UN International Year of Cooperatives 2012
A year of celebrating cooperatives
On 31 October 2011, the United Nations General Assembly launched the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC), highlighting the contribution of cooperatives to worldwide socioeconomic development.
The New Zealand cooperative community is very excited for this recognition and the opportunity to create more awareness of the impact that cooperatives make not just in this country but also around the world at a socioeconomic level.
New Zealand at the UN launch
New Zealand Permanent Representative to the UN HE Jim McLay gave one of the handful of speeches which launched the year. Watch his video below, or download his speech here.
New Zealand launch
Minister of Commerce Hon Craig Foss MP launched the UN International Year of Cooperatives on 27 March 2012 in the Grand Hall, Parliament Buildings.
The New Zealand launch was well-attended by cooperative and mutual business leaders, Members of Parliament, as well as representatives of the public sector.
Also speaking were:
- Blue Read, Cooperatives Association Chair
- Piet Moerland, Rabobank Netherlands Executive Board Chair
- Dame Pauline Green, International Cooperatives Alliance President via a pre-recorded message to those attending the New Zealand IYC Launch
Cooperative Research Conference
The New Zealand Association for the Study of Cooperatives and Mutuals was launched at a cooperative research conference in Wellington from 21 through 23 June 2012.
With the title Building A Better World: The Role of Cooperatives and Mutuals in Society, the conference included two panel sessions, one on banking and the other focussing on agriculture.
The banking panel session, on Cooperative Banking in the Context of the Global Financial Crisis, heard contributions from:
- Grant Spencer, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of New Zealand
- Hervé Guider, General Manager, European Association of Cooperative Banks
- Jonathan Logan, Senior Vice President, Corporate AgriBusiness Banking Group, CoBank
- Peter Sikora, Standard and Poor’s
The agriculture panel session, on The Sustainability of Producer Cooperatives in New Zealand and Beyond, heard contributions from:
- Jack Wilkinson, President 2002–08, International Federation of Agricultural Producers
- Michael Cook, Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Missouri
- Nicola Shadbolt, Associate Professor in Farm and Agribusiness Management, Massey University (also a director of Fonterra Cooperative Group)
- Onno van Bekkum, Cooperative Champion, Netherlands
To find out more about the conference and to see videos of some of the sessions and download presentations by participants, visit http://nzascm.coop/.
A global event
Every country had the task to create programmes which educate and inform their citizens about cooperatives. While the UN is coordinating work among governments, the International Cooperative Alliance developed a cohesive framework at the international level.
The UN website connects IYC 2012 to the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, and provides contact information for the national committees formed by UN member governments.To celebrate the International Year of Cooperatives the ICA launched a new website. For info on ICA activities and global cooperative events as well as IYC merchandise and International Year toolkits and resources visit www.2012.coop.
The ICA website provides information about the cooperative community’s own planning on both the international and national levels. Here you’ll find links to planning resources, a global calendar of events and an e-bulletin Countdown to 2012.
Getting involved
Members supported the celebrations for the year by:
- Joining the UN International Year of Cooperatives 2012 New Zealand Steering Committee
- Donating to the initiative – informaton in the sponsorship prospectus, below
- Taking part in Association initiatives and developing ways to celebrate UN IYC 2012 within your cooperative(s)
- Asking the co-op’s board and managers what plans they had for celebrating the year
- Ensuring that your co-op had a stand at the October 2012 International Cooperative Expo in Manchester
This international year was about showing the world what cooperatives are, and why they’re the better choice.
Resources
Powerpoint template: we created a customisable IYC-themed powerpoint presentation template on cooperative business which you can download here.
Information sheets: as part of the New Zealand IYC Launch, the Association produced a series of fact-sheets and information brochures about the IYC, cooperatives in New Zealand and other useful information. Download them here:
- Background information on cooperatives
- Background information on the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC)
- NZ Cooperatives Association's Chair Blue Read's opening speech
- IYC facts boilerplate
- Facts on cooperatives in New Zealand
- How to make the most of IYC
- New Zealand IYC Partners
- IYC Programme in New Zealand
Sponsors
The following sponsorship was received:
GOLD
Alliance Group • Capricorn Society • Fonterra Cooperative Group • Foodstuffs South Island • Rabobank New Zealand • The Co·operative Bank
SILVER
NZPM Group • Ravensdown • Silver Fern Farms
BRONZE
Ashburton Trading Society • Ballance Agri-Nutrients • Farmlands Trading Society • Fruit Packers (HB) Cooperative • LIC • New Zealand Association of Credit Unions
DONORS
CRT • Dairy Goat Cooperative • LBMX Inc • Pharmacy Wholesalers (Bay of Plenty) • Pharmacy Wholesalers (Central) • Plus 4 Insurance Solutions • Rural Couriers Society (Coural) • Westland Cooperative Dairy Co
We are in addition grateful to the Ministry of Economic Development for funding a statistical research project into the contribution of cooperatives to the New Zealand economy, the results of were announced at the launch at Parliament on 27 March.
