Organisation
The name of the association is "Auckland Debating Association Incorporated"
"Association" means "Auckland Debating
Association Incorporated"
"By-laws" means "regulations made by the
Executive"
"Incorporated Societies Act" means "Incorporated
Societies Act 1908, or any equivalent statute"
The Association is a non-profit organisation formed to achieve
the following objectives:
A. Promoting all forms of public speaking and debating throughout
Auckland and surrounding regions
B. Promoting participation by women as public speakers and
debaters
C. Promoting the use of Te Reo Maori in public speaking and
debating
D. Promoting public speaking and debating within schools
E. Promoting debating and public speaking as a spectator sport
A. Any school or society, whether incorporated or not, may
become an Affiliate Member by paying the subscription for
Affiliate Members. Each Affiliate Member has nineteen votes.
Staff and students of schools and members of societies that are
Affiliate Members may participate in competitions.
B. Any individual may become an Associate Member by paying the
subscription for Associate Members. Each
Associate Member has eight votes. Associate Members may
participate in competitions.
C. Any individual, school or society, whether incorporated or
not, may become a Supporting Member by paying the subscription
for Supporting Members. Each Supporting Member has one vote.
Supporting members may not
participate in competitions unless they are entitled to do so
through some other category of membership.
D. Any school may become a School Member by paying the
subscription for School Members. Each School Member has one vote.
Staff and students of schools that are School Members may
participate in competitions.
E. Any individual may be elected as a Life Member by a two-thirds
majority vote at a General Meeting. A Life Member does not pay a
subscription and may not participate in competitions unless they
are entitled to do so through some other category of membership.
Each Life Member has one vote. All rules of the Association apply
to Life Members.
Every school and society must give written notice of the person
who may cast their votes.
Membership terminates if the member:
A. does not have a current subscription;
B. dies, resigns by giving notice, is closed, or liquidated;
C. is expelled by the Executive because of improper conduct.
A member that has been expelled may only rejoin the Association
with the permission of the Executive.
A. The subscription for any category of membership, other than
Life Member, may be set by the Executive at any time. Any
increase in subscription does not take effect until at least two
months notice of the change has been given.
B. A subscription is current from the date of payment until 31
May of the year following the date of payment.
A. The Annual General Meeting must be held each year before
the first day of May on a day set by the Executive.
B. At this meeting the Annual Report and the preceding year's
financial statements, in the same format as required by the
Incorporated Societies Act, must be presented. A copy of these
documents must be available at least one month before the Annual
General Meeting.
C. The Executive is elected at this meeting in accordance with
Article 7.
A. The Executive may at any time call a Special General
Meeting. Only the business specified in the notice calling the
meeting, including amendments and further motions on the same
business, may be dealt with at that meeting.
B. The Executive must call a Special General Meeting to be held
within six weeks following the presentation of a petition
demanding a meeting. Notice of a petition must be given by
members with a total of at least forty-five votes. The motion or
petition must state the business for the meeting in motion form.
C. If a Special General Meeting is not called within two weeks of
the presentation of a petition to do so, the person who first
gave notice of the petition may call a Special General Meeting.
This meeting must be held within two months of the notice of the
petition.
D. The business specified in the petition demanding a Special
General Meeting must be the only business specified in the notice
calling the meeting.
E. A person is removed from Executive only if a motion for that
purpose is carried at a Special General Meeting. The motion must
state the reason for the removal.
A. Only those members who were members one month before the
General Meeting and are still members at the time of the General
Meeting may vote.
B. Motions to elect a Life Member, to remove a person from office
and to make constitutional amendments are only carried by a
two-thirds vote. Any other motion is carried by a majority vote.
C. The procedure at all General Meetings and any sub-committees
is regulated by the Meeting Procedures.
D. Any decision of the Executive may be changed or repealed by a
General Meeting.
A. The Executive consists of President, Vice-President,
Secretary, Treasurer and four committee members.
B. The Executive holds office from the time they are elected
until the next election. Elections are held in accordance with
Article X.
C. If any position on the Executive becomes vacant, the Executive
must appoint a member to that position. If the Executive is
unable to do so, a Special General Meeting may appoint a member
to that position.
A. An Executive position becomes vacant if the Executive
member resigns or their membership of the association is
terminated, or the Executive member is removed from the Executive
by a Special General Meeting.
B. A person may resign from an Executive position by giving
notice.
A. The Executive must endeavour to meet at least once every
two months.
B. A meeting of the Executive may be called by the President or
any two Executive members.
C. At least two weeks notice must be given for any Executive
meeting.
A. The procedure at all Executive meetings is regulated by the
Meeting Procedures.
B. The Executive may by a two-thirds vote, make, alter and repeal
By-laws.
