The Auckland branch of the New Zealand Computer Society (NZCS) holds its AGM tomorrow and while no surprises are expected from the election of officers, pressure is building for Auckland to have greater representation at a national level.
The meeting, at which branch chairman Haydn Easte is expected to be re-elected, is unlikely to feature discussion about the representation issue. However, it could be up for debate at the organisation’s national AGM on May 1.
With an Aucklander, Bruce McLean, having been elected national president at the start of the year, there’s some expectation that the NZCS’s constitution might be changed so that voting rights become linked to branch membership. At present, the Northland branch, for example, with a couple of dozen members, has the same say on the NZCS national council as Auckland, which has several hundred members.
McLean won’t say whether he agrees or disagrees with the present representation rule, which dates back to the organisation’s beginnings in the 1960s.
“I have to see if from the top view and see that it is fair for everyone.”
Society fellow and Auckland member Ian Mitchell says Auckland members contribute about 40% of the organisation’s funds.
“The [representation] rule was put in place before Auckland became as dominant as it is.”
The Auckland branch AGM is on at the Auckland Club in Shortland Street, beginning at 5.30pm.