NZSSRA: 2013 AGM Agenda

5pm, Sunday 17 March 2013
Don Rowlands Centre, Lake Karapiro (draft Minutes)
(following the Maadi Safety Briefing)

The order of business will be as follows:

Roll Call
Apologies
President's Address
Correspondence in/out
Minutes of Previous AGM
Election of Officers
1. President: Mrs Trudy Keys has indicated her willingness to stand again.
2. Elected Members of Schools Committee. We have two candidates and two positions available, one position is for 1 year and the other for 2 years. A vote will be held to determine which candidate fills which vacancy. The candidates (in order nominated) are:
  1. Leith Menzies
  2. Craig Bocock
Ratification of appointment to Schools Committee
Mr Bradley Fenner has been appointed to the Schools Committee by the NZSSRA Board. The appointment is subject to ratification by Members.
Finance Report
The finance report is still being reviewed for the Board and will be circulated to Members at the earliest opportunity before the AGM.
Report on business carried out by Executive Committee and Schools Committee during past year

Championship Regattas

2014: date change request
1. From Karapiro Rowing Inc. for the North Island Championships
  Changes: hold NISSC closer to Maadi (24-30 March), shift it from 7-9 March to 14-16 March, which is more favourable for lake bookings.

2014: fees proposals for Championships regattas (fees ex-GST)

For the North Island Championships
Changes: Karapirio Rowing will be making a proposal for fee changes but the specifics and supporting budget will not be available until after NISSC entries close, when it will be made available and circulated to Members at the earliest opportunity.
For the South Island Championships
Changes: none
For the New Zealand Championships
Changes (vs 2012): none, but note tent sites are managed differently at Ruataniwha
Changes (vs. 2011 when Ruataniwha Rowing last hosted): as above because those fees rolled over for 2013

A table of the fee changes proposed and the existing fees follows. Other existing fees are: $20 entry protest, $20 race protest, $20 appeal. Other existing penalties are: $40 late scratching, $40 non-progression ($50 at NISSC)

FEE	NISSC Current	NISSC Proposed	SISSC Current	SISSC Proposed*	Maadi Current	Maadi Proposed	Maadi 2011
1X	$14.00	tba	$12.00	$12.00	$25.00	$25.00	$25.00
2X / 2-	$20.00	tba	$20.00	$20.00	$35.00	$35.00	$35.00
4X+ / 4+	$25.00	tba	$32.00	$32.00	$47.00	$47.00	$47.00
8+	$32.00	tba	$40.00	$40.00	$62.00	$62.00	$62.00
Amenity	$19.00	tba	$12.00	$14.00	$22.50	$22.50	$22.50
Other fees
Crew change penalty	n/a	tba			$50.00	$50.00	n/a
Tent (front)	$160.00	tba			$160.00	*n/a*	n/a
Tent (rear)	$130.00	tba			$130.00	*n/a*	n/a
Tent (power)	$120.00	tba			$120.00	*n/a*	n/a

2015: Applications to host Championships regattas:
1. From Karapiro Rowing to host the 2015 North Island Championships.
  Note: a proviso has been added to the standard from by the applicant stating "The Organisers shall only accept entries by an electronic system compatible with the regatta management system."
2. From Karapiro Rowing to host the 2015 New Zealand Championships
  Note: a proviso has been added to the standard from by the applicant stating "The Organisers shall only accept entries by an electronic system compatible with the regatta management system."
3. From Ruataniwha Rowing to host the 2015 South Island Championships
  Note: the applications notes existing site facility sponsorship arrangements preclude South Island Rowing from presenting a clear course.
Applications are attached to the Agenda

Remits
2013 is our four-yearly opportunity to make changes to the Rules and Regulations. These remits require 75% approval to pass.

