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Constitution of PACNZ

Name
1. The name of the Association shall be the Pakistan Association of Canterbury, New Zealand.

Objectives
2. The objectives of the Association shall be:
(a) To foster fellowship, goodwill and understanding among members and similar Pakistani organisations in New Zealand,
(b) To promote the general welfare of the Association members: Mutual respect and honesty will be our guiding principles in dealing with fellow members and other New Zealand residents
(c) To work towards promoting and preserving the customs, culture and heritage of the Pakistani community in Canterbury, New Zealand
(d) To provide forums for discussing issues of interest to, or directly affecting, Association members;
(e) To regularly organise functions and other recreational activities to promote Pakistani values and cultures.
(f) To liaise with other organisations having kindred interests, and to represent the Association on ethnic or other bodies.
(g) To promote closer relationship between Pakistan and New Zealand.
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Membership
3. Membership of the Association shall be open to any person who is usually resident in Canterbury region, and who was (a) born in Pakistan, or is (or has been ) a Pakistani Citizen by naturalisation, or (b) is the spouse or child of a person referred to in (a) and is aged 14 years and over.
4. Applications for membership shall be in writing, in such form as may be specified from time to time by the Executive Council of the Association. Applicants may be accepted as members by two of the office-bearers of the Association, subject only to election or otherwise by the Council at its next meeting. Members shall not be entitled to vote at general meetings before their membership is confirmed by the Council.
Amendment - ADDITION AS OF 7TH NOVEMBER 2011: As per general meeting agreement, PACNZ registration will not close at any time during the year but members will only be allowed to participate (vote or contest) in the annual elections if they have been registered at least 3 months prior to the annual elections date.
5. All members (subject to section 4 above) shall have full rights to attend and vote at meetings, hold office in the Association, receive newsletters and documents of the Association and participate in the activities of the Association. Except that a person must have been a member of the Association for at least one year, before he/she can stand for election of the Executive Council of the Association.
6. Membership may be terminated:
(a) For serious reasons by a decision of a majority of members of the Association on a recommendation of the Executive Council;
(b) By forfeiture on being three months in arrears with payment of subscriptions, but membership may be reinstated on payment of the arrears within the financial year;
(c) By written voluntary resignation; or
(d) If the member dies.
7. Persons whose membership is terminated may re-apply for election to the Association in accordance with the provisions of section 4.

Subscriptions
8. Annual subscriptions shall be payable in advance and election to membership shall not become effective until payment of the appropriate subscription. The full membership fee will apply regardless of the date of application during the year.
9.. The annual subscription shall be determined from time to time by the Annual General Meeting, and shall thereupon be notified to all members.

Composition of the Executive Council
10. The business of the Association shall be conducted by the Executive Council consisting of: a President, two Vice Presidents (a male and a female), a Secretary, a Treasurer, and three other members.
11. Members of the Executive Council determined by section 10 shall be proposed and seconded at the Annual General Meeting and shall be elected by ballot.
12. On the election of a new President, the Past President shall automatically become an ex-officio member of the council until the next biennial election.
13. The Executive Council or a general meeting may co-op more members or appoint sub-committees to assist the Council in carrying out its functions.
14. Members of the Executive Council shall hold office for two year and be eligible for re-election provided that holders of the office of President or Vice-president or Secretary or Treasurer shall not hold the same office for more than two consecutive years.

Functions of the Executive Council
15. The Executive Council shall conduct the affairs of the Association, subject to the directions of general meetings.
16. The officers of the Association shall perform such duties as the Executive Council may assign to them.
17. The Secretary shall keep minutes of the General meetings and Council meetings and shall be responsible for the Association's records.
18. The Executive Council shall have the power to fill extraordinary vacancies by co-option. Such co-opted members shall hold office until the next general meeting at which the election of office-bearers is due.
19. The Executive Council shall meet not less six times in each year.
20. A quorum of a meeting of Executive Council shall be five elected members of whom two must be the President, Vice-president, Secretary or Treasurer.
21. Council meetings shall be chaired by the President or, in the absence of the President, a Vice-President. In the absence of these office-bearers the meeting shall be chaired by a Council member elected by the meeting.
22. Questions arising at a meeting of the Executive Council or of any sub-committee appointed by the Council shall be determined by a majority of the votes of members of the Council or sub-committee present at the meeting.

Vacancies
23. For the purposes of these rules, a vacancy in the office of a member of the Executive Council occurs if the member
(a) Dies;
(b) ceases to be a member of the Association;
(c) Resigns the office;
(d) Is removed from office pursuant to section 6;
(e) becomes an insolvent under administration within the meaning of the Incorporated Societies Act 1908 or the Charities Act 2005;
(f) suffers from mental or physical incapacity;
(g) Is disqualified from office under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908;
(h) is absent without the consent of the Executive Council from all meetings of the Council held during a period of 12 months.

