1.1 The Society shall be called “New Zealand Go Society Incorporated”.
1.2 The purpose for which the society is formed shall be:
To publicise and promote Go within New Zealand by all means possible.
To co-ordinate Go activities in New Zealand and represent this nation in international Go affairs.
To arrange a national tournament and confer national titles.
To maintain master (dan) grades consistent with international standards and award suitable diplomas.
RULE 2 MEMBERSHIP AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
2.1 Membership shall be open to all interested in the game of go.
2.2 Subscriptions, the amounts of which shall be determined from time to time by resolutions of general meetings, shall have effect from 1 July to 30 June each year. New members joining after 31 January shall be registered until 30 June the following year.
2.3 A Go Club may become affiliated to the Society be registering all of its members (of whom there must be at least 5) with the society. Registration shall be effective upon receipt by the Society’s treasurer of a club’s membership list, accompanied by the appropriate subscription which shall be derived by multiplying the number of members on the list by the annual membership subscription of the society.
2.4 An affiliated club shall nominate one of its members as club secretary who shall be responsible for communications between club members and the Society committee which should normally be addressed to the secretary of the Society. The club secretary’s duties shall also include informing the committee at least annually of the names, addresses and playing strengths of club members and the name and address of any replacement club secretary.
2.5 Any breach of the provision of this constitution by any club or any member or members shall render it, them, him or her liable to exclusion from the Society at the discretion of the committee.
RULE 3 MANAGEMENT
3.1 The officers of the Society shall be, in order of seniority, the president, the secretary and the treasurer.
3.2 The committee shall consist of the officers and two ordinary members and up to two co-opted members.
3.3 The management of the Society shall be carried out by the committee subject to any resolutions of the general meetings.
3.4 Any cheques must be signed by two officers.
3.5 The committee shall be empowered to borrow money for the sole purpose of purchasing Go materials and the lender shall have no claim until the proceeds of the sale are sufficient to repay the loan and the committee will stipulate this as a condition to the lender.
3.6 The committee shall have power to invest the Society’s funds in the same manner as trustees acting in accordance with the trustee act 1956.
3.7 The secretary shall provide for the safe custody of the seal which shall only be used by the authority of the committee and every instrument to which the seal is affixed shall be signed and countersigned by two committee members.
RULE 4 THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
4.1 The AGM shall be held once a year but not more than 18 months after the previous AGM. The secretary shall give all members at least two weeks notice of and agenda for the AGM. For the purpose of this rule it shall be sufficient to advertise the date, time and place of and the agenda for the AGM in the Society’s Newsletter circulated to all affiliated clubs and other members at least 2 weeks prior to the holding of the AGM.
4.2 Ten members present at the beginning of the AGM shall constitute a quorum.
4.3 The chair shall be taken by the senior officer present, or in the absence of any officers, the first business of the meeting shall be to elect a chairperson.
4.4 The agenda of the AGM shall include the following:
a) Election of tellers. (Tellers shall not be standing for nomination).
b) Reading of minutes of previous AGM and of any EGM held since.
c) Discussion of matters arising from the minutes.
d) Receipt of and consideration of officers’ written reports.
e) Election of officers.
f) Election of ordinary committee members.
g) Consideration of and voting on proposals received.
h) Any other business.
4.5 The chairperson shall ensure that the minutes of the meeting are taken and are communicated to the secretary of the Society within two weeks of the meeting.
4.6 All remarks shall be addressed to the chair.
4.7 The chair shall adjudicate in disputes as to speaking order.
4.8 Proposals shall be passed by a simple majority of those voting, except where this constitution otherwise provides. The chairperson shall vote only when the meeting is otherwise divided.
4.9 Voting shall be by voice unless a show of hands is called for.
4.10 The chairperson may at his/her discretion allow a vote by ballot on any question at the request of a member either before or after voting by voice or hand has taken place.
4.11 The counting of votes, whether by hand or ballot, shall be the responsibility of the tellers.
4.12 Proposals of a formal nature (e.g. acceptance of the minutes) and proposals from the committee do not require a formal proposer and seconder, but may be moved from the chair.
4.13 Nominations for officers and for ordinary committee members shall be submitted to the secretary before the AGM in writing and bearing the signatures of proposer, seconder and candidate.
4.14 Existing officers shall be eligible for re-election without nomination.
4.15 Election of each officer shall be by ballot, unless there be only one candidate, in which case he/she is elected unopposed; otherwise the person with the largest number of votes shall be elected.
