Below I’ve set out the information I need to construct your page on the Heritage site.
And also included some simple graphics tools and free programs to assist.
There is information for your own website’s links page
and also the dates for each members blog post
.
.
Heritage Inns of New Zealand Inc.
Trading as
Constitution & Operating Rules for Members
Part A Constitution
The official name and title shall be “Heritage Inns of New Zealand Incorporated”. The trading name of the group shall be “Heritage & Character New Zealand Portfolio”.
Throughout these rules, the use of the term “HCP” or “H&C NZ Portfolio” shall refer to the trading entity and the brand name owned by Heritage Inns of New Zealand Incorporated.
(i) “Management Board” or “Board” shall refer to the board of directors elected pursuant to these rules
(ii) “Member” shall refer to the hosts, who are the whole or part owners of a Member Property. Members shall hold the right to one vote per Member Property at meetings of Heritage Inns of New Zealand Incorporated
(iii) “Member Property” shall refer to the duly inspected and accredited property owned in whole or part by the Member
(iv) Notwithstanding anything expressed or implied in this constitution, the activities of the Society shall not be carried on for the personal pecuniary gain or benefit of any member or individual.
The registered office of HCP shall be at such place as the Board shall from time to time determine.
The purpose of HCP is to build and maintain the leading, premier national network of accredited Bed & Breakfast Inns in New Zealand that are dedicated to, and committed to maintaining, the highest standards of hospitality, comfort and food, in heritage and character homes under the motto “A warm and generous welcome”.
(i) To actively market and promote the brand H&C NZ Portfolio for the benefit of all members
(ii) To establish and maintain a national network of Members to cover all the key tourist destinations in New Zealand
(iii) To build and maintain an Internet Website to reach potential guests and motivate them to enquire about Member properties and make reservations with Members.
(iv) To publish from time to time, as required, marketing brochures to support the group’s message to the travelling public
(v) To build quality standards with Members and Member Properties, so that the value of the group’s brand is continually enhanced in the marketplace
(vi) To encourage the professional development of Members in all aspects of the operation of their business
(vii) To invest, lend, and deal with the moneys of Heritage Inns of New Zealand Incorporated not immediately required for carrying on its business upon such securities and in such manner as from time to time may be determined by the Board.
(viii) To raise money by subscription from Members and to grant to Member subscribers any rights and privileges
(ix) To do all such other lawful things that are incidental or conducive to the above mentioned objects.
(i) Membership is granted by the Board in accordance with the Purpose, Objects, and Operating Rules of Heritage Inns of New Zealand Incorporated
(ii) Membership is conditional on the timely payment to HCP of annual fees, and such other charges as may from time to time be approved by the Board.
(iii) Membership is conditional on Members and Member Properties conforming at all times to the Purpose, Objects and Operating Rules of HCP.
The Board has the right to review the membership of any Member at any time. If the Board is in receipt of a complaint about a member, then it shall immediately review the complaint to test its substantiveness, and determine if there are grounds for a review of the membership of the Member.
In a Board review of membership, if there are breaches of the Operating Rules, or a failure to conform to the Constitution, then the Board shall notify the Member of such shortcomings and allow not more than 30 days for the Member to rectify such shortcomings to the Board’s satisfaction.
Should the Board not be satisfied that the Member has corrected the shortcomings from such a review, then the Board shall, after 30 days from notification of such shortcomings, have the right to immediately terminate the membership of the Member in question on a 75% majority vote.
(iv) Any Member may resign from HCP by giving the Secretary written notice of such intention.
(v) Termination for any reason, or resignation by the Member shall not prejudice the rights of HCP to recover any dues or fees in arrears and unpaid.
(vi) While Qualmark is recommended as preferred the Quality Assurance Programme, it is no longer a prerequisite for membership of HCP.
(i) The Management Board shall consist of no fewer than five and no more than seven Directors, duly elected by the Annual General Meeting held each year. They shall take office immediately following such election, until their appointment is terminated in accordance with this Constitution.
(ii) The Management Board upon election will appoint from their numbers a Chair Person, Secretary and a Treasurer.
(iii) Directors will be elected for a term of one year.
(iv) Nominations for Directors shall be in writing and shall be delivered to the Secretary not less than 21 clear days prior to the Annual General Meeting at which the election is to take place. Each nomination shall be signed by three Members of HCP, namely the person proposing the nomination, the person seconding the nomination and the person accepting the nomination.
The Chair shall have a second and deliberative casting vote in the event of a tied vote at any meeting of Heritage Inns of New Zealand Incorporated.
(v) Nominations will be accepted prior to the start of the Annual general Meeting, with the agreement of the nominated party.
(vi) Four Directors shall form a Quorum for meetings of the Management Board.
(vii) The Management Board shall meet at such times and places as it shall determine, and shall regulate its own proceedings. It shall ensure that proper minutes are kept, and that such minutes, when signed by the Chair of the next meeting, shall be deemed to be a true and correct record of all that transpired at that meeting.
