This page is used to share information with NZMHA members including notification of changes to NZMHA policies and procedures, council news and generally post information that has no other home on the website. Members should also check the Website updates page for information in relation to recent updates including updates to downloadable items such as forms.




UPDATE FROM COUNCIL 04/09/2019

For representation at the SGM on the 7th of September 2019, prior to the council meeting.

Amended Financials for the year ended 31 March 2019 (Password protected. 2019-2020 season password)
Letter to members pertaining to the financials (Password protected. 2019-2020 season password)

Update from Council 13/06/2019

Council would like to progress with the current situation of Mrs. Sloan’s nomination for President of NZMHA in the 2019 Elections.
Mrs. Sloan’s original letter (or copy thereof) of resignation from The Lower North Island Miniature Horse Club has still not been sent to the NZMHA Secretary [as requested several times] - but as a show of faith and a willingness to move forward we will accept the email from the LNIMHC Secretary that the resignation was received and acted on by the club and therefore let Mrs. Sloan’s nomination stand.
The current voting papers will still be valid - however should you wish to amend papers you have already sent to the JP please contact the NZMHA Secretary and some specially marked duplicate papers will be sent to you.

This is an appropriate time to remind all clubs and members to update and maintain all records / minutes / Incorporated Societies and Facebook pages when any changes are made and advise NZMHA of these changes if necessary.

Please address any correspondence on this matter to Council via email thank you

Update from Council 09/06/2019

It has been brought to our attention that Mrs D Sloan who has been nominated for the position of President of NZMHA is recorded by Incorporated Societies as President of The Lower North Island Miniature Horse Club (Society Number 2683731)
Article 10 Rule 9 of NZMHAs constitution clearly states that it is not possible for a person to hold a position on the committee of a Miniature Horse related organisation that is not recognised by NZMHA.. The Lower North Island Miniature Horse Club is not recognised by NZMHA. Clearly therefore Mrs Sloan is ineligible under NZMHA’s rules to hold, and therefore to be nominated for, a position on NZMHA Council. The secretary of NZMHA has asked both Mrs Sloan and the secretary of The Lower North Island Miniature Horse Club numerous times to provide written proof of her formal resignation and a copy of Meeting Minutes, showing that Mrs Sloan no longer holds any position with the AIMS affiliated club. At this time NZMHA has not received any such confirmation. Clearly therefore, and given prior rulings to this effect, Council has no option but to deem Mrs Sloan ineligible for election to NZMHA Council.
The membership is therefore hereby advised that as Mr Aaron Harrison is the sole valid nomination for the position of President he will be declared as elected unopposed at the upcoming Annual General Meeting on the 6th July 2019

Financials as at 31/12/2018

Balance sheet (2018-2019 season password)

Update From Council 01/09/2018

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

As many of you will be aware the President of NZMHA had accepted the resignation of Helen Miekle the Association Treasurer.

Under Article 10.5, Council has appointed Bronwyn Van Roon to the position. Bronwyn has a wealth of knowledge about the requirements having been in the position previously and should ensure a smooth transition.

Council wishes to thank Helen for her valuable contribution to the NZMHA and wish her well for the future.

Update From Council 30/08/18

- The gelding hardship fee has been reduced to its minimum. Reducing it from $568 to $125.

- Council has used article 10:10 to not fill the vacant Regional Delegate positions in R3 and R4. We look forward to working with members and clubs within the regions alongside the Delegate in each island to make this season successful across the board.

- An amnesty on any previous members who would like to rejoin the Association is now being offered. No rejoining fee and no need to provide new sponsors provided you are rejoining within 3 years of your resigning your membership or letting it lapse. Rejoin before the 30th September and go into the draw to win your membership fee back and there will also be a draw under the same criteria for a Mini Paddock Combo kindly Sponsored by The Horsewear House.

Financials as at 31/07/18

Account Transactions from 01/04/18 - 31/07/18
Day to day Cheque Account Transactions from 01/04/18 - 31/07/18
Profit and Loss 31/07/18

The above files are password protected. Contact any council member for the 2018-2019 season password

Publications, Publicity and Communication Survey 31/12/2017

This survey focuses on the Publications, Publicity and Communication side of NZMHA. We have had a Focus Group putting forward ideas and suggestions and now want to put an anonymous survey to members to determine what are the most popular areas for change. We understand we cannot satisfy everyone's needs but we want to make sure we at least give everyone the opportunity to participate in the future of NZMHA.

