TAUPO DOG TRAINING CLUB INC. RULES – 2012

1. NAME
The name of the organization shall be the “TAUPO DOG TRAINING CLUB INCORPORATED” hereinafter called the “Club”.

2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The aims and objectives of the club, in no particular order, are to:

• promote responsible dog ownership and the general welfare of dogs;
• teach members how to train their dogs, of whatever breed, in dog obedience and other related canine activities, using motivational training methods;
• actively promote community interaction with dogs and the development of social skills of dogs;
• promote participation and training in a range of dog sports and other activities associated with dog training;
• support the rights of dog owners, provided that such ownership is conducted in a responsible manner;
• provide facilities necessary or convenient for its activities;
• promote positive relationships between owners and dogs; and
• conduct Obedience and Agility shows, tests and events; Ribbon Trials and Working Trials; as deemed suitable by the committee and subject to the approval of the New Zealand Kennel Club Incorporated (trading as Dogs NZ).

The club shall be an associated society of the New Zealand Kennel Club.

3. ZONE
The activities of the Club shall be directed primarily to the Taupo District.

4. MEMBERSHIP
The Club shall consist of an unlimited number of members whose names and addresses shall be kept in a register by the Secretary. This shall be open to inspection by members at any reasonable time by prior arrangement with the Secretary.

Full Family Membership: All members of any one family living in the same house shall be entitled to be covered by a Family Membership Subscription. Such reduced subscription shall be determined at the Annual General meeting.

Junior Membership: Any person up and including the age of fifteen (15) years accepted as a member of the Club shall enjoy full privileges of the Club, but shall not have the power to vote or to hold office or be a Committee member.

Life Membership: Any member who has rendered outstanding service to the Club may be elected a life member of the Club at an Annual or Extraordinary General meeting of the Club. A life member shall be entitled to the same rights and privileges as an ordinary member without payment of any subscription.

Honorary Member: Any person who has rendered service to the Club may be elected annually as an honorary member of the Club at an Annual or Extraordinary General meeting of the Club. An honorary member shall enjoy all Club privileges without payment of any subscription, but shall have no right to vote at an Annual or Extraordinary General meeting of the Club.

Associate Member: Any person(s) who does not work a dog at Club or competition level, but wishes to be involved in Club activities.

5. ADMISSION
Subject to rule 4, the election of members shall be vested in the Committee. Upon registration in any class, program, or activity offered by the club and the payment of the appropriate fee, individual’s names will be put to the committee for membership.

The name of every candidate for membership shall be bought before Committee for election, by a majority vote, at the meeting immediately following the receipt of his or her name by the Treasurer. The receipt of a subscription does not automatically entitle the candidate to membership. The candidate shall be appraised of the result of the ballot and if elected shall receive a copy of the rules.

6. FORFEITURE OF MEMBERSHIP:
All members of whatever class shall at all times in connection with Club activities or activities conducted by the New Zealand Kennel Club incorporated or any organization or club affiliated thereto or recognized thereby, conduct themselves in accordance with the true intent and spirit of the rules of conduct and code of ethics expressly laid down by the New Zealand Kennel Club Incorporated or adhered to by custom accepted by that organization.

The Committee shall have the power to call upon any member of the Club for an explanation of any behavior, which in the opinion of the Committee is detrimental to other members or to the good name of the Club, or any charge of misconduct in terms of such rules brought against him/her by a member of the Club. After the Committee shall have given the member full opportunity of being heard and of answering charges brought against/him/her, the Committee may expel such a member from the Club or sanction him/her. The Committee’s decision shall be final and the Committee shall not be bound to answer for its actions. Any member who shall be suspended for any reason by New Zealand Kennel Club incorporated shall ipso facto cease to be a member of the Club.

7. SUBSCRIPTION:
The amount of the Annual subscription payable by any class of member and time of payment thereof shall be fixed from time to time by resolution at any Annual General Meeting. After the amount and time of payment of such annual subscription has been fixed by the Annual General Meeting any member who fails to make payment in the amount, in the manner and within the time specified by the Annual General Meeting shall ipso facto cease to be a member of the Club and shall thereupon forfeit any rights which such member may have to vote and attend any meeting of the Club, the Committee or sub-Committee of the Club. PROVIDED ALWAYS that the Committee shall have the discretionary power to reinstate any such member on good cause being shown and all arrears of subscription being paid. The Financial year of the Club is 1st July to 30th June.

