Business View Oceania

26 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 management. We dedicate particular attention to the expectations, wishes and desires of our members and their residents, and do what we can to meet them.” Working collaboratively is a core value for staff at RVA. Mr Collyns shares, “Our member residents are people who can live independently, so our operation is quite lean. We are a dedicated team of four supported by volunteers and external contractors, and we have fostered positive and collaborative relationships with and through them. We always deal with our network and members with integrity at the front of our minds. Honesty is the best policy, and it’s important that we remain credible and reliable as an industry body. We want to make sure the industry itself contributes back to the society and communities in which it is based. We want to make sure that our residents live long, happy lives in their villages, and we want to lead by example in our sector-based interactions.” In particular, RVA is proud of their working relationships with New Zealand’s Retirement Commission, Minister of Building & Construction, and Aged Care Association. They would also like to thank Metlife Care, Occasia Cove, and The Generous Group for their long-term and mutually beneficial partnerships. RVA recently launched their new professional development and training program, The Te Ara Institute. Mr. Collyns elaborates, “Te Ara means ‘The Pathway’. We’re delighted that we’ve got a good uptake of our training program already- we’ve got 53 learners who have come on board, and we only launched back in March. This is an ongoing professional development opportunity for members that supports staff to improve their operations and build a more competitive offering in their local context.” Te Ara provides tools, topics, videos, and workshops designed to develop the most in-demand village management skills and build a community of like-minded, supportive, and professional peers. Events led by RVA include their annual RVA Conference, due to be held in Christchurch this