(viii) The Management Board will have the power to add to, delete from, or amend, as it sees fit, the Operating Rules of HCP. All such changes to the operating Rules will be notified to the general membership in the group’s newsletter.
(ix) The Management Board shall have the power to appoint and employ persons to do the work of HCP, as it deems appropriate. Any co-opted Board member shall have no voting rights on the Board, but is there solely in an advisory capacity.
(x) The Management Board may appoint a temporary replacement to the Board when there is a vacancy for any reason.
(xi) No addition to alteration or rescission of the constitution shall be approved if it affects the pecuniary clause or the winding up clause.
(xiii) The Chair shall have a second and deliberative casting vote in the event of a tied vote at any board meeting of Heritage Inns of New Zealand Incorporated.
(i) Heritage Inns of New Zealand Incorporated will hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) each year as soon as practicable after the close of the financial year, but not later than June 30th in the ensuing financial year, for the purpose of electing Officers and such other business as has been duly notified to the members.
(ii) Notice of the date, time and place of the AGM will be sent to members not less than 30 days before the meeting.
(iii) The Meeting agenda will be notified to the members not less than 14 days in advance of the AGM.
(iv) A Member Conference may be held from time to time in conjunction with the AGM, at the Management Board’s discretion.
(v) Special General Meetings may be called from time to time by the Chair, or by a majority vote of the Management Board, or by not less than 10 ordinary Members to consider matters of urgency only, with Members having been given not less than 14 days notice of the date, time, place, and subjects to be discussed at such meeting.
(vi) Each paid up Member or member with a pre-arranged instalment AP agreement of HCP will hold one vote at any proper Special or General Meeting of Heritage Inns of New Zealand Incorporated. Any time payment arrangement offered from time to time will be at the Board’s discretion.
(vii) Proxy votes, valid for one designated meeting of Heritage Inns of New Zealand Incorporated only, signed by the Member, nominating some other Member or Officer of Heritage Inns of New Zealand Incorporated present at the meeting to vote in their stead, or, giving clear instructions as to how that vote is to be cast on the particular issue(s), will be accepted as a valid vote at such meeting.
(viii) A Quorum of 50% of the qualified Members (or their Proxies) plus one will be necessary to validate the decision of any Special or General Meeting of Heritage Inns of New Zealand Incorporated.
(ix) The Management Board may at its discretion allow the use of a postal, fax, or e-mail vote of the Members on any specific issue, background information, notice of motion. The date and time limits for such vote to be notified no less than 14 days in advance of the voting deadline.
(x) The Chair shall have a second and deliberative casting vote in the event of a tied vote at any meeting of Heritage Inns of New Zealand Incorporated.
(xi) A motion to amend this Constitution in any way will be accepted for consideration only at an AGM or a Special General Meeting held for that purpose, or by postal or secure electronic vote, provided that the precise form of the motion to amend has been circulated to all Members not less than 30 days before such meeting. Such motion shall carry both a proposer and a seconder, both of whom must be fully paid up Members.
(xii) A majority of 75% will be required to carry a motion to amend the Constitution.
(i) The financial affairs of HCP are the responsibility of the Management Board, through the Treasurer. The Financial Year and the Subscription year will run concurrently from April 1st through to March 31st of the following year.
(ii) The Management Board will be responsible for setting the Annual Subscription Fees and Joining Fees for the following year, which will be subject to ratification by a simple majority at the following AGM. Annual adjustments will be implemented on April 1st of each year, if deemed necessary by the Management Board.
(iii) The Management Board is authorized and empowered to borrow money on behalf of Heritage Inns of New Zealand Incorporated only when the Board does so by unanimous vote, and the sole purpose of the loan is to bridge finance HCP operations against the collection of fee payments during the current financial year.
(iv) No member or person associated with a member of the Society shall derive any income, benefit or advantage from the Society where that can materially influence the payment of the income, benefit or advantage, except where that income, benefit or advantage is derived from:
(a) professional services to the Society rendered in the course of business and charged at no greater rate than current market rates or
(b) interest on money lent at no greater than current market rates.
(i) The Members may at any time by simple majority vote at a properly convened general meeting resolve that Heritage Inns of New Zealand Incorporated shall be wound up. Thereafter, another general meeting must be called, but not earlier than 30 days after the date of the first meeting. At this meeting, a second resolution must be passed by simple majority, confirming the earlier resolution to wind up. Should this confirming motion be lost then the earlier motion to wind up will lapse. If the continuing resolution is passed the Members will appoint one or more liquidators to wind up the affairs of Heritage Inns of New Zealand Incorporated.
(ii) If upon winding up or dissolution of the Society there remains, after the satisfaction of its debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, the same shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the Society. Such remaining property shall be given or transferred to some other organisation or body having similar objects of this Society. In the event of the members being unable to decide, the remaining assets are to be distributed as a Judge of the High Court directs.
