NZSSRA: Consititution

NAME
The name of the Association shall be the NEW ZEALAND SECONDARY SCHOOLS ROWING ASSOCIATION (NZSSRA)
DEFINITIONS
In this Constitution the following definitions shall apply:
1. "Association" and "NZSSRA" shall mean the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Association.
2. "NZRA" is the New Zealand Rowing Association Incorporated or its successor.
3. "NZSSSC" is the New Zealand Secondary Schools Sports Council or its successor
4. "Championships" shall mean the annual New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Championships.
5. "Crew" includes single scullers and coxswains as well as more than one rower from a single boat.
6. "Local Association" is the organisation established to administer the sport of rowing in secondary schools and any functions of the Association delegated to it within a geographical area prescribed in this Constitution and which is named in Clause 12.
7. "Regulations" shall mean the Regulations for Regattas of the Association for the time being in force.
8. "Rower" is any crew member of a rowing skiff and includes a single sculler and coxswain.
9. "Rules" shall mean the Rules for Racing of the Association for the time being in force.
10. "Secondary school" or "school" means a school established as a secondary school and providing full-time courses of study beyond the primary school level for children up to and including the age of 19 years.
11. All words of the masculine gender include the feminine gender and all words or phrases expressed in the singular include the plural
OBJECTS
1. To foster and encourage rowing in secondary schools in New Zealand.
2. To provide codes, regulations for regattas and rules of racing to ensure the proper control of rowing regattas and the conduct of races within the rules of the NZSSRA.
3. To maintain a register of member schools and their approved colours, and a register of rowers.
4. To institute, control and allocate in accordance with the Constitution the annual conduct of a NZSSRA Championship regatta and otherwise encourage competition there and at other regattas between all schools.
5. To encourage affiliation to Local Associations of all schools which recognise rowing as a school sporting activity.
MEMBERSHIP
Membership of the Association shall consist of:
1. Every secondary school which is admitted to membership by the executive and which has paid the current annual subscription; and
2. Every life member who has been duly elected at Annual General Meeting.
ELIGIBILITY
1. Any secondary school which satisfies the executive that it recognises rowing as a school sporting activity and has completed in writing the statements referred to in Clause 5.3 may be admitted to membership upon payment of the current annual subscription.
2. Any person may be elected as a Life Member of the Association on the majority of votes recorded at an Annual General Meeting who:
  1. has been nominated in writing by a member school by notice given to the Executive Officer not less than ten weeks before the date of any such meeting; and
  2. has received the endorsement of the executive prior to the meeting; and
  3. in the opinion of the members present has rendered distinguished and conspicuous service to the sport of rowing in secondary schools.
3. Every application by a school for membership shall be made in writing (Form see APPENDIX F) to the Executive Officer and shall include:
  1. a statement signed by the principal (or deputy) declaring that rowing is a recognised sporting activity in the school; and
  2. a statement affirming that the school will observe the Constitution and Rules, Regulations and determinations of the Association with regard to the sport of rowing
  3. The name, address, telephone and facsimile numbers and e-mail address of the school, the name of the staff member in charge of rowing and an undertaking to promptly notify any change in that responsibility; and
  4. The colours for which approval is sought (Form see APPENDIX F)
VOTING AND SPEAKING RIGHTS
1. Every school member shall have one vote at any meeting of the Association.
2. Every life member shall have speaking rights and one vote at any meeting of the Association.
3. Every school member may appoint up to three delegates who may speak on its behalf at any meeting of the Association, one of whom shall also have the member's voting powers.
4. If challenged, any delegate must provide to the meeting written evidence of appointment signed by the principal. A delegate, subject to proof of appointment, may represent more than one member.
5. A member may by proxy in writing ,signed by the principal, appoint a person and direct the person on how to vote on any matter. Any proxy must be lodged with the Executive Officer prior to the commencement of any meeting.
6. The Chairperson of any meeting shall have a casting vote in addition to any deliberative vote he may be empowered to exercise.
7. Members of the executive present, not nominated to vote for a member shall have the right to speak.
OFFICERS
1. The officers of the Association shall be:
  1. A President, who shall act as Chairperson at all meetings at which he/she is present
  2. Vice-presidents
  3. An Executive Officer who shall act as Secretary and Treasurer
  4. An honorary auditor
  5. An honorary solicitor
2. Officers of the Association (other than Vice-Presidents) shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting as follows:
  1. the President and Executive Officer shall take office at the conclusion of the meeting at which they are elected and shall hold office for two years;
  2. the honorary auditor and solicitor shall take office at the conclusion of the meeting at which they are elected and shall hold office for one year.
