NZAF Deputy Director resigns after 13 years

Press Release – 1/04/2004

NZAF Deputy Director resigns after 13 years

A woman who has played a major role in New Zealand’s internationally-acclaimed response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic will end her 13-year career with the New Zealand AIDS Foundation on 16 April.

NZAF Executive Director Rachael Le Mesurier says the Foundation has accepted, with regret, the resignation of Deputy Director Anne Carson, who has made an outstanding contribution to the HIV/AIDS campaign in New Zealand.

Le Mesurier’s comments are echoed by Warren Lindberg who was Executive Director of the Foundation for the majority of Anne Carson’s service.

“Anne came to the AIDS Foundation at a critical time in our response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic,” Lindberg said. “She helped us negotiate our first contract with the Ministry of Health by putting in place administration and financial systems that allowed the foundation to meet the strict standards of financial accountability required by the Government's new contracting regime. Her work was fundamental to the Foundation’s continued professional growth and its reputation nationally and internationally as a respected and effective health promotion organisation.”

Tony Hughes, Research Director for the Foundation, says the administration, financial and human resources systems established by Anne Carson enabled staff working at the front line of HIV/AIDS prevention and care to do their work much more effectively.

“In those earlier days, we were so busy trying to stop the epidemic, we were struggling to find the time to concentrate on the financial and administration side. “Without Anne’s enormous contribution there is no doubt the Foundation’s, and therefore New Zealand’s, response to HIV/AIDS would not have been as effective.

“While new HIV cases are on the rise in New Zealand now, the fact is we still have one of the lowest rates of HIV per head of population in the world, much lower, for example, than our nearest neighbour, Australia. It would be hard to underestimate how much Anne’s work, creating the systems that empowered our staff to do their job, contributed to that success.”

Anne Carson started work with the New Zealand AIDS Foundation in April 1991 as an Administration Officer. Within a few months she was promoted to Administration Manager, taking responsibility not only for the Foundation’s financial and administration systems, but also the human resources role. She also acted as relieving Director on a number of occasions, a situation that was formalised two years ago with her appointment to Deputy Director of the Foundation.

It has been a challenging 13 years.

“I guess that’s why I stayed on for so long,” Anne said. “There was always challenge and change and the staff and volunteers are passionate people who believe fervently in the work they do. It has been stimulating and a privilege to facilitate their work through such issues as health system changes, changes in the epidemic itself, human rights issues and so on. I will miss the job, and the people, terribly.”

Anne says she is, however, looking forward to the new challenge of being able to concentrate, with her partner, on their coffee roasting business in beautiful Kaeo in the Far North.

ENDS

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