• When does the consultation period close?

It closes on November 20.

  • How can I provide feedback?

There is a submission form available on www.beeunified.org.  Only feedback and comments made using this form will be considered as part of the consultation process.

  • What will happen to my feedback?

All feedback and comments will be considered carefully by the interim AIGB.  Depending on the comments received, the AIGB may decide to amend certain aspects of the material on which it is consulting.

  • Is the name Apiculture New Zealand set in stone?

It has been suggested by the AIGB that this is the name for the restructured association, but that may change after the consultation process.

  • When will the special vote be held?

At this stage, the special vote is timed for February 1, after NBA members and the wider industry had have a good chance to consider what is being proposed.

  • Why is the vote being held?

The special vote is being held to enable NBA members to vote on the changes to the association’s rules/constitution.  The NBA’s rules are being amended to reflect the goals and intent of the proposed restructured association.

  • Who is eligible to vote?

Only paid-up NBA members are eligible to vote.

  • What happens if the vote is ‘positive’?

The AIGB will continue its work to finalise arrangements for the restructured association to be ‘open for business’ on April 1.  There is still a lot to do to ensure everything is ready for that date.

  • Who developed the draft constitution and rules?

The AIGB members themselves drafted the content, using other organisations’ constitutions as an example.  The draft was then checked by the NBA legal advisors and given to the Executive Council of the NBA.

  • What happens if the vote is ‘negative’?

If the draft constitution and rules are not supported by a vote of the NBA’s members, the NBA and industry will have to consider its next steps.  However, bear in mind that an overwhelming majority of NBA members, and attendees at the 2014 and 2015 industry conferences, have called for unification, so it is likely that the NBA will have to make some changes, even if this vote does not support these specific changes to the constitution that are being proposed.

  • If the draft constitution and rules are accepted and the vote is positive, when will the new rules become effective?

The restructured association will begin operating from April 1.

  • The constitution and rules talk about ‘regional hubs’.  Does this mean the NBA’s branches are being dis-established?

The ‘regional hubs’ will provide the restructured association with the important grass-roots, local representation and membership framework.  While they may not be called branches anymore, the concept of local/regional representation remains and the hubs will provide many of the same functions (including field days and the chance for meetings of local members) that the branches did.

  • Where will the funds generated by the regional hubs be held and what governance will there be around that money?

Some of this detail is still being worked through, but the intention is that funds held by the regional hubs will be used for industry good purposes and obviously there needs to be discussion around which projects are supported.  Again, the intention is that financial governance and what constitutes a worthy industry good project will be managed by Apiculture New Zealand in close liaison with the regional hubs.

  • Who will form the governance board of the restructured association?

A board will be constituted from a mix of elected and appointed representatives.  A detailed election process will be arranged so industry members can elect the representatives of their choice.  A search will also be held for candidates to fill the appointed roles.

  • What will be the membership year for the restructured association?

From April 1 to March 31 each year.

  • Will my NBA membership automatically roll over into the restructured association?

Yes, it will.

  • Are the restructured association’s subscription and membership categories the same as the NBA’s

They are very similar, but there are some differences in subscription levels.  All details are on www.beeunified.org.  Some decisions are still to be made about what happens when an NBA member’s membership rolls-over into the restructured association and there is a difference in subscription level.  In some cases, the new sub will be less than the equivalent NBA sub and then the member may get receive a credit.  In some cases, it may be slightly more and that member may be invoiced for the balance.

  • NBA members paid a 13 month subscription for the 2015 year.  What happens to that extra month of subscription?

That is still being worked out by the AIGB and the NBA Executive Council.  However, the intention is to ensure that 2015 members of the NBA are not left out of pocket in any way.

  • What happens to control of the AFB strategy?

We are discussing this now with the Ministry for Primary Industries.  But because we are simply changing the name of the NBA and amending its rules, we anticipate the AFB pest management strategy will continue to be controlled by the restructured association that is developed using the NBA as the foundation platform.

  • What will happen to the AIGB?

If the vote is positive and the new entity is given the green light, the AIGB will have to complete the tasks associated with making sure the restructured association is up and running by April 1.  If the vote does not support the updated constitution and rules, the AIGB and the NBA’s Executive Council will agree next steps.

  • If I am a member of the NBA during the 2016 year, will my membership automatically roll over in membership of the restructured association?

Yes.

  • Are the subscription levels and membership categories of the restructured association exactly the same as those for the NBA?

An attached budget guideline has been included with the information, in principle it is proposed to keep subscriptions and membership categories in line with those of the NBA, noting that we are targeting a much wider membership model and this will mean some changes. Feedback from the consultation process will help guide this process.

  • Why do we pay a registration fee as well as a subscription fee and a voluntary levy?

The registration fee is a one-off cost to cover the expense of enrolling new members.  It won’t apply to existing NBA and Federated Farmers Bees members whose membership rolls over into the restructured association when it commences business. 

The subscription fee is standard practice in terms of assisting an association to cover its operating costs.  We have attempted to minimise membership costs as much as possible.

The ‘voluntary levy’ replaces the existing NBA subscription model, with the intent that this is a fairer outcome for all members.