Nomination Process

How the Officer Nomination process works

Nominations are the first stage of the Guild’s Officer election process. They allow eligible members to put forward suitable candidates for national and branch leadership roles.

1. Choose the role

The nominee should first read the relevant role description and make sure they understand what the position involves.

National roles include:

1. President
2. Vice President
3. Treasurer

Branch roles include:

1. Branch Chair
2. Branch Secretary
3. Branch Committee Member
4. National Executive representatives elected through the relevant branch process

National Officers are elected by all eligible voting members. Branch positions are elected only by eligible voting members belonging to that branch.

2. A voting member makes the nomination

The nomination must be made by an eligible voting member of the Guild.

For a branch position, the nominator should be an eligible voting member of the same branch as the position being nominated for.

The nominator is confirming that they consider the nominee suitable to be put forward for the role.

3. Another voting member seconds the nomination

Every nomination must also be supported by a second eligible voting member, known as the seconder.

The seconder confirms that the nomination is genuine and has support from at least one other member. Seconding a nomination does not require that person to vote for the nominee later.

Both the nominator and seconder must be voting members. Under the Constitution, voting members are Ordinary Members and Honorary Life Members; Associate Members cannot nominate, second or vote in Officer elections.

For a branch position, the seconder should also belong to the relevant branch.

4. The nominee must agree

Nobody can be nominated without their knowledge or consent.

The nominee must:

1. confirm that they accept the nomination;
2. confirm the position they are standing for;
3. declare that they meet the Officer eligibility requirements; and
4. agree to carry out the responsibilities of the role if elected.

The Constitution requires every nominee to consent and complete the prescribed eligibility declaration.

5. The nominee must meet the eligibility requirements

A nominee must:

1. be a natural person;
2. not be legally disqualified from holding office under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 or any other applicable law;
3. be independent of and operate at arm’s length from any engager or engager organisation; and
4. sign a declaration confirming that they meet, and will continue to meet, the eligibility requirements.

The nominee should also check any role-specific or branch requirements before submitting the form.

6. Complete the nomination form

The prescribed nomination form must include:

1. the nominee’s name and contact details;
2. the role they are standing for;
3. their branch, where relevant;
4. the nominator’s details;
5. the seconder’s details;

7. Submit it before the deadline

The completed form must be received before nominations close.

A nomination may not be valid if it:

1. arrives after the deadline;
2. is incomplete;does not have an eligible nominator and seconder;
3. the nominee does not consent; or
4. the Nominee does not meet the required eligibility chriteria.

The form must be submitted through the Guild website or by email using the instructions provided in the nominations notice.

Members should submit nominations early so there is time to correct any missing information before the deadline.

8. The Guild checks the nomination and seeks consent from candidates

Once the Nomination is submitted, The Screen Guild will send the Nominated Candidate a Consent From which requests the following:

1. the nominee’s consent;
2. the nominee’s eligibility declaration; and
3. any short candidate statement or background information requested by the Guild.

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The Guild then checks that:

1. all required information has been supplied;
2. the nominator and seconder are eligible voting members;
3. the nominee has consented;
4. the nominee has completed the eligibility declaration; and
5. the nomination relates to a valid elected position.

The Guild may contact the people involved if anything needs to be clarified.

9. Candidates are announced

Once nominations have closed and been checked, the final list of valid candidates is circulated to eligible voting members at least 7 days prior to phase 1 voting commencing.

The notice will include:

1. The roles being elected,
2. who is standing for each role, and
3. which roles will need a vote because more than one person has been nominated.
4. the names of the candidates;
5. any candidate statements or background information supplied;
6. who is eligible to vote;
7. how to vote; and
8. the opening and closing dates for each election.
9. information explaining how voting Members may cast their votes online; and
10. a link to the online voting form.

The Constitution requires candidate information to be circulated electronically before voting opens.

10. Members vote online

Officer elections are conducted by secret online ballot before the AGM.

All eligible voting members may vote for:

1. President;
2. Vice President; and
3. Treasurer.

Eligible branch voting members may vote for the positions relating to their own branch.

The candidate or candidates receiving the highest number of votes are elected. Voting is overseen by an independent Ballot Officer.

11. Results are announced at the AGM

The Ballot Officer certifies and announces the election results at the AGM.

The successful candidates then begin their term in accordance with the Constitution. Officer terms generally continue until the following AGM, unless the Officer resigns, is removed or otherwise becomes ineligible.

What happens when there are not enough nominations?

Where there are not enough candidates to fill all available roles, the Guild may extend or reopen nominations before the AGM.

If vacancies still remain, valid nominations may be called for during the AGM. Further processes may then apply, depending on whether the vacancy is on a Branch Committee or the National Executive.

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Simple example of the Nomination process in action:

1. Alex nominates Jordan for Auckland Branch Chair.
2. Sam, another eligible Auckland voting member, seconds the nomination.
3. Jordan agrees to stand, completes the nomination form and confirms their eligibility.
4. The Guild checks the nomination and, once accepted, includes Jordan in the candidate notice and online election.

