Welcome to the first newsletter of the new year – a year that’s already off to a galloping start with National Networking Week just behind us and a number of great initiatives still to come!
2007 is the year of “Acknowledgement and Recognition” and we started the year acknowledging those people who make BNI what it is, the members and the chapters.
In this connection, we launched the Givers Gain awards for the main regions at the Big Breakfasts around the country in February.

Congratulations to the winning chapters – the Manukau chapter, the Cambridge chapter, the Northland chapter, the Wanganui chapter and the Lower Hutt chapter of BNI.
More recognition at a chapter level will be introduced in the next leadership change over, and this includes recognising people when they renew, as well as new ribbons to our long standing members.
BNI NZ was also recognised by BNI Internationally at the International Conference in Long Beach recently, when BNI NZ received two awards – one for our support of Hospice and the other for ‘Market Penetration’.
The Market Penetration Award follows a BNI survey of 36 countries, including:
* The USA with a 300 million population, 3,200 chapters after 22 years and 32 per cent penetration;
* The UK with a 60 million population, 502 chapters after 10 years and a 24.9 per cent penetration;
* Canada with 33 million people, 240 chapters after 10 years and 21.7 per cent penetration; and
* New Zealand with four million people, 83 chapters after just eight years and 120 per cent market penetration!
Incidentally, BNI now has 93,000 members worldwide, is active in 36 countries and has more than 4,600 chapters - our 83 chapters encompass 1,880 members.
In 2007, one of BNI NZ's goals is to focus on increasing the chapter average from 22.6 to 26 members.  As you can see, we’re off to a roaring start already. Here’s wishing you a very prosperous and profitable year ahead.
Best wishes
Graham Southwell

BNI New Zealand has been selected as finalists in two categories in this year’s Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards
BNI is a finalist in the category for the most significant contribution by a business with less than $5million

turnover with a one-to-many offering, and BNI’s national director Graham Southwell, is also a finalist in the category for the most significant contribution from an individual.
BNI New Zealand joins over twenty other Auckland-based organisations amongst the 33 nationwide finalists announced late last week by awards’ organisers Sarah Trotman & Associates.
Pictured from left are Sarah Trotman, Roger Bell (CEO, Vero Insurance) and Graham Southwell.

One of BNI New Zealand’s goals in 2007 is to ensure that the BNI Entrepreneur Support Programme achieves 100 per cent take up this year.
BNI Support’s Fiona Harrop says BNI has about one in three chapters sponsor a new business person into BNI since the programme was introduced in the middle of last year.
“We have now had some brochures printed and we are encouraging the chapters to promote this. However, we will also be taking this to the Enterprise Organisations and tertiary institutions to make them aware of the sponsorship programme BNI is offering,” says Fiona.

BNI will be continuing to strengthen its links with Hospice New Zealand in 2007.
Sue Redknap of BNI Support says members will be aware that last year BNI presented Hospice NZ with a cheque for just over $35,000 following the 2:1 fundraising campaign.
“Once again we will be supporting Hospice through the ‘Time to Remember’ period and we are also in talks with another company regarding a charity golf day.
“However, just last week we confirmed with Hospice New Zealand that BNI will be the sponsor for Hospice New Zealand’s Post Graduate Certificate in Pallative Care – to be known as the BNI Scholarship Programme – which covers training of hospice workers in Pallative care.

BNI is continuing to upgrade its materials and the new Members Policy brochure will be available shortly in every new member’s pack.
BNI has ordered one for everyone and these will be distributed over the next few weeks.

Each month, BNI will name the BNI Business Champion Award winner which goes to the member who has demonstrated the most business success within BNI – in other words, the person who has ‘worked the BNI’ system successfully and who has a story to tell.
BNI will put together a press release sharing that success story to the winner’s local and regional media, while at the same time ‘acknowledging and recognising’ their achievement at both a personal and chapter level.
After 12 months (February to February), BNI will announce the BNI Business Champion Overall 2007/8 winner – based on the greatest success and most inspirational story – at the series of Big Breakfasts held around the country to celebrate National Networking Week.
Recommendations for the award will come from BNI's regional and assistant directors - if you know of a success story, or have one to share, let them know!

BNI New Zealand congratulates managing director of Diamond Fusion in Auckland, Richard Simmons (pictured), the inaugral winner of BNI's Business Champion Award.
Richard first got involved with business networking when he was a director and part-owner of successful Auckland security company, Matrix Security, more than six years ago.
Since then he has sold up his share in Matrix Security and established Diamond Fusion – applying a glass treatment ideal for keeping showers and other glass places spotless – which he has taken from zero to half a million dollars in turn-over, in less than two years.

Today Diamond Fusion has two sub-agents in Auckland and agents in Hamilton, Bay of Plenty and Wellington. All the agents are either members of BNI or in the process of applying to join.
“Networking, particularly in the BNI context, can be great motivation, great fun and a good way to start the day with a group of like-minded people. It puts you in contact with other people you can generally rely on to do a great job because word of mouth works both ways – if you do a good job you get more referrals, if you don’t, word quickly gets out,” Richard recently told NZ Business magazine: "I’ve personally referred about $600,000 worth of business to BNI members and picked up through BNI, both on the security side and with Diamond Fusion, about $250,000 worth of sales over the last six years.
“Successful networking is definitely about givers gain,” says Richard.

