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NZSIA Newsletter – end of season wrap up for 2021

Message from the NZSIA President – Daniel Bogue

We will again look back at the winter and lament what could have been. It was a tough start to the season with low snow and late starts. We then lost the opportunity of a full season with the Australians and then an outbreak in Auckland put the brakes on the season just when the great snow arrived. Despite this, we still finished the season strongly and successfully completed most of the calendared courses.

The biggest disappointment for me was the postponement of our 50 Year celebrations. It was going to be a scramble to pull it together in time but it was building momentum and I am sure it would have been a hit. We can only look forward to next year when hopefully the boarders are open and we can have more members attend.

The NZSIA Board end of season meetings have just taken place and I thought I would take the opportunity to update everyone on what is happening behind the scenes and the projects that are currently taking place.

Summary from Governance meeting on 28th October 2021

  • AGM Induction – Ideally this will be in Queenstown for 2022. This is an election year for President and Vice President.
  • SAANZ Industry Discount Plan – After discussions with SAANZ, the NZSIA increased the discount offering for the 2021 season. Over 500 applications were processed to help bring new Instructors into the industry and boost staff resources for the industry. We will again consult with the resorts for 2022 and come up with a sustainable long-term strategy as we navigate out of COVID.
  • Resort surveys – After annual consultation with resorts about NZSIA/SBINZ courses and the market demands, we will continue to develop our courses and our E learning to get instructor’s as work ready as we can.
  • Manual Budget – big investment approved for summer work for all divisions on the manual overhaul. The planned release of these new manuals is end of season 2022 – not long now!
  • Wages and course costs – all reviewed and updated in accordance with CPI.
  • Vehicles – For the 2021 season we rented vehicles in an effort to move to a more sustainable option. Unfortunately, our first choice fell through. We will be looking over the summer for options in 2022.
  • 50th Anniversary – most events were cancelled for 2021 – except the lunch at Gibbston Tavern which ended up a huge success as we warm up for 2022. All events for 2022 are online on the database and in the shop for purchase over the summer.
  • Vaccinations – The resorts are working through the new Traffic light system and will be making decisions on how the mountain operations will be affected. When resorts have established operating protocols, the NZSIA will be required to work within their framework.
  • Northern Hemisphere Operations – The NZSIA has agreed in principle to allow operations overseas to commence once again. We will be operating on a case-by-case basis to ensure we can manage any risk and make sure we meet travel requirements.
  • Video Update – All divisions have been working hard to update and develop video footage. There will be large amounts of video content linked to the new manuals and footage will be available to keep developing our e learning platforms.
  • NZSIA Mobile App – We are working with 360 NZ to develop a NZSIA App. The App development is happening in 3 stages as we look at the functionality we need and interaction with the database, website and our e learning platforms. We are excited to see how this major project develops.

The NZSIA Management/Governance Team

Back Row – Keith Stubbs, Ben Clarbrough, Glenn Bradley, Daniel Bogue, Colin Tanner, Dave O’Sullivan

Front Row – Fi Ryall, Stephanie Brown, Rachael Milner, Yolinde Magill, Cilla Duff, Claire Dooney

End of season 2021

We would like to say a huge thank you to our members that joined our courses this season, your patience was amazing as we juggled and rejuggled many bookings due to lockdowns here and in Australia. As a result we ended up squashing a lot of courses into a very short period of operating time.

Also a huge thank you to our resorts we operated at! We still managed to get around the country considering all the lockdowns, operating at the following resorts: Cardrona, Coronet Peak, Remarkables, Treble Cone, Dobson, Roundhill, Rainbow, Mt Hutt, Porters, Turoa, Whakapapa and Snowplanet. Thank you!!

50th Anniversary

It became obvious the 50th celebrations we planned this year were just not meant to be. After the lockdown in August, the one event we were hoping to pull off, “Coronet Peak Ride with the team day” had to be called off the morning of the event due to an intense thunder and lightning storm. Thanks to the Gibbston Tavern who allowed us to host a last minute casual lunch. All resorts were shut for the day due to the storm, many members ended up unexpectedly free. It was a great few hours, with an awesome turnout of members coming over from Wanaka as well.

We are going to try for a rerun in 2022 of our 50th Anniversary, as we definitely want to get to share this occasion with all those that helped us to get where we are today.

