Review of CCS Disability Action governance arrangements
Sent on behalf of Dairne Kirton, National President and Mel Smith, Chief Executive CCS Disability Action
Kua tawhiti kē tō haerena mai kia kore e haere tonu.
He nui rawa ō mahi kia kore e mahi tonu.
You have come too far not to go further.
You have done too much not to do more.
Ta Hemi Hēnare
Kia ora koutou
We wanted to let you know about some important work that we are doing to make sure we set ourselves up for success in the future.
In 2022, a new Incorporated Societies Act was passed. This replaces the previous Act which dates to 1908. This updated Act requires us to adopt a new constitution by April 2026.
The CCS Disability Action National Board are working through the requirements needed to meet the new Act. The process also presents an ideal opportunity for the organisation to step back, and to check that we have set up our governance arrangements in the best way possible for our organisation to serve disabled people and whānau hauā in the future.
Review of our current governance arrangements
To help us with this process, we have appointed independent consultants, MartinJenkins, to facilitate a review of our current governance arrangements.
They will seek feedback from governance members on our current arrangements. This will help us build a picture of what is working well and where we might benefit from doing things differently.
Following this process, they will develop a range of options for our members to consider. We expect these options will be sent to members in the first half of 2024, with a final decision to be made by the board in December 2024. We will keep staff informed during this time.
You should know that this isn't an operational review, or a staffing review. This means CCS Disability Action's services for people we support, and staff employment will not be affected by this review.
Please feel free to connect at any time if you would like to discuss any aspect of this mahi.
We look forward to continuing to keep you updated about this process as we move through it.
Naku iti noa, nā
Yours sincerely,
Mel Smith
Chief Executive CCS Disability Action
Dairne Kirton
National Board President CCS Disability Action
Frequently asked questions
What's the review about?
The CCS Disability Action National Board has commissioned independent consultants, MartinJenkins, in partnership with Steven Moe – Parry Field Lawyers to review our current governance arrangements. We have asked them to develop a range of governance options for us to consider and discuss with members.
Why do we need it?
In 2022, a new Incorporated Societies Act was passed. This replaces the previous Act, which dated back to 1908. The updated Act includes modern legal governance and enforcement settings, with the fundamental requirement being that a new constitution needs to be adopted and re-registration would be required (by April 2026).
The new Act creates new requirements for CCS Disability Action, it also presents an ideal opportunity for the organisation to step back, and to ensure that our governance arrangements work well. It's important that we have a sustainable, solid governance model that enables the national board, national leadership team, and the branches to work effectively and efficiently together, in a way that best serves CCS Disability Action and those we support.
When is it happening?
From late September 2023 to late October 2023, MartinJenkins will be speaking to members of the national board, national leadership team, local advisory, local executive and local committees in interviews and workshops.
They will develop governance options for members to consider.
Members will have the opportunity to vote on preferred options at AGMs in October 2024. A final decision on the governance arrangements will be made at the December 2024 National AGM.
Will this affect staff and people we support?
This review relates to the governance structure. It is not an operational review and there will be no changes to any staff or services because of this review. This review is focused on how we manage and structure our governance arrangements only. We are committed to making sure we are set up appropriately to serve disabled people for the long term. We will be sharing the options with members in 2024 to seek your feedback.
