Adopting the RNZRSA Constitution
Amendment to date of Extraordinary General Meeting – Saturday 12 April
The Extraordinary General Meeting to adopt the proposed RNZRSA Constitution will now be held on Saturday 12 April not Saturday 22 March.
As a result of recent legal challenges and correspondence, and to avoid any ambiguity under the current constitution in relation to eligibility on voting, the RNZRSA has amended the EGM meeting date and will adopt the voting rules of Schedule 1 to the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 at the 12 April 2025 meeting.
More information on these rules is being prepared and will be made available as soon as possible.
All Associations are required to re-register for the new date. Click here to register now
The final version of the RNZRSA Constitution being put forward for adoption was released on Wednesday 26 February and can be found in the Notice of EGM document at the bottom this page. While a new Notice of EGM will be released shortly, there will be no changes to the Constitution.
Support for Associations
To help prepare for the EGM, more online information sessions will be made available to allow Associations to hear first-hand what has been updated following the consultation period and ask any questions they may have. These dates and links for the meetings will be available soon.
A series of newsletters is also being produced to answer commonly asked questions - so keep an eye on your email inbox, or you can find copies of the newsletters that have already been released below.
Information Sessions
The dates and times (including links) for information sessions will be made available here soon.
If you are unable to attend at any of the advertised times you can view a recording of one of the previous sessions here.
Newsletter: Understanding the RNZRSA Constitution
A series of short newsletters is being produced to help Associations understand what’s in the proposed RNZRSA Constitution - and the reasoning behind it.
Each newsletter will be sent out to all Associations, and included on this webpage.
The newsletters take the form of FAQ’s designed to answer your most common questions, dispel myths and provide the important information Associations need to make their decision at the EGM.
Click on the links below to download the newsletters.
Notice of Extraordinary General Meeting (incl copy of proposed RNZRSA Constitution)
Understanding the RNZRSA Constitution - Vol 1
Understanding the RNZRSA Constitution - Vol 2
Understanding the RNZRSA Constitution - Vol 3
Key Dates:
28 Mar 2025 - Applications for voting by Proxy due at National Office
12 Apr 2025 - EGM to be held online, 9.30am - 11.30am
EGM Administration
Registration
Registrations are now open for those wishing to take part in the Online EGM being held to consider the adoption of the new RNZRSA Constitution.
All previous registrations for the 22 Mar date have been discarded and all Associations are required to re-register to confirm attendance on the new date of 12 April.
Register today by completing the form found here.
Who will need to register?
Delegates: All delegates are required to register. Each delegate must have access to an individual device connected to the internet during the EGM to enable voting.
Observers: Registration is required for each observer wishing to receive a link to view the EGM. If groups of observers are gathering together to view the EGM - only one link is required (noting that any delegates also viewing at that location will require to register individually and have access to their own device for voting).
Voting Allocations
As notified to members on 21 March, the RNZRSA will adopt the voting rules of Schedule 1 to the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 at the EGM on 12 April 2025.
The allocation of votes is one (1) vote per Member eligible to vote. This means one vote per Member Association, Forum Member, Board Member, Life Member and Affiliate Member. The allocation of 1, 2 or 3 votes based on Association membership figures as per the current Constitution will not apply.
The full details on voting allocations can be downloaded here or at the bottom of this page.
Proxy Votes
Due to the change in date a new deadline for submissions to vote by Proxy has been determined. Associations that are unable to provide a delegate for the EGM on 12 April have until 28 March 2025 to submit Proxy forms to National Office.
The Proxy form can be found at the bottom of this page.
Quorum
In the event that a quorum is not present at the EGM on Saturday 12 April a second EGM will be scheduled at a future date. There will be no roll-over to the following day.