There is a website page that we will keep up to date on details for the event – you can find the link to this on the home page: 50th Anniversary

Dates: 16th – 18th Sept 2022

Events:

  1. Friday 16th Sept 2022 – NZSIA 50 – Cocktail and Catch up – evening event
  2. Saturday 17th Sept 2022 – Coronet Peak – Ride with the team
  3. Saturday 17th Sept 2022 – NZSIA 50 – Past and Present Celebration Dinner
  4. Sunday 18th Sept 2022 – Cardrona – Recovery Brunch and Shred

How to book: 2 ways  –

  1. Your profile – under 50th Anniversary 2022 (you will need a current membership to book here)
  2. NZSIA shop – for partners and/or if your membership is not current

50th Anniversary Merchandise:

Available in the NZSIA shop – 50th caps and t-shirts (size S only left)

Photos:

We are going to be running an AV presentation during the Saturday evening event in 2022 and would really like to share all the amazing memories you have had over the years with NZSIA. This is a golden opportunity to curate and archive our organisation’s history with your help. We will take them in any format, email or post. For post, pop cardboard around your precious old pictures if you would like to mail them to Sheena. (Include your address so we can get them back to you).

Sheena would like them in:

  • JPEG files – and ideally use the WeTransfer app https://wetransfer.com/
  • Email photos to: Sheena Haywood: sheena@sheenahaywood.com
  • Phone:+64 274 88 00 88 – if you have any questions
  • Post: Stunning Stuff Productions, PO Box 1513, Queenstown, New Zealand – if you would like to mail them in.
  • Photos in by: 13th August 2022

 

Snowplanet during the New Zealand Summer

We have Ski and Snowboard Level One exams planned for December at Snowplanet. At the moment the chances of this operating is completely reliant on the Alert levels in Auckland. Last season, we also operated courses during the summer months over Jan, Feb and March. We don’t have anything in the calendar for that yet this summer as there is a still too much uncertainty. We will post on facebook and get them available online to book if we have any further developments/improvements with this.

Resits

If you need to resit part of your level one, two or three qualification and the plan has been disrupted by Covid-19, all resits that have an expiry date will be extended. The exact extension is still unclear, as that will be determined by when the borders reopen. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns in regards to this and we can try and clarify better. Email: admin@nzsia.org

Getting current

Memberships will be rolling over on the 1st Jan 2022. Time to get current – you can pay in advance at any time. This can be done through your profile: https://www.nzsia.org/member/

If you are applying for New Zealand employment in 2022, applications open early next year. Now is a good time to get yourself sorted.

  1. Log into your profile here.
  2. A PDF version of your card will be created by the office and emailed to you once you have paid.
  3. Check to make sure you have a photo uploaded to your profile (similar to a passport photo).
  4. If you require a physical card you can purchase one from our online shop for $5 – NZSIA online shop.
  5. Any problems please email admin@nzsia.org

Instructor of the Year 2021

Massive Congratulations to Heaven Zhang – the winner for 2021 of Instructor of the Year.

Resort: NZSki

Heaven is a very patient and compassionate instructor who knows the SBINZ manual inside-out. Her passion for instructing is only surpassed by her drive to snowboard and improve her skills. She is always keen for laps on breaks and never misses a 9am chair. She is a brilliant teacher, has a great attitude, full of energy, works hard and is a great team member. Guests love her and as a result she gets a lot of request work.

Normally in October every year we get to celebrate with our winner at the NZ Snowsports Awards in Wanaka. Unfortunately due to Covid19, this event got cancelled, so we have delayed the celebration this year until the AGM in June 2022 for a more in house celebration. Please come and join Heaven, the date for the AGM and details will be announced in the New Year.

If you are ready for some real inspiration to start your NZ summer or Northern winter, please take a couple of minute to check out her amazing video: Heaven Zhang

ISIA

  1. ISIA stamps are here for 2022. If you need to renew, we are ready to help:
  • If you need to do your refresher, there are online options for this year. For ski, complete the level one and two elearning. For snowboard, complete the Level three/ISIA refresher elearning course.
  • You can purchase the stamp through the NZSIA Shop – cost is $25.
  • Ensure you have a photo on your profile. This can be uploaded to your profile or emailed into admin
  1. ISIA have recently launched a new job platform. The goal is for it to become the most important and best platform for the recruitment of professional snow sport instructors. In the next days and weeks the platform will be available in many languages.

Website: www.isiajobs.ski

Main features

  • Apply for a job with just one click.
  • Apply for a job among 1000+ snowsport schools around the world.
  • Find job that suits your specific expectations.
  • No more application forms to fill in. Just keep your profile updated.
  • Save your favorite employers for future seasons.
  • Your profile is credible for employers thanks to verification with the ISIA database.

NZSIA for 2022

Check out our calendar as of mid January, that is when we will release our courses for the 2022 season in New Zealand.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please let us know: admin@nzsia.org

Office Hours over Christmas

The administration for NZSIA will be closed over the Christmas and New Year period from Friday 24th December 2021 until Monday 10th January 2020. For any urgent issues that need to be resolved over this time, please contact on: 0275341796….emails will not be monitored during this time.

In the meantime, take care over your summer/northern winter as we all try and navigate the new challenges of COVID. We are looking forward to the 2022 season, hoping for some positive change for us all!

Your NZSIA team