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PART B OPERATING RULES
PROPERTY & HOST CRITERIA
(i) The membership equation values both the property and the hosting at the property in evaluating a new or existing member.
(ii) Properties may fall into two categories – Heritage or Character at the discretion of the Management Board.
(iii) Properties will be selected for membership when the Management Board is satisfied that the property meets the Inspection criteria as set out by the Board, which identifies all the amenities, services, housekeeping, and quality standards expected of a member. Members are expected to maintain these standards over the duration of their membership. Hosts and their personal brand of hospitality are a vital element of successful membership.
RULES:
(i) All members of H&C Inns will be owned and operated by the resident hosts and will be run in a professional manner in accordance with the Constitution and Operating Rules of Heritage & Character Inns.
(ii) Resident hosts must be able to demonstrate to the Board that they have a bona fide ownership in the Member Inn.
(iii) Member properties to be limited to no more than 7 rooms.
(i) New members must be graded using the HCP grading assessment at the time of joining unless already graded by Qualmark to a minimum level of 4 stars.
(ii) New Members will be charged an administration fee of $75.00 + GST, at the discretion go the Board.
(iii) Within 10 days of joining the Group, new Members will place a visible link on their own website Home page to www.heritageinns.co.nz in accordance with the instructions at the Members’ only page
(iv) All new members of HCP will be notified to the Membership in the group’s Newsletter.
(i) On completion of the sale of a Member Property, the vendor must notify the Board in writing of the change of ownership.
(ii) HCP membership is not transferable following the sale of a H&C Inns member property.
(iii) New owners of a property must formally re-apply for membership and re-assessement by our chosen Quality Assurance providers.
(i) 1 May in each year will be the final date for payment of fees.
(ii) Late payment (after 1 May) will incur a 10% penalty charge. Continued payment default will incur a suspension of website benefits, followed by a cancellation of membership.
(i) The Board may, on the basis of complaints made to the Board, order an inspection of a member’s property.
(ii) Such inspections shall be carried out by an independent inspector nominated by the Board, and the costs of any such inspection shall be charged back to the member involved.
(iii) A copy of the relevant inspection report will be circulated around the Board and to the member involved, and will be held in strict confidence
(i) Member properties must maintain the highest standards of accommodation, cleanliness, food and friendly personal service with particular attention to luxury details that position the member to meet the needs of discerning local and overseas guests.
(i) Member properties must comply with all building and fire codes and possess a Resource Consent and all relevant certification from the local authority.
(ii) Documentation of such conformity must be shown to the Board on request.
(i) Hosts are expected and encouraged to assist guests in making forward bookings with other HCP members.
(ii) To encourage Member networking and familiarity, members are encouraged to visit and stay at each others properties when possible.
(iii) It is the group’s policy to offer such a visiting member a 50% discount off the regular room rate subject to availability.
(i) All Members are required to place a visible link on their own website Home page to www.heritageinns.co.nz in accordance with the instructions on the Members’ Information Page
(ii) Website SEO (search engine optimisation) advice approved by the Board must be implemented by all members within 90 days.
(i) Contract renewal forms will sent in January preceding the next financial year and once signed by the Member will be deemed to have accepted group membership for the following 12 months & automatically becomes liable for all fees for that Financial Year.
(i) It is recommended that all new Members, who are Qualmarked must be a minimum Qualmark 4 Star (Guest & Hosted, Bed and Breakfast or Boutique and Lodge)
(ii) Members must notify all changes in Qualmark grading to the Board in writing within seven (7) days.
(i) No Member or Organization may use the HCP mailing list without having first obtained the permission of the HCP Management Board.
(ii) The Board undertakes to protect your privacy under the terms of The Privacy Act 1993
(i) Members may not divulge commercially sensitive information, such as discounts negotiated between the HCP Board and service providers for the benefit of HCP members.
(ii) The only exception to this rule will be the divulging of such information to potential New Members by the Board member/s charged with new member recruitment.
(i) Board members will treat all Board communications, whether by post, email, fax, phone or in Board meetings, as confidential.
(i) Members of HCP dealing with Wholesalers/Inbound Operators must make provision in their tariffs for a minimum 20% commission rate.
(i) Existing members in close proximity to proposed new members will be consulted by the Membership Committee. The final decision will be made by the Board with regard to the overall requirement for rooms in the area concerned.
18 Booking systems.
(i) Any booking system is acceptable providing it is compatible with the Bookit booking system to allow for display on our website.
(iii) Members shall keep their online booking calendars fully updated at all times.
All Members are required to display a cancellation policy on their website & on their chosen booking system.
Three quotations must be obtained for capital expenditure of an ongoing nature of more than $1,000.00. This rule to be reviewed in six months.
SELLING MORE ROOM NIGHTS WITH BETTER COPY
To help me I would like all members to look closely at their individual pages, the photos and the copy.