Word of mouth is always working – either for you, or against you. Teaching people how to get positive word of mouth is one of the aims of National Networking Week, which more than 2,000 businesses from around New Zealand celebrated from Monday 19 February to Friday 23 February.
National Networking Week is an initiative of BNI, and National Director, Graham Southwell, says BNI members celebrated with 13 Big Breakfasts around the country.

“People are coming to understand that networking isn’t about meeting as many people as you can. It’s about fostering strong ties with a small group of people who act as your referral team – it’s not what you know or even who you know, it’s how well you know them,” says Graham.
“International Networking Week™ is an initiative of BNI, but is celebrated from 5 – 9 February with simultaneous events around the world. In New Zealand however, we celebrate our national Waitangi Day that week, so we rescheduled for later in the month,” says Graham.
In Auckland members of the SME business community, BNI members and guests met at Eden Park for breakfast and a dynamic presentation from international corporate speaker and leading authority on personalities, Allison Mooney, who spoke on ‘how to speak so people will listen’.
Centres which enjoyed Big Breakfasts were:
Tuesday 20 February – Auckland, Masterton, Rotorua.
Wednesday 21 February – Napier, Wellington, Nelson, Tauranga.
Thursday 22 February – Christchurch, Palmerston North, New Plymouth, Hamilton, Whangarei.
Friday 23 February – Dunedin.
Pictured at the Hamilton Big Breakfast is the Waikato winner of the BNI 'Givers Gain' award, the Cambridge Chapter of BNI, who took away the trophy for their efforts in raising more than $5,000.00 for Hospice.

If you’ve been enjoying a free subscription to New Zealand Business magazine over the last three months, now is the time to take advantage of the almost half price subscription offer so you don’t miss out.
As the first cycle ends, a ‘second quarter’ of BNI members will now begin receiving their FREE monthly copy of NZBusiness magazine for the next three months.
NZBusiness magazine (the authority for small and medium business) is mailed free for three months to rotating groups of 500 members over the course of a year, until all members have received a free trial subscription offer.
At the end of the free trial subscription offer, each member will receive a discounted subscription offer for BNI members of $49 (normal rate $80).
The President and education co-ordinator will continue to receive free copies for the full term of their leadership.

North Shore Hospice have advised BNI that the $2,537.55 the hospice received from BNI donations will go towards cabling for SKY television in every room of the hospice.
Fundraising Manager Gaynor Larsen thanked BNI members for their generosity and said SKY would be an important addition for the hospice.
“When people are dying, the nights can be very long for ill people and their families and the SKY will provide a welcome distraction. Frequently very ill people are unable to sleep, and this will help,” said Gaynor.
She said North Shore Hospice would like to establish closer ties with the chapters of BNI that directed their funds to North Shore Hospice, and to talk to them about the hospice’s wish list campaign.
As a result, Gaynor will contact BNI chapter presidents at CDB, Takapuna, North Harbour, Milford, Albany, Shore City, Newton, Viaduct, Mairangi Bay and Warkworth (which chose the Warkworth branch of North Shore Hospice) to arrange a visit.

Have you always wanted to do something for the teenagers, our future leaders and didn’t know how? Is making a difference important to you?
stepUP Foundation in Auckland is an non profit organisation that runs an annual two day workshop for teens (1000 to be exact!) with the outcome that they are equipped with beliefs and tools to be the best and create a life of possibilities.
Right now the stepUp Foundation needs to increase the team of people to assist in key areas.
The Foundation needs: 
* stepUP Team members – this is to join the core group to get the project off the ground, including help with marketing, brainstorming/implementing ideas, enrolling young people, event managing, recruiting coaches, advertising and sponsorship;
* 180 Coaches (people over 18) – who will have a group of teens (5-6) who you will be with over the two days – no coaching background necessary, only a desire to assist the future leaders of tomorrow and connect with them. Investment is $495 (a group discount is being organised to reduce the investment to $395 each). All meals provided. Please note! Agreeing to this will change your life just as much as the young people you are working with
* 1000 Young people (teens) – this two day workshop for young people is the platform that launches them from a world of probability to a world of possibility. Their investment is $20 for the two days.
* 50 Volunteers – for the two days (assisting with meals, runners, supporting the stepUP team etc).
* Sponsorship – to run this event there is also an additional $60,000 needed. If you own a business and want to contribute, a good way is to sponsor your staff as coaches, two things happen: A) your staff benefit greatly from the event and bring back into your business renewed enthusiasm and skills and you are supporting a worthy event and giving back to society.
* Exposure -  This is a numbers game, the more people know about this event the more people like you will want to contribute in whatever way possible.
stepUP Event is 29th / 30th March 2007 at the Waitakere Stadium. Hours for crew 7.30-6.30 (may be slight changes)
Below is a link to youtube where one of the team has put a dvd of what the coaches get out of the 2 day event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zXIdK5Y43E or email BNI member Jody Jelas on sales@visiononline.co.nz