Please take the time to complete the survey to let us know how we can better serve your needs in NZMHA

Go to survey

Update from council 17/12/2017

Download: Council Update

Update from council 28/09/2017

Download: Council Update

Update from Council 07/08/2017

Download: Council Update

Calling for nominations

Due to the vacancy of the position of Region 2 Regional Delegate - under Article 14 - Casual Vacancies in Membership of Council - nomination is called for the position of Regional Delegate for Region 2.

Download: Nomination form

COUNCIL STATEMENT 28/07/2017

NZMHA Council is pleased to welcome Melinda Doyle as a coopted member to Council. Melinda joins our team under Article 10.6 of our Constitution and will be providing support with obtaining Constitutional opinion and supporting the Focus Groups when they find elements in the Constitution that may require remits to change them. Please join the Council team in welcoming Melinda. We look forward to working with her to move forward and secure the future of NZMHA.

RAS Ruling re: Helmets for Riding & Harness Driving

Safety Helmets must be used at all RAS shows for driving minis with immediate effect, however NZMHA are not going to enforce this for NZMHA shows this year and will discuss whether a change to our Constitution is required should members wish to apply it in the 2018/19 season and beyond. Members intending to do harness classes at A&P shows are asked to note the rules in the RAS Safety Helmet memo which reviews Questions & Answers on the subject. There is also clarification on compliant helmets for A&P Shows. The RAS safety and helmet memo documentation can be viewed on the R.A.S Notices page

Council Statement RE: 2017 SGM

The NZMHA Constitution states in Article 10:2: "All Council members (with the exception of Regional Delegates) shall be elected by regular members by postal ballot to take place not more than 31 days prior to the Annual General Meeting. All Council members (including Regional Delegates) shall be appointed for a period commencing with their election at Annual General Meeting and shall retire at the next succeeding Annual General Meeting, but may stand for re-election at that time. If the number of persons nominated for election to membership of the Council or position does not exceed the number of vacancies in that membership to be filled; i. the Secretary shall report accordingly to; and ii. the President shall declare those persons to be duly elected as members of the Council at the Annual General Meeting concerned."

The key points being: "shall be elected by regular members by postal ballot to take place not more than 31 days prior to AGM” and “shall be appointed for a period commencing with their election at AGM and shall retire at next AGM.”

Council have received legal opinions regarding the request for a Special General Meeting presented at the AGM. These and historical legal opinions, confirm that the requested purpose for which the SGM has been requested is unconstitutional.

One opinion further suggested that any meeting must comply with the Constitution and as the subject matter proposed does not, it cannot be a valid meeting and should anything be decided, it will be invalid.

We have contacted all those who signed the request asking that they withdraw the said request in order to avoid unnecessary costs to our Association

Council Statement 23/07/2017

Welcome back to a new Council year and the start of a very busy time for many of you with the run up to finalising stallion returns and preparing for the foaling season. I would like to welcome the new Council team and thank them for volunteering their time to work through the financial, constitutional and process challenges facing NZMHA this season. Council is pleased to advise that, under Article 10.10 of the Constitution, we have appointed Allan Tonner to the role of Treasurer to help us through the financial review, potential audit and challenging financial times ahead. We are grateful to Allan for stepping up to this challenge and offering his considerable experience as a prior NZMHA Treasurer (plus much more)to help us out. We are also pleased to confirm the appointment of Nicola Bancroft, who Council considered elected unopposed, due to her providing evidence that the tracked nomination she had couriered was scheduled to arrive prior to 5pm Friday, but was not received until Monday. As a result of concerns, raised by a couple of members, that the nomination had been accepted incorrectly, Council decided to officially appoint Nicola to the role of Secretary, as per Article 10.10, given no other nominations had been received for the position.

As many of you are aware, this past year highlighted a few breaks in our internal process and this, together with our significant financial loss, has created a big divide in our Association. Despite the disruption this has caused within, our dedicated Council members have stepped up to the challenge and committed to work together with members to resolve the issues and move forward. Contact details for, and a brief introduction to, each team member will follow in a separate post.

