Association chairman Geoff Bawden says it is still owed some $16,000 with just under 20% of members yet to pay $150 each. The bills were sent last October.
"We're disappointed, obviously, we're hugely disappointed," Bawden says.
While the association's executive committee came under pressure at last year's annual conference to charge a higher levy, Bawden says he always suspected it would be difficult to collect.
"Given the length of time it takes to collect subs, we're not totally surprised," he says, adding that some members seem to take a more relaxed approach to paying membership fees than they do to their other creditors.
Much of the advertising campaign is centred on sponsoring a program called The Property Climbers which is currently screening in prime time on Sundays. The advertising agency the association is using is Brandish. Formal research of the campaign's effectiveness will be conducted in April.
"When you consider what we've spent, we've got an awful lot of bang for our buck," Bawden says. "The early signals we're getting are certainly encouraging."
He stresses that it's also important that all association members back the campaign through doing things such as having the NZMBA logo on their business cards and letterheads.
A further advertising levy of $275 per member is due in April with the annual subscription and any unpaid amounts will be added to those bills, Bawden says.
While each case will be considered on its merits, NZMBA has terminated membership in the past for non-payment of subscriptions, he says. However, he's hopeful that simply reminding late payers will lead to most paying up --about $3,000 or $4,000 has been paid as a result of the latest reminder letter, he says.
