From the Chair

This will be my last “From the Chair” as my ChairPersonship will end at the AGM later this month. An amendment to our Constitution in 2012 restricts the term of every ChairPerson to a maximum of two consecutive years. As Immediate Past ChairPerson I am automatically a member of the incoming Committee and I will be there to assist the new ChairPerson in every way I can.

I have enjoyed my time as ChairPerson despite earning the label of “COVID-19 Chair”. At times, things have been complicated and challenging but throughout my time at the helm, I’ve been supported by an amazing group of people on the Committee. Each one of them has accepted the roles I have asked them to fulfil and they have all undertaken those roles in the best interests of SeniorNet Kapiti – our organisation is the better for their efforts and I publicly thank each and every Committee member for their support in the past 2 years.

My parallel role as Wellington Regional Representative has exposed me to the wider SeniorNet Community and to the National (Federation) Organisation. It has reinforced to me that Kapiti has been one of the lucky Learning Centres during the COVID-19 Pandemic. We have excellent premises which aren’t crippling us under rental debt. We have an agile group of tutors who are both imaginative and innovative when things get tough and we have a broad program of courses and workshops which, by all indications, meet the needs of our members. These have been key to our continued growth and survival in what have been difficult times for many other Learning Centres.

Of course, without our members, SeniorNet Kapiti wouldn’t exist and I’m grateful to each of you for your continued support of our courses and workshops. I know the new Committee will continue to provide for your technology needs and if you haven’t yet renewed your subscription for 2021-22, I encourage you to do it now so you don’t miss out on learning opportunities.

The demise of cheques in New Zealand in the coming months is getting a lot of air time right now and we are seeing its impact at the Learning Centre. None of us can prevent cheques being removed but we can help people to cope with the change. Our Internet Banking Workshops have been well attended with many new faces in the classroom. It’s pleasing that so many people are turning to us for help and guidance as they navigate the scary waters into online banking. These Workshops will continue in the coming months (with support from Westpac) and if you have any friends who are struggling, you might like to recommend SeniorNet to them as a way to boast their confidence and help them take their first steps. SeniorNet worked for you and I’m sure it can work for them too.

Please make a diary note to attend our AGM on 23rd June at 1:30am. Heather Newell (Federation EO) will be our Guest Speaker (in person this year!). I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the AGM – this is an important meeting for your organisation and your participation is important.

Peter Bunkall
Chair, SeniorNet Kapiti Inc.

Term 3 Timetable is Out – Book now!

Our course and workshop timetables for Term 3 (August to October) have just been published on our website. For Term 3 courses, click here and for Term 3 workshops click here

This is an opportunity to plan well in advance so please contact Elaine on 021 169 6256 and book a slot.

Our AGM – 23 June 2021 @ 1:30pm

Our AGM is almost upon us. You will have just received the formal notification by email and the formal documents can be seen by clicking here

Our apologies for the “year” error on one of the lines in the formal notice, we will definitely be holding this year’s AGM in 2021 😊

Our guest speaker will be Heather Newell (Executive Officer of the SeniorNet Federation) and afternoon tea will be served afterwards.

Please RSVP to Elaine (021 169 6256) so we can get the catering numbers close to right

Committee Nominations for 2021-22 Year

Most of the positions on our Committee have been filled by nominations but we have yet to find someone willing to be our Secretary. The work involves handling our occasional paper mail (in and out) as well as building the agenda for Committee meetings (from a template) and writing the meeting minutes.

If you are interested in joining the Committee in this role, please contact us urgently at kapiti@seniornet.nz. Our current secretary can’t continue in the role because she’s about to become our new ChairPerson!

AED Training

Members will recall that early last year SeniorNet Kapiti fundraised for and installed an AED (automated external defibrillator) Unit on the outside wall of the adjacent Kapiti Arts and Crafts Centre.

Since its installation, we’ve been trying to arrange a session with Wellington Free Ambulance (WFA) to teach our tutors how to use the unit. COVID-19 thwarted our efforts throughout the latter part of 2020 and we weren’t able to secure a mutually convenient slot until last month.

Finally on 20 May, we were able to receive our training from Rachel (WFA) who showed us a short video and then demonstrated the correct techniques for CPR and using the AED – they work in tandem!

She emphasised to us that the AED’s most important role is keeping people alive until the ambulance arrives and what’s done in the first 5-10 minutes after someone collapses will determine whether they survive or not.

In recognition of Rachael’s excellent training, the Committee voted to make a donation to Wellington Free Ambulance of $100

A Buyer’s Checklist

Last month we mentioned that with immediate effect our tutors will be able to offer members advice when they are considering making a purchase of a computer/laptop, tablet or phone.

To assist this process three simple forms have been created which you will be able to use when you visit the shop to make your purchase. The idea is that you can mark up the form while you have the discussion with our Tutor and this will create a useful guide when you are faced with the plethora of choices in the shop.

We will be trialling the new forms in the coming months and we’re very keen for feedback from anyone who ends up using them. We want them to be useful and to help you carve through the technical jargon often thrown at you by salespeople so any feedback will help us to fine tune the format and content of these forms.

If you are thinking of making a purchase (new or upgrade),please come along to one of our How Do I…? Workshops and a tutor will guide you in the direction of what’s right for your needs, using the new form.

Open Days – 27 July

Our next Open Days will be held prior to the start of Term 3. We will be at Coastlands on Tuesday 27 July and our Open Day at The Learning Centre will be Saturday 31 July.

If you have a friend, neighbour or acquaintance who is thinking about joining SeniorNet to build their confidence in things technical, please pass these dates on to them and encourage them to come and see us on one of these days. We will also be advertising our Open Day in local businesses as well as the Kapiti News nearer the time.

Our Contact Details

A reminder that our email address has changed to kapiti@seniornet.nz
and our website url has changed to kapiti.seniornet.nz

Our phone numbers remain unchanged

Please Support our Sponsors

Please don’t forget to support our National sponsors – they’re important to SeniorNet and help us at the local level in many ways, including offering discounts to our members.

Always show your membership card and ask if there’s a discount for SeniorNet members – you might be rather surprised!

The best example is Noel Leeming where the SeniorNet discount extends well beyond computers to everything in their store!

Suzuki has recently reconfirmed their offer to our members of free on-road costs on new vehicles so it always pays to ask.

There are more details about the individual sponsorships on the Federation’s website here