4.16 Election of ordinary committee members shall be by ballot; the elected committee members shall be those gaining the two highest totals of votes, each member present having up to but no more than two votes to be cast for different candidates, except that no candidate shall be elected with the support of less than ten percent of those voting.
4.17 Proposals shall be submitted to the secretary not later than two months before the AGM or at such later date(s) as the secretary may deem practical. Proposals must bear the signatures of those Society members proposing and seconding each proposal.
4.18 The chairperson shall accept relevant amendments to proposals at the meeting if verbally proposed and seconded. Amendments shall be dealt with before proceeding to the substantive motion.
4.19 Proposals under “any other business” may be made only at the discretion of the chairperson and shall in no case substantially affect the conduct of the Society.
4.20 If an AGM is inquorate the committee shall arrange a further date for an AGM. If after 18 months from the previous inquorate AGM another quorate AGM has not been held the committee shall have the power to dissolve the Society and distribute the assets amongst affiliated clubs in proportion to membership.
RULE 5 THE EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING (EGM) AND POSTAL VOTING
5.1 The EGM shall be called within two months of the receipt by the secretary of a written request for a meeting together with a proposal or proposals signed by at least 10 members of the Society, of whom one should be identified as proposer. Meetings may also be called on the initiative of the committee.
5.2 The location and time of the EGM shall be at the discretion of the committee having regard to the relevance of the proposals to local and national membership.
5.3 The secretary shall give at least two weeks notice of and an agenda for an EGM to all members in the same manner as for an AGM.
5.4 The proposer may submit to the secretary with the request for the EGM a document supporting the proposal or proposals. If sufficient copies are supplied the secretary shall distribute this to all members.
5.5 The agenda for an EGM shall be as follows:
a) Election of tellers
b) Discussion of proposal or proposals, including reading by the chairperson of any relevant correspondence received, and the framing of motions for postal voting.
5.6 The meeting shall be conducted in accordance with Rule 4.2 to 4.3, 4.5 to 4.7 and 4.9 to 4.11. The wording of proposals for postal voting shall be decided as in Rule 4.8 and 4.9.
5.7 No business other than that for which the meeting was called shall be transacted at an EGM.
5.8 The chairperson of an EGM shall forward details of motions proposed to the secretary within seven days. Such motions shall be decided by postal vote.
5.9 The secretary will distribute to all members:
a) Minutes of the EGM
b) Any relevant documents submitted to him in sufficient numbers for distribution to all members.
c) The motions for voting upon, which shall be numbered.
d) The address to which voting papers should be sent for voting and validating by the tellers.
e) Final date for the receipt of voting papers, which shall not be later than six weeks from the date of the EGM, and of which at least two weeks notice shall be given.
5.10 Members shall vote by writing on a paper their name and the number of each motion accompanied by the word – “Yes”, “No”, or “Abstain”. Voting papers shall be signed and sent post paid to the tellers direct or through club secretaries.
5.11 The tellers shall total the votes on each motion and submit the results to the secretary within seven days of the closing date for the postal vote. The validity of any vote is at the tellers’ discretion. The tellers shall not disclose to anybody else how any member voted, and shall keep the voting papers for at least six months.
5.12 The motion shall be carried by a simple majority of those voting for or against, except those affecting the constitution, which shall require a two thirds majority, provided that in all cases at least ten members record a vote.
5.13 Motions passed by postal vote have effect from the declaration of the result.
RULE 6 THE COMMITTEE
6.1 The committee shall meet at least twice a year. Meetings shall be called by the secretary after consultation with the president.
6.2 A quorum shall consist of three members.
6.3 Any decision of the committee shall require a simple majority of those voting.
6.4 The senior officer present shall chair committee meetings.
6.5 The committee shall have the poser to co-opt up to two Society members.
6.6 If for any reason an officer is unable, temporarily or permanently to fulfill his/her duties, the committee shall appoint as soon as possible an acting officer who may be any member of the Society. Until such an appointment can be made the senior officer still functioning shall be responsible for seeing that the duties of the non-functioning officer are carried out.
RULE 7 CHANGES AND ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSITUTION
7.1 Amendments to the constitution can only be passed at an AGM provided prior notice is given in accordance with Rule 4.17 and the proposed amendment must be included in the agenda. The proposed amendment will lapse if a proposer and seconder are not present at the meeting.
7.2 This constitution may be altered only by at least a two thirds majority of those voting at a general meeting and provided that not less than ten members record a vote. All amendments shall take effect from the end of the meeting.