VIA members vote for new structure
Members of VIA (the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association) have voted in favour of its rules and structure being overhauled.
A special general meeting (SGM) in Auckland this afternoon has decided to go ahead and change the way the organisation is structured. About 20 people attended the meeting. The voting was carried out by secret ballot and was 100 per cent in favour of the changes.
Three chief executive officers of member organisations have now been co-opted onto the national executive until VIA’s next annual general meeting. They are Sean Stevens of VINZ, Frank Willett of Autohub NZ and Chris Stephenson of the Enterprise Motor Group, who has been leading the discussions on the restructuring.
David Vinsen, chief executive of VIA, told Autofile Online: “It was a successful meeting with good attendance and by proxy votes. The motion to changes our rules passed unanimously.
“I am pleased with the outcome. This is a vote of confidence in the association and the process to restructure it to make VIA fit for purpose going into the future.”
The vote means the two-branch system of representation in the North and South Islands will be canned. It will be replaced with tiers of governance with ultimate authority vested in a board of directors.
Under the new structure, the board, which will be appointed by a council, will be responsible for the association’s financial affairs, policy directives and management oversight of the association.
The council will be the core of the VIA’s membership representation. It will provide industry participation and consultation on matters such as government interaction, submissions, policy positions and working groups. It will also provide strategic direction to the board and CEO.
Before the SGM, Vinsen told Autofile Online that VIA “will be focusing on our absolute core issue, which is political advocacy for the used-imports industry”.
Work can now begin in earnest on wholesale changes to VIA’s operations following the behind-closed-doors meeting at Waipuna Conference Centre on March 17. The approval of the association’s restructuring and new rules meant a second resolution for its winding-up did not need to be voted on.
In an email to members on March 11, Vinsen, pictured, encouraged any members with questions about the way forward to contact him directly. He added: “To ensure VIA continues to be able to advocate for your industry and business, I urge all members to attend the SGM, or arrange a proxy, and vote for the motion to adopt the new rules.”
The meeting was held after the national executive and council members had reviewed its future following budget deficits in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 financial years. As a result of the review, VIA has already closed its offices in Mount Wellington, Auckland.
Because it is an incorporated society, the changes could only go ahead if the association’s proposed rules were adopted at the SGM by at least 75 per cent of its membership. The new rules will now have to be lodged with the Incorporated Societies Register.