It is always disappointing to see in-fighting in clubs as it tends to deter new members, make current members leave and certainly scares off potential donors. It is for that reason that you will not see Council publicly commenting on public FaceBook posts. Council are working on the NZMHA Public FaceBook page; the NZMHA Discussion Group (old Remit Discussion pages) and a series of NZMHA Future Focus Group pages, which you will hear more about in the coming weeks. Mistakes have been made in the past, but to fix them, we must set aside the accusations and blame and move forward. We are now looking to identify how these lapses in process occurred and what changes we can implement to improve controls and reduce the chance of oversight. Council hope to overcome the personality clashes that exist within the association and address some of the concerns causing upset, to allow us all to move forward and create a better future for NZMHA.

Of course, given the last financial year, there is a significant focus on income and expenditure. Several members have been in contact with myself and other Council members with suggestions to help either increase revenue or reduce costs. Many of these have been positive workable ideas, and we thank those who have come up with constructive ways to improve NZMHA and offer their time to assist in the recovery. Council has been working hard to identify which ideas can be implemented immediately and are committed to making the necessary changes to prevent similar issues occurring in future years.

In the past week, the team has been working through many housekeeping matters and preparing for the season ahead. Over the next few weeks you will see us calling for members to support various cost savings initiatives and changes to the Constitution. Council has not had a chance to talk through each of them in detail but are looking to make changes in Tinytales; Governance & Meetings; Show Rules; Registry, Show Scoring and much more. A Focus Group will be set up for each and the most relevant cross mix of members will be asked to work with the Council team to create questionnaires, review options and make recommendations. Several members have already offered their assistance and we are grateful for their help. As many of these will require constitutional changes, a Constitution Review team will be established to consider how we get the required changes through the Constitution and draft any remits required.

As you can see there are many positive things being worked, as well as a few negatives which we are working through as well. Council is committed to seeing this season through and will welcome any feedback, positive ideas for change and offers of support from members. To those of you who are expecting foals – all the very best, we hope all goes well and we look forward to seeing photos in the not too distant future.

Council Statement 14/07/2017

Council has contacted the Privacy Commission and are aware we could breach certain privacy rules by allowing wholesale access to records/information without the full permission of all members involved . We will therefore be very mindful of this and will only allow information about the member requesting said information and not about other members. Individuals can only access information about themselves under the Privacy Act, not information about others. For example, at a committee meeting decisions may have been made about various members. The requester can only get the information that is about him or her. The society must withhold information about other members unless they expressly agree to the information being made available.

COUNCIL STATEMENT 07/04/2017

Due to the weather related issues many members have had to deal with since Nationals, Council have decided to extend the closing date for signed Remits to be with the Secretary by one full week. They are now due by 5pm, Saturday 15th April.

COUNCIL STATEMENT 09/01/2017

Announcement on Public Liability Insurance Availability to Affiliated Clubs:

NZMHA council is pleased to advise that we have broadened our public liability insurance to cover all NZMHA affiliated clubs. With immediate effect, affilliated clubs will be able to take advantage of our public liability indemnity cover of $5,000,000 for NZMHA related activity as well as statutory liability cover which covers costs associated with unintentional breaches of statute for example Health & Safety - such as insurable fines, defence costs and any repair expenses. For the current policy year, NZMHA will cover all costs and will discuss the policy benefits with Affiliated Club Executive toward the end of the subscription year to determine whether all feel the benefit is sufficient for continuing across future years and what payment options are available. Our initial analysis has shown that insuring as a group has significant financial advantages for the overall membership and makes sure that our members are adequately protected at show events.

Council Statement 02/10/2016

The following statement is regarding the resolution of the ongoing dispute and is for 2016/2017 Financial Members only.

Statement (Password protected. Contact any council member for the password)
Agreement (Password protected. Contact any council member for the password)

COUNCIL STATEMENT 14/09/2016

All fees have stayed the same for 2016/17 season with the exception of long standing members of 15 years or more who get a 10% discount (membership fee only) on their membership this is to be applied after any other discount they may be entitled to such as Gold card.

Council Statement 02/09/2016

Council have been alerted that a number of posts have been made in relation to the Social Media policy and that we have been asked to respond to some of the concerns raised. Unfortunately, Council cannot respond to unofficial posts on non-NZMHA sites as many members are not on those sites. We do, however, respond to questions on the official NZMHA site, although we are not always able to provide immediate attention so do be patient. We are looking at the feasibility of establishing a members only site for critical discussion.

