Chairperson's Annual Report 2024
At the time of our last AGM in April 2023, RTV NZ had started to grow and move to another level of its development. Previously we had been a small group that worked together to contest the Auckland Council’s Local Body Elections.
After the summer break, we were moving forward with momentum, with a passionate and committed team, with the focus on the October 2023 General Election, which included becoming a bit more formal, serious and professional – and included forming a RTV NZ incorporated society.
It also included meeting a number of like-minded parties and groups to build alliances, connections, networks and relationships.This became invaluable and culminated in RTV NZ becoming a component party under the Freedoms NZ umbrella, which really illustrated the unity that so many people from the freedom movement were calling for.
While we weren’t successful in our aim for political representation in parliament, important relationships were formed, and those relationships are still there and intact & ready to go again. I am confident that we acted, to the best of our ability, with honour and integrity.
I would like to acknowledge and thank Paul Davie for his help and political experience during this period and standing as a candidate for RTV NZ in the Auckland Central electorate – his help was both invaluable and enormously appreciated.
I would also like to acknowledge and thank John Alcock for all his help and assistance during this period as well and for standing as a candidate for RTV NZ in the Pakuranga electorate – again, enormously appreciated.
I would also like to acknowledge Michael Clarkson and Eric Chuah for standing as RTV NZ electorate candidates, and Grant Mountjoy for putting himself forward on the Freedoms NZ Party List.
After the last summer’s break, RTV NZ regrouped and we have now expanded further and gone to the next stage of our development. This has involved merging the Aotearoa Party with RTV NZ, which included bringing Daymond Goulder-Horobin onto our board, and electing John Alcock as Rock The Vote NZ Party Leader.
We have also set up various sub-committees such as –
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National Politics Sub-committee, led by John Alcock.
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Local Body Subcommittee, led by Kathryn Avenell.
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Events Sub-committee, led by Fiona McEwen.
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Website and Social Media Sub-committee, led by Andrew Crowley.​
We have held quite a number of successful, and varied, events – with regular future events planned. Apparently, we are the only party that is now hosting regular events.
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Looking forward, I would like to see us talk further with more like-minded groups and parties to further build a platform and alliances to really bring as many people as possible together on this mission. I would like to acknowledge John for already starting this process by meeting and talking with various leaders.
After this AGM and the passing of our Constitution, I would like to see RTV NZ really start to build its membership base. I think that RTV NZ is now setting itself up into a very good position. People are now aware of RTV NZ. I truly believe that we have something incredibly unique and special that no other party has and I believe that we can all, in our own way, feel it. A big part of that is that we as a group, and individually, are real people, and relatively egoless.
So I would like to say a big Thank You to everyone on the team for all your input – everyone has played their part. In fact I love everyone on the Committee.
Thank you everyone.
Michael Avenell
Chairperson
Rock The Vote NZ