At the Board meeting yesterday, the key items for discussion and outcomes were:

• Consideration of bids for funding under the New Initiatives Fund - The Board was pleased to see the types of projects being put forward and thanked all who spent time preparing submissions. The Board and its committees have further work to do before finalising the successful bids.
• Setting of membership fees for 2017-18 - The Board agreed to a modest increase on fees in line with CPI, which will take effect from 1 July 2017.
• Membership growth - The Board noted that membership growth remained below the ambitious targets outlined in the Corporate Plan, however there has been recent good progress on renewals and new memberships. Board members and Central Office staff are working on more ideas to grow membership in coming months.
• 2017 Annual Conference - The Board noted the excellent progress of the preparations for the annual conference in Wellington, New Zealand in October. A call for papers will be announced soon and some great keynote speakers have been confirmed. Watch this space!
• Board committee and special interest section activity - The Board was pleased with the activity going on across these groups, including the newly formed Heritage Special Interest Section, the Policy and Practice Committee and the Students and Early Careers Committee.
• Implementation of the Corporate Plan - The Board noted the work and actions being undertaken across the Institute to implement the Corporate Plan.

Minutes from past Board meeting are available for members to access here →