Well, you’ve probably seen the photos on Facebook.  If you have, you’ll have been able to tell that the weekend was a resounding success.  Delegates passed a resolution in each committee, but, for the second year running, the plenary resolution failed by one vote.  We hope everyone who enjoyed the conference stays involved in UNYANZ, and encourage you to visit the website to see the resolutions you wrote, debated, and voted on. Congratulations to the prize winners:

Best delegation - the delegation for the United States of America (Nigel Smith, Sarah Wilson, Alex Sinclair and Jane Pring). 

Best delegate - The delegate representing the People's Republic of China in the Crisis Committee (Charlotte Davis).

Best delegate in committee -

• Crisis Committee: Delegate for Austria (Ally Tang)
• Fiji: Delegate for China (Scott Summerfield)
• Climate Change: Delegate for Viet Nam (Raymond Chu)
• Crime of Aggression: Delegate for Austria (Kate Pierse O'Byrne)

UNYANZ Auckland is seeking a committee to organise Youth Declaration 2010.

Youth Declaration (YD) is a forum for High School students across the country, representing their chance to articulate their vision for New Zealand in concise policy statements that are received directly by figures such as the Governor-General, and by several government ministries. The Youth Declaration document is produced through a comprehensive process whereby youth delegates work together in groups to form statements of belief on around 14 topics, ranging from the Rights of the Child, New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs, Poverty and Health to the Justice System, the Environment and more. These statements are voted on by all of the youth delegates and those that pass by a simple majority are included in the final document that is presented to VIPs and guests. A copy of the Youth Declaration 2009 document is available here.

UNYANZ Auckland is opening four positions on the YD 2010 Organising Committee (see below for role descriptions):

• Coordinator
• Registrations Officer
• Logistics Coordinator
• Marking-Sponsorships Officer

Why should you apply?

This is a limited opportunity that offers both a tremendous experience, and a chance to utilise your skills. How many politics students can say they’ve overseen a conference where policy is delivered directly to decision makers? How many marketing students can say they’ve conceived of and executed a national campaign? Coordinating and Organising Youth Declaration will bring a substantial boost to your CV and help you stand out from the crowd to potential employers. YD will also be your chance to network within a national organisation of dedicated and intelligent future leaders.

To apply

Applications are now open and close 1 November with the coordinator and organising committee members announced on 3 November.

• Send an email titled “Youth Declaration 2010 Committee Application” to auckland@unyanz.co.nz
• Attach your CV
• Attach a short cover letter telling us why you would make a good coordinator or organising committee member
• Specify which role you are interested in. If you are interested in more than one role, please rank your preferences as we are looking for the strongest committee to date.

Role Descriptions

• Vision and direction of YD 2010
• Leadership of the YD 2010 Organising Committee
• Oversight of the project Budget
• Liaising with UNYANZ Auckland and the UNYANZ National Executive
• Setting of YD 2010 Topics, and format of debate
• Needs to be a calm and steady leader, able to keep track of deadlines and motivate or provide assistance to other members of the YD 2010 Organising Committee

Registration Officer

• Receiving and processing of delegate registrations for YD 2010
• Point of contact for delegate enquiries
• Needs to be a good communication and organisation vital.

Logistics Coordinator

• Responsible for all logistical aspects of the conference, including; Catering, Facilities, Lanyards/T-shirts, Printing.
• Needs to be an organised and approachable multitasker

Marketing and Sponsorships Officer

• Creating and implementing a national marketing strategy for YD 2010
• Securing sponsorships and scholarships
• Needs to be a charismatic and talkative sale person 

However, for this issue of Communiqué the Auckland Region is excited to announce that we are opening applications for coordinators of the two biggest events in the UNYANZ Auckland year: Youth Declaration 2010 and Auckland-MUN 2010. You can find information about the Youth Declaration application above.

• Send an email titled “Auckland MUN Organiser Application” to auckland@unyanz.co.nz

• Attach a CV

• Attach a short blurb explaining why we should choose you.

• If you wish to apply for both positions, please rank your preferences.
   

The Canterbury Region, at the time of writing, is eagerly anticipating our inaugural Historical Model United Nations Conference 09. This event is a new initiative, coordinated by Alexander Baird, a member of the Canterbury UNYANZ Council who is studying a Bachelor of Arts that includes a History major at the University of Canterbury. Our Council hopes to make it a fixture of our regional calendar, and build on it as a more academically based conference that might even involve a strong competitive element.

HMUN Canterbury has managed to attract a number of new students from schools that have not been involved in UNYANZ events or even witnessed a Model UN before, despite the fact that the event is in the middle of the school holidays and is treading close to the crucial term for senior students. The Region is ecstatic about this. Delegates from Greymouth to Akaroa will be winging their way to attend the conference, and this development in itself shows the Canterbury Council that its efforts have paid dividends.