We assure members that, as always, Council only have the best interests of NZMHA in mind with the introduction of this policy. Inappropriate commentary has been a constant complaint from members and has been on the agenda for many Council meetings. The final version of the Policy was submitted to the AGM for consideration because Council felt it was a topic that would have widespread impact.. A key reason for this Policy was the introduction of the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 which introduced a number of changes to several other pieces of legislation in July 2015.. Council had received a number of complaints /concerns about members inappropriate personal comments and some clubs stated that negative comments had cost them sponsorship. We note that some members feel we did not follow correct process in introducing the policy - we believe we did - but Council is more than happy to discuss any specific concerns and take them to the next meeting. Council can only act on feedback given - those we spoke to felt we did not do anything inappropriate, but obviously this has hit a nerve with some of the membership.

Council are not trying to “gag” anyone - rather we are trying to foster a more positive and constructive environment in which we can grow the association. Members are just asked to be less nasty to other members in their posts. Some individuals are going through major life events and a harsh, thoughtless attack on Facebook could push them over the edge. Individuals have a duty of care to consider the feelings of others when submitting posts on Facebook. Many ex members and sponsors have provided feedback that they have left NZMHA due to the constant online negativity and bickering that seems to be the mode of operating for some - several of whom are not even NZMHA members. This shows NZMHA in a bad light and needs to stop. We understand that not everyone agrees with current Council's approach to leading NZMHA - however we are making progress- we made the first profit in a few years and had a very positive National Show despite thinking that it was going to be a failure due to so much negativity. Most Council members have received strong messages of support from those members who appreciate the progress being made. Whilst we will admit to not being perfect - we do feel we have made a positive start to our tenure.

Council agrees that the text on the renewal form does not read correctly and apologies for this - “more haste, less speed” they say and in this case - they were right. We do not expect members to accept ad hoc changes to the Social Media Policy - that was a bad adjustment of an existing clause. We are looking to leave the original wording and add another sentence where members agree to abide by the current Social Media policy.. A revised form will be available in the next few days once Council have had a chance to review the changes. This will hopefully resolve your concerns. Whilst Council does not agree we are a “dictatorship”, we have committed to make sure that the Social Media Policy is enforced, and if that means that one or two members are suspended for inappropriate comments - then that is unfortunate. Be assured that we will work within the confines of our Constitution therefore due process will be followed.

Finally - a request was made to define derogatory - there are many definitions - but a very basic one is showing you have no respect for somebody or something - usually in a disrespectful way. Probably the best guidance can be found in the sites that provide information on the Harmful Digital Communications Act for cyberbullying and online harassment (https://www.netsafe.org.nz/cyberbullying-and-online-harassment/)

The Act sets out:

* new measures to help victims, and to simplify the process for getting harmful communications off the internet quickly and effectively (for example, establishing the approved agency and court-ordered takedown notices, and outlining a complaints handling process that online content hosts must use if they want the protection of the “safe harbour” provision)
* new criminal offences to penalise the most serious perpetrators (for example, the new criminal offences of causing harm by posting harmful digital communications).

At it’s core the Act lays out 10 communications principles which define the criteria for which any digital communication may be deemed harmful.

They establish that communications should not be threatening, intimidating or menacing; grossly offensive; indecent or obscene; or denigrating of a person’s race, gender, sexual orientation or disability. The principles also encompass any encouragement for another person to create harmful communication.

A breach of one of the principles alone is not enough to take action however, the target must also be able to show that they were caused serious emotional distress.

Alongside the new legislation laid out in the Harmful Digital Communications Act, a number of consequential changes have been made to other legislation. These include;

* Changes to the Crimes Act relating to assisting and abetting Suicide (You can read more about this here)
* Changes to the Harassment Act to further define harassment, to include electronic communications and to change some conditions around restraining orders
* Changes to the Human Rights Act to include electronic communications and other fora
* Changes to the Privacy Act that amend some of the privacy principles and change the conditions related to collection, use and disclosure of information related to domestic affairs.

All Council is trying to do is prevent unnecessary unpleasantness and make for a better association.

COUNCIL STATEMENT 14/08/2016

Motion Moved at AGM

Moved Melinda Doyle seconded Judy Pawson

1. That Council adopt the Social Media Policy as presented to the 2016 Annual General meeting.
2. That a reminder be provided to members of the Social Media Policy.
3. That Council strictly enforce non adherence to the policy in accordance with the constitution.