  3. The principal of every member school shall be ex officio a vice-president.
  All officers are at the end of their term eligible for re-election.
3. Nominations for all positions for which there is a vacancy shall be called for by the Executive Officer by written notice to members not less than eight weeks prior to an Annual General Meeting. Nominations shall be made not later than five weeks prior to that meeting in writing to the Executive Officer who shall within seven days notify in writing to members the names of all nominations received.
4. In the event of the Executive Officer receiving no written nomination in time, the Chairperson will take nominations from the floor at the Annual General Meeting.
MANAGEMENT
1. The general affairs of the Association shall be managed by an Executive Committee which shall comprise:
  1. the President
  2. the Executive Officer
  3. an appointee from each Local Association
2. Each Local Association shall, prior to the Annual General Meeting, notify to the Executive Officer in writing the name, address and telephone number of its appointee to the executive.
  Such appointee shall take office at the conclusion of that meeting or in the case of late notification, from the date that notification is received by the Executive Officer.
3. Meetings of the executive shall be convened by the Executive Officer who shall give not less than seven days' notice in writing of any such meeting, unless the executive agrees to waive such notice. The Executive Officer shall as soon as practicable after receiving a written request signed by any three members of the executive convene a meeting.
4. Any executive member unable to attend a meeting may appoint a proxy provided written notice is given to the Executive Officer prior to commencement of the meeting.
5. Any extraordinary vacancy in the officers of the Association may be filled by appointment of the executive. Any person so appointed shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting.
6. Any other extraordinary vacancy in the Executive Committee shall be filled by appointment by the Local Association whose appointee can no longer act. The person so appointed shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting, but may be appointed for a further term.
7. Executive Committee meetings may be conducted by way of conference telephone call or by other electronic means if that means is agreed to, or by way of postal ballot in respect of any resolution.
8. The quorum at any Executive Committee meeting shall be five members,
9. Questions at any meeting of the Executive Committee shall be decided on a majority of the votes of members recorded as present or by proxy and voting. The Chairperson shall have a deliberative vote, and, in the case of an equality of votes, shall also have a casting vote. Any proxy shall be in writing signed by the executive member giving it, and shall be in the hands of the Executive Officer at the commencement of the meeting to which it relates.
10. In the absence of the President at any meeting, the members present shall first appoint one of them Chairperson for the meeting.
OTHER FUNCTIONS OF EXECUTIVE
1. The Executive Committee shall determine all questions and disputes which may be referred to them by members and/or Local Associations, and shall take all such further steps as they shall consider appropriate in the furtherance of the objects of the Association.
2. The Executive Committee shall investigate and conduct a hearing into any alleged misconduct, breach of this Constitution, breach of the Rules or Regulations of the Association or any event or action which brings the sport of rowing into disrepute by any member or by any rower representing any member, or by any Local Association.
3. In the event that it appears to the Executive Committee that any such misconduct, breach or event may have occurred, it shall appoint a sub-committee to conduct a hearing of which reasonable notice shall be given to the member or Local Association concerned.
4. At such hearing the member or Local Association may be represented by a person or persons of its choosing and shall be given a full and fair opportunity to hear and answer the allegations made against it.
5. If the allegations are found to be proven, the Executive Committee may:
  1. suspend the Rower(s) or member or suspend powers of the Local Association for any period up to the next Annual General Meeting; and/or
  2. direct the Rower(s) or member or Local Association to give any apology, make good any damage or otherwise act to comply with the Constitution, Rules or Regulations.
6. Should there be a need, the Executive Committee may appoint a selector (or selectors) for the Association for the period of need.The selector shall undertake the selections for any crew nominated by the Executive Committee from nominations received from any member or Local Association.
7. The Executive Officer shall, in consultation with the President, conduct the daily administrative business of the Association and report thereon at the next committee meeting.
8. The Executive Committee may from time to time appoint:
  1. A special committee for such purpose as it deems fit from Association members or otherwise and delegate such powers as are necessary for the committee to act; and
  2. any other representative as may from time to time be required in the Association's interests.
