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RULES OF THE AUCKLAND BEEKEEPERS CLUB INCORPORATED 

13^th July 2019

RULES OF THE AUCKLAND BEEKEEPERS CLUB INCORPORATED

INDEX 

1. Name
2. Registered Office
3. Objects
4. Activities Limited to New Zealand
5. Membership
6. Meetings of Members
7. Management
8. Money and Other Assets
9. Indemnity
10. Common Seal
11. Notices
12. Alteration of Rules
13. Dissolution

 

1. NAME
   • The name of the society is The Auckland Beekeepers Club Incorporated (“the Club”).
   • The Club was established in 1947 and incorporated under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908 on the 5^th February 1954.

 

1. REGISTERED OFFICE

The office of the Club shall be any such place as may from time to time be determined by the Committee of the Club.

 

3. OBJECTS

The objects for which the Club is formed are:

• To promote the spirit of the hive, i.e. the greatest good for the greatest number, by:
  1. Operating a demonstration apiary to demonstrate a high standard of beekeeping practices.
  2. Providing a regular series of meetings, field days, and training seminars for the instruction of members and the interchange of ideas, with talks and demonstrations by competent beekeepers, covering the activity of the hive throughout the year and associated matters such as disease recognition and management.
• Providing advice and assistance to members, including provision of beekeeping supplies.
• Assisting members of the public who are worried by swarms, wild hives, or bees.
• Educating the public on the value of bees in the environment.
• Creating a feeling of “camaraderie” among beekeepers consistent with the above spirit.
• Acting as a managed channel for the exchange and delivery of information for members and the general public.
• To provide representation on behalf of members to those authorities responsible for the regulation of beekeeping.
• Do all such things that are incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above objects.
• Pecuniary gain is not a purpose of the Club.

 

4. ACTIVITIES LIMITED TO NEW ZEALAND

The activities of the Club will be limited to New Zealand.

 

5. MEMBERSHIP

• Membership is open to individuals and families, and applications for membership shall be considered by the committee in a fair and equitable manner. The committee shall have complete discretion when it decides whether to allow the applicant to become a member.
• To become a member, applicants must complete an application in the form approved by the committee, which may include online applications through the Club’s website. The required joining fee (if any) and membership fee must be paid at the time of the application.
• Keeping of honeybees is not a condition of membership but members keeping bees are required as a condition of membership to comply with all relevant beekeeping regulations.
• Keeping of honey bees exposes beekeepers to the risk of beestings and it is a condition of membership that members take responsibility for their personal health and safety particularly if allergic to beestings.
• Membership is renewed annually on payment of the annual membership fee within 60 days of being due.
• A register of members shall be kept which shall contain the names, addresses, email contacts, and telephone numbers of all members, and such other details as the committee may require.The register shall record the dates at which they became members.
• Joining fees (if any) and membership fees shall be set from time to time by the members in a general meeting on the recommendation of the committee.
• Members may be designated Life Members or Beemasters on the recommendation of the Committee and passed by a majority of members in a general meeting. Criteria for these designations shall be established by the Committee.  Life Members shall be exempt from membership fees.  Life Members and Beemasters shall have the same voting rights as ordinary members and be eligible to hold office.
• The Committee may approve associate membership of the Club for persons or organisations on such terms as it sees fit. Associate members may attend general meetings but shall not have voting rights.
• All members including associate members shall support the objects of the Club and shall do nothing to bring the Club into disrepute.
• Membership of the Club shall cease in any of the following circumstances:
  1. If the member resigns in writing to the Committee.
  2. If the member dies.
  3. If the member fails to pay the annual subscription within 60 days.
  4. If the Committee is of the view that the member is willfully breaching the rules or has acted in a way that is harmful to the Club the member may be expelled by a resolution passed by a majority of the Committee members. The member concerned must be given reasonable written notice of the proposed expulsion and the reasons and must be given an opportunity to respond to the notice in person or in writing at the meeting considering the expulsion.
• Any former member may apply for re-admission in the same way as a new applicant but if the former member was expelled by resolution of the Committee then the applicant shall not be re-admitted without the approval by resolution passed by a majority of the Committee members.
• All members shall be bound by the Rules of the Club.

