WPA Annual General Meeting held on Thursday 4 March 2010
at the Silverstream Pétanque Club at 7:30 pm

Present

Hataitai - Margret Fleck
Horowhenua - see Apologies
Kapiti - Kath Alison, Kaye Alison, Fay Doyle, Beverley Mason
Khandallah - Elizabeth Rocks, Michael Rocks
Manawatu - no representative
Masterton - Graeme Morris, Ralph Priddle
Otaki - Margaret Mordecai
Park Avenue - Enoka Smiler, Dirk Winnie
Silverstream - Tim Lovell-Smith, Shirley Nesbitt
Upper Hutt - Bob Horton, Colleen Horton
Wanganui East - see Apologies
Windy Hills - Myles Cowper

Apologies

Nyra Bentley (Horowhenua), Claire Bradburn (Silverstream), Gwen Hill (Kapiti), Catherine Maher (Hataitai), Dick Patston (Otaki), Richard Turfrey (Wanganui East).

Apolgies accepted: moved Colleen Horton/Liz Rocks - carried.

Call for nomination of meeting chairperson

The Secretary called for nominations from the floor for someone to chair the AGM. Fay Doyle nominated – moved Kath Alison/Beverley Mason – carried.

Confirmation of minutes

The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting on 19 February 2009, as circulated, were taken as read – moved Myles Cowper/Tim Lovell-Smith – carried.

President's report

The President's report was taken as read – moved Fay Doyle/Margaret Mordecai – carried.

Financial report

The Treasurer sent out a draft report to all WPA clubs in January and provided an updated report for the meeting.

Minor changes from the draft January report -

Motion: In future clubs need to be aware that if they win the Jacques Cochonnet Cup, it is their responsibility to have it engraved. Moved Margaret Mordecai/Kath Alison – carried.

Contingent liabilities

Discussion about championship winners shirts.

Motion: Known winners of 2009 WPA Championships be awarded championship winners shirts. Moved Michael Rocks/Graeme Morris. Votes in favour – 6, votes against – 1, vote abstain - 1 – carried.

Beverley Mason raised matter of Womens' doubles/triples events. Michael Rocks explained that only regional women's singles is a championship event.

Motion: Winners of 2009 Champion of Champions singles and doubles events be presented with a keepsake of a value up to $20 each. Moved Michael Rocks/Liz Rocks.

Discussion lead by Graeme Morris about the value of prizes – motion carried.

Representative grants – these were limited to the team for the Trans Tasman competition at WPA committee meeting at Kapiti in 2009. Since this decision, a Wellington representative has made the New Zealand Women's team and attended the Asian Championships.

Motion: A payment of $200 be made to Barbara Johnston to assist with costs to attend 2009 Women’s World Championship and a separate payment of $200 in costs to Barbara Johnston to attend 2009 Asian Championship. Moved Michael Rocks/Myles Cowper - carried

PNZ/SPARC grant for $500 to improve the profile of pétanque in the Wellington Region

Michael Rocks noted that the WPA received towards the end of 2009 a SPARC grant via the PNZ on the condition that it would be used for the promotion of pétanque in Wellington region, by March 2010. Discussed the potential of returning the grant or risk not receiving a grant for 2010, as the money was not used within the given timeframe. Further discussion about promotional events for which the funding could be used. Suggestion that WPA write to PNZ requesting an extension to the timeframe for the money to be used.

Clubs to bring ideas for promotion to next WPA committee meeting.

Action point: WPA Secretary to write to PNZ regarding SPARC grant.

Request from acting chair with regard to any additional questions for the Treasurer – none received.

Motion: The financial statements be received. Moved Michael Rocks/Colleen Horton – carried.

Further question about cash assets, which were explained to the meeting.

Vote of thanks moved by Dirk Winnie to the Treasurer for the accounts.

Affiliation fees for 2010/2011

Fees currently set at $5 per member. A proposal for discussion was provided with the draft financial report regarding fee levels for 2010.

Motion: WPA affiliation fees be $5 for senior members and $2 for junior members. A junior member is defined as a person under the age of 20 at 1 September. Moved Michael Rocks/Beverley Mason - carried.

Discussions about level of fees within sports and those paid by bowling clubs. Further discussion about capitation fee changes from 2009 to 2010. Matter of junior discount raised and also the number of junior members in clubs. Currently junior status applies to around 5 people.

Motion: S20.2 of the constitution be modified so that the financial year of the WPA should be 1 May to 30 April. (NB this financial year will be 1 January 2010 to 30 April 2011). Moved Michael Rocks/Ralph Priddle – carried.

Further discussion about the financial year operations.