Meetings
24. There shall be an Annual General Meeting to consider business as soon as is practicable after the end of each financial year (31 December).
25. Special general meetings may from time to time be arranged by the Executive Council.
26. The Executive Council shall, on the written request of ten per cent of the membership, convene a general meeting in the ordinary way within one and a half months of receipt of the requisition.
27. The Secretary shall give notice in writing to each member of the Association of the next general meeting at least one month before the meeting date.
28. A quorum at general meetings shall be ten per cent of the membership or 20 members, whichever is greater, and at least three of whom shall be members of the Executive Council.
29. General meetings shall be chaired by the President or, in the absence of the President, a Vice-President. In the absence of these office-bearers, the meeting shall be chaired by a member elected by the meeting.
30. Persons who are not members of the Association may be invited or, upon their request, permitted to participate in meetings on conditions laid down by the Executive Council, but such persons shall not have the right to vote.
31. Except as otherwise provided by the Constitution all questions before a meeting shall be decided by a majority of the votes of the members present, the Chair having a deliberative, and in the case of equality of voting, a casting vote.
32. Voting at all meetings shall be by show of hands except where a ballot is requested by a member.

Funds: Source and Management
33. The financial year of the Association shall run from 1 January to 31 December.
34. The financial affairs of the Association shall be administered by the Treasurer acting under the direction of the Executive Council.
35. The Annual General Meeting shall appoint an auditor who shall not be a member of the Association and who shall make an annual audit of the books and accounts of the Association each financial year.
36. A properly audited financial statement shall be presented by the Treasurer to the first Executive Council meeting following the close of each financial year. After acceptance of the statement by Council it shall be submitted for ratification at the Annual General Meeting.
37. The funds of the Association shall be derived from annual subscriptions of members and donations and, subject to any resolution passed by the Association in general meeting and subject to the Incorporated Societies Act 1908 and the Charities Act 2005, as the Executive Council determines.
38. All money received by the Association shall be deposited as soon as practicable and without deduction to the credit of the Association's bank or other financial institution account.
39. The Association shall, as soon as practicable after receiving any money, issue an appropriate receipt.
40. All cheques or withdrawal slips drawn on the Association account shall be signed by any two of the Treasurer, the Secretary and the President.
41. Subject to any resolution passed by the Association in a general meeting, the funds of the Association shall be used in pursuance of the objects of the Association and no portion shall be distributed directly or indirectly to the members of the Association except as bona fide compensation for services rendered or expenses incurred on behalf of the Association.

Common Seal
42. The Common Seal shall be the Association’s official stamp, and shall be kept in the custody of the Secretary.
43. The Common Seal shall not be affixed to any instrument or document except by the authority of the Executive Council and the affixing of the common seal shall be attested by the signatures either of President, Secretary and one other member of the Executive Council.

Members' Liabilities
44. The liability of a member to contribute towards the payment of the debts and liabilities of the Association or the costs, charges and expenses of the winding up of the Association is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid by the member in respect of membership of the Association as required by section 8

Alteration of the Constitution
45. Any proposed alteration to the Constitution shall be received by the Secretary in writing signed by five members not less than six weeks before a general meeting together with a statement giving reasons for the proposal. Such a proposal for alteration shall be circulated to all members not less than one month before the meeting.
46. The proposed alteration shall be put before the general meeting as a general resolution in accordance with the Incorporated Societies Act 1908.
47. The proposed alterations shall become operative if approved by at least three-quarters of the members present in a general meeting.

Dissolution
48. Any resolution to dissolve the Association shall be received by the Secretary in writing signed by ten members not less than six weeks before a
general meeting together with a statement giving reasons for the proposal. Such a proposal for alteration shall be circulated to all members not less than one month before the meeting and put before the general meeting as a general resolution in accordance with the Incorporated Societies Act 1908. The resolution to dissolve the Association shall become operative if approved by three-quarters of the members present in a general meeting.
49. In the event of the Association being dissolved, the amount that remains after such dissolution and the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities shall be transferred to any Association with similar purposes which is not carried on for the profit or gain of its individual members.

Custody of Books
50. Subject to the Incorporated Societies Act 1908, and these rules, the Secretary shall keep in his or her custody or under his or her control all records, books, and other documents relating to the Association.

Inspection of Books
51. The records, books and other documents of the Association shall be open to inspection at a place in Christchurch city, free of charge, by a member of the Association at any reasonable hour.
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  • About Us
  • News
  • Gallery
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  • Our Constitution
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  • Contact Us
  • Membership