I’m happy to make any changes you wish, but would MUCH prefer to do this before we get busy over the next season and I’ve some ideas to enhance our individual pages, and the overall site.
COPY for New Members… and existing members if they wish to “Freshen Up”…..
Firstly have a look at several members pages and see what works best for you within the general format, and then put together your copy in a “Word” document. Please make sure you (and someone else) proof reads it, as I don’t always pick up errors. Then email it to me at
IT’S ABOUT DESTINATIONS
We are all very good at the accommodation, hosting and property thing … but so are lots of other excellent hosts out there… our competitors. So I am firmly of the belief that a point of difference we can take advantage of is to push the idea that we can help our guests get that little bit more from our individual destinations by staying with us, as the local expert hosts.
To that end I would like all to have a look at the activites tags on the Queenstown Country Lodge Page and on Sails Ashore, then send me copy and pics for your area.
It can be about food experiences, wine tours, eco tours, museums and all those wonderful things that make your area and your knowledge special – plus operators you have special links and deals with, well certainly mention their product…. But not too much detail, as you want potential guests to book with you to take advantage of what you know.
PHOTOGRAPHS
WHERE SIZE IS EVERYTHING ……..and a filename that identifies the subject helps me get it right, especially for context critical, like room names !!!!
I love the stunning full width photos on the top slider on the home page and also on member’s pages. Those photos are cut down from much larger images, and like all things I can’t cut away what isn’t there.
They can take me quite a while to get right and several properties have only a single wide photo when really they should be making the most of the slide show’s ability. Ideally, I would like a really good internal, one of the outside and a couple of local scenics or of the garden etc. The attached photo of Deep Bay by Gilbert Van Reenen illustrates what I have to do to make an image work on the slide show …. cut along the red line.
As a basic guide I would need this images original size to be at least 4 meg, to retain the quality when cut down.
To find the photo size right click on the file name and select “properties” which is probably the bottom of the resulting menu items. The size will be in “KB”. For the smaller photos I use aim for around 150kb. This gives me some size to work with. For the banners, as I said before I need at least 4000 kb (4 meg)
HINTS FOR BETTER PHOTOS FOR THE SLIDE SHOW
• Compose your photo with the “cutting” in mind.
• You may have to move much further from the subject than you would normally.
• Or use a short focal length lens…but not too fish eye.
• Use a good camera with a high pixel count…. 10 megapixel or better is best. I can always make a photo smaller but I can’t make it bigger and retain quality.
• Take in ‘Landscape’ and if possible , in 16:9 format.
• The less “fiddling” I have to do with Photoshop the better the end result.
• I can remove some things – the original photo of Sails Ashore had me standing on the steps as I flew the drone. I managed to remove me quite satisfactorily – but I can’t make a pig’s ear look like a silk purse.
• Photos of smaller rooms (bedrooms) are really difficult unless using a really short focal length lens. I can sometimes stitch a series of photos together to get a wide angle effect. Contact me by phone for hints.
• Don’t be scared to use your smart phone. Some have seriously good cameras. If you don’t take that photo, we can never use it. But take it and we may well have a winner.
• Remember the best camera is the one you have with you.
• Good photos say so a lot , stunning photos say so much more.
WHAT IS FOCAL LENGTH ABOUT WHEN TAKING PHOTOS?
The longer the focal length, the narrower the angle of view and the higher the magnification. The shorter the focal length, the wider the angle of view and the lower the magnification. Zoom or Prime. There are two types of lenses-prime and zoom.
An easy way to understand this is to consider a zoom lens with say 18mm-55mm – the smaller number the wider than angle of view.
Prime lenses are single number lenses.
For Smart Phones you just have to stand as far back as possible to get as much in as you can – but don’t fall off the cliff !!!!
And now some Tools.
There are some seriously powerful (and complex) graphics programs out there, and I’m sure most of us have heard of “Photoshopping” images. And if you’ve got mega $$$ to spend and the time to learn how to make a very complex piece of software sit up and beg for you then you can do no better.
But I use IrfanView for most of the work I do on the HC site . Its an excellent program, and even better it’s FREE. Download from https://www.irfanview.com/
You can easily resize photos to a manageable size, and for the smaller photos I use on the HC website please resize to around 450 and make sure you preserve the aspect ratio and keep DPI at around 72.
Photos of Inside Rooms
These can be challenging, to say the least, and by far the best solution is to use a wide angle lens… say around 10mm. Which probably not many of us own. So if you know someone with a good camera and lens then that is the answer.
“Stitching”
But you can cheat. Microsoft have a program which I use to “stitch” photos together. And it’s free as well Download it from here . There are some tricks to it, and for internal room shots you will still need a shortish focal lens… I use an 18mm. And the photos MUST have a good overlap of at least 30% each adjacent shot, and MUST be from a fixed position. Best to use a tripod or at worst from a shelf or fixed base. If you hold the camera and pivot there will be a real issue with unfixable distortion. This is less critical for subjects in the far distance such as panoramas. I also tend to use the camera in portrait mode,.
