This is my first opportunity to address you as the newly elected President of RASNZ.

Regarding our recent Annual Conference which took place at Whangarei, my congratulations go to Alan Gilmore who was recognised with the President's Award for his contributions to RASNZ made in numerous areas over many decades. A particular highlight of mine at the conference was the positive contribution of the SWAPA students in attendance, a number of whom made inspiring speeches, that most certainly give me hope for the future of astronomy in New Zealand. I should also like to thank the conference organising committee and hosts Northland Astronomical Society, as well as the conference speakers, helpers and sponsors for their individual contributions.

Every incoming President and their Council face new challenges, or rather… are presented with opportunities to improve things! Given the obvious benefits of growing our membership and strengthening engagement with all, we are now looking to utilise specific advances in ‘membership management' software and social media connectivity to improve our communications with you, with our affiliated societies and with the public at large. We also plan to address specific ways in which we can support the associated groups and subgroups of RASNZ such as the Professional Astronomers Group, as well as Sections and Groups focused on scientific observational work and/or on areas of specialist interest. We have also commenced efforts to build a stronger relationship with the Royal Society of New Zealand and our fellow associated Constituent Organisations whose activities complement that of ours. These will be priorities for us in the coming months and we will keep you updated on progress.

These are indeed positive times for astronomy in New Zealand. None of us can fail to see the significance of the Matariki public holiday in increasing the profile of astronomy and also the beneficial impact of our nation looking skyward at this time. In addition, our national ‘Dark Sky Movement' is progressing apace with numerous locations country-wide preparing applications to become IDA certified international dark sky places. This in turn has seen the launch on the Dark Sky Network NZ website to share resources across all the regions and to assist in progressing the goal of dark sky nationhood for New Zealand.

Astronomy worldwide has had its share of positives too with ever more new discoveries and breakthroughs. Take for example the recent imaging of Sagittarius A* and of course the successful launch, deployment and imminent operation of JWST. Sadly, there are negatives too such the ever-increasing number of low earth orbit satellites, epitomised by the Starlink trains that are visible in our evening skies; concerns about the sustainability of the ISS given the situation with Russia; and the long-term sustainability of the JWST given the recent small meteor strike.

For us at RASNZ, we must continue to do ‘our bit' going forward, seeking to accentuate the positives and eliminating, or at least minimising, the negatives both nationally and internationally in relation to all things astronomical. I am personally looking forward to working with our Society's new Vice President, Anthony Gomez, our immediate Past President, Steve Butler and all our Council members. My aim is to continue the process of building a diverse and engaged astronomic community in New Zealand which will include both professional and amateur astronomers as well as those just starting out on their astronomy journeys. Essentially, this approach will be inclusive and will seek to embrace all the opportunities and addresses any challenges that lie ahead.

Nalayini DaviesPresident, RASNZpresident@rasnz.org.nz