CONSTITUTION AND RULES

of the

OTAGO TRAILER YACHT SQUADRON 

(Incorporated)


(Registered 1st June 1982   DN 226122 - Amended 5th June 1992, 22nd June 1996, 24th July 1998 & 28thJune 2008)


1. NAME OF CLUB.                   The Club shall be called the Otago Trailer Yacht Squadron (Incorporated).


2. OBJECTS.                             The objects of the Club are to encourage family sailing, racing and cruising, and to foster the fraternal spirit between members and clubs interested in trailerable cabin yachts.


3. MEMBERSHIP.

                                                 

(a) Membership shall be open to owners of boats and others interested in this branch of yachting.

(b) There shall be three classes of membership for the Club:


(i)    Financial members.

  1. Associate Members, being non-financial, and consisting of the immediate family of the Financial Member. Associate Members may be nominated as such by a Financial Member from time to time and when accepted and recorded by the Committee shall continue as Associate Members so long as their nominator continues to be a Financial Member. The Committee has the right to refuse acceptance of an Associate Member or to remove an Associate Member from membership at any time without assigning any reason for doing so.

(iii) Life Members. Members may be honoured from time to time by being elected as Life Members at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting, notice of which has been given to all members at least seven days prior to the date of such meeting. The motion to so honour a member shall be proposed and seconded by members in good standing and lodged with the secretary in sufficient time for the required notice to be given to all members. When elected as a Life Member, a member shall enjoy the same rights and status as a Financial Member of the Club, but shall not be required to pay any subscription or levy imposed by the Club.


(c)   All members may participate equally in any Club activity.

(d)   Any candidate for financial membership shall apply to the Committee on the proper form. The form must be completed and signed by the candidate, and be accompanied by the subscription for the current season. The Committee may accept or reject any application without assigning any reason for its decision.

(e)   The Committee shall have the power to allow other persons to be admitted to the Squadron as non-voting members upon payment of a reduced subscription and upon fulfilling conditions as are from time to time agreed upon. Such conditions to be minuted and published with the subscription to be subjected to Clause 9 in succeeding years.


4. RESIGNATIONS.

(a) Any Financial Member may resign or withdraw his membership by giving the Honorary Secretary notice in writing or by email.


(b) The Committee may at any time censure or expel a Member if

(i)The Members conduct is, in the opinion of the Committee, contrary to the best interests of trailer yachting generally.

OR

(ii)The Member is in arrears with any subscriptions or levies for a period exceeding Three months.

Any Member facing expulsion or censure shall be advised in writing or by email at least thirty (30) days before the matter is to be voted upon by the Committee and the Member shall be entitled to offer an explanation either verbally or in writing to the Committee.


5. OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE         


(a) Officers of the Club shall be Commodore, Vice­-Commodore, Honorary Secretary and Treasurer. The retiring

Commodore shall be a member of the Committee ex Officio as Immediate Past Commodore.


(b) Committee of the Club shall consist of the Officers, and at least one but not more than seven other Members. The Committee shall have the power to co-opt.


(c) The management of the Club shall be vested in and conducted by the Committee, of whom five shall constitute a quorum.


(d) There shall be an Honorary Financial Reviewer.


6. MEETINGS.


 (a)  The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held no later than 30th June in each year, at such time and place as the Committee may from time to time decide: for the election of Officers, Committee Members and Honorary Auditor; to receive the Annual Report and Financial Statement; set a Subscription and transact any general or special business of the Club. Not less than seven clear days of notice of such meeting shall be given in writing or by email to each Financial Member at his or her last known address.

(b)   A Special General Meeting may be called by five Financial Members. Not less than seven clear day’s notice of such meeting shall be given in writing to each Financial Member.

(c)   Rules can only be changed by a majority of not less than a three-quarter majority of those present and entitled to vote at an Annual or Special General Meeting, of which at least seven clear days notice of the proposed rule change is given in writing or by email.

(d)   A quorum at any Annual General or Special General Meeting shall consist of not less than ten Financial Members and resolutions by and on behalf of all Members shall be passed by a simple majority of those present by a show of hands or by ballot if a majority at the meeting so requests.


7. VOTING.


Financial Members and one of each Financial Member’s

Associate Members (to be appointed by the Financial

Member for such purpose from time to time) over the age of

16 years are eligible to vote.


8. FINANCE.


Financial Members and one of each Financial Member’s

Associate Members (to be appointed by the Financial

Member for such purpose from time to time) over the age of

16 years are eligible to vote.


(a)      The bankers to the Club shall be any bank registered in New Zealand as determined at a properly constituted meeting of the Committee. The Committee shall maintain an account or accounts at the Bank in the name of the Club and all monies received shall be deposited to the credit of those accounts.


(b)     Any two of the Officers may jointly operate on those bank accounts.


(c)      The financial year shall end on the 30th day of April in each year and the Honorary Financial Reviewer shall submit to the General Meeting, to be held in June of each and every year, a review statement of accounts for the period to 30th April.


(d)     The control of the finances, funds and property of the Club shall be in the hands of the Committee with power to invest surplus funds from time to time in investments and securities authorised as trustee investments and securities for trustees by the Trustee Act 1956 or by any amendment thereto.


9.   SUBSCRIPTIONS AND FEES.


The Annual Subscription shall be set at the Annual General Meeting in each year and shall be due and payable on and from the 1st day of July in each year.


10.  COMMON SEAL.


The Common Seal shall be used and affixed to any document only by authority of a resolution of the Committee and shall be authenticated by the signatures of any two Officers appointed by that resolution to witness that affixing of the seal.


11.  BORROWING.


The Committee may borrow monies for the purposes of the Club from time to time and may for such purposes give security over any property of the Club upon such terms as to interest and repayment as the Committee may decide but this power to borrow and to give security may be exercised from time to time only upon the authority of or resolution of the Club in general meeting.


12.  WINDING UP.


The Club may be wound up upon a resolution of the Club in general meeting. On a winding up the funds and properties of the Club shall be handed over to such other organisation or club in Otago having for its objects, objects similar to this Club, as such resolution may decide or in the event of a winding up otherwise under the provisions of the Incorporated Societies Act the funds and properties of the Club shall be donated to any organisation or club having as its objects the promotion and encouragement of yachting as a sport and recreation in Otago.


13.  RACINGRULES (N/A).


Sailing Rules of the Squadron shall be those of the N.Z.

Yachting Federation, N.Z. Trailer Yacht Association and

Sailing Instructions.