The Canterbury Council set out at the beginning of this year with a number of specific goals, centred on improving our Regional Model UN Programme and increasing awareness in Canterbury about the opportunities our organisation provides locally, nationally, and internationally. HMUN Canterbury is just one step in that direction. The Council has been cautious not to over-extend itself; however, as President, I am delighted by the progress the Council have made and the speed with which we have amplified our activities. I commend every member for their support of UNYANZ.

Rangiora High School held their annual “RHSMUN” for year 9 and 10 students, and this event attracted around 90 delegates. It was no mean feat for a group of high school students to put together and run such an event, with minimal support from their school. Being truly astonished by the quality of this event, the Canterbury Council has pledged to support this event in any way possible in 2010.

The Canterbury Region is in the process of building relationships with local organisations that we hope will prove useful in future. These include the Canterbury History Teachers’ Association, the Canterbury wing of the Global Poverty Project, the Rotary Club of Christchurch, the Otautahi Youth Council, and the Christchurch City Council. Mayor Bob Parker and his youth team have assured Canterbury UNYANZ the support of Christchurch City, a most encouraging development. It has been wonderful to see the way in which these people have leapt at the chance to support UNYANZ in our Region, and we look forward to close working relationships with them from now on.

It is my pleasure to announce that Kirsty Herbert (the Canterbury UNYANZ Treasurer) has been elected as Coordinator of a new Model UN event to be held on the West Coast, and Charlotte Falloon (the Canterbury UNYANZ Vice-President) has been elected as Coordinator of a new Nelson/Marlborough event, both planned for 2010. We cannot wait to expand the Model UN Programme to these areas of Canterbury next year!

Finally, UNYANZ Canterbury is seeking a committee to run Canterbury MUN 2010. See below for more information. 

The Canterbury Model UN Conference 2010 will be held on the 23^rd and 24^th of March. The Canterbury Regional Council of UNYANZ has delegated the task of planning and controlling this event to a Canterbury Model UN Committee. Council members may apply for positions on the Committee. You can find the application form here.

The following positions are sought:

Resources Coordinator: Supports the Coordinator. The Resources Coordinator will organise and control all printed materials, furniture and the overall appearance of the conference venue. He/She will liaise with the venue staff, and organise catering for the event during the day.

Registrations Officer: This role provides direct contact between delegates and the organising committee. This person will compile an Excel document with all delegate information, and they will collate all financial information, such as registration fees, and expenses. The Registrations Officer will create an UNYANZ ‘Gmail’ account, so that students may contact them directly.

Debates Officer: In charge of the academic aspect of the conference, the Debates Officer will work closely with the Coordinator to form an integrated academic vision for the event. He/She will be in charge of writing and correctly formatting the conference Resolutions and Research Papers for delegates. They may also contact other UNYANZ members for Resolutions.

Technical Officer: This person will coordinate all technical equipment required before and during the conference. He/She will ensure the correct number of laptops, data projectors, microphones and the like are available, and will direct all photography and filming of the event.

Social Officer: A special role established to organise a special social even for the evening of 23 March. This may be a ball, or some other celebration.

Conference Assistant Coordinator: This role requires utmost professionalism. The CA Coordinator will call for applications for Conference Assistant positions, and delegate tasks during the conference to his/her staff. The Committee will select Conference Assistants to attend the event.   

As I write this there's only thirteen days to go until our third annual Model Security Council and our council are hard at work making sure this year is even better than the last. We will be discussing the situation in Georgia; the autonomy of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the reestablishment of UNOMIG and the Moscow Agreement. The event is for tertiary students but we're looking forward to seeing our High School Representative, Kurt Purdon, as a delegate. We're working hard on the details which will make this conference excellent. Even novelty lanyards and a concluding video to Ray Charles' 'Georgia on My Mind" are on the horizon!

Our regional council has seen a change is leadership as Janet Fraser, after two and a half years of dedication to Otago UNYANZ has decided to step down as President. She continues to be an asset to the council as Immediate Past President and is keeping some of her responsibilities for the organisation of the Model Security Council on September 26th.

Kurt and Sam Bush will be working together shortly on plans for next year's High School Speech Competitions where we intend to hit the road for the outer limits of our region in the build up to our annual Model United Nations.

The Otago Region, though busy, are excited about next Saturday's extravaganza and looking forward to unleashing an explosive topic on the unsuspecting students of Otago!

Sarah Paterson,

 Otago President

otago@unyanz.co.nz