Riding the Rollercoaster: Supporting Members Through Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
Sitting down to write this article two-thirds of the way through the year and reflecting on the past few years of uncertainty due to COVID, the Rebate review, strikes, and now an election with a possible new government, I want to acknowledge the rollercoaster of feast/famine that everyone is experiencing. This isn't easy. I know we are deemed a resilient bunch, and I am a cup-half-full kind of person, but I know we are all feeling—enough is enough! Even though all of this has been out of our control, we are still allowed to feel the frustration, and I am feeling it with you.
Here at the Guild, we have been developing practical ways to support our members and focus on what we can do. In August, Brendon, Tracey, Richard, and I hit the road and hosted evenings in Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown, and Auckland. A big shout-out and thank you to everyone we met along the way. It was awesome to share what the Guild is working on to put some dollars back in your pockets and support where we can. I enjoyed every minute of the road trip; being able to put faces to names I have known for a long time and hearing your stories was so great and pushes me to keep thinking about how we can best serve our members.
If you didn't make it to the evenings, below is an overview of what we were launching. If you still need to check out our new Members Discounts available to all members, please log in to your profile and look at what we offer. We have 55+ general discounts, which help you save money in various ways—from hardware, entertainment, accommodation, insurance, and so much more. We also offer our new Pro Discounts, where you can save at Bunnings (if you have a NZBN number, and if you don't, here's how you can get one) and a 25% discount across 700,000+ skews with RS Group (some exclusions apply). Please check these out!
I have had emails saying that one member saved $100 at Resene, another $400 at Bunnings, and over $200 at Noel Leeming. These discounts help pay for your membership and save you even more. So, if you haven't got a chance to check them out, please do; in some cases, it's costing you money not to be a member.
I also want to recognise the fantastic prizes that Bunnings, AEG, and RS gave away and our special SIG beanies that were a hit on the night. We have also opened the Discounts to Productions with our new Production Partners Membership option. This offer involves individual production projects signing on for a temporary membership that lasts as long as the shoot is in action, where all the buyers on that production are added to the sub and are issued with a project-linked Bunnings PowerPass card number that's linked to our special Screen Guild Pricing structure. You also get your own Bunnings Trade account manager assigned to the project to make sure you get the best prices available and that your ordering is smooth and fast (Check it out—if you already have a current PowerPass, our pricing is most likely better than what you currently receive—we worked it hard!!). All you need to do is get on the Bunnings page on our website under Production-Pro Discounts and switch your current Bunnings account number over to our Screen Guild pricing by supplying your Screen Guild Membership number on the form!
We want more money back on screen and to save precious budgets for everyone. All the information is on the website under Discounts or Memberships. So, please spread the word for us so we can all get this up and running and save!
We also had a great night with the NZCS this week. A big thank you to the NZCS team for organising the evening. We discussed the new Blue Book changes and looked at the next steps on the Screen Industry Workers Act (SIWA). We will host more information evenings on SIWA, so don't worry; we will ensure everyone is in the loop. We are hoping to go to the collective bargaining table in 2024. If you want to know more about SIWA, we have a comprehensive guide on the website. Please ensure you have a good read through it so you understand what it means and how it will affect all screen workers.
So what's coming up? On the 18th of October, we will be hosting branch meetings in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch (with Queenstown date to be confirmed). These branch meetings are only for members, but it's a great chance to pop along, have a drink and snacks, share your thoughts about what you would like to see the Guild doing, and catch up on our next steps. We need to hear from you as each region has different priorities, and it's essential that you let us know what they are. We can't act for you in the best way possible if we don't know what you need!
On the 1st of November, we will host our AGM online—here, you can vote for our President, VP, and Treasurer, and then we will go into breakout rooms for each branch, where you can vote for your Branch Chair, Secretary, and Branch committee members. The Chair and Secretary are your voice on the Executive Committee.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the committee members, our President, VP, and Treasurer, for all of the volunteer hours that they gift to the Guild that enable us to do what we do. THANK YOU!
So, in signing off for another quarter, let us know if you have any further ideas that we can work on to support our members. We will be looking at adding new discounts to our discount programs, so if there are any businesses you think would be beneficial to have on our discount list—please let us know! We will send out comms regarding the upcoming meetings, SIWA, discount program, and the rate card review. So keep an eye out for those.
In the meantime, Kia Kaha, we will turn a corner in the future, and I have a feeling we will be back to the feast.
Ngā mihi nui,
Kelly
