Holding meetings
When your society should meet, and how
Meetings are an essential part of running an incorporated society. How your society calls and holds meetings must be set out in its constitution.
General meetings
When all members of a society are invited to attend a meeting, it is called a ‘general meeting’. Your society needs to hold at least one general meeting a year – its Annual General Meeting (AGM). You must hold your AGM within 6 months of your society’s balance date (its end of financial year).
The Incorporated Societies Act 2022 (2022 Act) sets out what information your committee must present at each AGM, namely:
- An annual report on the operations and affairs of your society for the most recently completed accounting period.
- The society’s financial statements for that period.
- Details of any conflict of interests disclosed during the financial year. This must include a brief summary of the matters, or types of matters, to which those disclosures relate.
At the AGM it is also common to elect officers and it can be a good time to vote on changes, like amending your society's constitution.
Your society must keep minutes of each AGM.
Your society’s constitution may allow for other general meetings to be held during the year. For example, your society may need to hold a special (one-off) general meeting if it has to consider some urgent or important matter that can't wait until the next AGM.
Refer to your constitution for specific guidance for general meetings
Your constitution must cover how your society will call and hold general meetings.
It must also cover things like:
- how and when notices of motion are notified
- meeting quorums, and
- how members vote – including by proxy, post, or electronic means.
If the constitution is no longer appropriate, it should be updated. Amendments to your society's constitution only take effect once they have been registered by us. Until then the existing constitution must be followed.
Committee meetings
Societies are run by their committee. Your committee members (your society’s officers) are chosen by your society to manage, direct and supervise its operations and affairs.
To operate effectively your society’s committee will need to meet regularly throughout the year.
Again, your society’s constitution must cover certain aspects of these meetings, such as:
- committee meeting quorums,
- how officers vote, and
- whether the committee chairperson (if there is one) has a casting vote.
Guidance on running meetings
There are a number of commercial publications available to buy that deal specifically with how to run a meeting, including the taking of minutes, recording of resolutions, and how to debate issues.
CommunityNet Aotearoa is an online hub where you can find and share resources designed to strengthen organisations working with New Zealand communities. They have some useful ‘how to’ guides on preparing for and running meetings.
Other guides in
Running your incorporated society
- Your responsibilities as an incorporated society
- Your society's constitution
- Restrictions on money-making activities
- Dispute resolution procedures are mandatory
- Committees and officers
- Being a member
- Entering into contracts
- Records you should keep