networking for thewellington gltbi community |
Our Sponsors
|
|||
|
|
||||
Our Sponsors
|
Rainbow Wellington postal address is: P O Box 890, Wellington and RW Wellington Patron & Vice Patron Rainbow Wellington is a group (previously operating under the name GAP) representing the interests of and organising social activities for lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and related queer groups in the Wellington region. We have about a hundred and fifty core members, individual, corporate and business, and a wider contact list of several further hundred glbti people. We publish at least one electronic newsletter a month. Our regular programme of social events includes twice monthly pub nights at gay or gay friendly venues, which are also often our corporate members. We have a couple of dinners, one at Christmas, and one around mid year which has more recently also served to mark the anniversary of Stonewall. Other regular events include visits to galleries, at least one regional vineyard trip a year, and a very popular Lambda night at Wellington’s leading bookshop, Unity Books, where our members of a literary bent review some of the Lambda winners and other notable glbti titles published during the previous twelve months. From time to time we arrange special one off events, sometimes in company with others. Notably in the last few years these have included the twentieth anniversary of decriminalisation, and a night in honour of Sir Ian McKellen. We take up issues of general interest to the glbti community such as human rights and privacy issues associated with insurance, and to do with the opportunity currently denied to donate blood, and we issue statements on public issues as these might arise from time to time. Rainbow Wellington has recently passed the planning and operation of Wellington's annual Gay and Lesbian Fair back to the community. We continue to support Out Wellington Inc., the new and independent committee charged with organising Out in the Square - Wellington's Gay and Lesbian Fair 2008. Out Wellington Inc. are members of the local GLBTIF community who are fully committed to making Out in the Square a highly visible and successful fair for the whole community! To offer Out Wellington Inc. your support, visit www.outinthesquare.co.nz. We are an incorporated society and meet formally annually to meet the legal requirements of that status by electing officers, presenting accounts and so forth, and we have a Board which is elected bi-annually (no pun intended) and which meets monthly. Rainbow Wellington Patron and Vice-Patrons We have over the years asked a number of people
prominent in public life, especially in the Wellington area, and who support
our aims and objectives, to become a Patron or Vice-Patron of Rainbow
Wellington. At present they are all people elected to office in Parliament or
local government. They are approved each year at our AGM, and contribute in
various ways to the organisation. Recently, it was suggested that we should
list them and their contact details on our website. They all agreed to this, so
here they are: Patron: Her Worship the Mayor of Wellington, Kerry
Prendergast. Mayor's Office,
Level 1, Town Hall, Wellington; phone 801 3102; Vice-Patrons: Grant Robertson, MP (Labour) for Wellington Central. Freepost Parliament, Private Bag 18 888,
Parliament Buildings Wellington 6160 Tel: (04) 817 8204 Fax: (04) 439 6473 Grant.robertson@parliament.govt.nz
Hon Christopher
Finlayson, MP (National) Attorney-General,
Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Minister for Arts, Culture and
Heritage Freepost Parliament Private Bag 18 888,
Parliament Buildings Wellington 6160 Tel: (04) 817 6808 Fax (04) 817 6508 Hon Maryan Street,
MP (Labour) Freepost Parliament Private Bag 18 888,
Parliament Buildings Wellington 6160 Tel: (04) 817 9399 Fax (04) 473 6372 maryan.street@parliament.govt.nz Charles Chauvel, MP
(Labour) Freepost Parliament Private Bag 18 888,
Parliament Buildings Wellington 6160 (04) 817 6771 Fax: (04) 817 6489 charles.chauvel@parliament.govt.nz
Kevin Hague, MP
(Green) Freepost Parliament, Private Bag 18 888,
Parliament Buildings Wellington 6160 (04) 817 8253 Fax: (04) 817 6003 kevin.hague@parliament.govt.nz Hon Fran Wilde Chair, Greater Wellington Regional Council Business phone: 04
802 0346 4 May 2009
REPORT OF THE CHAIR APRIL 2010 Report to the AGM of Rainbow Wellington 2009/2010 This
year we have been able to continue with a full programme of activities
notwithstanding a slight decline in membership, including corporate
membership. We have also shifted our
financial year to the calendar year and offered a special two year subscription,
taken up by most members although this will have some negative financial
effects in the next accounts. This will
not be a problem as our financial position is quite healthy. An EGM in December made procedural changes
to our constitution. Campaigns We
are able to record significant progress in a number of our campaign objectives: ·
The year in review saw
the repeal of the provocation defence, one of our longstanding objectives. Ironically this arose not from a
‘gaybashing’ case (although there was a particularly horrendous one going on at
the time) but from public disquiet over a heterosexual murder case. We made a submission to the Select Committee
considering the repeal and took the opportunity to point out the irony in this
situation. ·
We made some further
inroads in the blood donation matter.
