Amending the Trust Deed

Getting ready for the next vote

We are pleased to report that the changes proposed by the Board have been approved.

To amend the Trust Deed, a threshold of 75% support from those who voted must be met. This has been accomplished and the Trust Deed is now going through a final check with the Māori Fisheries Commission before the changes are finalised.

This was a huge milestone having taken two years to reach this point, proving that the process for amending any Trust Deed is an intense and timeconsuming affair.

A Trust Deed that is current futureproofs the organisation for years to come; while an out-of-date Trust Deed is similar to wearing a pair of shoes that don’t fit. For the Board, an out of date deed can slow down their ability to govern and make it expensive to function.

“Some organisations end up operating outside of their rules because the rules no longer fit. While this is not intentional, it is certainly illegal,” said Allie Hemara-Wahanui, Pouhautu (General Manager) for Te Korowai.

Communities should expect the organisations to which they are affiliated, to regularly review their rules to stay current and relevant. No one should shy away from a Trust Deed review”.

In March, voting papers were sent to 3,194 adult members whose addresses were current. That voting paper included two resolutions to consider. The first was to approve the proposed amendments to the Trust Deed except for the provisions for electing Trustees; as a special resolution, the 75% threshold was set and met.

The second was a majority resolution and members were asked to select a preferred alternative option for electing Trustees. Two options were provided:

A Combined Hapū/iwi option where one Trustee is elected from the six Hapū electorates and three elected from across the iwi, making nine Trustees in total.

The second option was to elect seven Trustees from across the iwi.

The option that received the most support would then go forward for a further vote later this year.

The combination model received the most support.

While the special resolution to amend the trust deed was passed, voter participation was low with only 505 people (15%) casting a vote.

Te Korowai aspires to a higher level of participation, so the low voter turnout is a challenge, and we are open to ideas on how to address this.

Now that the Combination Hapū/ Iwi model has been selected as the preferred alternative, the information process will begin culminating with a formal vote.

In that vote, adult registered members will be asked to vote on changing the provisions to elect trustees to the Combined Hapū/Iwi option.

To change the election model, 75% of those who vote, must support the resolution or the existing election process stays in place.

The following timeframe explains the process to assist members with this important decision.

DATES & KAUPAPA

8 Jul - Distribution of proposal of options to elect Trustees

23 Jul to 1 Aug - Information Hui (see table below)

12 Aug - Voting opens

31 Aug - Ballot box available at the 2019 Annual General Meeting

6 Sep - Voting closes

13 Sep - Results published

A proposal will be posted to all adult registered members that will discuss the existing election process and the Combination Hapū/iwi alternative.

Information hui will follow to explain the options and answer any questions.

Voting opens on 12 August and closes four weeks later with a ballot box available at the 2019 AGM.

Eight information hui will be held during a two week period, some online and some in person.

Based on participation we have made changes to our meeting locations. We have relinquished meetings in Hamilton and New Plymouth and will be holding a hui in Christchurch.

THREE ONLINE HUI

23 - 25 July; 2pm daily

An online hui will be held each day. The link for the online hui will be available from our website.

FIVE HUI-A-IWI

23 July; 6pm - Christchurch

Address and details to be confirmed

30 July; 6pm - Auckland

Te Haa o Manukau, 3 Osterley Way, Manukau

31 July; 2pm & 6pm - Wellington

Two sessions at the Brentwood Hotel, Kilbirnie

1 August; 2pm & 6pm - Hāwera

Two sessions at the TSB Hub, Camberwell Road (Waihi Road end).

In preparation for this vote, it is important that everyone’s contact details are correct.

If one of your whānau is 18 years or older and did not receive a voting pack in March, then please encourage them to contact us so we can update their details.

Alternatively, they can go to our website, click on the ‘Register’ tab and update their contact details directly.