For incorporation: these remits were provided by our solicitors to address the short-comings the Companies Office found with our application for incorporation and to facilitate running of NZSSRA when our membership requirements become slightly more formal.
1. That a new definition of "school" to be added to Article 1.1: "School means an educational institution in New Zealand that is either registered as a school by the Minister of Education or accredited as a private training establishment by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority;"
  Explanation: A definition of the meaning of "school" that is acceptable to the Companies Office needs to be added to the constitution before it can be re-submitted as part of the application to incorporate NZSSRA as an incorporated society.
2. That a new Article 6.3 be added: "6.3 Despite Articles 5.2, 5.3 and 6.1, in the event that there is any error or omission in a Secondary School's application for membership, or failure by a Secondary School to pay the current annual subscription:
  A. The Schools Committee at its sole discretion may admit that Secondary School as a Member School and/or declare that Secondary School's status as a Member School to be currently valid with all associated rights and benefits; and
  B. That Secondary School must remedy the error or omission in its application for membership and pay the current annual subscription within 90 days of the Schools Committee giving notice to that Secondary School."
  Explanation: where there are any errors in a school's application for membership, or a failure to pay the current subscription, this new Article gives the Schools Committee the power to admit the school as a Member School or declare their membership status as valid. This aims to avoid prejudicing schools that make minor errors in their membership applications or are late paying their subscription fees. The school involved must remedy the error or pay their subscription within 90 days of the Schools Committee giving notice to it.
3. That a new Article 20.3 be added: "20.3 The governing body and the Principal of a Member School shall be the default representatives for that Member School. A Member School's governing body may appoint one or more alternative or additional representatives to the Principal of that Member School. This Article is subject to any other Article in this Constitution to the contrary, including Article 20.1."
  Explanation: this is to clarify that, in addition to Member Schools' governing bodies, Principals shall be a default representative for Member Schools. Member Schools' governing bodies may appoint additional or alternative representatives to the Principal. This allows NZSSRA to continue having Principals as key decision makers and avoiding the need for Member Schools to have to run everything past their Board of Trustees (or equivalent body) once they are a Member.
From Schools Committee: changes required as a consequence of the adopting the current constitution in May 2012; addressing some errors and omissions in that document; changes sought after experience using the new constitution.
1. That the Rules, Regulations and Safety System be updated to change all instances of the "Executive Committee" or the "Executive Officer" to the "Schools Committee" and the definitions of "Executive Officer" and "Executive Committee" be removed from Article 1.1
  Explanation: when the constitution of NZSSRA was changed on 13 May 2012 the office of Executive Officer was disestablished and the roles and responsibilities of that office passed to the Schools Committee, which replaced the Executive Committee. Until the Rules, Regulations and Safety System could be updated at this AGM both "Executive Officer" and "Executive Committee" were defined to mean the Schools Committee so those documents continued to be functional despite the new NZSSRA structure. This remit clears up the Rules, Regulations and Safety System properly.
2. That the Regulations, Rules and Safety System be updated to change all instances where the Regulations and Rules are cross-referenced by their long form title to use the proper defined terms for those documents.
  Explanation: the constitution contains definitions for "Regulations" and "Rules" but some of the other documents still cross-reference each other by long form titles instead of the defined terms. This remit rectifies that.
3. That Article 14.6 be amended to use defined terms instead long form versions by changing "Regatta Regulation" to "Regulations" and "Rules of Racing" to "Rules".
  Explanation: when the constitution was re-drafted for the Special General Meeting in May these terms were accidentally left in log form instead of being shortened like elsewhere in the Constitution.
4. That Article 9.2.B be updated to require nominations for President to be made by a Member by adding the words "by a Member" after "in writing".
  Explanation: currently the nomination of a candidate for election to the Schools Committee must be made by a Member but a nomination for President can be made by absolutely anybody. The Schools Committee believes it is important for our future President to be able to demonstrate the backing of at least one Member before their nomination goes to the AGM for an election.
5. That the process for appointment to the Schools Committee be truncated by removing the requirement for the Schools Committee to receive, consider and make a recommendation on nominations before passing them to the Board. This is achieved by removing the existing Article 10.3.E and re-numbering the subsequent articles and by replacing the existing Article 10.3.D with: "10.3.D. Nominations shall be made in writing to the Board not less than 6 weeks prior to the AGM"
  Explanation: the current process requires meetings of the Schools Committee then the Board then the Schools Committee again. To provide time for these meetings the nominations for appointees had to be with the Schools Committee ten weeks prior to the AGM; a date that will often land before the start of Term 1. This makes it practically impossible to remind Members of the impending deadline and give them a reasonable opportunity to put their minds to potential candidates. Because the Board serves the role of an independent appointment committee to the Schools Committee it is considered unnecessary for the Schools Committee to be involved in the appointments process. Removing that extra that step of the process frees up four valuable weeks.