Links Pages
Part of the requirements for members is that we each have links to all other members on our own web site.
Now I’m the first to agree that keeping them all up to date is a real pain, and if we have to pay someone to do it for us can get a bit expensive.
So I’ve built a “plain vanilla” page on the HC site which has it all done for you.
All you need to do is have an “iframe’ pointing at the page I have built, and Voila. Its all done for you, and automatically updates whenever our membership changes
Follow This link to the page on the HC site www.heritageinns.co.nz/easymap
And see how it looks on our own site www.sailsashore.co.nz/links You’ll see it lower down the page.
And the code couldn’t be easier.
This should take on whatever background your page has.
Using this system is entirely up to you of course, but having links to each other is an important part of assisting each other and our guests
2015/16 Blog Dates
09 November / – Fletcher Lodge
09 November / Matuka Lodge
16 November/ – Sails Ashore
16 November / Lime Tree Lodge
23 November/ – Bed of Roses
23 November / Ribbonwood
30 November / -Villa Toscana
30 November / The Resurgence
7 December/ – Dunluce B&B
7 December / Edgewater
14 December/ –Maple Lodge
21 December/ – Clearview Lodge
28 December/ McCormick House
04 January/ – Stoneridge Estate
11 January/ – Holly Homestead
18 January/ – Tairoa Lodge &Cottage
25 January/ – Dock Bay Lodge
01 February/ – Rimu Lodge
08 February/ –Matua Gardens
15 February/ –Te Puna Wai Lodge
22 February/ – Safari Lodge
29 February / – The Establishment
07 March/ – Beaufort House
14 March/ – Breckenridge
21 March/ – Doolan’s
28 March / Fyffe Country Lodge
04 April/ – Hillington & Ensleigh Cottages
11 April/ – Hosking House
18 April / – Queenstown Country Lodge
25 April / -Summit Lodge
Here are the appointments Chris & Steph had at Trenz
| NATHAN TRAVEL | Margaret Nathan | [email protected] | 5* | Excellent prospect – Kiwi living in Germany |
| FOURWAYS TRAVEL | Karishma Reporter | [email protected] | 3* | |
| APTC | Katyja Thiele | [email protected] | 3* | Wants German translations on Agents page |
| DISCOVER THE WORLD | Lindi Sprenger | [email protected] | 3* | via Pan Pacific |
| ORBITZ WORLDWIDE | Haley Purdon | [email protected] | 5* | Will give group listing for HCP – major site = Agoda etc – a must! |
| BOOKING.COM | Julie Nelmes | [email protected] | 5* | Major as above but bigger. Hotline for booking problems 09-300-4674 |
| WEXAS TRAVEL | David Warne | [email protected] | 4* | via ATS/AOT |
| SOUTHERN WORLD | Nicola Hayes | [email protected] | 4* | Works with each property directly |
| STELLA TRAVEL | Sarah Henderson | [email protected] | 3* | via ATS/AOT ( Quantas Vacations/Travel2/TravelScene) |
| COX & KINGS | Owen Walker | [email protected] | 5* | via ATS/AOT |
| ANSWIRS | Ray Walsh | [email protected] | 3* | |
| AUSTRALIA PLUS REISEN | Malvine Roberth | [email protected] | 3* | Works through Goway |
| NZ IN DEPTH | Paul Carberry | [email protected] | 5* | UK based uses ID TOURS |
| SMARTCOM HUAWEI | Berlin Bai | [email protected] | 2* | Not us,requires larger properties and couldn’t grasp no.of guests/room |
| INSIDE TOURISM | Nigel Coventry | [email protected] | 4* | Journalist with own online publication – could be useful – interested . |
| FREEDOM TOURISM | Vishal Choksi | [email protected] | 3* | Wants child policy made clear on Website and Agents page – high end |
| POLO TOURS | Linda Yang | [email protected] | 3* | Works through China Travel Service |
| Freelance Journalist | Kathy Ombler | https://www.linkedin.com/pub/kathy-ombler/90/b05/298 | 3* | Interested in our product.Nature Writer for TNZ. |
| AGODA | Scott Murray | [email protected] | 5* | A must. |
| UNIQUELY NEW ZEALAND TRAVEL | Jillian Barrow | [email protected] | 4* | Specialises in Baby Boomers. |
| THE GREEN SPOT | Denise Schelbergen | [email protected] | 3* | Very Eco/Green Clients |
| ASPIRE DOWN UNDER | Sharon Tidbury | [email protected] | 3-4* | Older Clients |
| RELAXING JOURNEYS | Campbell Harris | [email protected] | 4* | Works directly with properties |
| TOURISM NZ | Takahyde Nakazawa | https://media.newzealand.com/en/contact-us/ | 3* | Media Tourism NZ |
| SUNDANCE SPIRIT | Allan Falck | [email protected] | 4* | Buenos Aires – Potential here with AirNZ prefers Spanish speakers! |