By creating a test case we were able to lodge our concerns with the
Human Rights Commission and this has now gone to mediation. This process proved useful in focussing the
issues. We were able to draw on the evidence
presented at the recent Tasmanian case.
We were impressed by the positive attitude of the Blood Service who have
accepted that there are issues to be addressed and showed themselves open to
change provided this is sustained by peer reviewed science based research. Further research is under way in the United
Kingdom and the case has been adjourned to await the outcome. The Service is committed to a further five
yearly review in 2013 or thereabouts.
In the meantime they have formally gone on the record thanking us for
our responsible approach to the issue.
A well attended seminar/forum under the auspices of the AIDS Foundation
canvassed some of the issues involved towards the end of 2009. ·
There has been less
progress with the longstanding issue of same gender couple adoption. Initially we detected that none of the major
parties was committed to a law change outside the context of a general review
of the long outdated Adoption Act (which would be a lengthy and tortuous
process). However the Green party has
now committed to a private member’s Bill which stands in the name of Kevin
Hague. ·
We have continued to
seek progress on the implementation of the HRC Transgender Report including by
way of parliamentary questions through the Progressive Party. There is progress in this area but it is
painfully slow. ·
We have continued with
our practise of lobbying the political parties in parliament. Only United Future remains outstanding and a
meeting has been sought with Peter Dunne accordingly. The response has been largely positive although the voting record
of ACT on specific social issues leaves something to be desired. We have taken the opportunity more recently
when speaking to the politicians to take up the outrageous appointment of the
homophobic Brian Neeson to the Human Rights Review Tribunal, and made a formal
protest to the Minister, Simon Power. Affiliations
and Support We
have retained our association with ILGA as the appropriate international body
and have been able to draw to their attention matters relating to the Pacific
Islands in our purview. A problem over
re-criminalisation in Fiji seems now to have been resolved although it is
unclear at whose initiative. We
have been able to continue to contribute financially to Outtakes and to Out in
the Square, and provided the cake for Carmen’s birthday celebrations. More recently we have made a small
contribution to attendance at a seminar in Australia by advanced level academic
student Conrad Reyners who will report back to us about international
initiatives. We
have now also been included in the communications loop for the Asia Pacific Out
Games in 2010 after something of a hiatus.
Our main contribution is likely to be financial and through the
ancillary cultural activities although we encourage direct sporting
participation. Regular
and One Off Social Activities Our
programme of bi monthly bar visits has continued with some changes of
venue. We have fare welled our long
term association with Jimmy’s, and it may be that our associations with Kitty’s
and Downstage go the same way, particularly as there has been a fall off in
attendance at some nights. However, we
continue with those stalwarts S&Ms and The Fringe Bar (previously Bluenote)
and have added the Havana Bar and Duke Carvell to our circuit. Havana seems particularly popular. We are about to also trial the Wellesley who
are enthusiastic for our custom. Thanks
to Tony Mackle for organising what seems to have become a regular ‘behind the
scenes’ visit to the Te Papa collections and we have been continuing with our
programme of occasional speakers, most recently by Dominic Sheehan, CEO of the
Broadcasting Standards Authority. More
are planned. There was a joint function
and debate on gay marriage with Rainbow Labour, and a reasonably well
patronised Wairarapa wine trip, this time to Gladstone Vineyard and the Marquis
of Normanby Hotel in Carterton for lunch.
Our midwinter/Stonewall and Christmas dinners went off well, variously
at the Thistle Inn and Soi. Finally our
Unity Books Lambda Night was its usual success with an increased turnout this
year and good book business and similarly at the bar. One
of our highlights was to welcome the new United States Ambassador who met with
members of the Board in December. An
out gay US Ambassador is a first for this country. We hope to arrange a broader social function for him to meet our
membership in 2010. We hope that the
return of Sir Ian McKellen will also lead to a social get together. Thanks It
remains for me to thank those who served on the Board during the year,
particularly our hard working Secretary Tony Reed, and Alastair Hoult who has
moved house to New Plymouth after five sterling years as our Treasurer. Alastair also willingly volunteered as
‘guinea pig’ for our blood donation test case. On
the new technology front, Adrian Sainsbury has continued to keep the e-mails
flowing and the website up-to-date. When it was suggested that RW have a
Facebook page, the Board decided that this would involve too much extra
resource for them to manage, so we were pleased when two members, Jeff
Montgomery and Kay Jones promptly offered their services and set up the page.
