Auckland Branch

Announcement on the combined Branch Meeting at the Birkenhead RSA on 27 March

To those members who are attending the above meeting, there has been a change in speaker. Unfortunately Professor Dianne Brunton has been delayed in the Middle East while on a trip there and won't be back in time for the meeting. She has asked one of her colleagues to step in and Prof. Karen Stockin has kindly agreed to speak on her specialist subject which is Dolphins.

Karen Stockin is a New Zealand academic Marine Ecologist, and as of 2021 is a full professor at Massey University and a Rutherford Discovery Fellow for Royal Society Te Aparangi (New Zealand). Her research focuses on animal welfare and the impacts of human activities on cetacean populations, including tourism effects, and persistent marine contaminants.

This will be a very interesting speech and we hope you can join us for it. The date, venue and morning tea arrangements are the same as below.

Auckland Branch Meeting
10am Friday, 27th March 2026

To be held at the Birkenhead RSA on the North Shore

Guest Speaker is Bird Song Researcher - Professor Dianne Brunton

The Auckland Branch and North Shore Sub-branch of the GSA are co-hosting the first branch meeting of the year on Friday, 27th March 2026 starting at 10.00am. The venue for this meeting is the RSA in Birkenhead as we want to make this meeting more accessible to the large number of members we have living on the North Shore. All GSA Auckland members are invited to this free event and we hope to see some new faces.

Our guest speaker for this special event will be Professor Dianne Brunton, Faculty of Science, Biological Sciences, Auckland University. Dianne’s presentation will cover her highlights from 35 years of researching birdsong, bird behaviour, and conservation in New Zealand. She will speak on how Aotearoa New Zealand’s past and present conservation approaches aimed at long term protection of our endemic and native birds have provided opportunities to gain insights into the processes of cultural evolution, transmission of song, and vocal complexity. Dianne will use examples from the research that she and her students have conducted over the last 35 years. Their aims have been to test behavioural theory and enhance conservation outcomes. She will present some of the key findings from multiple studies of Korimako Bellbirds (Anthornis melanura) and Tieke North Island Saddlebacks (Philesturnus Rufusater) within protected environments.

Date: Friday, 27th of March 2026

Time: 10.00am for morning tea and Professor Brunton's speech begins at 11am

Venue: Birkenhead RSA, Recreation Drive, Birkenhead 0626

RSVP: For catering purposes, please let Andrea, our Secretary, know if you are attending by Friday, 20 March. Email her on auckland@gsa.org.nz or call 0800 888 472. Apologies are not necessary for this event

Members are welcome to bring their spouse or a guest along. Please note there is plenty of parking at the RSA which is well signposted. There is a lift from the main floor down to the function room where the event will be held.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Other dates for Branch Meetings in 2026 are:

Tuesday 19th May 2026 - AGM at Western Springs

Tuesday 22 September 2026 - Branch Meeting at Western Springs

Wednesday 2 December - Christmas Function at Western Springs - all details TBC

Introducing your current Auckland Branch Committee members:

Chairman

Philippa Stevens

Crown Research

Vice Chairman

Craig Jensen

Crown Research

Secretary/Treasurer

Andrea Beechey

Committee:

Murray McElwain (80+)

Railways

Rosemary Bell

Defence

Eric Bowater

Education

Neil Carey

Railways

Keith Rawlings

Defence

Claire Couch

Education

Max Thomson

Post Office

Denise Greenwood

Education

Sandie Gusscott

Education

Tony Miller

Police

Annuity News and Auckland Branch Newsletter

If you currently receive your six monthly Annuity News and Auckland Branch Newsletters by post but are willing to receive them by email please contact the Auckland Secretary on 0800 888 472. This will assist the GSA to keep the rising publishing and postage costs of our newsletters down.

Have you moved house recently?

If you have moved house in the last six months and have forgotten to let us know, please phone the Auckland Secretary on 0800 888 472. Datacom, the administrators of your Annuity would also need to be advised. Please contact them per below.

Datacom (GSF): phone 0800 654 731 or email gsf@fundadmin.nz

Datacom (NPF): phone 0800 628 776 or email npfenquiries@fundadmin.nz

Have you heard any interesting speakers lately ?

Auckland Branch is always looking for new speakers for our meetings. As our membership is far reaching and many of our members belong to other groups who have speakers at their meetings, we ask that if you hear someone speak whom you think would be good to have at an Auckland Branch meeting, please pass their contact details on to the Branch Secretary, Andrea at auckland@gsa.org.nz or phone her on 0800 888 472.

To find out more about activities planned for members, or to suggest other activities or venues, contact:

Branch Secretary
Andrea Beechey
0800 888 472
auckland@gsa.org.nz

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