| ANZ NATURE TOURS | Sina Zimmermann | [email protected] | 3* | High end Chinese market. |
| NATURALLY NEW ZEALAND | Heather Collins | [email protected] | 5* | Works directly with properties – excellent in every respect |
| DISCOVER DOWNUNDER | Iain Waka | [email protected] | 5* | Kiiw living in Colorado – works directly with properties |
| HARPER TRAVEL | Winnie Fong | [email protected] | 3* | Works directly with properties |
| THE TRAVEL TEMPLE | Akshav Bhandari | [email protected] | 3* | Requires images on Agents Page – being worked on. |
| DESIGNER TOURS | Leila Minatogawa | [email protected] | 4* | via PDNZ |
| TRAVEL TIME SOUTH PACIFIC | Marilyn Edgecombe | [email protected] | 5* | Good IBO in the past … hence 5* |
| DOWN UNDER ANSWERS | Kate Lawry/Jeff Adams | [email protected] | 3* | [email protected]. Jeff was supposed to do webinar at conference – didn’t! |
| JCM DESTINATIONS | Yovanka | [email protected] | 3* | wants newsletter. |
| Nouvelle Zelande a la carte | Valerie & Gerard | [email protected] | 3* | wants newsletter. |
| TOURISM NEW ZEALAND | Adam Hughes | [email protected] | 5* | Loved our product and probably one of the smartest people we saw. |
| TNZ are really on to promoting the shoulder season – how many years??? | ||||
| GO AUSTRALIA | Roberto Chiesa | [email protected] | 3* | Good FIT market direct from website |
| TRAVEL STUDIO | Masahiko Tsuya | [email protected] | 3-4* | Luxury small gp 8 pax max – but very good to deal with. |
| ASKJA REIZEN | Saskia van der Meij | [email protected] | 2* | Value for money – but lower end. |
| TRAVEL TREND | Monique van Ooten | [email protected] | 2* | Only interested in 3-4 star properties. |
| GOWAY TRAVEL | Greg Atkins | [email protected] | 4* | FIT + VIP market |
| ATS PACIFIC (AOT) | Annette Nicholls | [email protected] | 5* | But want 25% commission ! OK if you are the only choice in town ! |
| BOOKING.COM | Joshua Steel | [email protected] | 5* | Second appointment as they want us as a group …mmm will come at a price |
| NZ PACIFIC DISCOVERY | Francis Mortimer | [email protected] | 4* | French speaking owners preferable |
| NELSON & NELSON | Greta Bal | [email protected] | 3* | Belgian clients – works direct |
| ALL WAYS PACIFIC TAILORMADE | Kaye Rankin | [email protected] | 5* | Taken back TailorMade Travel – great company thrilled to see us! |
| AUDLEY TRAVEL | James Butler | [email protected] | 5* | ATS/AOT but also deals vial ID TOURS …..unscheduled but brilliant! |
| PAN PACIFIC | Anne Marshall | [email protected] | 4* | Want max commission of 25% – will do less 20% but….. |
| IMAGINE NEW ZEALAND | Nienke Jansen | [email protected] | 4* | Potential 5* – new likes our properties- unscheduled appointment. |
| BART BEESON (Freelance writer) | Bart Beeson | [email protected] | 4* | Love our properties – high end writer – will send him Agents Newsletter! |
| GENERAL TRAVEL NEW ZEALAND | Anna Black | [email protected] | IBO’s for quite a few high end Asian Travel Companies – unscheduled. |
HERITAGE INNS OF NEW ZEALAND INCORPORATED
MINUTES OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Held on Wednesday 3 June 2015 at 9:30am
Properties present: Proxies received from:
McCormick House Villa Toscana
Clearview Lodge Safari Lodge
Fletcher Lodge Dunluce B&B
Fyffe Country Lodge Rimu Lodge
Sails Ashore The Resurgence
Summit Lodge
Bed of Roses (by skype) Matua Garden Retreat
The Establishment
Apologies received from:
Dock Bay Lodge
Villa Toscana
Safari Lodge
Lime Tree Lodge
Maple Lodge Wanaka
Dunluce
Edgewater
Ribbonwood
Endsleigh Cottages
Breckenridge
Confirmation of minutes of 2014 AGM:
Moved Jeanne (McCormick House) / seconded Chris (Fyffe Country Lodge) that the minutes of the 2014 AGM are a true and correct record. Carried
Chairman’s Report:
Ewa Rozecka-Pollard (Fletcher Lodge)
A very warm welcome to members present and we extend our best wishes to all our members that could not take part in the Conference and our AGM today.
From the numerous conversations with many of our members, and other friends, in the industry I gather that all of us have had a bumper season and all the signs are that New Zealand tourism, after the down turn, is flying high again.
In the past year we, as a Board, concentrated on a two prong marketing initiative, targeting agents and direct bookings.
