In July 2020 all adult registered members will receive a special resolution voting paper. The special resolution asks registered members to support changing the Te Korowai Trust Deed, specifically the sections about when the Te Korowai elections are held.

Last year we undertook an ‘all of deed review’, and some members might ask “why does the Board want to amend the Trust Deed when this was done only last year?” This is an excellent question and the answer is, COVID-19.

The COVID-19 restrictions exposed a risk that, if the election could not be completed, Te Korowai would be without a Board. At the moment, Trust elections are held once every three years where all 12 trustees are appointed for a three-year term. If the election could not be completed (for any reason), the then-current trustees’ term would expire before the new Board was appointed. We know that the likelihood of this happening is low, however, it is a risk that the current Board believes needs to be removed.

This pānui might raise some questions and before voting opens you will receive a proposal from us that should answer those questions. There will also be consultation hui to explain the changes in person. The dates of these hui will be in the proposal and promoted through He Pakiki.

If the special resolution is approved by 75% of the adult registered members who vote, the candidates standing in this year’s Board elections will be affected; the term they serve will then change. This is explained in the Candidate Information Handbook and nomination forms candidates receive as part of the nomination process.

The 2020 Board election is an important time for Te Korowai. Amending the Trust Deed by a special resolution makes this time even more important. So please keep your contact details up to date. If members hear of whānau who have not received any information from us; please ask them to contact us because this is a valuable clue that their contact details are out of date.