Hey you can all join Remoaks "Quite alot" management interfacers I hear they're making progress.
Well I wouldn't have to if the Air NZ mutual appreciation society showed any interest at all in GA. As NZALPA do absolutely nothing to help my little corner of GA, what little I can do (and others in GA pilot management) is all there is. And please don't start whining on about sponsoring A cats, how many people are we talking about here? Hardly any compared to those at the sharp end in GA. Instructing isn't the only activity out there, you know. It is, in fact, the least risky part of GA. What are you doing for the guys banging around in ancient piston twins, doing hard IFR at night, covered in ice with marginal equipment?
Nothing.
The union is only as good as it's members]
Do please grow up. The union is only as good as it's MANAGEMENT. Which explains a lot, when you think about it. It has always been this way, just think back to the Ansett NZ debacle.
Another little object lesson for you. Back in the day, BALPA took their eye off the ball, just as NZALPA have. The result was a new union, the IPA (Independent Pilots Association). The IPA managed to suck up a bunch of BALPA members, weakening BALPA in the process. The IPA had a far more enlightened approach than the BA-centred BALPA, and is now a powerful force for non-BA pilots.
With any luck at all, something similar could happen here. If only wishing made it so!