Significant changes to NZISM are ahead

By NZISM Master account

17/07/2024


Significant changes to NZISM are ahead and we want to hear from you

This week we will send out notice of NZISM’s annual general meeting on 18 September. The AGM will be both in person in Wellington and available online. We hope you will attend. The AGM this year will be significant; we will ask members to make decisions on changes to NZISM’s governance structures, changes to eligibility for the President and Board roles, and to vote on a change to membership fees.

Governance changes

The new Incorporated Societies Act 2022 requires us to ensure that the way in which we run NZISM is compatible with the requirements of the new law. We have until 2026 to get a new constitution signed off by the Government or be deregistered. This is also an opportunity to look at what’s working well and what could be improved in our governance structures.

The Board and SLT have created a subcommittee that has been hard at work to ensure that NZISM meets these deadlines. We are seeking members' endorsement in principle of the planned direction of travel and we will then bring a new constitution for endorsement to a Special General Meeting (SGM) in April 2025.

The Board and Senior Leadership team recommend a series of key changes:

  • The Governance Board would continue to consist of five member representatives voted on by the membership (including the President). We propose that they are also able to co-opt up to three independent board members if they need particular skills on the Board.
  • The Senior Leadership Team would wind up with its functions rolled into National Office and the Governance Board.
  • Local branches would have more straightforward and useful processes to follow (no more branch AGMs).
  • The constitution should be streamlined and easier to follow with supporting documents setting out board, branch and financial policies.
  • There will be a much clearer complaints and disputes policy set out directly in the Rules.

Along with helping us meet our legal obligations, our intention is that these changes will help us make better decisions faster and be more nimble as an organisation at all levels. Our goal is to make these processes easier to follow and participate in as members, too.

We would welcome your thoughts and feedback on these changes.

President and Board elections

We are also asking members to vote now on new election processes to select NZISM’s next President and replacements for two retiring Board members. Robyn Bennett, Mike Cosman and Grant Nicholson have each reached their term limits under the Rules and we plan to hold elections to replace them at the SGM in April.

The Board and SLT recommend some changes to voting eligibility and processes ahead of the SGM:

  • Aligning the requirements for the President's role with the other elected Board members.
  • These requirements should be knowledge of governance, health and safety or risk management, and at least a year as a member of NZISM at time of nomination.
  • Removing the requirement for the President to be nominated and seconded by local branches.
  • Allowing candidates more time to put their name forward after calling for nominations (moving from two weeks to four weeks).
  • Asking candidates to provide a written and video statement as to why they should be chosen.

Again, we would welcome your thoughts and feedback. If you are considering putting your name forward when we call for nominations in early 2025, please drop us a line and we can answer your questions and put you in touch with Robyn or one of the other Board members as appropriate.

Fee increases

Last, but by no means least, we intend to put forward a case for possible membership fee increase at the AGM. NZISM members last voted to raise fees to their current levels at the 2018 AGM and we have been in a high inflationary environment for much of the intervening six years.

NZISM provides great services on a lean budget. However our view is now that the current fees hamper our abilities to provide more exceptional member services. We want to upgrade our digital offering to be better, easier to use and more secure. We want to deliver even more great content to you locally and nationally. We want to build our profile as your voice. All of these things need investment.

We will come to you closer to the AGM with a detailed proposal; I wanted to note that this discussion is likely to happen and to ask you to get involved.

Drop us a line and come along

Look out for the AGM notices shortly and let us know what you think. And come along to the AGM. We’d love to see you and hear from you.

Ngā mihi

Jeff Sissons
CEO, NZISM

You are welcome to contact me at ceo@nzism.org