AGM 2010 The GPD AGM was successfully held on 18 November. The Chairman and Treasurer Reports were presented in the AGM. The Chairman's Report I wish to take this opportunity to thank those who support and assist the Council in performing various functions and activities during the last year. Election of Council Members In the first meeting of the GPD Council 2009-2011, the Office Bearers and Council Members were elected. To cope with heavy divisional works, we adopted the working panel structure of the last Council. Some panels as well as the respective Convenors are endorsed. In addition , we have nominated some members to act as GPD Representatives in various HKIS Broads. View details Signing of Memorandum of Understanding with Various Professional Institutes At the 4th World Association of Valuation Organizations (WAVO) held on 25 November 2009, a Memorandum of Understanding for Recognition of Designations was signed between various professional institutes including the Australian Property Institute (API), Appraisal Institute of Canada (AIC), The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS), Property Institute of New Zealand (PINZ) and Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers (SISV). We were very pleased to witness this important ceremony in Guilin, PRC. Membership Reciprocity with the China Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and Estate Agents (CIREA) Following the forum held on 19 March 2009, the last GPD Council formed a Working Group to follow up with the second reciprocity arrangement with CIREA. To expedite the process, we have strengthened the Working Group with the following members, namely Francis Ng (Working Group Chairman), Charles Chan, Edward Au, Lawrence Poon, Leo Choy, Tony Wan (Working Group Member) and Jeffery Wong (Working Group Secretary). The HKIS on 14 September 2010 signed a Supplementary Agreement with the CIREA. It enhances the procedures and requirements for future reciprocal recognition. In essence, the second examination and related CPD will be held in the first quarter of 2011. Appointment Process of Independent Valuers To streamline process and have a more effective and fair appointment procedure, a working group was formed. Recommendations on the “Appointment Process of Independent Valuers” convened by C K Lau were endorsed by the HKIS ExCom on 26 August 2010. In brief, a new set of practical guide is to be issued to facilitate the application and the appointment process; the non-refundable fee to the HKIS is to be revised to $10,000 per application; a conditional appointment takes effect when the President signs the appointment letter; declaration on conflict of interest has to be made by parties at the outset; the application form to be updated; an indication that the fee for each assignment would unlikely be less than $75,000 and guidance on expectation of a reasoned award. Meanwhile, the Working Group is formulating a media plan to promulgate the proposal and the practical guide which come into effect on 1 October 2010. Chinese translation of the practical guide will be prepared afterwards. Joint GPD & PDD Fellowship Dinner General Practice Division and Planning and Development Division held a joint fellowship dinner on 18 March 2010 at the World Trade Centre Club with great success. We were honoured to have our President, General Council Office Bearers and other Divisional Chairs joining the dinner. In a relaxed atmosphere, members exchanged views on future of the divisions, institute and the industry with the senior and council members. All attendees had an enjoyable evening. Continuous Professional Development Panel Our newly appointed CPD Event Convenor, Mr Simon Poon has been actively organizing important events for our GPD members. Some CPD topics are covered. View details Hon Treasurer's Report As reported by the Honorary Treasurer the unaudited balance of the account of the Division as at 31 October 2010 was HK$698,526.37, as compared with HK$617,693.21 in 2009. CIREA - Training Session and Test Letters promulgating the event were sent to qualified GPD members early November. Since then, numerous enquiries had been made with the HKIS Admin Office. We noted applications kept coming in. Meanwhile, the Working Group (comprising Tony Wan, Jeffery Wong, Edward Au and Nicholas Li) had conducted search on possible venues in Shenzhen. Proposals are sent to our counter-part for agreement. Regarding CPD on Mainland issues, we have consulted Prof Liu Junping of Zhong Shan University who kindly agreed to give a talk on a Saturday morning in early January. To enhance understanding, two local experts on the mainland property market will be invited to speak in the afternoon. Announcement on this special CPD will be made shortly. Invitation for speakers for the training session, members for panels on vetting applicants, test results and appeals are identified. Details on the date of training and test, venue, accommodation, fee chargeable, traffic arrangement (if any) etc will be released in the near future. GPD Capability Statement The English version of this document was endorsed by the GPD council recently. This statement intends to introduce the HKIS set up, promote the expertise of GP surveyors, explain the main rules of conducts, inform the set of various working panels, accredited courses, reciprocity agreements, recent hot issues handled by the GPD etc. The Chinese version is being finalized thanks for the hard work of Edward Au, Thomas Tang and his colleague Wayne Leung. The whole document can be ready for printing by the end of this year. Coming CPD Forthcoming CPD events will include: - The Role of Surveyor as Expert; - New Railway Development in Hong Kong; - Hong Kong Property : Bubbles up under QE2