C. The Executive may appoint and remove agents and
representatives. It may either generally, or for a specific
purpose or time, delegate all or part of its powers.
A. The Executive controls all Association property, may take
any action it considers necessary or desirable to give effect to
this Constitution, and must act in the best interests of the
Association.
B. The Executive represents the Association.
A. The President is responsible for coordinating the
management of the Association and is the chairperson of
Executive meeting and General Meetings.
B. The Vice-President assists the President. The Vice-President
is Acting President in the absence of the
President.
C. The Secretary issues any notice that is required and keeps a
record of all meetings. The Secretary must keep all records
required by the Executive. The Secretary is responsible for all
records, statements, notices and actions required of the
Association by the Incorporated Societies Act.
D. The Treasurer monitors the Association's financial position,
keeps the accounting records, prepares the
financial statements and complies with any financial reporting
requirements.
A. Executive elections must be held in accordance with this
Article.
B. Only members may be elected. No person may be elected to a
position on Executive if they have already held that position for
at least two years.
C. Candidates must give notice of their intention to stand for a
position at least one week before the meeting is opened. If there
are no nominations for a position, then the meeting may accept
nominations from the floor.
D. The Executive must ensure that procedures are in place to
ensure that a secret ballot can be held.
E. Any Association member is entitled to examine the membership
roll.
F. Each member is entitled to cast the number of votes in
accordance with their category of membership. A person may
represent more than one member and may vote on behalf of each
member.
G. The meeting must elect two members who are not standing for
any position to count all votes.
H. If there is only one nomination for a position, then the vote for
appointment may be put to the meeting, provided that if any
member objects then a secret ballot must be held.
I. Voting for each position is to be done using a single
transferable vote. If no candidate receives an absolute
majority of all the votes cast, then that position is vacant, and
may be filled as with any other Executive vacancy.
J. When any member believes an election was not conducted in
accordance with the provisions contained in this Article the
member may, within five days of the election, petition for a
Special General Meeting to enquire into the conduct of the
election. This Special General Meeting has the power to annul the
election for any and all positions, to call for new elections to
be held between 14 and 28 days of the Special General Meeting,
and may appoint Interim Executive members.
A. All payments to the Association must be promptly banked in
an Association bank account.
B. Cheques issued by the Association must be signed by either the
President or Treasurer, and by one other Executive member.
C. An auditor may be appointed by a General Meeting.
D. The Financial Year of the Association ends on 31 December.
A. The Executive may acquire and dispose of properties, expend
and invest in securities authorised by law for the investment of
trust funds in New Zealand, open and close bank accounts, borrow
money and give as security any properties of the Association,
lend money to any person upon adequate security, and give
guarantees.
B. The Association may not distribute any funds to Association
members except in accordance with the
Incorporated Societies Act.
C. The Association may gift money and property to any charitable
trust with objects that are consistent with those of the
Association.
A. Meetings are to be conduced to a fair and orderly manner,
in accordance with Executive By-laws.
B. Any disputes are to be resolved by reference to a book on
meeting procedures nominated by the President.
A. The quorum for General Meetings is members whose votes
total one-quarter of the total number of votes available to all
members.
B. The quorum for Executive meetings is four.
C. If a quorum is not present within thirty minutes of the time the meeting was due to start, then the meeting is cancelled.
A. All notices to be given to the Association must be given in
writing to either the Secretary or the President.
B. All notices of meetings and motions requiring notice must be
given to all those entitled to vote at the meeting or on the
motion. The notice must be in writing and given in person or by
posting to the recipient's last known postal address.
C. At least one months notice must be given for any General
Meeting.
The Common Seal is held by the Secretary. It may only be applied when a motion to apply the Common Seal is carried by a General Meeting. Two Executive members must act as witnesses when the Common Seal is applied.
A. This Constitution may be altered at a General Meeting by a
motion carried by a two-thirds vote. At least three weeks notice
of the motion must be given.
B. No alteration that would be inconsistent with the requirements
of the Incorporated Societies Act can be made.
A. The names of Articles and Sections are to be considered
when interpreting this Constitution.
B. This Constitution is interpreted by the Executive. The
interpretation of the Executive is final, until altered by the
Executive or overruled by a General Meeting. The ruling of the
General Meeting is final, until altered by a General Meeting.
Any Association member may examine this Constitution.
All matters and proceedings authorised under any previous Constitution or pending or in progress when this Constitution is amended must be continued, completed and enforced unless inconsistent with this Constitution.
If the Association is put into liquidation in accordance with the provisions of the Incorporated Societies Act, all assets, after payment of all costs, debts and liabilities, are to be distributed, in proportion to the number of votes held, to all Association members. If a General Meeting is required for confirmation of the liquidation it must be held within twenty Days following the earliest date on which it may be held.
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