8. RESIGNATION OF MEMBER:
Any member may withdraw from the Club on giving or sending fourteen (14) days notice in writing of his/her intention to withdraw to the Secretary. Any member so withdrawing from the Club shall not be entitled to receive back any monies that he/she might have paid to the Club on account of membership subscription.

9. COMMITTEE:
The Committee shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer and not less than four or more than six other members. The Secretary and the Treasurer may be the same person. The President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer shall form the committee executive. The Committee members shall be elected at each Annual General Meeting of the Club for a period of appointment of one (1) year only, the appointment lapsing automatically at the end of the Annual General Meeting following their election. The appointment of any Committee member shall forthwith automatically lapse in the event of that Committee member failing to attend three (3) consecutive Committee meetings without on such occasion giving previous apology to the Secretary.

If (a) prior to any Annual General Meeting any Committee member or members resign(s) or withdraw(s) from the Club or from the Committee, or (b) the appointment of a Committee member lapses for failure to attend meetings, then the Committee shall have the power to invite the next highest polling nominee(s) from the previous Annual General Meeting to fill the position(s). An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club may be called for the purpose of the election of further replacement Committee member(s). At all times the election shall be by ballot.

10. ADMINISTRATION:
Subject as hereinafter appear, the administration of the Club and control of the Club property shall be vested in the Committee.

11. WINDING UP:
In the event of the winding up of the Club the assets and liabilities of the Club are to be cleared by the authority of an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club and any monies remaining as the property of the Club after such clearance of assets and liabilities shall be forwarded to the New Zealand Kennel Club Incorporated to be held in trust pending formation of another Club in the same area with the same aims at some point in the future.

12. COMMITTEE MEETINGS:
The quorum shall be a majority of the elected members and meetings shall be deemed necessary by the Secretary in conjunction with the President, but not less than quarterly. A Committee meeting shall be held upon three (3) Committee members giving written notice to the Secretary, who shall call such meeting within fourteen (14) days of receiving such notice.

All members of the Committee shall have one vote each, but the chairperson shall have a casting as well as a deliberative vote. The chairperson at such meetings shall be the President or (if the President is absent or unwilling to take the chair), the Vice President. If neither the President nor the Vice-President be present or not willing to act as chairperson, the chairperson shall be such willing member of the Committee as a majority of the members of the Committee then present shall decide.

13. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING:
The Annual General Meeting shall be held as soon as possible after the 30^th June in each year and fourteen (14) days previous notice in writing of the time and place thereof shall be given by the Secretary to all members of the Club.  The quorum shall be ten (10) members, or 15% of the club membership (as of June 30^th), whichever is less.

Voting at such Annual General Meeting shall be by show of hands unless a poll is demanded, whereupon the Chairperson shall order a poll.  The Chairperson at such Annual General Meeting shall be the President or (if the President is absent or unwilling to take the chair), the Vice President.  If neither the President or Vice President is willing to take the chair, the Chairperson shall be such willing member of the Club as a majority of members of the members present shall decide.  The Chairperson shall have a casting as well as a deliberative vote.  Only financial members can vote.

14. BUSINESS AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 
The business of this meeting shall include the following items:

1. The reading and confirmation of the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting.
2. The receipt from the Committee of the annual report and balance sheet.
3. The reading of the President’s Report.
4. The election of the officers of the Club and the Committee for the next ensuing year.
5. The election of any Honorary Life Members and New Club members
6. The consideration of any resolution which has been submitted in writing by way of notice of motion to the meeting.
7. The fixing of subscriptions for the coming year – effective from 1^st July in the coming year.
8. General matters.

15. EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING
An Extraordinary General Meeting of the members of the Club shall be called by resolution of the Committee or upon notice in writing requesting the calling of such meeting for a time, date and place prescribed therein signed by not less than one quarter of the members of the Club at any time, being delivered to the Secretary.  The Secretary shall forthwith give at least 10 working days’ notice in writing to all members of the Club, specifying the time and place of such meeting and the purpose for which the meeting has been called.  The notice shall include such matters as have been required to be included in terms of the Committee resolution or requisition in writing calling for the holding of an Extraordinary General meeting.  The method of voting at such meetings shall be the same as at an Annual General Meeting and the same rules shall apply to the appointment and powers of the Chairperson as are applicable by these rules to an Annual General Meeting.

16. NEW RULES
All new rules or alteration to existing rules or reversal of any formal act or decision shall be made at an Extraordinary or Annual General Meeting and full particulars thereof shall appear on the agenda convening the meeting.  Such new rules or alterations or reversals shall not be adopted unless they receive the sanction of at least two thirds of the members voting, and such alterations of rules or new rules shall not be brought into force until the New Zealand Kennel Club Incorporated and the Registrar of the Incorporated Societies have been advised and have given their approval of the alterations or new rules.  Should the business of any Annual or Extraordinary General meeting include considerations of new rules or alterations or reversals, the said meeting may by resolution passed in the usual fashion determine that voting in respect of any such issue be by postal vote.

17. ACCOUNTS
All expenses properly incurred by the Club with the consent of the Committee shall be defrayed out of the funds of the Club alone, and no individual member shall be deemed to incur responsibility for the same.  The Treasurer shall be responsible for accepting all monies paid to the Club and shall ensure the receipt of them and to be paid into such bank account as the Committee deems appropriate without deductions.  The Treasurer shall present a monthly financial statement at each Committee meeting and shall have the bank pass book and all account books available.  The Treasurer shall keep full books of accounts of all income and expenditure and present to Annual General Meeting a set of accounts of the Club’s affairs, showing assets, liabilities, income and expenditure.

18. BORROWING
The Club shall borrow such monies only as have been authorized at an Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary Meeting duly summoned or held.  Such borrowing may be authorized only by consent of at least two thirds of all members.

19. INVESTMENT
The Committee may decide from time to time and shall have the power to invest and reinvest in any trustee investment upon such terms as it shall think fit, any part of the Club funds as shall not be required for the immediate business of the Club.  The Committee may, if in doubt, submit the proposals for investment or reinvestment to an Extraordinary General Meeting.  Except as hereby fore provided, investment and reinvestment of the Club funds shall only be authorized for each specific occasion by resolution of the Annual or Extraordinary General meeting.

20. OBEDIENCE TESTS, AGILITY EVENTS, AND WORKING TRIALS 
Subject to the rules and directions of the New Zealand Kennel Club incorporated the Committee shall have the sole right of determining the frequency and method of conducting and running Obedience Tests, Agility Events, Working Trials and Ribbon Trials.

21. TROPHIES 
No trophy shall be advertised or presented in the name of the Club except as has been previously approved by Committee or be resolution of the Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting.  Such trophy shall be held by the person or persons awarded same upon such terms and conditions as have been prescribed by Committee or by resolution passed at an Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting.  At all times such trophies shall remain the property of the Club.

22. COMMON SEAL
The common seal shall be kept by the Secretary of the Club.  Whenever the Common Seal of the Club is required to affix to any deed, document, writing or any other instrument, the seal shall be affixed pursuant to a resolution of the Committee or of the Club by the Chairperson, or any other member of the Committee, or of the Club, thereby authorized to affix the seal.  The person so affixing the seal shall at the same time sign the document to which the seal is so affixed.

23. REGISTERED OFFICE 
The registered office of the Club shall be at such a place as determined from time to time by the Club at Annual or Extraordinary General Meetings and as notified to the Registrar of Incorporated Societies.

24. HONORARIA
The Treasurer and Secretary shall be granted an honorarium as recompense for the time and duties associated with their position.  The amount of this honoraria shall be decided at the club’s Annual General Meeting.  No other officer or member of the club shall receive any payment other than in reimbursement for approved club related expenses.