Rules of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society of New Zealand Inc
1. NAME. THE name of the Society shall be "Voluntary Euthanasia Society of New Zealand Incorporated".
2. AIMS AND OBJECTS. THE aims and objects of the Society shall be:
(i) to campaign for and promote legislation to permit the administration of voluntary euthanasia to competent adults who request it and who suffer from a terminal or incurable disease or condition causing deterioration of quality of life to a level that the applicant finds unacceptable.
[Competency to request voluntary euthanasia is defined as being an equivalent to the mental or emotional state required for testators to execute a valid will.]
(ii) to campaign for, and promote repeal of, that section of the Crimes Act relating to the offences of aiding and abetting suicide (by a competent adult).
The Society may:
(i) PUBLISH literature, papers, circulars or magazines, promote lectures, hold exhibitions and generally advertise and make known the objects, aims and work of the Society.
(ii) PURCHASE, hire, accept as a gift or lease or otherwise acquire any real or personal property.
(iii) SELL, exchange, or otherwise deal with all and any of the real or personal property of the Society.
(iv) DO all or any of the matters hereby authorised alone or in conjunction with other interested parties.
(v) BECOME a member of any other society, association or corporate body having the same or similar objects in view.
(vi) DO all such other things and acts as may be thought incidental or conducive to the attainment of any of the above objects.
3. ADMISSION OF MEMBERS.
(i) ALL persons and any corporate body or incorporated groups or associations of individuals may become members, subject to the approval of the appropriate branch committee. Every candidate for membership must sign a written request for such and give the candidate's full name and address and occupation. The candidate's name shall then be submitted to the appropriate committee of the Society and if approved such candidate shall then be deemed a member of the Society.
(ii) ALL financial members of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society, Wellington, as at the date of approval by the Registrar of these Rules shall be deemed to be members of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society of New Zealand Inc.
4. MEMBERSHIP. MEMBERS shall be either Honorary Life Members, or Life Members, or Ordinary Members.
Honorary Life Members. At a general Meeting of the Society, any person who, in the opinion of the members, has rendered valuable services to the Society may be elected an Honorary Life Member.
Life Members. Any member may become a Life Member by paying the subscription agreed to at an Annual General Meeting.
Ordinary Members. Members who pay the annual subscription as set at an Annual General Meeting each year, and shall become due upon being so fixed.
5. SUBSCRIPTIONS. THE annual subscription for members shall be fixed each year by the members at the Annual General Meeting.
6. FINANCIAL YEAR. THE financial year shall commence on the first day of April. No member who is in arrears with her/his subscription shall be entitled to vote at any general or branch meeting of the Society. The name of any member who is more than twelve months in arrears may, at the direction of the national committee, be removed from the list of members, when such person shall cease to be a member of the Society.
7. RESIGNATIONS. ANY member who wishes to cease to be a member of the Society must tender her/his resignation in writing to the secretary of their branch. Such resignation shall be reported by the secretary to the next meeting of the National Committee and shall be duly Minuted, whereupon the member resigning shall cease to be a member and shall forfeit all rights and interest in the property of the Society.
8. MEMBERS HAVE NO RIGHT TO THE PROPERTY OF THE SOCIETY.
EXCEPT when otherwise expressly provided by these Rules, membership of the Society shall not be deemed to confer upon the members any right, title or interest either legal or equitable in the property of the Society.
9. ALTERATION OF RULES.
(i) THESE rules may be altered, added to or rescinded by a resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of those present at a General Meeting of which fourteen days' notice in writing has been given.
(ii) EVERY such notice shall set forth the purport of the proposed alterations, additions or amendments.
(iii) DUPLICATE copies of every such alteration shall forthwith be delivered to the Registrar in accordance with the requirements of the Act.
10. MODE OF VOTING.
(i) THE mode of voting on all questions (other than elections) at all General Meetings shall be by the voices or, if the chairman or any other member shall require, by a show of hands.