6. That Article 25 be updated to record the names and terms of the Officers of NZSSRA, as at the conclusion of the elections and ratification held during the AGM.
  Explanation: Article 25 contains a transitional provision required during incorporation of NZSSRA. It establishes the incorporated society with the officers and Life Members of the unincorporated Association. Because the officers and end dates of offices will change during the AGM this Article will need to be updated.
From the Schools Committee: recommended changes arising from the School Committee review (Article 11.2.A) of the Regulations and Rules.
1. That the words "A new season starts on 1 September each year." be removed from Rule 11.3 and a definition of "Season" be added to Article 1.1 as "Season shall mean a period starting on 1 September each year and ending on 1 May the following year." (with Article 1.1 sub-clauses re-lettered to accommodate this)
  Explanation: the current definition of season is found in Rule 11.3 but definitions more properly belong in Article 1. By adding an end date to a Season an off-season is created. This would allow pupils to compete in off-season (e.g. winter/pre-season) events without losing their Novice status (similar to what happened under the old definition; before seasons were changed to have a 1 September start). It is desirable to keep 1 September as the start of a Season because that keeps seasons aligned with NZSSRA's financial year and NZRA seasons and the rowing season in general.
2. That Regulation 6.3 be updated to include the events added to the Championships Programme of Events during the last review by the Executive Committee.
  Explanation: the list of events in Regulation 6.3 is mandatory Championships events. The programme of events for Championships currently has additional events that have, based on entry numbers, proved popular and welcome additions to the programme and should now be added to this list.
3. That Regulation 6.3 be updated to give under-18 lightweight and under-18 novice events their own bullet points.
  Explanation: the list of events in Regulation 6.3 is mandatory Championships events. Under-18 Lightweight and Under-18 Novice events are dual classification events (age and weight, age and ability) so should have their own headings in the list. This also leaves the "BOYS AND GIRLS UNDER-18" part of the list containing only those events where NZSSSC pennants are awarded.
4. That the age-group reference date in Rule 11.4 be changed from 1 January in the "year" in which the competition is held to 1 January in the "Season" in which the competition is held.
  Explanation: This change means athletes would remain in one age-group all season instead of swapping age-groups on 1 January. NZRA is proposing the same change to its age-groups; so age-groups will be consistent across the whole sport. The season-wide age-groups will match those currently in force at our Championships regattas, which use the standard NZSSSC age-group reference date (but for the period 1 Sep to 31 Dec NZSSRA age-groups will become out of synch with NZSSSC age-groups, as we will progress pupils to the next age-group earlier than general NZSSSC age-groups).
5. That Rule 16.6 be updated to formalise existing practice whereby B Finals are raced for all under-18 events by adding the words "or when the event is an under-18 event and the number of entries exceeds the number of starting positions" after "when the number of entries in an event exceeds twice the number of starting positions available".
  Explanation: at the 2009 AGM Members sought the inclusion of 'B' Finals for all U18 events, including those events where the threshold for B Finals set in Rule 16 had not been met. This practice has continued since 2009 but can now be formalised.
6. That the ability for Regatta Committees to request a per-pupil limit (any such limit to be subject to approval by the Schools Committee) be added to the Regulations by combining Regulations 7.3.A and 7.3.B and adding a new Reg 7.3.B giving:
  "7.3.A. The Regatta Committee may impose a limitation setting the maximum number of crews a member may enter in an event. A limitation may apply to one or more events.
  7.3.B. The Regatta Committee may impose a limitation setting the maximum number of events a rower may enter. A limitation on rowers may apply to one or more classes of rower"
  Explanation: in 2009 Members approved the ability for crews-per-school-per-event limits to be used at Championships regattas. This proved to be a timely decision, as those limits were required immediately for our North Island Championships and have subsequently been needed for our South Island Championships. This year a limit was approved for the first time for Maadi (4 crews per school per event).
  In 2009 Members were asked to also add the possibility of events-per-pupil limits to the tools available to Regatta Committee but decided the time was not appropriate for that to happen. The Schools Committee is bringing this remit forward again because both North and South Island Championships now have limits of 2 crews per school per event for the majority of their events and our sport is still growing. The Schools Committee believes the addition of event-per-pupil limits will provide Regatta Committees with the opportunity to restrict entries in a more gradual manner and significantly postpone the day when a limit of 1 crew per school per event is required.
  Note: the process for approval of limits is found in Regulation 7.3.D. For Championships regattas they must be approved by the Schools Committee and cannot be unilaterally imposed by the Regatta Committee.
7. That under-15 age-group events be restricted to novice rowers and the Championships events listed in the bullet point 4 of Regulation 6.3 shall be "BOYS AND GIRLS UNDER-15 NOVICE" instead of "BOYS AND GIRLS UNDER-15". Furthermore, so this change does not disadvantage any pupils who are entered into the current season's Championships it shall take effect at the 2015 Championships, which is when the Championships Programme of Events next changes after its four yearly review by the Schools Committee.
  Explanation: the under-15 age-group is currently made up of three parts: under-14 pupils, under-15 novice pupils and under-15 non novice pupils. The non-novice pupils make up approximately 25% of the athletes competing at Championships but being non-novice gives them a significant advantage over their novice peers, as they win 50% of the medals.