Remits

The following remits were received:

Tournament Trophies

That the WPA committee seriously consider breaking from the tradition of presenting the current trophies for tournament events. Reasons being that not only are these trophies expensive but they are poor quality and of no practical use. Alternative suggestions are:

Moved Robyn Mann/Enoka Smiler

Discussion lead by Graeme Morris who disagreed with the motion. Acknowledged that 1st, 2nd and 3rd places to be recognized. Motion carried – WPA Tournament Committee to further investigate.

WPA Standing Orders

That Remit 3(b) (shown below) is revoked.

Remit 3 (b) passed at the AGM on 19 February:

That the WPA adopts a set of Standing Orders.

i) That the rules set out in bold type in Members' Meetings by Mark von Dadelszen be adopted as Standing Orders of the WPA.

The reason for this proposal is to move the Standing Orders from being a constitutional matter to being outside the constitution. This would make our Constitution less cumbersome. Should this remit be passed then the following resolution should be put to the meeting.

Proposed Resolution – that the WPA adopt the book Members' Meetings by Mark von Dadelszen as its' authority on meeting procedure.

Discussion lead by Fay Doyle about Claire Bradburn's proposed change to the constitution to tidy things up. Michael Rocks commented on how the motion was written, as it did not accurately reflect the section of the constitution to be repealed.

Fay noted she did not know what Claire's intention was with regards to the remit and meeting agreed to suspend the remit, until the next AGM in 2011.

WPA and NZPA Affiliation fees – discussion paper

The WPA and NZPA give non-competitive players virtually no return from for their affiliation fees. It is obvious that priority goes to the organization and administration of championships and tournaments and coaching top-level players to compete overseas.

In larger clubs, which usually have a much higher proportion of superannuitants who play for social and recreational reasons, this frequently means that the elderly unwaged members are cash cows subsidizing a smaller group of competitive, and usually younger, players. One only has to look at the entries for any major tournament to see that the same names occur every time. Even the so-called “senior” group is weighted towards younger members. In many clubs 60 year olds are among the younger members.

It is noteworthy that the best and most competitive players are often found in very small clubs which make a minute contribution to funding the National and Regional bodies.

There is a case to be put for two classes of membership and two levels of capitation. Using the principle of user pays it would not be unreasonable to charge clubs three times as much for their competitive players as for recreational players.

The WPA depends on its affiliated clubs to supply information on membership before billing. If a club decided to create a new form of limited membership and did not declare those members to the WPA it would present considerable difficulties to police the present voluntary declarations. And, of course, recreational players would have the voting strength to take some clubs out of affiliation with the Regional and National bodies.

These thoughts are offered as a basis for discussion. The members who put these views to our committee would like them to be debated at WPA and National levels in the interests of justice to older members who enjoy the game for recreational reasons.

Discussion paper submitted by the Horowhenua Pétanque club.

Michael Rocks responded to the issues raised and presented a series of graphs showing the breakdown of affiliation fees and tournament expenditure costs. Further discussion about affiliation fees with Enoka Smiler raising support for non-competitive players.

Action point: Michael Rocks to draft a response from WPA to Horowhenua Pétanque Club to address concerns regarding affiliation fees.

Election of Officers

No nominations were received prior to the meeting for either the position of WPA President or Secretary. Nominations were opened to the floor whereby Richard Turfrey (Whanganui East) was the only nomination for WPA President – carried. Richard Turfrey declared WPA President for 2010.

Liz Rocks proposed the Treasurer also act as Secretary until new Secretary appointed.

Request to clubs to identify a suitable candidate before the next WPA committee meeting.

Treasurer will work with outgoing Secretary to complete AGM minutes.

Nomination for Treasurer – no nominations received prior to the meeting. Michael Rocks nominated from the floor – moved Graeme Morris/Kath Alison – carried. Michael Rocks declared Treasurer for 2010.

General Business

Wellington Regional Coaching Report

Presented by Dirk Winnie. Myles Cowper moved his thanks to Graeme Morris and Dirk Winnie for their work in this area – endorsed by Ralph Priddle.

Regional Awards

Discussion about presenting awards at the Masterton Mid-Winter Tournament. Masterton had no objections to this happening. Noted about PNZ awards which only had 2 regions respond with nominations.

Next WPA Committee meeting

Michael Rocks raised the matter of the next meeting. Richard Turfrey to be contacted to organise the first meeting for 2010.

PNZ Update

Graeme Morris discussed PNZ request to clubs for information on events. Advised that PNZ board elections were coming up – noted that there was only one nomination for Vice President and two nominations for Director Sport Development. Discussion on who the Vice President nomination was and questions about why Paul O'Connor resigned as Vice President, which were responded to by Dirk Winnie.

Graeme Morris also noted the PNZ selection process is also up for review this year and something would be coming out from the board shortly and posted on the PNZ website.

Meeting closed 9:22 pm.

Margret Fleck
Secretary