This is another reminder that you do not have to be on the board to contribute
to RW. Thanks too to our patron Her
Worship Kerry Prendergast for her continuing support and our vice patrons
similarly and for lending their names to our endeavours. Tony
Simpson Chair
This is my first annual report as treasurer. I would like to express my gratitude to Alastair Hoult for preparing the financial return for 2009. The quality of his work in maintaining the financial records of Rainbow Wellington during the years he has fulfilled the Treasurer role is reflected in the report from our financial reviewer. I would also like to express my personal gratitude for the time Alastair has put into training me to take on the role. As I write this report I realise – this is still a “work-in-progress”. None-the-less, the comments below reflect my own reading of the financial report. It is pleasing to report that, during the current reporting period, our application to the Charities Commission for registration as a charity has been approved. This registration both preserves our tax-exempt status and provides us with donor-status. The latter allows donors to make tax-deductable contributions to our work for the Rainbow community. It is to be noted that this financial report covers the period 1 April 2009-31 December 2009, a period of nine months. This reflects the change in Rainbow Wellington’s accounting year from the financial year to the calendar year, a change that was approved by an Extraordinary General Meeting on 3 December 2009. As a result, this makes comparisons with previous years particularly problematic. Also reflected in the balance sheet are the effects on our membership subscription income stream of a campaign to encouraging members to renew for both the balance of 2009 and the whole of 2010. Members were offered a discount for renewal for both years: for individual membership that was a 50% discount on the traditional membership fee for the 2009 (up to nine-month) subscription year coupled with a 25% discount for the 2010 (12-month) subscription year. These considerations have significantly impacted on the organisation’s subscription income during the reporting period. It should also be noted that $4,650, representing membership subscriptions relating to the 2010 year, has been reported in these accounts as “income received in advance”. Expenditure, which also reflects the nine-month reporting period, has been significantly reduced during the reporting period. In summary, the accounts as presented indicate that Rainbow Wellington achieved a reasonable surplus for the 2009 financial “year”. This was achieved through prudent management of costs whilst maintaining services to members and subsidies for events. A brief analysis of the key financial results is as follows: $3700 decrease in subscriptions revenue: This is explained above. Membership numbers are very similar to the 2008/09 year. Total membership as at 31 December 2009 was 10 Corporates (10 last financial year), 13 Individual Business (14), and 102 Individual members (106). This gave a total of 125 paid up members (130). Some members in each category have renewed their membership since the cut-off date reported here. $776 decrease in interest revenue: This reflects both the reduction in the reporting period and the level of current bank interest rates. $333 decrease in grants (Sponsorship and Donations and Subscriptions): I have not reviewed the minutes of 2009 closely enough to be able to comment on this decrease beyond the obvious: a number of activities that Rainbow Wellington is traditionally associated with fell outside the shortened reporting period. The beneficiaries that received sponsorship or a donation during the reporting period were ILGA (International Gay and Lesbian Association) and Out in the Square Fair (for the 2010 event). Stationery: This year’s expenses are in line with last year’s. They confirm that the elevated expenses in 2007/08 reflected that the rebranding and new logo design were one off costs in that financial year. The events organised by the Board are detailed in the event report and a small loss ($2.00) was sustained. This is in line with the Board’s approach to keep events at cost or, wherever possible, at a subsidised rate for members. We continued to support our corporate members in the hospitality industry by patronising their businesses via our regular Friday social evenings and promoted our other members’ services via the newsletter and website. I would like to thank my colleagues on the Board for their support and guidance and wish to acknowledge their many voluntary hours of effort for us all. I would also like to express my thanks to James Heslop, CA, who again performed, voluntarily, our annual financial review. The challenge for the Board remains to maintain our membership base to enable us to fund our work and raise our profile in the community over the next reporting period, which will, again, be 12 months. Steve Farrow (Treasurer)
RAINBOW WELLINGTON – The Wellington Rainbow
Network PO Box 890, Wellington, New Zealand . email: info@rainbowwellington.org.nz CONSTITUTION & BY-LAWS
1. NAME The Association shall be known
as:
2. OBJECTS Rainbow Wellington is an Incorporated Society, a
non-profit association who are respected within the community at large and
which provides a vehicle for social, political and business direction within
the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. The
Association’s objects are: 1.
