CHAIRMAN'S REPORT 2003

The year ending March 2003 has been another significant one for the Neurological Foundation with the announcement of a major advance in neurological research. Professor Richard Faull’s team at Auckland University has made an important discovery in the area of stem cell research which has much promise for sufferers of Parkinson's disease, Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer's disease, motor neuron disease and many other neurological disorders. The Foundation has been involved in this project from the beginning; one of the senior members of the team is Dr Bronwen Connor, a former Miller scholar. The Neurological Foundation Brain Bank is a key resource. The Foundation has over 30 projects underway at present. While advances on the scale of the stem cell project are not an everyday experience, all of these projects are making a contribution to the sum of our knowledge about the way in which the brain and nervous system work, what causes neurological disorders and how to prevent or treat them. It is a gigantic, jigsaw puzzle and New Zealand researchers, assisted by the Neurological Foundation are making a significant contribution to international solutions. At the same time, the Foundation is funding the training of a team of doctors and scientists who will ensure that the treatment of patients in New Zealand is right up to the best international standards.

John Burton (Chairman-Neurological Foundation National Council)

Various charitable trusts continue to support the Foundation and they make a significant contribution to the Foundation’s income. However, the major part of that $1 million which funds research each year comes as a result of donations and bequests from individual supporters throughout New Zealand. The Neurological Foundation is very much a community organisation and it does not receive government funding; the Government has its own research body, the Health Research Council, which is an important funder of medical research activity in this country. Community organisations seek contributions from members of the public who want to achieve a specific outcome. In our case the anticipated outcome is improvement in the control and management of neurological problems; finding out what causes them and then how to treat or, even better, to prevent them. Where the Neurological Foundation differs from many other organisations is its focus on research. Patient care and advocacy, both very important issues, are the preserve of these other organisations. We in the Neurological Foundation concentrate on research and that enables us to apply our resources - all contributed by our supporters - to understanding neurological diseases and their treatment. This is a very important distinction and one which is not always well understood.

I have now reached the end of my time with the Council. I first joined the Foundation in 1981, becoming chairman of the Otago Division in 1982. I was elected to the Council in the same year and became its chairman in 1993. During the more than two decades that I have been a member of the Council there have been major changes in the nature of neurological research and the Foundation's contribution to it. Our research has always been well run; the Foundation attracted eminent members of the neurological community when it was established and that continues to this day. I want to record my appreciation of the contribution of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) which guides the research efforts of the Foundation. The importance of the work of this body cannot be overemphasised; under the successive leadership of Dr Barry Cant, Associate Professor Chris Heath, Dr Ernie Willoughby, Professor Dick Laverty and now Dr Barry Snow, the SAC has ensured that the precious resources donated by the New Zealand community have been committed to research which is of an international standard and which has the potential to make a significant contribution to the body of knowledge about neurological disorders.

I also wish to thank my colleagues who have given me excellent support throughout my time as a member of the Council and as its Chairman. They have become good friends and imparted much wisdom which I have greatly appreciated. Balancing the income and assets of the Foundation against the requests of the researchers for funds is a hard task. The following statement appeared in Philanthropy News earlier this year.

"Trustees face a difficult balancing act. Having an overly aggressive portfolio will test their ability to make grants if share markets fall, but erring on the side of caution runs the risk of not generating enough income to pay grants. Giving away too much money now erodes trusts' ability to provide future grants. Granting an extra 1% for 10 years will severely restrict the alternatives open to future trustees."

Both the Council and the SAC have kept the principles embodied in this statement very much to the fore when determining both investment policy and funding for projects with the result that the Foundation has a solid asset base for future development. I leave the Council confident that the future of the Neurological Foundation is in good hands.

To the volunteers who work both in the Divisions throughout New Zealand and at the National Office; to the staff of the National Office; and to our Community Liaison Officers, I express my appreciation. You are all vital components in this endeavour to search for the causes of neurological disorders and look for ways to alleviate the suffering that results from them.

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