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‍Procedure for Election of Officers & Voting

• Online Officer elections shall open 4 weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting, and will remain open for 21 days
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• The voting period will be delivered in three distinct phases, as outlined below under the section titled "Elections Process"
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Eligibility to Vote in Officer Elections and at the AGM

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Under the Constitution, only Ordinary Members and Life Members are eligible to vote in Officer elections or on AGM agenda items requiring a Member vote.

Associate Members and non-member subscribers are not eligible to vote.
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To be eligible to vote, a Member:

• must not spend more than 50% of their professional time working as an engager; and
• must not manage, or be a member of, a registered engager organisation.

For the purposes of determining voting eligibility:

• Engagers are considered to be anyone working as a Producer or Executive Producer
• Line Producer’s are not considered to be engagers and may vote unless they manage, or are a member of any engager organisation

• Members who manage or are a member of any registered Engager Organisation are not permitted to vote

For clarity:

An Engager Organisation is considered to be any registered organisation who’s purpose is to represent any person (or organisation) considered to be an engager.

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Prior to voting, members will be asked to confirm their eligibility status. This verification process will determine whether or not a member is permitted to vote.

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VOTING DURING THE ELECTIONS PERIOD
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• All eligible voting members can vote on the roles of:
  • President
  • Vice President
  • Treasurer
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• An Engager Organisation is considered to be any registered organisation who’s purpose is to represent any person (or organisation) considered to be an engager.
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• The following positions are elected only by voting Members of the relevant branch:
  • Branch Committee Members
  • Branch Chair
  • Branch Secretary
  • 2 x National Executive Committee Members (per branch)
    
    

ELECTIONS PROCESS - three phases over 21 days:
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PHASE 1 - Voting will open for 7 days for the following roles first:

• President - (all eligible voting members can vote)
• Vice President - (all eligible voting members can vote)
• Treasurer - (all eligible voting members can vote)
• Branch Committee Members - (voting permitted to eligible voting Members of the relevant branch only)
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PHASE 2 - When the voting period for the above roles has closed and each localised branch committee has been elected, the following roles will then be opened for election for a second set of 7 days:

• Branch Chairs
• Branch Secretary
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* Voting for these roles can only be submitted by eligible voting members of the relevant branch.

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PHASE 3 - Once the above positions have been filled, a final 7-day voting phase will open to elect up to two additional Officers from each branch to complete the National Executive Committee.

• Up to 2 x National Executive Committee Members (per branch)

* Voting for these roles can only be submitted by eligible voting members of the relevant branch.
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NOTE: Branch Secretaries once elected in phase 2, have first option to accept a seat on the Executive committee.

• If they accept, only 1 x additional Officer from the elected Branch Committee is required to be elected for that branch
• If the secretary turns down their seat, 2 x additional Officers from that branch's elected committee will need to be elected

How is the National Executive Committee formed?

The following elected Officers automatically become members of the Executive Committee:

‍up to 2 x additional members from each of the elected Branch Committees not including the persons holding the above roles, are elected by the members during PHASE 3 Elections.

• President
• Vice President
• Treasurer
• Branch Chair - Auckland
• Branch Secretary - Auckland (optional)
• Branch Chair - Wellington
• Branch Secretary - Wellington (optional)
• Branch Chair - Christchurch
• Branch Secretary - Christchurch (optional)
• Branch Chair - Queenstown
• Branch Secretary - Queenstown (optional)

With FOUR active Branches, this provides an Executive Committee consisting of 15 voting Officers.

VOTING ON AGENDA ITEMS

To vote on agenda items at the AGM, members must meet the following criteria:

• Be registered as an Ordinary Member or an Honorary Life Member
• Not spend more than 50% of their time working as an engager, and
• Not belong to an engager organisation, as defined under the Screen Industry Workers Act 2022 (SIWA)

Prior to voting, members will be required to verify their voting status, as per the established verification process used in previous elections. This process will determine whether a member is eligible to participate in voting on agenda items.

All voting will be conducted through an online Floor Voting portal, accessible via mobile phone or other personal devices. Members will be granted access to the portal during the AGM, and only those verified as eligible will be permitted to vote.

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VALIDITY OF VOTES:

• For a vote to be validly cast, voting Members must cast their vote online via the Guild's website, using the provided online voting form
• Elections will be overseen by a Ballot Officer. The Ballot Officer will announce the election results at the Annual General Meeting

Important references:

* For rules about Eligibility for Appointment or Election as an Officer of The Screen Guild, please see Rule 19 in the constitution document attached in the Supporting Documents area.

* For information on the Duties of Officers of The Screen Guild, please see Rule 18 in the constitution document attached above

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Rules of AGM attendance

• To attend you must be a current Individual or Honorary Life Screen Guild member
• Please register for the AGM to help with planning. (This is not compulsory, you can still attend the meeting on the evening if you have not registered)
• If you can't attend:
  • you can register an Apology using the above button link
  • You can still make a proxy vote by appointing another member to make your vote for you during the AGM and indicate your voting preferences on the Proxy Vote Form when Proxy Voting opens

If you forget to register or register an apology, you can still come - simply advise the person taking the minutes when you arrive at the meeting.