Club Constitution
CANTERBURY PATCHWORK AND QUILTING GUILD INCORPORATED
1. Name
CANTERBURY PATCHWORK AND QUILTING GUILD INCORPORATED
2. Objectives
Promoting Patchwork and Quilting skills to all ages and cultural backgrounds by education exhibitions and meetings in a supportive environment.
3. Membership
The financial year of the Guild shall commence on January 1st and end on December 31st in each year. The amount of the annual subscription shall be fixed by the committee prior to September 30th of the proceeding year.
Application for membership shall be made by completion of the Guild’s Application for membership form following two (2) free meeting visits. The committee will decide (in its discretion) whether an application is to be accepted or declined. In reaching a decision the committee may take account of any matters it considers appropriate and may decide to ignore any matter brought to its attention.
A successful applicant shall become a member upon payment of the annual subscription.
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Honorary Life Membership
Life Membership status may be conferred by the committee for exceptional services to the Guild. Life members are exempt from membership fees and are expected to contribute in a positive way to the ongoing activities of the Guild
4. Cessation of membership
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A resignation should be made in writing and forwarded to the secretary.
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The membership of any member who has not paid their annual subscription by March 31st in any year will be deemed to have lapsed on December 31st of the preceding year. For the purposes of these rules, a member means any member who has not ceased to be a member in accordance with this clause 4.
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If any member is found by a majority of the committee to have behaved in a manner injurious to the welfare or character of the Guild the member may be suspended by the committee. In reaching a decision the committee may take account of any matters it considers appropriate and may decide to ignore any matter brought to its attention. During the period of suspension the suspended member may not exercise any of the rights of membership.
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A Special General Meeting is then to be called within fourteen (14) days to decide whether the member should be expelled. The member concerned is to be offered the opportunity to attend the meeting to present in person or in writing grounds to refute the allegation(s) and to defend him/herself. At the meeting a vote is to be taken from all members present to decide the member’s fate. The vote will be considered passed if supported by a majority of the members present. The member is to be informed in writing of the decision of the meeting.
5. Changes to Rules
The rules may be changed by resolution passed by a majority at an Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting of which fourteen (14) days notice has been given. Every such notice shall set forth the purpose of the proposed changes. Duplicate copies of any changes shall be delivered to the Registrar under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908.
6. Meetings
a) AGM
The Annual General Meeting shall be held in the month of April every year upon a date and at a time and place to be fixed by the committee for the following purposes:
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to receive a report from the President and a balance sheet and statement of accounts from the Treasurer for the preceding year
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to elect a new committee
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to appoint an auditor for the following year
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to decide on any resolution that may be submitted to the meeting
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to decide on any resolutions or Notices of Motion put to the meeting in the manner as described in notices of motion.
Summoning
Fourteen (14) clear days before the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting, written notification of the meeting and any business to be transacted shall be sent to every member to the member’s last known physical or email address.
A quorum
A quorum shall be 25% of the membership. If no quorum is present at a meeting then the meeting will be adjourned by the President (who shall be the chair at any Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting) until a later date advised in accordance with paragraph 6(b) above. If no quorum is present at the later meeting then, for the purposes only of that later meeting, a quorum shall be deemed to be 10% of the membership.
Notices of motion
Members of the Guild may bring issues before a meeting by forwarding a written notice of motion to the Secretary twenty-eight (28) days prior to the meeting.
Method of voting
All voting shall be conducted by means of a secret ballot In the event of a tied result, members will be asked to recast their votes until a majority decision is reached.
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b) Special General Meeting
The President or any other member of the committee may at any time for any special purpose call a Special General Meeting and shall do so forthwith upon the request in writing of 10% of the membership stating the purpose for which the meeting is required.
c) Committee meetings
The quorum for any committee meeting resolutions is fifty percent (50%) plus one (1) of the committee membership.
7. Appointment of Officers
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Any financial member can become an officer of the Guild.
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The committee shall consist of a President, a Secretary, a Treasurer and a maximum of nine (9) other officers. The committee shall be responsible for the control, administration and running of the Guild.
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All nominations for the committee shall be in writing and in the hands of the Secretary at least seven (7) days before the Annual General Meeting. All nominations must have a proproser and seconder (each of whom must be a member of the Guild) and the signature of the nominee. No nominations shall be taken from the floor.
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All officers shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.
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The committee shall have the power to fill any vacancies on the committee until the next Annual General Meeting.
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No member may serve on the committee for a period longer than four (4) consecutive years. No member may serve as President for a period longer than two (2) consecutive years. There shall be a stand-down period of at least one (1) year for all officers of the Guild before they are eligible for re-election.
8. Common Seal
The Common Seal shall be kept in the custody of the Secretary. The Common Seal shall not be used except in accordance with a resolution of the Committee.
Any deed, document, debenture, security or other contract which is required to be under the Common Seal by Section 15 of the Act or which the Committee may by resolution determine shall have the Common Seal affixed thereto in the presence of the President and any two (2) other Committee members of the Committee as may be authorised in that behalf by resolution of the Committee.
9. Control and Investment of Funds
The funds and property of the Guild shall be under the control of the Committee which may invest, disburse and deal with them as it shall from time to time think fit. The funds of the Guild shall be deposited with such bank or any other financial organisation as the Committee shall determine. All funds received shall be receipted and banked by the Treasurer and all cheques shall be signed by the Treasurer and any other member of the Committee who shall be appointed for the purpose.
10. Winding up and Disposition of Property
a) In accordance with section 24 of the Act, the Guild shall be wound up or dissolved voluntarily whenever a resolution to wind up or dissolve has been passed by a majority of members at a general meeting. Such resolution shall be confirmed at a subsequent meeting to be held not earlier than thirty (30) days after the date on which the resolution so confirmed was passed.
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b) If such resolution is so confirmed the property and funds of the Guild shall first be applied to pay all costs, debts and liabilities of the Guild. Any surplus assets thereafter shall be given or transferred to another incorporated Society fostering the interests of Patchworkers and Quilters within the Canterbury region. Such Guild shall be decided by the members at the Guild’s final dissolution meeting. In the event that no suitable recipient is identified within the Canterbury region, the members will select a charitable organisation or body within New Zealand as the recipient.
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President …………………………………………………..
Julie Devlin
Secretary …………………………………………………..
Ruth Churcher
Treasurer…………………………………………………..
Kathy Kelly