(ii) THE mode of voting on all elections at the Annual General Meeting shall be by secret ballot for which purpose a Returning Officer and a sufficient number of assistants and scrutineers shall be appointed at the meeting.
11. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.
(i) THE Annual General Meeting shall be held in June each year at a date, time and place fixed by the committee, and rotated between centres as practicable, for the following purposes:
· To receive a report, balance sheet and statement of accounts for the preceding Financial year;
· To elect officers and members of the National Committee for the ensuing year;
· To appoint an auditor for the ensuing year;
· To decide on any resolution which may be duly submitted to the meeting;
· To set the members' subscriptions for the ensuing year.
(ii) NOT less than fourteen (14) clear days before the Annual General Meeting a notice thereof shall be sent to every member by letter addressed to her/his last known place of abode.
(iii) MEMBERS of the Society can bring an issue to a general meeting by giving seven (7) days notice of it in writing.
12. GENERAL MEETING. THE National Committee may at any time call a General Meeting and they shall do so forthwith upon a requisition in writing from any twelve members stating the purposes for which the meeting is required.
13. PROCEDURES OF MEETINGS. AT all general meetings the President, or in his absence any other duly elected chairman, shall take the chair and every member present shall be entitled on every motion to one (1) vote exercised in person and in the case of equality of votes the chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote as well as a deliberative vote.
14. QUORUM. AT all General Meetings 20 members shall constitute a quorum and at all meetings of the National Committee, six.
15. OFFICERS. ANY member may become an officer of the Society. Officers shall consist of:
(i) A President
(ii) The immediate Past President
(iii) A National Secretary
(iv) A National Treasurer
(v) A Newsletter Editor
16. NATIONAL COMMITTEE. THE affairs and business of the Society shall be controlled and managed by the National Committee consisting of:
The officers and four others elected at the Annual General Meeting, together with one representative from each branch of over 100 members elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Branch concerned. Policy matters are the province of the National Committee including relations with other voluntary euthanasia societies, submissions to the Government or Government
Commissions, the production of the Newsletter and such other matters deemed to be policy matters by the National Committee.
17. NOMINATIONS. NOMINATIONS for any office, or as Committee member, may be received in writing at any time prior to the Annual General Meeting and may also be received from members verbally during the Annual General Meeting providing the person nominated has given prior consent.
18. MEETINGS OF THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE.
(i) THE National Committee shall determine its own procedure.
(ii) NOTICE of every such meeting shall be given by the National Secretary to each member of the National Committee at least seven days prior to the meeting.
19. ABSENCE FROM MEETINGS BY NATIONAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
ANY member of the National Committee who shall absent himself without leave from three (3) consecutive meetings of the National Committee shall, at the discretion of the National Committee, cease to be a member thereof. Participation by telephone or video conferencing shall be accounted as being present.
20. VACANCIES ON NATIONAL COMMITTEE. THE National Committee shall have power to appoint any member of the Society to fill any vacancy on the National Committee until the next Annual General Meeting.
21. DUTIES OF THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE. IT shall be the duty of the National Committee generally to conduct the affairs of the Society, to collect all subscriptions, keep usual and proper books of account properly posted up, and other records of the business of the Society and to prepare and submit to the Annual General Meeting a report, consolidated national balance sheet and statement of accounts for the preceding year. The National Committee may appoint sub-committees of one or more to carry out any particular duties. Such sub-committee(s) shall have the power to co-opt persons to assist in the discharge of their duties. Such persons may or may not be members of the Society.
22. ASSISTANT OFFICERS. THE National Committee shall have power from time to time to appoint members to assist the National Secretary and/or the National Treasurer.
23. COMMON SEAL. THE National Committee shall be responsible for the safe custody and control of the Common Seal of the Society.
