Kia ora koutou
I hope everyone is keeping well!
In Auckland, we’re looking forward to moving out of Level 3 and back into the office. As many of our planned in-person activities have had to take a backseat, we’ve taken this opportunity to create a new visual identity for the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand. We hope you like it!
The new logo – available in Te Reo and English versions – can be viewed as a pathway or stylised speech marks, and reflects the two-way nature of relationships.
The eagle eyed may have also noticed that as part of the new visual identity, the Institute has moved away from using PRINZ. The acronym hasn’t disappeared (we know that many members frequently use the acronym – otherwise it is a mouthful!) but we are aware that those outside of the industry don’t know what PRINZ is. Where you see our logo ‘public relations’ will be written in full. It was a deliberate decision not to shorten the term to ‘PR’. The scope of our industry is incredibly broad but ultimately – whether you specialise in internal communications for a large corporate, iwi engagement for a public sector organisation, crisis management for an agency, run social media for a not-for-profit, or any other aspect, relationships with people are at the heart of what we do – and we wanted to remind people of this.
As part of this brand refresh, we’ve also taken the opportunity to look at how we recognise member engagement in professional development activities. We know that professional development helps us develop the knowledge and skills we need to be relevant and at the top of our game, but we also want to highlight the commitment members make to learning. After all, professional development is one of the key pillars (along with ethical standards, expertise, and accountability) of what it means to be a profession. And this sets us apart.
Yes, the Certificate of Practice hasn’t gone anywhere but the previous points system for has been simplified and replaced with new ‘Gold’ ‘Silver’ and ‘Bronze’ member badges. These work in a similar manner to the Airpoints programme you’ll be familiar with – as you engage in more activities you move up in status. The new badges are designed for members to use on their email signatures, in professional documents, and on social media. They will also provide public visibility of this commitment by appearing on the Member Register.
Right now, you don’t need to do anything. In the coming week, you’ll be sent a ‘Bronze’ member badge to use – and some members will be upgraded to a Gold or Silver member badge dependent on the high number of professional development points they currently have accrued. Credit from an activity remains valid for 12 months, so if you continually engage in CPD activities you may retain your status at the time of your membership renewal.
Click here for more detail on how the new system works.
In addition to the rebrand, here in the office we are wrapping up the APR programme for 2021 (congratulations to all of our newly accredited professionals!) and planning our 2022 events and courses. There’s still more to be added but take a sneak peak at what’s coming up…
We are now in the busy run up to the holiday season. I’m sure most of us are looking forward to taking a break after yet another challenging year! The pandemic has certainly added additional stress to most of our lives, both on a professional and personal basis. Many members are working through the challenges of operating in a lockdown environment, many are working long hours responding to rapidly changing client requirements, and a large number are supporting the Covid-19 crisis response. I want to remind you to look after yourself.
We hope you take the opportunity to get along to one of the end-of-year celebrations. If you aren’t able to attend one of the in-person events, please join us online for the Northern Division’s virtual charity quiz with proceeds going to New Zealand Food Network!
Noho ora mai
Elaine Koller
CEO