 

6. MEETINGS OF MEMBERS

• An Annual General Meeting of members shall be held annually within six months of the Club’s financial year-end, with 14 days’ notice of the meeting given to members in writing or other appropriate means including electronic communication.
  1. The notice of meeting shall specify the date, time and place of the meeting, and the business to be discussed.
  2. If the notice has been sent to all members in good faith the meeting and its business will not be invalidated simply because one or more members do not receive the notice.
  3. The quorum for the meeting shall be 15 members present in person.
  4. The meeting shall be chaired by the President. If the President is absent the Vice-President shall chair that meeting.  If the Vice-President is absent a member of the Committee elected by the members present shall chair that meeting.
  5. Voting shall be by voice or on a show of hands and resolutions passed by a simple majority. In the event of a tied vote, the chairperson shall have a casting vote.  Voting by proxy shall not be permitted.  Voting may be by secret ballot on the requisition of three members before a vote by voice or show of hands has begun.
  6. Before voting on any matter, members shall make best endeavours to agree by consensus to the resolution to be considered.
  7. Resolutions passed at any general meeting shall be binding on all members of the Club, whether present or not.
  8. Minutes of the meeting shall be prepared and approved by the Committee as a correct record and circulated to all members.

 

• The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be to receive and consider the following items:
  1. The minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and any matters arising from those minutes.
  2. The Committee’s report and financial statements for the previous year.
  3. The election of officers.
  4. The election of the Committee.
  5. Approval of life memberships on the recommendation of the Committee.
  6. The Committee’s recommendations for joining fees (if any) and membership fees.
  7. Appointment of an independent financial reviewer or auditor.
  8. Approval of major transactions on the recommendation of the Committee.
  9. Any general business accepted for discussion at the meeting if the chairperson thinks fit. 

• A Special General Meeting of members may be called by the Committee whenever it thinks fit, or upon the requisition in writing by at least 10 members. The notice for Special General Meetings shall specify the business to be considered, and the meeting procedures shall be in accordance with rule 6.1.

 

7. MANAGEMENT

• The affairs of the Club shall be managed by a Committee of no less than 7 and no more than 10 members, comprising the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and up to 7 ordinary members all of whom shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting of the Club in accordance with rule 6.1. Only Club members may be Committee members.
• The Committee shall have the power to fill casual vacancies and to co-opt members between Annual General Meetings as it sees fit.
• The Committee shall meet as frequently as it considers necessary to manage the affairs of the Club, with 7 days’ notice of the meeting given to Committee members, or such less notice as the Committee members may agree. A quorum for Committee meetings shall be at least 50% of the number of Committee members.  The President shall chair Committee meetings unless chairing a meeting is delegated to another Committee member with the approval of a majority of the Committee members present.
• The Committee may conduct its business by electronic means as it sees fit.
• The Committee may appoint sub-committees to be chaired by a member of the Committee. Sub-committees may include other members of the Club and may co-opt from outside the Club. Membership of sub-committees shall be approved by the Committee and any decisions of sub-committees shall be subject to ratification by the Committee unless the sub-committee has been given specific authorisation by the Committee, with power to act.
• Minutes shall be kept recording the business of all Committee and sub-committee business.
• The powers of the Committee shall include all rights, powers and duties required to manage the affairs of the Club in accordance with these rules, and to meet the objects of the Club. Specific powers shall include the following:

1. Control and investment of the Club’s funds including the operation of bank accounts.
2. Borrow or otherwise raise funds in such manner as it sees fit, and to give security by way of charges over the Club’s assets.
3. Engage such staff and/or contractors as may be necessary for the conduct of the Club.
4. Make, alter or rescind policies and procedures for the general management of the Club. All such policies and procedures shall be binding on members, and a copy shall be available for inspection by any member.
5. Acquire property by purchase, lease or otherwise as may be necessary for the conduct of the Club, and dispose of that property.

• Committee business shall be conducted by consensus agreement. If agreement cannot be reached on any matter voting shall be by voice or on a show of hands and resolutions passed by a simple majority.  In the event of a tied vote, the chairperson shall have a casting vote.  Decisions of the Committee shall be binding on all Committee members, whether present or not.
• A resolution in writing signed by all Committee members shall be as valid as if passed at a meeting of the Committee.
• Subject to these Rules the Committee may regulate its own practices.
• Persons cease to be Committee members when they either resign by giving notice in writing to the Committee or are removed by resolution of members in a general meeting of members.
• If a Committee member is absent without leave from three consecutive meetings the President may declare that person’s position vacant.

