth.  Like all attendees, I found the event both energising and stimulating. For the first time the Conference included development of a Declaration as part of its program. 

I took the Declaration as a very positive message for, and to, our profession. It recognised that we as professionals:

• Care about the challenges of environmental management
• Share a deep understanding of environmental issues and challenges
• Communicate complex information in a positive, proactive manner
• Work collaboratively and build partnerships to address environmental issues.

The Declaration further recognised that excellence in environmental practice is the key to delivering good environmental outcomes. Our role as an Institute must include developing, supporting, recognising such excellence in practice. EIANZ initiatives such as our STEPs and Certified Practitioner programs, our Journal, our locally run professional development activities, and our annual merit awards all foster this excellence in practice.

Our ongoing challenge is to build on these, and so to do more for a growing number of members and the broader profession. 

Finally, the Declaration called on us to harness our passion for the environment and share the enjoyment we derive from it in our personal and professional lives. I believe the EIANZ provides a great basis for doing just that.

You can find the full text of the 2015 EIANZ Conference Declaration here →

Presentations from the conference are available here →