Review of Trustee Elections

In March this year, a Tutara Kauika sub-committee met to review the process of nominating and electing candidates as Trustees for the TFCT. This followed concerns expressed at the inaugural trustee elections in September 2007 in Rotorua.

Despite these and other issues, the election of trustees at the 2007 AGM proceeded. The newly elected trustees agreed to review the process to improve this before the next election due at the 2010 AGM.

The review committee found that the process for nominations was hastily completed. This left limited time to contact nominees and correct applications, which were incomplete. There was also confusion over the identity of one of the candidates. Access to the register of members was limited as the register was still being updated prior to the election.

On the review committee's recommendation, the TFCT will develop and publish an election policy, which will include a range of improvements. Some of the main changes are:

• Nominations will be called for 85 working days from the date set for the election of trustees, rather than the minimum of 65 working days in the Trust Deed. This will allow candidates more time to get their nomination forms in and for TFCT to help nominees address any missing information.
  
  
• The TFCT will publish a new nomination form and guidelines. Candidates will be asked to send in with their nomination form a passport sized photo of themselves as well as a profile suitable for publication.
  
  
• Candidates will still have to supply the signatures of 15 Registered Adult Members as nominators to support their nomination. This ensures candidates have a minimum level of support among the Iwi given the election is an Iwi-wide vote rather than vote by marae, hapu or on tribal boundaries.
  
  
• A Membership Committee will be appointed before the 2009 AGM to verify members and sign-off the Election Roll for the 2010 trustee election, as provided for in the Trust Deed.
  
  
• Some changes to the Trust Deed are proposed. These relate to reducing the quorum for General Meetings from 100 to 50 Registered Adult Members. This will enable the AGM to more easily move around the rohe. The other main change is to remove the Registration Form as part of the Trust Deed. This will allow the form to be updated from time to time without requiring AGM approval.