Vice President, Mike Maguire

It’s hard to believe that we are already another year on, and more than two years since the world became aware of COVID-19, with the virus having a direct impact on New Zealand now for in excess of 20 months.

We have witnessed the collapse of the aviation industry and are now starting to see a rebound internationally.
Here at home, we had a taste of that rebound with the trans-Tasman bubble, albeit for only three short months and, domestically, a little longer. However, we continue to operate in an environment which is struggling to find direction with the ever-changing operating conditions.

The light at the end of a very long tunnel does seem to be getting brighter though, and a significant amount of work continues behind the scenes working with operators and government alike to navigate a way forward and out of this.

Unfortunately, a number of these measures and policy changes have taken a long time to implement and several aviation businesses have been unable to continue operating meaning further job losses and careers placed on hold.

Financially, NZALPA has managed to tread water by cutting its operating costs and restructuring where appropriate, while still maintaining the professionalism and care that its members expect and deserve – thanks in large part to the dedication and professionalism of the NZALPA staff and those elected officials who often work tirelessly behind the scenes to get the job done.

As NZALPA continues to operate and navigate our way out of the global pandemic it will become increasingly important for our members to become – and remain – actively involved in the organisation.

There are many facets to your union requiring a broad range of skills and interests, whether it be involvement with your representative Council, Board of Management, or any number of the Medical and Welfare initiatives such as the Peer Assistance Network (PAN), the Human Intervention Motivation Study programme (HIMS) and insurances.

As someone who resides in Auckland, I hold hope that December will see a relaxation in the current restrictions that have seen us isolated from family and friends for some (at time of writing) 11+ weeks and we will once again be able to enjoy a great kiwi summer, as we did last year, spent with those that mean the most to us.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas, happy new year and festive holiday season.