NZU: est. 9 April 2005

Hi all,

Welcome to a new year of administration. This year there have been a few changes to the NZFDA constituion and the formation of a new Ultimate body. Seeing as I wrote both constitutions, I am probably in the best position to explain any changes and so I would like to take this opportunity to do so. I will just outline how the NZFDA will work and how the Golf Committee and NZU fit into that.

First of all organisationally.

We have the NZFDA which is responsible for all disc sports in NZ. There are two major Disc Sports, which the NZFDA has handled differently (due to their very different situations).

Disc Golf has been kept within the NZFDA, so that there is no duplication of resources. The golfers govern themselves via a subcommittee with the NZFDA. All golf members of the NZFDA join the NZFDA directly.

Ultimate has been allowed to form it own Incorporated Society to govern itself completely. However, they stay tied to the NZFDA as a Sports Branch of the NZFDA. All members of NZU are also members of the NZFDA. NZU will govern itself, and will operate its own accounts and membership database.

So here is how it works with the personnel. The golfers elected their subcommittee, and the Ultimate players elected their Board. Each of these groups of people will need to nominate two of their number to form the Board of the NZFDA. These people will oversee the running of the NZFDA as a whole. However, as both sports are looking after themselves, these roles will likely be very small, and in fact will probably only consist of putting together a Drug Policy and ensuring we are paid up with WFDF. The NZFDA will also need a Treasurer and possible someone else to look after mail/webstuff and the Membership (mostly Golf side of things) - in essence a secretary. (This does not have to come from the Board of the NZFDA, although it can (the Board appointments and the appoointment of a treasurer/secrtary are independant).

NZU will also have to the same thing - appoint a Treasurer and a person to look after their membership. NZU are trying to find these volunteers from people who are not on the Board - just to spred out the workload.

NZFDA Board.
So the NZFDA Board will consist this year of 4 people (2 Ultiamte and 2 Golf). There will need to be a Chairman elected by those 4, just be a spokesperson for the organisation. There are no specific roles - ie no President or anything - they are just Board Members.

How membership will work.
Someone on the Disc Golf side of things will need to look after the membership details of all golfers. Perhaps they can be the NZFDA membership secretary. Someone in NZU will have to look after the membership details of all ultimate players. At any point in time, the membership of the NZFDA consists of all of the members of NZU, plus all of the direct (golf) members of the NZFDA. When we pay up for WFDF fees, this is the number we will use. NZU will pay the NZFDA enough money to cover the WFDF affiliation of all of its members, and then the NZFDA will pay WFDF for all of its members (as outlined above)

Treasurer etc.

Paul Northwood has kindly volunteered himself to look after most of the executive work of the NZFDA (which again should be fairly small). I think this would be a good appointment as it would allow for continuity. Paul would be the Treasurer of the NZFDA, and look after the Secretary side of things and the NZFDA website. One other Disc Golf member would look after the Disc Golf membership details.

NZU will look after its own membership position as it sees fit.

NZU are also advertising for a Treasurer.

The first process is to form a Board, which will require 2 people from the NZU board, and 2 people from the Disc Golf Committee.

Please can the Board of NZU forward its 2 names and the Disc Golf Committee forward its 2 names by Friday next week. (22nd April)

Thanks,
Iain Stewart
Board Member - NZU