To encourage and promote a sense of community and social and business
interaction within our communities. 2.
To offer support and encouragement to members of the Association in
respect of business and professional difficulties including those occasioned by
discrimination or prejudice. 3.
To encourage members to use the business and professional services
available within the Rainbow Wellington membership. 4.
To participate in debate on political issues whether local or national
affecting our communities. 5.
To provide funding assistance for special community and other projects
through professional direction, support and member initiatives. 6.
To offer support to, affiliate with, and interact
with any organisation for specific objectives not inconsistent with the objects
of the Association 7.
To organise events for
the membership.
3. MEMBERSHIP
4. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP 1. A member wishing to resign from the Association shall do so by notifying the Secretary in writing of such intention. There shall be no refund of membership fee except at the discretion of the Board for exceptional circumstances. 2. Any member shall cease to be a member upon their subscription remaining unpaid three months after the due renewal date. 3. If in the opinion of the Board it is desirable in the interests of the Association and in the interests of the attainment of the objects of the Association that a member of the Association should cease to be a member, the Board shall be empowered to resolve to expel that member PROVIDED THAT: o before resolving to expel any such member that member shall be given full opportunity at a meeting of the Board to answer any charge or allegation made against that member; o that member shall be advised of the identity of and shall be entitled to examine any accuser; o no other salient factor which forms a basis for the resolution to expel that member is withheld from that member
5. GENERAL MEETINGS 1. There are two sorts of general meetings - Annual and Special. General meetings are open to all members of the Association, but voting rights are restricted to paid up corporate and personal members. Only one vote may be cast of behalf of each membership. 2. An Annual General Meeting shall be held annually no later than the month of June at an exact date, time and place as set by the Board. 3. The Annual General Meeting shall include the following business: 4. Annual General Meeting: o Elections to Board o Approval of Audited Annual Financial Statements o Appointment of Auditor o General Business as notified to the Secretary prior to the meeting o Any proposed amendments to the constitution o Annual Report from Board 5. Notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be sent to all members at least 30 days prior to the AGM. 6. Special General Meetings may be called in one of two ways: o By majority decision of the Board; o Upon written request by 15% of the voting members of the Association. Such meeting must be held within six weeks of the request with four weeks notice to be given to all members. 7. A special general meeting shall only consider the business for which it is convened which shall be specified by the Board or by the members requesting such Special General Meeting.
6. THE BOARD
7. ELECTIONS 1. The election for members of the Board shall be conducted annually in accordance with the bylaws of the Association. 2. There shall be five positions on the Board elected annually, or more as long as the total number of Board members is then no more than 10. The results of the election shall be announced at the AGM and those elected will assume office at the conclusion of the AGM and remain Board members until the conclusion of the AGM two years hence.
8. OFFICERS 1. The Board shall annually elect from its own members the officers of the Association. These shall be determined at the first Board meeting following the AGM, but may be reconsidered at a subsequent meeting with the consent of the majority of the Board. 2. The officers of the Association shall consist of the Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and any other officers as the Board sees fit. 3. The Board may recommend to the Annual General Meeting a person or persons to be appointed as Patron (one) or Vice Patrons of Rainbow Wellington. Upon confirmation by the Annual General Meeting they shall be hold such office until the next annual general meeting and while Patron or Vice Patron shall enjoy all the rights of full membership
9. QUORUM
10. SUBSCRIPTIONS 1.
An Annual membership fee shall be set by the Board for the
various categories of membership. 2. Payment of the annual subscription will entitle the member to membership of the Association from the day their membership is approved by the Board until the next subscriptions are due. 3. Renewal notices shall be sent out in the month prior to the membership falling due.
11. FINANCIAL YEAR 1. The financial year of the Association shall
commence on 1st January and terminate on 31st December, with effect from 1st
January 2010. .
12. BORROWING
13. ASSOCIATION FUNDS 1. The funds and property of the Association shall be under the control of the Board, who may invest, disburse and deal with the same in such manner and for such purpose (not being inconsistent with the objects of the Association) as they shall think fit. 2. The funds of the Association shall be deposited with such Bank as the Board shall determine and all cheques of the Association’s Bank account shall be signed by the Treasurer in conjunction with one other member of the Board.
