by Lesley Hames | Oct 23, 2019 | Societies and Charities Articles |
Background The Law Commission’s 2013 Report, A New Act for Incorporated Societies, noted at paragraph 7.58 that: During our consultation we were constantly told of the need for education and guidance for societies in drafting their constitutions and in running societies in general. An internet-based constitution builder tool would provide that guidance and would greatly enhance the quality of constitutions for incorporated societies. Not only would it offer the rules from the model constitution, but it could offer guidance for societies to help them consider whether those rules are suitable for their situation. It could offer additional rules to those included in the model constitution, and alternative rules in various subject areas to suit various types of society. Just over 6 years later, in October 2019 the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment and the Registrar of Incorporated Societies made a society constitution-builder available for public use – see Constitution Builder. The first page of the website introduces the society constitution-builder with helpful background information: Every incorporated society is required to have a constitution or set of rules, stating clearly how it intends to be run. These rules must cover certain basic functions and responsibilities, such as why the society exists, the conditions of membership, and how the society will hold meetings, make decisions and elect officers. To help you draft your constitution, we’ve designed the Constitution Builder, a ‘do-it-yourself’ online tool for writing or revising your society’s rules. This tool is able to produce a draft document that contains most of the content required in a constitution; however, it should not be considered a substitute...
