AA National AGM 25/3/2010

[p.dath]

I attended the AA's national AGM tonight.

You'll have to excuse me, as I've been sick for the last week, and I buried by grandmother today, and everything is swimming in my head.

Anyway, I dosed up on medication to make myself feel normal, and wearing my funeral suit I entered the AGM (I only wear a suit for weddings and funerals). The whole event took 16 minutes from start to finish.

I would say the meeting was attended by about 200 people - however I believe I was the *only* personal member who was not an AA delegate. Let me explain that a bit further. Everyone who works for the AA, is a councillor, or the partner of a councillor had a yellow tag around their neck saying who they were and which district they were from.
I was the only person without a yellow tag.

That's very interesting - because it means if I wanted to make a big change at the AA I would now need a much smaller number of people to do it.

The CEO caught me completely off guard. You see, to do anything at the AGM you have to file it 28 days in advance. I had planned to attend the AGM only to see how it and the AA works. Call it research.
Well, before the chairman called the meeting to a close the CEO of the AA looked at me, addressed me by my name, and asked if I would like to address the board. I made a huge mistake here, by declining. I thanks him for his offer, but said I has happy with the process I had started within the AA.

I was just so taken back. Fist that he knew my name. And secondly that he had departed from protocol by inviting me to speak directly to the board.
I should have seized this moment. Perhaps on another day I would have possessed the mental cpacity to do this. Never mind. No point crying over spilt milk.

It was not to some time later I came to the impression (by reading between the lines) that my requests to the AA have made it to the very top of the organisation (aka, the CEO), and that by departing from normal protocol that the CEO was indicating some level of support for what I have been asking for (a return to the Woodhouse principles).

[p.dath]

Anyway following the meeting all the delegates went for a drink. I have trouble saying no to a free beer, and inviting myself along was not a problem I had either.

I started making up for my earlier gaff by working the crowd for about 45 minutes. I spoke to the AA's professional political lobbyist, and he told me he had been meeting with both political parties and Nick Smith (ACC minister) about ACC and pre-funding. He told me lots of interesting stuff as well.

I also found out that when the AA have their AGM they also have three days of meetings. The prior day they had a discussion about ACC, and my communications and my speech to the Auckland District Council had come up and their had been quite some disscussion on the issue. I also found out that tomorrow they meet to formalise the AA's formal policies.

I was told that the councillors as a whole had been quite "shocked" to learn that ACC is in fact not in financial trouble, and many councillors had come to a realisation that the information being given out by ACC is now questionable.

I spoke with district councillors from all over the country. They all seemed relatively supportive.

Then the CEO came up to me and over a beer we had a chat. Remember, this is the top guy in the AA. He told me my emails and speech had been circulated at the top levels of the AA, and had attracted the attention of the board.

He didn't want to say too much ahead of the policy meeting tomorrow, but indicated there was widespreadh support within the AA that the AA should adopt a position against ACC. He said the meetings the AA had with both political parties said that neither party was prepared to drop pre-funding. He said neither party was even prepapred to put it on the table to talk about. So he said the AA's policy would not be for this, and they did not consider it achievable. He said that there policy was likely to be half way towards what I had been asking for.

I spoke to one of the policy anaylsyts next, and he said he'll email me a policy update within 2 or 3 weeks of the meeting tomorrow (tomorrow it gets decided, but then it has to be formalised).

[p.dath]

Oh yeah, I asked several people who gets paid $$$ in the AA.

I learned that District Councillors are all volunteers. I also learned that the councillors put up to about 30 hours a week into their position.

So this is why the AA is full of older/retired people. Few others could afford to effetcively put in a full time effort for no financial reward.

I was told most councillors are people who have worked in some kind of transport industry, or are particularly passionate about seeing motoring improve.

[GOONR]

p.dath, what can I say, you are a fucking trooper.

I've had a few too many wines right now so will keep my typing to a minimum and re-read tomorrow but good on ya fella.

I might even buy you a beer at some point soon seems your just down the road.

[chasio]

I second that - good on ya p. Don't feel bad being caught on the hop - it's not easy to address 200 people off the cuff, let alone in your circumstances.

It had actually been on my ubefuckinlievably long list of things to do to attend this and then it just slipped off the radar over Christmas. Bugger it. And there was free beer to add insult to injury!

Chasio

[chasio]

I thought I only clicked it once but I got a duplicate of the above message... probably user error somehow.

[mashman]

good on ya PD...

[MSTRS:Me]

Excellent stuff!!
Clarification, please...

He said the meetings the AA had with both political parties said that neither party was prepared to drop pre-funding.

Both parties? National, obviously. But Act, Labour, Maori...who's the other one?

[p.dath]

Excellent stuff!!
Clarification, please... Both parties? National, obviously. But Act, Labour, Maori...who's the other one?

He specifically mentioned National and Labour.

[p.dath]

At the AGM the finances were also discussed. Interesting to note that the Insurance services had a stellar year. I mention this because a lot of bikers on here said they took their business away from AA insurance.

And you know why AA insurance had one of its best years ever, even during a recession? Because the value of the total claims they had to pay out on dropped significantly.

[zahria]

Awesome work, thanks for the update.

[MSTRS:Me]

He specifically mentioned National and Labour.

Funny how that's not what the Reds told us...

[bogan]

Funny how that's not what the Reds told us...

When did they say they would drop future funding? I remember them saying they would roll back the changes national is currently making, but nothing specifically about future funding, then again I may have tuned out for a while there (bloody hard work listening to politicians ya know!)

[MSTRS:Me]

The changes to levies across the board ARE for future funding...

[bogan]

yes to bring the date for being fully future funded closer, but the scheme has been working towards future funding since 98-99, just at a slower rate, I gather labor is happy to continue on the lower rate to buy some votes, but not prepared to drop future funding completely.