Come along to the national Abbeyfield conference in Nelson to share ideas and learn from the experiences of other Abbeyfield committee and board members.
Theme: Sharing knowledge and learning from each other
When
Friday November 21 – 10am to 4pm
Saturday November 22 – 9am to 3pm
Where
St Stephens Church
61 Tāhunanui Drive, Tāhunanui, Nelson
What
The programme will include group discussions on topical issues, as well as reports from committees around the country on their highlights and challenges over the past year.
There will also be site visits to the two Abbeyfield houses in Nelson and a panel session featuring residents talking about their experiences living in an Abbeyfield house.
There will be lots of opportunities to network at lunch, morning and afternoon tea breaks, and at an optional dinner at Smugglers restaurant in Tāhunanui on Friday night.
Who can come?
The conference is open to all Abbeyfield committee and board members – that includes committees managing Abbeyfield houses and committees working to establish an Abbeyfield house in their community. We recommend every house management committee send at least one representative.
You must register to attend, as we need to know how many people to expect for catering and organisational purposes.
How do I register?
Please fill out this online registration form. Registrations close October 26.
What is the cost?
There is no cost to attend the conference, but participants need to pay for their own travel and accommodation, and for the optional Friday night dinner (set menu, two courses, $50 per person). We suggest that Abbeyfield societies and committees cover some (or all) costs for their representatives, as their attendance will benefit everyone. This is a discussion you should have as a committee.
There is some funding available for committees which need assistance to cover costs – please contact Abbeyfield New Zealand Executive Officer Ruth Seabright.
Accommodation options
It is up to participants to book and pay for their accommodation. There are a lot of motels in Tāhunanui – here are some motel options.
Board members will be booked in at the Beachcomber motel in Beach Rd, across the road from the conference venue.
Transport
Abbeyfield national office will provide 2 pick-ups from the airport to the conference venue on Friday morning, at 8.30am and 9am, and a drop-off on Saturday afternoon at 3.30pm. If you want to be picked up or dropped off, let us know when you register.
If you want transport from the airport at another time you will need to arrange that yourself. There is a bus which goes from the airport every half hour and the Tāhunanui interchange stop is right across the road from the conference venue. Here is information about the bus and timetable.
Committee reports
All committees are invited to submit a report on the past year. The report should be no more than 10 minutes – this will be strictly enforced, with a timekeeper signalling when 10 minutes is up. To help keep things brief, we ask committees to focus on key successes and challenges or major changes. Please choose one or two representatives to present the report. You are welcome to give a power point presentation but please send us this by November 12 so we can load it on to a computer.
House management committees are also asked to send these key statistics to national office so we can put them on a power point presentation while your report is delivered: number of residents, weekly rent, % occupancy, waiting list, financial situation. You can also send photos for us to add to the presentation if you’d like. The deadline for information and photos is November 12.
Conference venue, St Stephens Church, Tāhunanui
Dinner venue Friday night, Smugglers restaurant
I enjoyed the camaraderie and the energy of participants. It was great to talk to people from other societies and realise that we have similar issues.
The key takeaway for me was the sharing of information and the collaboration. The number of new committees and new people attending was particularly encouraging.