Agents:
In July 2014 Sue Clements (Clearview Lodge) and I spent 3 days in Auckland visiting travel agents and introducing our members and the philosophy behind the H&CP organisation (“exceptional, world class hosting in luxurious accommodation”). I must stress that all agents took the appointments very seriously, some closing the offices for an hour so all staff members could listen to our presentations.
Here is the list of our meetings:
Monday, 28th of July 2014
02:00pm Relaxing Journeys, Christine
Tuesday, 29th of July 2014
09:00am ID NZ Tours, Rebecca Gill
10:30am JCM, Angele, Alexandra & Stephanie
11:20am Southern World, Ian
01:00pm Once Upon a Trip, Arno
03:00pm Pacific Destinationz, Amanda
Wednesday, 30th of July 2014
10:00am Nienke
11:30am General Travel, Andrea
01:30pm Art of Travel, Wendy
03:00pm Tourmasters, Betham
It was an excellent and productive time and a lot of fun not the least because we stayed in the most beautiful accommodation in Devonport courtesy of Stephanie May, our illustrious newsletter editor.
Direct Bookings:
These are initiatives to help H&CP members with direct bookings:
H&CP Website – This is a continuous work-in-progress, adding new members, changing photos, improving SEO, etc. etc. and all this solely on the shoulders of Peter Tait (Sails Ashore) with occasional help from Mark (1 Group).
VIP cards – Loyalty cards that entitle travelers to VIP treatment at our properties. All members should distribute cards to their guests to encourage them to travel using our properties.
Brochure – The brochure should have a similar effect enabling travelers quick reference to our members almost everywhere in the country.
Blogs – A schedule/time table has been set-up so that all members in rotation can keep up the H&CP blogs giving us at least one entry a week. The current entry is from Peter Tait about Harry’s visit to Stewart Island.
Facebook – Same procedure as for blogs, anything entered as a blog is copied into Facebook plus any direct entries into the Facebook page.
Networking – We actively recommend our members when dealing with potential enquiries and requests from our guests.
Closed to Members only Facebook – This has been set up by Stephanie and has been used quite successfully over the last few months as a platform to network, ask for advice and help between H&CP members.
Translations – we have translated a short introductory presentation of our properties into Japanese, French, Russian & Polish. This should help future foreign visitors to find us when choosing places to stay. As with the website this is a work-in-progress, new members will of course be added.
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Members:
The core of our membership has remained the same for years, there is of course always small movements due to properties being sold and owners moving to better pastures. We are especially sorry to lose this year, Lisa and Chris Preston of Amuri Estate Retreat in Hanmer Springs. We wish Lisa speedy recovery from her illness and wonderful time travelling in the USA.
We have gained several excellent new members: Breckenridge Lodge, Napier; Edgewater Lodge, Wellington; Hosking House, New Plymouth; Te Puna Wai Lodge, Nelson; Ribbonwood Country House, Cheviot; The Establishment, Christchurch; Matua Gardens Retreat, Akaroa; Beaufort House, Akaroa; Matuka Lodge, Twizel; Lime Tree Lodge, Wanaka; Maple Lodge, Wanaka; Queenstown Country Lodge, Queenstown; Resurgence Luxury Eco Lodge, Motueta/Nelson; Summit Lodge, Masterton. Welcome and let’s work together to strengthen and improve our group.
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In November 2014 we, as a group, re-joined TIA and have worked tirelessly to prepare our exhibition stand at TRENZ (17th to 21st of May 2015 Rotorua). I believe this has been a great success, a separate, full report is attached. Many thanks to Stephanie and Chris for their generosity in giving so much time and hard work for the benefit of all our members.
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I hope that all of our members are ready to take their well deserved holidays and will come back full of strength and vigor to face the new season. There is a lot of work in front of us, if we want to keep up with the pace of the changes and the challenges our industry is facing. Standing still will only send us backwards.
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Tasks we have in mind for next season:
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On behalf of our members, I would like to thank all of our current Board: Sue, Chris, Helen, Peter & Stephanie (Honorary Board Member) for their huge contributions of time and effort in running the H&CP Group. In all my years on the Board (5 or 6 by now) this was the happiest and most co-operative time to date.
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My only wish and appeal to all our members is as follows:
Please, please communicate with us more, give us help and advice, make suggestions either direct to board members or put it into open discussion on the Members Only Facebook. We need fresh thoughts thrown in into our mind set so we will think out of the square.
I look forward to a positive and prosperous future for all members of HCP and wish you all the very best for the upcoming season.
Chairman
Ewa Rozecka-Pollard
Moved Robin (Clearview Lodge) / seconded Chris (Fyffe Country Lodge) that the 2015 Chairman’s report be accepted. Carried
Treasurer’s Report:
Presented by Ewa Rozecka-Pollard (Fletcher Lodge).
Moved Ewa (Fletcher Lodge) / seconded Sue (Clearview Lodge) that the audited accounts be accepted. Carried
Auditor’s Report:
Included in the 2014/15 financial statements.