14. AUDIT 1. The
annual financial statements of the Association must be reviewed at the end of
each financial year and before the Annual General Meeting by a member of the
New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants who is not a member of the Board
of the Association. 2. The Board shall determine the remuneration of the auditor, and shall have authority to fill any casual vacancy of the position of auditor.
15. THE COMMON SEAL
16. AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION 1. This constitution may be altered, added to, rescinded or otherwise varied or amended by resolution passed by a two thirds majority of members present at and voting at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting called for the purpose. 2. In the case of a Notice of Motion for amendment of this constitution to be presented at the annual general meeting of the Association, notice of the proposed amendment shall be given in writing to the Secretary of the Association no later than six weeks prior to the end of the financial year in which it is given and the Secretary shall set out such proposed amendment in the Notice of annual general meeting circulated to all members. 3. In the case of a Notice of Motion for amendment of this constitution to be presented at a special general meeting of the Association, notice of the proposed amendment shall be given with the requisition made in writing to the Secretary. 4. Any addition or alteration necessary to conform with any regulation or requirement of the Registrar of Incorporated Societies may be made by the Board without reference to any meeting of members. 5. No
addition to or alteration of or recession of the rules shall be approved if it
affects the non-profit aims, personal benefit clause or the winding up clause.
The provision and effect of this clause shall not be removed from this document
and shall be included and implied into any document replacing this document.
17. MANAGEMENT 1. Subject to limitations made by other clauses of this constitution the Board shall have full power to manage the Association and all its affairs. 2. Any member of the Board absent from three or more meetings of the Board consecutively without due cause shall cease to be a member of the Board. 3. The Board shall meet regularly and shall record all business transacted. Minutes of Board meetings shall be sent to all members of the Board and will be available upon request to any member. 4. Subject to the constitution and any directions from General Meetings the Association shall be managed subject to a set of By-Laws which will be determined by the Board from time to time.
18. CHAIR AND VOTING
19. RECESS OR WINDING UP 1. The Association may go into recess or be wound up voluntarily if at the annual general meeting or at a special general meeting its members pass a resolution requiring the Association to wind up and go into recess. 2. A bare majority will be sufficient at any such meeting of the Association at any time for the purpose of winding up or going into recess. 3. The resolution shall be confirmed at a subsequent special general meeting called for that purpose and held not earlier than thirty (30) days after the date on which the resolution was passed. 4. The Association shall be wound up according the Incorporated Societies Act 1908, Section 24. 5.
If upon the winding up or dissolution of the
organisation there remains, after the satisfaction of all its debts and
liabilities, any property whatsoever, this shall not be paid to or distributed
among members of the organisation. This residual property will be given
or transferred to either another charitable organisation or
body (having objects similar to Rainbow Wellington) or for some
other charitable purpose recognised under New Zealand law.
20. PECUNIARY PROFIT 1.
No member or person associated with a member of the
Association shall derive any income, benefit, or advantage from the Association
where that person can materially influence the payment of the income, benefit
or advantage except where the income, benefit or advantage is derived from: 2. Any
income, benefit, or advantage derived by Rainbow Wellington shall be applied to
the charitable purposes of the organisation.
By-Laws
1. INTRODUCTION These By-Laws are written for the establishment of rules regarding the conduct of normal Association business. They are additional to the Constitution of the Association and must be interpreted in accordance with those Articles.
2. CHANGES TO BY-LAWS These By-Laws may be changed by a two-thirds majority of the Board of the Association. Any motion to change the By-Laws must have been presented to the Board at least two weeks prior to the meeting at which the vote is taken.
3. ELECTION OF BOARD
4. PREPARATION FOR BOARD MEETINGS
5. MOTIONS AT BOARD MEETINGS
6. CONDUCT OF BOARD MEETINGS
7. MINUTES OF BOARD MEETINGS
8. FINANCE
- with a registered bank
9. REGISTERED OFFICE The registered office of the Association shall be in Wellington at such a place determined by the Board.
10. COMMUNICATION WITH MEMBERS Formal communication may be by any of the following methods, as agreed with the individual member. At all times, postal mail must be in a sealed envelope.
|
For website technical support contact support@ponsonbyonline.co.nz