Dear Members,
UPCOMING AGM – SATURDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2022 AT RNZYS at 11am
The Committee greatly regrets the misinformation regarding the Club being distributed by Lin Pardey and David Haigh. A number of complaints have been received from members following Lin Pardey’s email in which she has publicised a large number of members’ private email addresses. This has apparently come from an email she retained when she was previously a Committee member. The disclosure of this personal information is illegal and entirely without authority from the Committee and the Club expects an apology from her to be forthcoming.
The Committee requests as many of you as possible to attend the AGM in person. The dissension stirred up by Lin Pardey within the Club is greatly regretted. The membership, including Kawau Islanders and wider boating public have always got on well in the past and there is no reason why the membership needs to be divided into two camps with her proposal that control of the Club should primarily be with Kawau Island residents and property owners. The Club has a substantial membership, most of whom come from the wider Auckland area and the success of the Club and the substantial progress which has been made, and the current strong financial position of the Club, is due to the support from all of its members. The Committee looks forward to a time when the membership is united again as it has been in the past.
While the points raised in Lin Pardey’s latest email will be addressed at the AGM the following should be made clear:-
- The Notice of AGM did not state that if there are more than 100 members at the AGM attendance will be limited to 100 members. It stated that if there were more than 100 people at the AGM that non-members would not be able to attend. The AGM has been attended in the past by members, past members, family and friends and those interested in becoming members. As previously indicated, those entitled to vote will have a tag to ensure that non-members present cannot vote. Another room will be made available at RNZYS which will accommodate a further 100 members if necessary. In the unlikely event that more than 200 members attend, the meeting will be adjourned;
- The meeting is being held at the RNZYS Club Rooms for the convenience of the majority of Club members. The Committee emailed the membership for their preference over the location of the AGM and strong majority of the responses were in favour of holding the meeting at Westhaven. Meetings in the past have been held at the Sandspit Café but there has been difficulty in attracting a quorum of 20 members and this is totally inadequate and undemocratic for a membership exceeding 500;
- A large number of motions have been received from Lin Pardey and her associates. The Committee has a discretion as to which motions should be discussed at the AGM. The purpose of the AGM is primarily for the presentation of reports and the election of officers and many Clubs will refuse to allow any other items to be discussed until the new Committee has had a chance to consider them. Some of the motions put would require an alteration of the Rules and the procedure for an alteration of the Rules, and the specific amendments proposed have not been followed or detailed. Some are minor administrative matters, such as fenders on the wharf piles, which can be dealt with by the new Committee. Some are already covered by the existing Rules, such as whether the Secretary/Treasurer role should be handled by one person or two;
The lease of the Club house from the Squadron expires in 2023. The Club is pleased to announce that a new 10 year lease has been signed with two rights of renewal extending the full term of the lease for another 30 years. The new lease is essentially on the same terms as the old lease. The Committee has an excellent relationship with RNZYS which insisted that a new term be inserted in the lease stating that the premises are primarily to be used as a boating club for the benefit of the entire membership but permitting and encouraging the use of the premises also as a community center for the Kawau community. There has been no conflict in the past over the use of the facilities and the Committee will welcome and support the ongoing use of the Club for the benefit of all members.
I look forward to seeing you at the AGM.
Mike Mahoney
Chairman