Passed Unanimously

Download: Social Media Policy (also located on the Misc forms/documents page)

COUNCIL STATEMENT 02/08/2016

During the past year, Council have been pursuing the resolution of an ongoing registry matter from 2014. This week, NZMHA received a notice of hearing before the Disputes Tribunal at Masterson District Court for a sum of up to $15,000. This is set for September 2016.

The Council believes they have acted in the best interests of the Members and will continue to do so by rigorously defending this action. We wish to confirm that no legal costs have been incurred by the current Council.

As the matter is before the Disputes Tribunal, no further discussion will be held.

Newsflash 02/07/2016

Remit 27 has been withdrawn as moved by NZMHA Council. There will be ONE remit going forward for Speciality Halter Class - NZ Bred and that is Remit 3, which we hope will give the remit the best chance of success. The JP will be advised of the withdrawal.

NEWSFLASH 28/06/2016
Limited NZMHA Joining Offer for Paid Up Members of NZMHA Affiliated Clubs

NZMHA Council has agreed that, in the run up to the end of the season, we will offer a special incentive to members of our Affiliated Clubs who are not yet members of NZMHA, to encourage them to join us and be able to participate in the fun of Showcase shows and competitions, access Stud Book Online, read our wonderful Tiny Tales publication and benefit from the additional discounts we plan to secure as we develop our Member Discount program.

We have listened to the feedback received from clubs and understand that it can be difficult for members to gather the funds necessary to join and pay the annual subscription. To assist with that, for a limited period only, Council has decided to provide a rebate for the joining fee to allow fully paid up members of NZMHA affiliated clubs to join NZMHA on completion of the Membership Application. All that these members will need to pay is a pro-rata subscription payment of $12.50 for all classes of membership. No other discount will be applied. This is not available to those Members who have been paid up Members of NZMHA within the last twelve months.

New members will receive electronic versions of the Constitution and Rules of the Association. They will also receive the final Tiny Tales issue for the year and the 25 Year Breeding Calendar as well as access to Studbook Online. We will also extend the Prize Giving Dinner discount should the member wish to attend the AGM and Dinner. Save more than $50 and take advantage of this special trial offer. Special Membership forms are on the website and are available from Council if required. 2016/17 membership subscriptions will be due as normal.

COUNCIL STATEMENT 13/05/2016

In regard to the change of date for Showcase One, Council gave consideration to the following factors before making a decision that it felt would be in the best interests of all NZMHA members and in particular the members of Region One.

1. A previous Council extended the Region One Southern Boundary to the Auckland harbour Bridge which meant that a number of previously Region Two members are now included. The Showcase Show should allow members from the Southern part of that region and other Southern regions to have timely access to the show.
2. Most weekends during the show season, apart from long weekends, have A & P shows and Council is duty bound to avoid clashing with these.
3. For members who wish to travel North from anywhere south of Warkworth and Puhoi on a long weekend road, congestion is a major problem with serious delays commencing the Friday of the holiday is on a Monday. Traffic in the Warkworth area is becoming an increasing problem as outlined in todays N Z Herald article by Andrew Scoggins.
4. Showcase Shows held later in the show season always have the potential to attract additional foal entries and the more horses at any show help, not only in the funding of a show, but do give more competition for members and make for a far better show.

The Council therefore decided to hold to Showcase Show for Region One on 4/5 March 2017 nearly four weeks prior to the National Show. Whilst this is later than the show has been held in previous years we trust that our members will understand the reasons for the change of date.

SHOW DATE News 04/05/2016

2016-2017 Show Dates:

Showcase 1 – Northland – 4-5 March 2017
Showcase 2 – Waikato – 11– 12 February 2017
Showcase 3 – Palmerston North – 18- 19 March 2017
Showcase 4 – Christchurch – 25 – 26 February 2017
Showcase 5 – Oamaru – 11 – 12 February 2017
Nationals – 30 March - 2 April 2017

Calendar is open, so all clubs feel free to send in Show Date Approvals for next season.

Council Statement 12/12/2015

Statement from NZMHA Council: It is with regret Council find ourselves having to respond to the public statement made by Colleen Sands’ resignation of her Region 4 NZMHA Delegate Position. In light of requests from Members, Council would like to advise the series of events that has led to this outcome.