GENERAL MEETINGS
1. An Annual General Meeting shall be held at the venue of the Championships at a place decided by the Executive Committee.
2. A Special General Meeting of the Association shall be called by the Executive Officer if requisitioned by any two or more Local Associations or any thirty member schools. The meeting shall take place within ten weeks of the receipt of the requisition at a venue appointed by the Executive Committee.
3. The Executive Committee may call a general meeting at any time to deal with policy or similar matters.
4. The business of any general meeting, other than the Annual General Meeting, may be transacted by use of a telephone conference call, other electronic link, or by postal ballot if deemed expedient by the Executive Committee.
5. Where practicable the Executive Officer shall not less than eight weeks prior to any general meeting call upon members and Local Associations to submit not less than five weeks prior to the meeting any remit on policy in respect of any alteration to the Constitution, regulations or rules.
6. Except where deemed an emergency by the Executive Committee, proposals for alterations to the Regatta Regulations and Rules of Racing shall not be received for reference to the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting except in every fourth year.
7. To be included on the agenda any proposal or remit for the alteration of the Constitution, regulations or rules shall be first cleared by the President and Executive Officer as being relevant and coherent with the Constitution Rules or Regulations as the case may be.
8. Amendments to the Constitution, Rules or Regulations shall be made only if approved by 75% of the schools represented personally or by proxy at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting called for the purpose. Amendments affecting the conduct of the Championships shall not take effect until after that current regatta; all other amendments shall take effect at the conclusion of the AGM.
9. Notice of the time date and place of any general meeting shall be given to every member not less than eight weeks prior to the meeting.
10. No business, unless otherwise provided in the Constitution or agreed to by 75% of the schools represented at the meeting, shall be transacted at any general meeting of which the Executive Officer has not been given at least five weeks written notice.
  Not less than four weeks prior to any such meeting the Executive Officer shall send to all members an agenda of the business to be transacted.
11. The quorum of a general meeting shall be not less than 40% of members entitled to attend and vote. The quorum of the Annual General Meeting shall be 20% of members which are schools entered at the current championships except when the Annual General Meeting is a meeting considering changes as given in clause 10.6 when the quorum shall be 40% of members which are schools entered at the current championships.
12. If the President is not present, the chairperson shall be a member of the Executive Committee appointed by the meeting.
13. Every question other than the alteration of the Constitution, Rules or Regulations shall be decided by a simple majority of votes cast, otherwise it shall be decided by a 75% majority of votes cast.Voting shall initially be by voice, or if in doubt by a show of hands; if requested by any member voting shall be by a poll.
FINANCIAL PROVISIONS
1. Every school member shall pay to the Association not later than the 1st of December in any year the annual subscription determined at the Annual general meeting held in the prior year.(refer APPENDIX A)
2. Every school member shall in addition from time to time pay to the Association such levy for any designated special purpose at such time as may be stipulated at the Annual general meeting.(refer APPENDIX A)
3. If any subscription remains unpaid at the 1st of December or any levy remains unpaid after the expiry of 30 days from due date, the defaulting member shall be automatically suspended until all outstanding moneys have been paid.
4. Any member so suspended shall not:
  1. participate or vote at any meeting;
  2. participate in any regatta conducted by the Association or any Local Association;
  3. after being in default for two years remain registered or be entitled to use its previously registered colours.
5. All Association bank accounts shall be operated on the joint authority of the Executive Officer and Chairperson or their duly appointed alternatives who are members of the Executive Committee.
6. All moneys received on account of the Association shall be paid into an Association bank account or invested as the Executive Committee directs. The Executive Officer shall keep proper books of account as from time to time approved by the Executive Committee; annually a Statement of Income and Expenditure and a balance sheet of the assets and liabilities of the Association shall be prepared for the financial year ended the last day of February (or such other date stipulated from time to time by a general meeting)
7. Each year the accounts of the Association shall be examined and the correctness thereof reported on by the Auditor. The Auditor's report shall be available at the Annual General Meeting.
8. The Executive Committee, on the approval of a general meeting, shall have the power on behalf of the Association to borrow money for the Association's purposes and to give such security therefor as they shall deem advisable.
LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS
1. School members may organise themselves locally into Local Associations, whose areas shall be defined and notified to the Association for approval. The current Local Secondary School Rowing Associations are:
2. In the event of any dispute over boundaries or whether any member school shall belong to one or other Local Association, the matter shall be determined, after due consultation with affected parties, by the Executive Committee.