Board Honoraria:
Budget constraints dictate that no honoraria are to be paid this year.
Life Member:
It was proposed that Stephanie May be made an honorary Life Member of Heritage & Character.
Moved Sue (Clearview Lodge) / seconded Carl (McCormick House). Carried
2016/2017 Membership Fees:
It was proposed to leave the membership fees at $400.00 plus GST per property for the current 12 months.
The Board proposes to reinstate the conference levy ($100 + GST) for 2016 to encourage members to come to the conference.
Moved Cliff (Bed of Roses) / seconded Chris (Fyfffe Country Lodge). Carried
The board reserves the right to charge a surcharge in the current financial year if required (for extraordinary marketing projects eg. TRENZ).
Moved Cliff (Bed of Roses) / seconded Robin (Clearview Lodge). Carried
New Members:
Maple Lodge, Breckonridge Lodge, Edgewater Lodge, Hosking House, Lime Tree Lodge
Matuka Lodge, Queenstown Country Lodge, Summit Lodge, Te Puna Wai, The Resurgence, Matua Garden Retreat, The Establishment, Ribbonwood Country House This year – Doolans Country Retreat, Beaufort House, Stoneridge Estate.
Election of 2015/2016 Board Officers:
Nominations:
Peter (Sails Ashore)
Nominated by Sue (Clearview Lodge) / seconded by Carl (McCormick House). Carried
Sue (Clearview Lodge)
Nominated by Ewa (Fletcher Lodge) / seconded by Peter (Sails Ashore). Carried
Ewa (Fletcher Lodge)
Nominated by Sue (Clearview Lodge) / seconded by Jeanne (McCormick House). Carried
Chris (Fyffe Country Lodge)
Nominated by Robin (Clearview Lodge) / seconded by Louisa (Bed of Roses). Carried
New Nominations:
Robin (Clearview Lodge)
Nominated by Chris (Fyffe Country Lodge) / seconded Peter (Sails Ashore). Carried
Iris (Sails Ashore)
Nominated by Jeanne (McCormick House) / seconded by Robin (Clearview Lodge). Carried
Stephanie May, having been made a Life Member under the operating rules.
Nominated by Sue (Clearview Lodge) / seconded by Iris (Sails Ashore)
Moved Robin (Clearview Lodge) / seconded Chris (Fyffe Country Lodge) that the Board be approved. Carried
General Business:
Constitutional changes proposed by HCP board, as discussed at conference:
After much discussion during conference, it was concluded that there is no need to change the constitution to allow cottages. Membership should continue to be considered on a case by case basis looking at hosting/hosts (see conference minutes).
Moved Peter (Sails Ashore) / seconded Ewa (Fletcher Lodge). Carried
Leased properties could be accepted on a case by case basis, as they have a financial interest (own a lease) in the business, which is within the current rules.
Moved Sue (Clearview Lodge) / seconded Chris (Fyffe Country Lodge). Carried
Chris suggested that we have some sample travel itineraries on the website. This could be done using TNZ itineraries with wrap around so we don’t loose them from our site. We could have some itineraries on Drop Box. Carl suggested we have road trips with photos staying with our members. Peter suggested having a wrap around to go to AA driving times site. This could be looked at when the website has been tidied up.
At the conference, we discussed changing the group’s name and logo slightly. At TRENZ, agents were confused with ‘Portfolio’. It was decided to change our logo to be ‘Heritage & Character Boutique Accommodation’ as it is clearer as to what the group represented, with NZ under the floral pattern. There was no mention of accommodation in the previous logo. Agents liked Boutique and it is prominent on our brochure.
It was pointed out that we now have spouses on the Board and whether this was a problem with voting. However, as the Board only manages the day-to-day business of the group, within the operating rules, and cannot on its own change the constitution, the constitutional rule, of one vote per property doesn’t represent a conflict of interest.
2016 Conference:
We are proposing to have our conference on 30 May, 1st and 2nd June 2016. TRENZ is 10-13 May and this would make the conference the week before Queens Birthday. Members should block out these dates in their calendar NOW.
We will canvas member for potential venues. Suggested destinations were Wanaka, Napier or Te Anau. We would like to be able to have the conference at a member property if possible, to keep costs down. Suggestions and proposals would be welcome. Please get back to us before the end of August. In the past, we have alternated North Island/South Island and would welcome offers from any North Island members.
Due to such a positive response from international agents, and IBO’s at TRENZ, we feel we need to consolidate our presence by attending TRENZ again next year.
Meeting closed at 11.21am
You can find info from Leigh-Anne Accounts on Line
NB. This quite a large PDF file which will download
These logos can be simply “right clicked” and “saved as” onto your desktop to save a copy. These may need to be reduced in dimensions to suit your needs
Please note all members are required to display the Heritage Inns Logo on the property home page, with an image link to the Heritage site
Solid Blue Background
Transparent Background
White Background