Council felt the need to take action after Colleen’s public posts about feeling compromised in relation to her Council position, alleged leaking of information and comments made by Members This is the series of events::

• In early September, Colleen publicly posted a Facebook comment that she felt compromised on Council - with no discussion with any Council Members. Subsequent to this post, Council started to hear allegations of information being leaked. Council decided to ask Colleen for an explanation.

• NZMHA President, Vicky Parker, wrote to Colleen advising of concerns raised and requesting a response. Vicky advised, should Colleen be unhappy on Council, she could resign her position, however, if she chose to stay, she must adhere to Council rules or risk breaching Article 16.2, which would be met with strict adherence to Article 9.

• Colleen's response to this letter was not to contact Vicky nor engage with Council to counter or refute the alleged breaches, but instead to appoint a lawyer who advised NZMHA Council to take no action without hearing from him.

• After almost a month of no response, Vicky wrote to the lawyer on 10/10/15. advising that with no response, Council had no option but to restrict Colleen's privileges so could he please respond.

• Nothing more had been heard from Colleen until her resignation was received by Council on 11/12/15. Council regret Colleen has felt the need to make this public, but we stand by the decisions we made. This Council takes confidentiality and trust seriously and will request ANY and ALL Council members to respond to any alleged breach of Council confidence.

Council would like to thank Colleen for her service to NZMHA over the past several years.

This is the first and final statement Council will make on this matter.

COUNCIL STATEMENT 18/11/2015

Internet Banking is finally here!!!

Internet Banking Information and Account Details (Password protected. Contact any council member for the password. This file is also located on the Registry & Membership page).

NZMHA is proud to announce that members may now use Internet Banking to make payments for Membership, Registry and Incentive transactions.

Please note, this does NOT include Show Entries for now - please give us time to get this up and running then we will look how we deal with that next.

All transactions must be made with the following references in the three little boxes:

Particulars: your NAME
Code: your PHONE NUMBER
Reference: what it is FOR - i.e Registrar or Incentive

Failure to put this information so will result in your transaction not being matched appropriately which could bring about considerable delays in processing.

Please also mark clearly on the paperwork being sent the date you made payment so we can do a secondary check if there is any lingering doubt.

It is also VERY IMPORTANT FOR PAYMENTS THEREAFTER that the REFERENCE FIELD IS CHANGED each time to reflect your payment - some may prefer to set up separate payments for each option rather than editing each time.

Any questions, please do feel free to contact Bronwyn our Treasurer on treasurer@nzmha.co.nz

Council Statement 15/08/2015

Council has noted the recent communications circulating on FaceBook with regards to the nomination of Carolyn Crow as Regional Delegate for Region 1 and wish to post the following statement in response. We hope that this will stop the speculation and provide closure to the matter.

Council would like to make it clear that decisions on Carolyn’s nomination as Regional 1 delegate were not made by Council prior to today’s meeting. In addition, no Council Member was advised of the potential for a Special General Meeting being called as a result of this nomination until the FaceBook messages started.

Council Members present acknowledged that Carolyn Crow would be a welcome addition to the NZMHA team and were excited about her nomination. Her knowledge of the Association, enthusiasm and drive are exactly what we need to help turn the Association around. Unfortunately, Council is bound by the existing Constitution and this is the basis of the following decision.

It is the unanimous decision of those NZMHA Council Members present, that wording in the NZMHA Constitution, Article 10.9 reproduced below, regrettably precludes the acceptance of Carolyn’s nomination whilst she holds an executive position on the Small Horse Breeders Association of New Zealand (SHBANZ).

COUNCIL OF MANAGEMENT – Article 10
No person shall hold any position on Council while they hold a council/ committee/ executive or similar position with any other Miniature Horse related club / association/ society or similar that is not affiliated to or recognised by the New Zealand Miniature Horse Association Inc. “Recognised Miniature Horse Organisations” shall be as determined from time to time by Council of NZMHA.

As the Constitution currently stands, Council’s view is that the only way Carolyn can take a position on NZMHA Council is if she resigns her position on SHBANZ Council. Carolyn advised she did not feel able to stand down from her position on the Executive of the SHBANZ, which she had invested considerable time and effort in establishing. Members of Council respect and acknowledge her decision and regret losing such a valuable candidate.

Council Statement

NZMHA and Mr & Mrs Sloan have agreed to a mutually acceptable, confidential solution to the on-going registry matter and report that this matter is now at an end.

Statement from the President of NZMHA

As you may be aware there is some unrest within Council with unsubstantiated allegations having been made and a claimed Council statement posted on Facebook.