24. ATTESTATION OF DOCUMENTS. WHENEVER the Common Seal of the Society is required to be affixed to any deed, document, writing or other instrument, the Seal shall be affixed thereto pursuant to a resolution of the National Committee and in the presence of two (2) National Committee members (one of whom shall be the President or the National Secretary) who shall sign the document or instrument to which the Seal is so affixed.
25. INVESTMENT OF FUNDS. THE National Committee may from time to time invest or re-invest in such New Zealand fixed-interest securities and upon such terms as it shall think fit, the whole or any part of the funds of the Society.
26. DUTIES OF OFFICERS.
(i) THE duties of the National Secretary shall be to keep Minutes of all meetings, to conduct correspondence dealing with policy matters, other voluntary euthanasia societies, and overseas organizations, to maintain - in collaboration with the Branch secretaries - a complete roll of the members, liaise with the branches and carry out such other secretarial duties as the National Committee may determine.
(ii) THE duties of the National Treasurer shall be to receive all monies due to the Society, to pay all debts contracted by it when passed for payment by the National Committee, to keep proper books of account and to furnish to the Annual General Meeting a duly audited national consolidated income and expenditure account and balance sheet, and such other financial duties as the National Committee may determine.
(iii) THE duties of the Newsletter Editor shall be to produce and edit a newsletter for issue at such dates as may be determined by the National Committee.
27. BANKING ACCOUNT. ALL monies received by the National Treasurer or Branch Treasurers shall be without deduction paid into a banking account, kept at a bank approved by the National Committee and cheques and bills drawn on the Society's banking account shall be signed by two of three members of the appropriate committee. No blank cheques may be signed.
28. REGISTERED OFFICE. THE situation of the Registered Office of the Society shall be determined at the first meeting of the committee, but the situation of the Registered Office may from time to time be changed by the National Committee which shall notify the Registrar accordingly.
29. COPIES OF RULES TO BE SUPPLIED TO EACH MEMBER. EVERY member shall be entitled to one (1) copy of these Rules free of cost.
30. DISSOLUTION. THE Society may be voluntarily wound up by a resolution passed by a majority of members at a General Meeting. This resolution must be confirmed at a subsequent General Meeting held not earlier than thirty (30) days after the date on which the resolution so to be confirmed was passed.
31. DISTRIBUTION OF SURPLUS ASSETS.
(i) ON the winding-up of the Society, all surplus assets after payment of all costs, debts and liabilities shall be distributed among such organizations or associations carrying on work similar to that of this Society as the members of the Society shall determine at a Special General Meeting called for that purpose.
(ii) NO addition to or alteration or recession of the rules shall be approved if it affects the non-profit aims, personal benefit clause or the winding up clause. The provisions and effect of this clause shall not be removed from this document and shall be included and implied into any document replacing this document.
32. MEMBERS NOT TO DERIVE ADVANTAGE. NO member or persons associated with a member of the organization shall derive any income, benefit or advantage from the organization where they can influence the payment of the income, benefit or advantage. Except where that income, benefit or advantage is derived from:
(i) Professional services to the organization rendered in the course of business, charged at no greater rate than current market rates; or
(ii) Interest on money lent at no greater rate than current market rates;
(iii) Members shall be entitled to receive reimbursement of actual and reasonable expenses incurred by them on the society's business and approved in principle by the appropriate committee beforehand.
33. BRANCHES.
(i) Branches will initially be set up in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.
(ii) Additional branches may be set up as required on application to the National Committee.
(iii) The main function of branches is the promotion of the aims and objects of the Society and
· local advertising and publicity
· holding public meetings, seminars and debates
· recruiting new members
· maintaining records of their membership and regularly forwarding these to the National Secretary
· despatching to their members National Committee material including national newsletters and members' subscription notices
· assisting the National Treasurer in the collection of overdue subscriptions
· political lobbying, in consultation with the National Committee.
(iv) Branches must conduct their affairs in accordance with standard rules to be promulgated by the National Committee.