2021 has been a challenging year for the New Zealand Python User Group, of course. COVID-19 has made everything a bit more difficult. At the beginning of this year I was optimistic that things would go pretty smoothly in this respect. Regrettably, I was wrong. In spite of these challenges, I'd like to call attention to the good work done by our various meetup organisers around the country. They have managed to adapt and run some really interesting activities, all while also observing appropriate public health practices. I thank the meetup organisers for their work on this.

We've had to delay Kiwi PyCon again and in light of the COVID-19 situation in the country there's no question that we could not have had the event in September. I'm hopeful that all will go well for us to meet in February, but it's clear to everyone that we're going to have to remain watchful and flexible. We're not going to run an event that puts anyone's health at risk. I'm hopeful that we can safely and happily meet early next year. Thanks to everyone who is doing the work to organise it, especially Marek Kuziel, Carlos Cordero and Danny Adair.

Now I'd like to shift our attention to something more troubling. I'm concerned about the health of NZPUG as an organisation. We've found ourself in a situation where a small number of people seem to do the bulk of organising and looking after NZPUG. Some of these people are, quite honestly, overloaded. I'm not blaming anyone for this, and if I were to do so the primary fault lies with me. Again, the challenges of COVID-19 are undoubtedly a factor in this. But this needs to change and I'm asking for help.

My vision for NZPUG is that it's an organisation driven by the ideas and enthusiasm of rank-and-file members. The things that NZPUG is doing well, like the meetups, have this quality. We are an open-source community, not a corporation. We're not set up for a top-down structure and I wouldn't want it to be that way. The role of the executive committee is not to run the whole show. Instead, we should do the relatively boring work of making sure the resources are in place so that the general membership can do the fun parts. So I'm asking everyone to come forward with your ideas, and with your willingness to help other members implement their ideas. My goal for the coming year is to have the general membership participate in an average total of six hours per week of effort on behalf of the organisation. That amount of work would enable NZPUG to do much more for our community. Approach the committee with your ideas and tell us how we can support you. This will make us a stronger organisation in which all members have chances to come together and participate.

Frankly, I think that COVID-19 will continue to be a major issue for all of us in Aotearoa through the next year. For NZPUG to succeed we're going to have to work flexibly, creatively, and together. Let's all work together to do this.