As an incorporated society, we’re required to outline how we function as an organisation.

Rules

Our Rules are voted on by our Members. They cover:

  • our purpose
  • membership and awards
  • governance and management
  • subsidiary organisations
  • competence registers

Engineering New Zealand Rules

Engineering New Zealand Rules (November 2023)

Changes to Engineering New Zealand’s Rules were recently passed by a quorum of financial members at the Special General Meeting on Friday 10 November 2023. The Governing Board deemed such Rule changes crucial to support better governance of your membership organisation.

The new Rules will take effect immediately, and resulting changes to the Board from 1 April 2024.

What has changed?

Material changes include a reduction in the number of Board members, from 10-12 to nine, which includes disestablishing Vice President and Past President positions. An emerging member will also be appointed to the Board.

Up to three members can be appointed to fill specific governance capabilities if these cannot be sourced from elected members, and these members may be compensated for their expertise.

A two-year tenure for the President and Deputy President was supported to ensure for better continuity of leadership.

Votes

All votes were passed, in many cases by a significant majority. A number of votes were administrative in nature but some will fundamentally change the composition of the Board.

  1. Remove Vice President and Past President positions from the Governing Board and extend the terms of President and Deputy President from one to two years.
  2. Reduce the number of elected members from six to four, each elected for terms of three years.
  3. Increase the possible total number of appointed members from two to three, each appointed for terms of one to two years.
  4. Remove the need for Senior Office Holders to be Fellows.
  5. Change the wording of Rule 13.1 so that elected Board members complete their term of office at each Annual General Meeting.
  6. Provide a process for the removal of Board members who do not comply with the Rules or the Governance Charter.
  7. Allow for the voluntary resignation of a Board member.
  8. Clarify that a nominee for election must not be disqualified from holding office on any of the grounds in the Incorporated Societies Act 2022.
  9. Remove the need for appointed members to be Financial Members of Engineering New Zealand.
  10. Require the Governing Board to appoint an emerging member.
  11. Allow the Board to provide payment to appointed members (other than the Emerging Member).
  12. Addition of the need to keep minutes as required by the Incorporated Societies Act 2022.
  13. Quorum is the majority of the Board members (elected and appointed).
  14. Remove the President and Deputy President as ex-officio members of all Board committees and remove the ability for all Board members to attend any committee meeting.

The Governing Board was encouraged by members’ engagement in the Rules Review, including feedback through consultation and participation at the Special General Meeting.

The Special General Meeting was one of the final steps in Engineering New Zealand’s Governance Review and the resulting revised Rules will allow the recommendations in Dr Cribb’s report to be fully implemented.

Rules overview 2023 – Webinar

Learn about the proposed Rule changes and what they might mean for the future of Engineering New Zealand. The changes will seek to allow the Board to govern more effectively and efficiently, meeting the needs of our changing profession.