  Anecdotally this disparity discourages under-15 novice athletes from returning to our sport the following season. Because under-15 is our entry-level age-group it is unfair to let the majority of those athletes (75%) be disadvantaged by competing against more experienced (non-novice) peers.
8. That novice events be restricted to exclude under-15 athletes and the existing novice events listed under bullet point 1 of regulation 6.3 shall be given their own bullet point heading "BOYS AND GIRLS UNDER-18 (EXCLUDING UNDER-15) NOVICE".
  Furthermore, so this change does not disadvantage any pupils who are entered into the current season's Championships it shall take effect at the 2015 Championships, which is when the Championships Programme of Events next changes after its four yearly review by the Schools Committee.
  Explanation: the Novice classification was intended to provide an opportunity for rowers who take up our sport later in their schooling with a chance to compete against similarly inexperienced rowers e.g. so they are not forced to compete against age-group peers who have the advantage of a season or more of experience. Given our youngest age-group is under-15 the majority of those athletes are already competing against athletes with a similar level of experience so do not require inclusion in the separate novice classification that is intended for older rowers. (This is even more true if the remit to exclude non-novice rowers from under-15 age-group events also passes, in which case they have their own specific novice events).
From Members: remits received from Members (in order of receipt)
1. From Life Member Leslie Saywood: that the list of Championships events in Regulation 6.3 be extended to include ''Octuple Sculls with coxswain'' under the ''BOYS AND GIRLS UNDER 15'' heading.
  Explanation: adding octuple events will offer 13 & 14 year-old children the opportunity to take part in big boat racing without having to participate in the challenging and daunting process of sweep-oar events, which represent serious physical challenges to young teenagers with the possibility of physical injury. The event will relieve pressure on the regatta programme and allow many more young people to take up sculling which, by common consent, is the best preparation for sweep-oar rowing. Octuples are a popular event in the U.K., where sweep-oar rowing for U15's is actively discouraged. There are some eight or nine Octuples in the North Island, with a similar number in the South Island.
2. From Member School WNCS: that NZSSRA takes all necessary steps to implement an amendment to the NZSSSC School Team Eligibility Criteria to allow a further exemption within the eligibility criteria in respect of students who have not, before joining their current school, competed in rowing before at another school or club
  Explanation: the mischief behind the eligibility criteria has been stated and published by NZSSRA and NZSSSC as imposing "a curb to the practice of recruiting talented sporting pupils". Some schools, like Wanganui Collegiate, make sport compulsory and (unsurprisingly) there is a higher take-up of rowing at such schools where rowing is offered. Almost universally, these students have never rowed before. Rowing should see this as a good thing.
  Some private and fee-paying boarding schools have traditionally had a high post-year 9 entry. Some have done so as girls offerings did not start until year 12, as recognised in the NZSSSC rules. WNCS has always had a reasonably high uptake of post-year 9 students for varied reasons and now with the increased numbers taking up rowing as their choice of sport in the School we are effected by the eligibility rule.
  This year Wanganui Collegiate has not been able to boat all its students in the boat of their selection because the School has had an influx of post-year 9 students thereby crossing the eligibility hresholds, even though the students had never rowed before and could never be presumed to be the objective of the rules. It is expected the problem will continue into future years unless the rules make allowance for these novices.
  The Rules were never designed to stop first time rowers. This amendment seeks only to deal with these novice rowers.
  The incongruity of the currently prescribed eligibility criteria is that it works contrary to the expressed OBJECTIVE of the NZSSRA as stated in Rule 3 of its Constitution which says: "To foster and encourage rowing in Secondary Schools in New Zealand."
  Note: this remit has been discussed informally by the Schools Committee with NZSSSC and if Members are favourable towards the remit the Schools Committee is likely to recommend implementation by amending Rule 2.4 to add the following words: "except the criteria shall not be applied to any rower who had not competed in rowing at another school or club before becoming eligible to compete for their current school" (subject to NZSSSC formally confirming this is the best way to achieve the outcome).
3. From Member School WTLB: that Regulation 11 "Overseas crews" be struck out and Rule 2.1 be amended to remove the words ", or, in the case of Overseas schools, those which are invited to attend by the Executive Committee".
  Explanation: the remit seeks that the allocation/invitation for overseas crews to attend the NEW ZEALAND Secondary Schools Championship be removed from the regulations, as this is a New Zealand championship and as such should be preserved to allow for full New Zealand participation and representation. Particularly for the MAADI Cup - the founding race of this championship.
  Westlake Boys High are also concerned that, due to the current size of the MAADI regatta and the introduction of restrictions on entries, this reinforces the need to retain New Zealand schools attendance only.
  The Westlake Boys High recommendation is that if the desire is to extend schools competition to span into international this can be done via a newly established Trans- Tasman competition. There are many options that can be considered by the Association, for which members could contribute their ideas and views on. e.g. Bi-annual 4 best NZ U18 crews versus Australian - 1 year in NZ - 1 year in Australia. Funding solutions could be developed to support this development program.
  Westlake Boys High supports high performance sport and International competition, but not at the expense of full New Zealand School participation at our New Zealand championship regatta.
Date for next AGM

Andrew Carr-Smith
for Schools Committee
NZSSRA