He waka eke noa.

We are all in this together / We got this, fam!

I want to express my gratitude for your involvement with the Ceramics Association of New Zealand whānau.

When Louis Kittleson stepped down as President at last year’s AGM, the organisation faced uncertainty.  Our long-serving administrator and executive director, Meagan Blake, had also left. The newly-appointed administrator, Elizabeth Martindale, unexpectedly was unavailable and eventually departed the organisation as well.  I was unable to take over the President role due to job changes, moving house and studio, and eventually I had to take an extended leave of absence to care for my mother overseas.  This left the organisation with a minimal number of Officers engaging with Council, creating a crisis as we couldn’t deliver our core services.

To address this crisis and maintain essential functions, I took on multiple roles, including acting President, administrator, newsletter editor, website editor, and treasurer, in addition to my elected Vice-President role over the past six months. While we’ve made strides in restoring our systems, this level of commitment isn’t sustainable long-term alongside full-time jobs and art practices. This sustainability concern, coupled with financial challenges, prompted us to reassess our operations.

In February, we initiated a sector-wide strategic review led by Briar Monro, whose expertise has been invaluable in developing a bold strategic plan for the next three years. I’m excited to present this plan at the upcoming AGM and eagerly await your feedback. Together, we can create a clear, robust plan and recruit additional volunteers and leaders to Council, allowing our Council members to focus on organising events and advocating for our sector, strengthening our national voice.

In the past few months, we’ve also addressed long-standing Council vacancies by welcoming new members, including Siriporn Falcon-Grey for Auckland, Thomas Baker for Nelson/Marlborough, and Graham Hay in the ‘Global Networks’ role. These individuals not only contribute their talents as artists but also enhance our organisation.

Throughout the review, it became evident that there is a strong demand for a national organisation that collectively connects, educates, represents, and promotes ceramics in New Zealand. Balancing this national voice for ceramics with the demands of art, side hustles, and family commitments in today’s world is no small feat.

NZ Potters was established over 60 years ago and we have adapted as times change. It was only through the generosity of spirit and time from people such as Helen Mason and Doreen Blumhardt that the organisation was born, and we hope to carry on in that tradition.

Looking back to 2022, I would like to thank Meagan Blake and Carla Ruka for their amazing work on the national touring potter programme which was described by Creative New Zealand as ‘exceeding expectations’. Huge thanks also to Becky for her continued excellent work on the magazine. It is an amazing publication we are fortunate to be associated with.

This year we lost former NZ Potter’s President Sally Vinson and Ceramics NZ honorary life member Bruce Martin.   Thank you for the touching farewells contributed by Russell Toplis and Frances Martin.

In a world increasingly threatened by wealth disparity, social inequity, and disconnectedness, ensuring Ceramics New Zealand is a collaborative, sustainable and inclusive organisation is a priority for me. It became apparent that those values resonated with all of the Council members, and guided our thought process as we considered the future of the organisation. We want this association to be for all potters connected to New Zealand, welcoming all clay workers at every level of practice.

While the possibility of dissolving the organisation was considered, current Council members unanimously decided to continue in our voluntary roles to build a more highly functioning national organisation.  I deeply appreciate the generosity and kindness of the current Council members as well as the wider ceramics community who provided valuable feedback.

However, another challenge arose: our organisation is not financially sustainable in its current form. The administrator’s salary, one of our largest expenses, has remained stagnant for over a decade. It is no longer a market rate or anywhere close to a living wage, and would be challenging to find someone to take on that role for what we can pay.

In response, we explored ways to reduce administrative costs, including piloting self-service tools on our website.  Many thanks to Lawrence Ewing, Amanda Ewing, Board of Design, and EziWeb for helping us transition to a more cost-effective online presence (from $2000/year to $200/year). We also reduced our communications expenses by changing the newsletter platform and streamlined all of our web services after Lawrence retired from his role.

By decreasing administrative tasks and expenses, we can operate more efficiently, become more agile, and eliminate the requirement for members to pay fees, a barrier we no longer wish to impose. We’ve developed a draft strategic & business plan, reviewed our constitution, and proposed a motion to set membership fees to $0 for the 2024 calendar year. Your feedback on these changes is vital as we continue this journey to shape the future of the ceramics sector in New Zealand.

I want to express my gratitude to all Council members, contributors, and the ceramics community for their support during this transition. Although we’ve made significant progress, there’s more work ahead. Our commitment is to ensure Ceramics New Zealand remains a collaborative, sustainable, and inclusive organisation for all potters in New Zealand. Thank you for your valuable input and dedication to our organisation. Together, we can look forward to many successful years ahead.

Dr. Nicole Gaston

Acting President 2022-2023