1. At that time the unofficial statement was posted no allegations or complaint has been made via formal means i.e. In writing to either the Secretary or myself as President;
2. Natural justice requires that any allegation/complaint is investigated with input from all parties;
3. Trial on a public forum such as Facebook is not an appropriate way to deal with issues;

As President it is my responsibility to ensure that due process is followed and that NZMHA is protected. Therefore members please be advised that the statement claimed to be from Council was NOT an official Council statement and I as President will be ensuring that those involved are aware that this is not the way things are done. Additionally the written complaints received by the Secretary on 15 and 16 April 2015 will be treated impartially in accordance with due process as is the norm. If I am of the opinion that an impartial investigation is not possible by Council I will exercise the power of my position to protect NZMHA and ensure the investigation is carried out by an impartial party.

Until such time NO further comment will be made by Council.

Regards
Margaret Miller
President

ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NZ MEASURING MEETING

Download: Meeting report

Region 3 Delegate

Council wish to advise that the new Regional Delegate for Region 3 is Cara Murtagh.

REGIONAL DELEGATE - REGION 3

As members will be aware no-one from the region stood at AGM time for the above position on Council. Subsequently the position was declared vacant at the AGM.

Nominations were again called for in mid September. At the close off time for receiving the nominations, the Secretary was notified by the returning officer, Mr Llyde, JP, that no nominations were received. Council wish to advise therefore that the position will remain vacant.

However, anyone residing in Region 3 that would like to put their name forward for the role is asked to contact the Secretary.

Update from RAS AGM/Conference

Please be aware that the Remit to Increase the Measuring Fees for RAS passed. NZMHA voted AGAINST the remit.

This will mean the following measuring charges are applicable for all RAS measuring next season.

First measure (either annual or young stock) with issue of Certificate - $30.00
Annual re-measure - $20.00
Young Stock re-measure - $10.00

Please also be aware that individual stands are entitled to charge additional operating costs.

Little Horse Division

Download: Little Horse Division document (Amended 16/05/2014. Amendments shown in red)

Clarification Points
As a result of the meetings held around the Country NZMHA Council would like to clarify the following:

* The Amnesty period is for revoked miniature horses that were registered with NZMHA prior to going over height. This Amnesty also includes horses that have not been upgraded.
* Little Horse Division is only for NZMHA registered stock or recently hard shipped horses.
* Hard shipping – NZMHA Council will not be recommending to the AGM that the Hard shipping fees be reduced.
* The name Little Horse Division seems to have alienated some – this is a name only and can be altered if members wish. It is a division for horses 38” and up to 42”.

Regional Boundary Changes

Download: NZMHA Boundary Changes information sheet (includes maps)

Council statement 30/08/2013

It has come to the attention of NZMHA that there is the possibility of a group of members calling for an SGM based on their dissatisfaction with recent council decisions. While any group of members are quite within their rights under the Constitution to do so we would ask that all members consider the following:

1. The Council was voted in by the members at the recent AGM. They are empowered by the members under the Constitution to make decisions in respect of the management (including financial affairs) of the NZMHA. Some of these decisions may not meet the approval of all members but the intent of the SGM provision in the constitution is not to provide a forum for members every time they disagree with the Council decisions. Doing so undermines the Council’s ability to do its best for NZMHA. The members need to make their minds up whether or not they will trust their elected Council or whether they want to run the NZMHA by themselves as a whole;

2. The cost of an SGM at a minimum of $1,000. As you all know the current NZMHA financial position, a further call on its available funds at a time cost saving is paramount will only assist to push the NZMHA further into an untenable financial position. The above are facts. We are not trying to dissuade members from an SGM and will support any call for an SGM but members need to either trust their Council and let them get on with their job or the end result will be management by members through SGM’s. This is not how an association should be run nor was intended to be run. Do you as members want an NZMHA which is unable to make any effective decisions if constantly faced with the threat of an SGM after each Council meeting?

Members Directory

The 2013 issue of the NZMHA Members Directory will be made available on the NZMHA website only this year.

Please advise the Secretary ( secretary@nzmha.co.nz ) by Wednesday 28th August if you DO NOT wish your details to be made available in the members directory on the NZMHA website.

It is envisaged that this will be up on the site by Saturday 31st August.

This initiative has been taken as part of the cost savings being put in place to ensure the future of the NZMHA.