The 2003 CAFCA AGM was held at the Christchurch WEA on September 22. 13 members were present (this was definitely the smallest ever attendance at an AGM. There were more apologies than attenders. Ed.). Bill Rosenberg chaired. Apologies were accepted from Maurice Ward, Martin and Lois Griffiths, Gillian Southey, Denis O’Connor, Leigh Cookson, Tim Barnett, June Bright, Warren Brewer, Luke Trainor, Noeline Gannaway, Bill Willmott, Roger Moody, Charlie Gower and Daniela Bagozzi. The 2002 Minutes were read by the secretary, Murray Horton, and accepted.

The 2002/03 accounts were presented by Liz Griffiths, the bookkeeper (these had been posted with Watchdog 103, August 2003). Don Archer asked, from the floor, about how costs such as copying and postage, etc, could also be listed as income. Liz explained that CAFCA has an account at a photocopying business and Murray regularly puts Anti-Bases Campaign and Philippines Solidarity copying on that account, then CAFCA gets reimbursed for it. Likewise ABC shares the cost of CAFCA’s post office box rental; ABC and Philippines Solidarity share the cost of CAFCA’s e-mail address.

The meeting accepted the accounts and thanked Liz Griffiths for her essential work as bookkeeper, and Bruce Finnerty for his work as the honorary auditor.

Bob Leonard reported on the CAFCA/ABC Organiser Account, which pays Murray Horton. The Account has risen to $18,900 per year, the great bulk of which is used to pay Murray. At any given time, the Account holds $2,000- 3,000 – the comparable figure used to be $3,000- 4,000. $8,000 came from donations; $10,500 in regular pledgers. The proportion of income from regular pledgers accounts for 56% of the Account; 44% is from donations (this was a change from 2002, when the comparable figures were 64% and 36%). There are 30 regular pledgers. Bob reported that the Account is no longer earning interest, which is a recent development. The meeting asked him to investigate ways that it could earn interest. The meeting passed a vote of thanks for Bob Leonard, who has now been in charge of the Organiser Account for a decade.

Election of officers. Murray Horton was re-elected as secretary. The committee was re-elected - Bill Rosenberg, Dennis Small, John Ring, Reg Duder. Liz Griffiths is bookkeeper; Bruce Finnerty the honorary auditor. The meeting passed a vote of thanks (moved from the floor, by Liz Grifiths) for Murray and Bill.

Murray Horton presented his annual Organiser’s Report.

General Business. There was an animated discussion of the electricity situation. The committee pointed out that it is not specifically a foreign control issue, which is CAFCA’s reason for being (the company being discussed, Meridian, is a State-Owned Enterprise) but that CAFCA is happy to work with other groups in a coalition on issues such as electricity, and has a long history of so doing. There was a discussion about CAFCA’s role in the anti-capitalist movement. The committee pointed out that CAFCA has a working relationship with the anti-war movement and that CAFCA will be involved in the Peace Action Network protest at the Labour Party Conference in Christchurch, in November (this duly happened, marking the first time in many a long year that the CAFCA banner had been carried through the streets. Murray spoke at the rally, outside the Convention Centre, on behalf of both CAFCA and ABC).