3. No Local Association shall have as an object any object inconsistent with the objects of the Association and the other rules set out in its Constitution, but may otherwise make its own rules governing the affairs of the local area.
4. Each Local Association shall decide:
  1. All questions relating to the interpretation and application of the Association Constitution, Rules and Regulations, and protests and disputes arising in its own area, including those arising from non championship regattas or fixtures controlled by that Local Association even if held in another area.
  2. The imposition on members or rowers and officials associated therewith under its jurisdiction of penalties provided for under this or the Local Association's own Constitution.
  BUT there shall be a right of appeal to the Executive Committee against any such decision of a Local Association.
REGISTRATION
1. The Association may maintain a national register of all rowers who are competing for members schools.
2. To the extent that it is practicable to do so the NZRA register shall be adopted in respect of rowers registered with that Association.
3. The Association shall otherwise adopt procedures and forms necessary to record the registration and transfer of school rowers including the issue of personal registration numbers for all rowers competing at Association regattas.
4. The provisions of the Privacy Act 1993 shall apply to all information collected by the Association.
COLOURS
1. The Association shall maintain a register containing a complete description of colours approved for each member school.
2. No school may compete at any Association regatta unless, upon written application to the Executive Officer of the Association accompanied by a sketch or photograph and verbal description, the colours have been approved by the Executive Officer and recorded in the register.
3. No colours shall be approved unless they are unique to the school (or a boys/girls school pairing) and distinctive from other approved colours. Where practicable the Executive Officer shall not approve colours which are similar to club colours approved by the NZRA. (Approved colours listed in APPENDIX C)
4. The Executive Officer shall allocate to each member school a unique abbreviation code for use on regatta programmes.
MEDALS & AWARDS
1. First Second and Third place-getters at the NZSSRA Championship regatta shall be issued with a medallion (inscribed with the name and date of the regatta) and a suitable ribbon, the cost to be borne by the host regatta committee.
2. If more than 12 crews compete in the heats of an under 19 event then the crews that compete in the final shall be awarded a top 10 badge. If a "B" Final is rowed then the remaining medals not awarded to those rowing in the final shall be awarded to the next placed crews in the "B" final so that a total not exceeding 10 crews shall be awarded badges for the event. The badges shall be sent out by the Executive Officer to the winning schools as soon as possible after the conclusion of the regatta.
APPEALS
1. All appeals to the Executive Committee shall be:
  1. in writing, and
  2. in the hands of the Executive Officer not later than six weeks after the day on which the decision appealed against was received by the member or person appealing; and
  3. if from a representative of a member school, accompanied by a letter from the member school verifying the appeal; and
  4. accompanied by any fee stipulated from time to time by the Association in general meeting as given in APPENDIX A (which fee shall be retained by the Association if the appeal is unsuccessful).
2. The Executive Committee shall receive submissions, and where the interests of justice require, hear all interested parties as soon as reasonably practicable; interested parties upon whom adverse comment has been received shall be given a reasonable opportunity to reply to any such comment.
3. The Executive Committee shall deliberate and give to all interested parties a decision in writing within a reasonable time; where the appeal is allowed any fee paid shall be refunded.
PROFIT TO MEMBERS AND WINDING UP
1. No member or persons associated with a member of the Association shall derive any income, benefit or advantage from the Association (whereby they can materially influence the payment of income or the receipt of any benefit or advantage) except where the income benefit or advantage is derived from:
  1. professional services to the Association rendered in the course of business, charged at no greater than market rates; or
  2. interest on money lent at no greater than current market rates.
2. In the event of the winding up of the affairs of the Association, the property and effects of the Association surplus after payment of all liabilities shall become the property and effects of the NZRA but held for the express use and benefit of secondary school rowing in New Zealand. The trophies of the Association shall become the property of the NZRA but shall be awarded only for those events for which such trophies had hitherto been awarded respectively. No part of the property or effects of the Association shall be surrendered or paid to any member for personal benefit in any manner whatsoever.
MATTERS NOT PROVIDED FOR
1. Any matter not provided for in the Constitution, Rules or Regulations shall be dealt with by the Executive Committee in such reasonable manner as they shall otherwise think fit.
2. Matters dealt with under this clause shall be reported to members at the next Annual General Meeting.

Constitution dated 23 March 2004