January 2010 Newsletter
Kia hiwa ra- January 2010
Message from Trustees
Trustees are pleased to announce the appointment of Darrin Sykes to the position of Chief Executive at Crown Forestry Rental Trust. Darrin will begin his formal duties at the Trust on 15 March 2010
Darrin’s primary tribal affiliation is Te Arawa, particularly Ngati Rangitihi.
Darrin is currently the Director of the Waitangi Tribunal and has an acute understanding of the Treaty sector. We believe this experience is extremely valuable as he leads the Trust through its next phase.
Darrin will embark on a regional tour in April to present the Trust’s Business plan to claimants. His first month will be spent immersing himself in the organisation’s activities and meeting with Trustees, management and staff.
Darrin is committed to the Treaty sector and Trustees believe his tenure at the Trust will complement his already impressive suite of skills. He has our confidence and support and we know claimants will congratulate Darrin on his appointment.
Trustees also acknowledge Ben Dalton for his five years service at the helm of the Trust. Ben provided the Trust with solid leadership through some challenging times during his term as Chief Executive.
In the interim period before Darrin begins formal duties the role of acting Chief Executive will be shared between Jason Ake and Andrew French.
Message from the incoming Chief Executive
It is with pleasure that I have accepted the position of Chief Executive at the Trust.
I have worked closely with the Trust’s senior management and Trustees over the past five years and we have co-operated on many issues facing the Treaty sector. In my current role I have maintained solid Iwi relationships and gained a very good working knowledge of the Wellington bureaucracy. I have also worked at the coalface with Iwi which has given me an acute understanding of Iwi dynamics and relationships.
Whilst I am fortunate to have gained an understanding of the Treaty Sector during my tenure at the Waitangi Tribunal, I am mindful that there is much for me to learn about CFRT up to and after 15 March 2010, and I thank the CFRT Trustees, staff and other personnel for assisting me in that learning process.
Trust Structure
Last year the Trust looked at ways it could refine its front end services to the claimant community.
The need for greater operational alignment between Treaty sector agencies reinforced the need for the Trust to rethink the organisation's delivery of services to our clients.
This has resulted in the creation of a new position, Director Service Delivery. This position reports directly to the Chief Executive with operational responsibility for the two service delivery teams.
The Research Services Manager (formerly the Chief Historian) and the Client Services Manager now report to the Director Service Delivery.
The Trust is pleased to announce that Leah Campbell has been appointed to the role of Director Service Delivery. Anita Miles has been appointed to the Research Services Manager role and Rick Witana continues as Client Services Manager.
There will be further enhancements to the Trust's front end service delivery. We are confident these enhancements will assist both the Trust and the claimant community to meet their collective responsibilities effectively and efficiently.
The Executive Team
The Chief Executive is supported by the Executive team which includes Leah Campbell (Director Service Delivery), Jason Ake (Strategic Relationships Manager) and Andrew French (Chief Operations Officer).
Claimant Client Survey
The Trust will be undertaking its biennial claimant client survey during April 2010. We will be contracting this service externally to ensure that the integrity of the survey is maintained.
We remind all survey respondents that the survey is designed to assist the Trust to further enhance its frontline capability. The Trust will supply the contractor with contact names and addresses. Those who choose to respond will not be identified.
The Trust is constantly seeking ways to improve its services and it is therefore important that as many people and organisations as possible respond to the survey.
Darrin Sykes
Chief Executive
Crown Forestry Rental Trust
