New Constitution 2025 – Special General Meeting 14 October 5.30pm Midway Hub

September 30, 2025
Club News

Some of you may be aware but there is new legislation in place for the Incorporated Societies Act. The original act has been in place since 1908 with a new act passed in 2022 that came into force in Oct 2023. This new act requires a mandatory re-registration with the Companies Office and a new constitution submitted that complies with the requirements of the new act. This new constitution essentially replaces/supersedes our current club rules.

The main differences between the Incorporated Societies Act 1908 and the new 2022 Act mainly relate to modernizing regulations, improving governance, increasing transparency, and enhancing compliance requirements. The key distinctions are:

1. Modern Framework and Clarity:
   The 2022 Act streamlines and clarifies provisions, replacing outdated language and concepts from the 1908 Act to align with contemporary legal standards.
2. Governance and Management:
   The new Act introduces clearer governance requirements, including mandatory rules for the conduct of meetings, election of officers, and management of society affairs.
3. Member Rights and Protections:
   It enhances protections for members, including better access to information and clearer processes for dispute resolution.
4. Registration and Compliance:
   The 2022 legislation simplifies the registration process and requires societies to comply with updated operational standards, including maintaining records and annual reporting.
5. Financial Transparency:
   Greater emphasis is placed on financial accountability, requiring societies to keep proper records and submit financial statements, which may improve transparency and oversight.
6. Increased Oversight and Enforcement:
   The new Act provides for stronger enforcement provisions, including powers for Registrar oversight and potential dissolution procedures for non-compliance.
7. Transition Provisions:
   The 2022 Act includes transitional provisions to ensure a smooth transition for existing incorporated societies from the old framework.

What we’ve done as a committee:

There is a world of information and resources out there from Government and different organisations to help with the transition including many template documents. We have started with a template document from Sport NZ and whittled it down to suit the needs of  our club. There are several sections that are essentially mandatory wording that comply with the new act but where possible we have removed the fluff and adapted it to suit a regional boardriders club. The changes we’ve made reflect our values and aims as a club, and also aim to create some flexibility in the governance for the committee now and into the future.

The next steps in this process are to put this document out to our members for comment ahead of a Special General Meeting to adopt the new constitution ahead of the coming deadline. 

If you are interested you can find the document here or please email gisborneboardriders@gmail.com for a copy of the new document for review and comment.

We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you on the night of Tue, 14th October 2025 at 5.30pm at the Midway Hub, 40 Centennial Marine Drive for the Special General Meeting.

For a more in depth look at the new Act and some of the resources available please follow https://is-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/help-centre/running-your-incorporated-society/rules-and-constitutions/