 

8. MONEY AND OTHER ASSETS

• The funds of the Club shall be deposited in the Club’s bank account(s) and only used for the charitable objects of the Club.
• No Club funds or assets of the Club may be used for the private pecuniary benefit of any member of the Club nor distributed to any such member, save that the Club may pay or reimbursee a member for services rendered to the Club in the ordinary course of business as an arm’s length market value transaction to advance the charitable objects of the Club.
• The Club may only use money and other assets if that use has been approved either by the Committee or by a majority of the members.
• The amount a member must pay to join the Club (if any) and the annual membership subscription and the effective date of any change in subscription shall be decided by a majority vote of members in a general meeting on the recommendation of the Committee. Refunds may be considered by the Committee on a case by case basis on receipt of an application in writing.
• All cheque or electronic payments from the Club’s bank account shall be supported by appropriate documentation and authorised by two signatories, one of those signatories being the Treasurer unless the Treasurer is unavailable, in which case two other signatories shall authorise. All signatories shall be members of the Committee and their appointment approved by the Committee.
• Funds surplus to the day to day operations of the Club may be invested. Such investments shall require the written approval of the Committee.
• Major transactions shall require the approval of members in a general meeting. A major transaction is defined as:
  1. The acquisition of, or an agreement to acquire, whether contingent or not, assets the value of which is more than half the value of the Club's assets before the acquisition; or
  2. The disposition of, or an agreement to dispose of, whether contingent or not, assets of the Club the value of which is more than half the value of the Club's assets before the disposition; or
  3. A transaction that has or is likely to have the effect of the Club acquiring rights or interests or incurring obligations or liabilities the value of which is more than half the value of the Club's assets before the transaction.
• The Treasurer shall keep, or cause to be kept, accounting records in accordance with current accounting practice, and report the current financial transactions and financial position of the Club to each Committee meeting in such detail as may be required by the Committee.
• Annual financial statements shall be prepared in accordance with financial reporting standards applicable to the Club.
• The Club’s financial year shall end on the 31^st March each year.
• The annual financial statements shall be reviewed by an independent reviewer appointed by the members in a general meeting. An audit may be carried out if so required by the Committee.  The reviewer’s/auditor’s fee shall be agreed by the Committee.

 

9. INDEMNITY

No member of the Committee shall be liable for the acts or defaults of any other member of the Committee or for any loss occasioned by any error of judgement on his/her part or for any other misfortune which shall happen in the execution of their office unless the loss occurs through his/her own wilful default.

 

10. COMMON SEAL

• The Club shall have a Common Seal in the custody of the Treasurer.
• The Common Seal shall be used by the authority of the Committee and documents to which the Common Seal is attached shall be signed by the President and one other member of the Committee, unless the President is unavailable in which case two Committee members shall sign.

 

11. NOTICES

Any written notice or other communication required to be given to any member under these Rules may be sent by post to the last known address for correspondence, or by electronic means (including email and website posting), or advertisement in periodicals, or a combination of these methods.

 

12. ALTERATION OF RULES

• The Constitution of the Club may be altered, added to or rescinded at any General Meeting provided that notice in writing setting out such alteration or addition has been given to members in accordance with Rule 6.
• No alteration or addition shall be made that would:
  1. Detract from the charitable nature of the Club.
  2. Remove the provision and effect of Rule 8.2.
  3. Remove the provision and effect of Rule 13.3.

 

13. DISSOLUTION

• The Club may at any time be wound up by the resolution of a two-thirds majority of the members present at any General Meeting of the Club, provided notice has been given to members in accordance with Rule 6.
• In the event of such winding up the property of the Club shall, subject to the payment of its debts and liabilities and the costs and expenses of the winding up be transferred to another organisation for a similar charitable purpose or purposes, or to another organisation for a charitable purpose or purposes, as determined by the members of the Club present in person at a General Meeting to be held in accordance with the Rules of the Club set out in Rule 6 at or before the dissolution.
• The property of the Club upon winding up shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the Club.