NZMA and Athletics NZ – MoU

As President of NZMA, I am interested in your feedback about a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) regarding a possible sharing of members between NZMA and ANZ.

Athletics New Zealand (ANZ) / New Zealand Masters Athletics (NZMA)
MoU background information:

The IAAF have indicated that they would like all areas of our sport working together and this can be better achieved as one group.  We all know of club registered athletes who do not join NZMA for whatever reasons … some say it is because they are unwilling to pay two registration fees.  This group are automatically excluded from competing at South Island, North Island, NZMA, Oceania Masters Athletics (OMA) and World Masters Athletics (WMA) Track & Field Championships.

We would like this situation to change and to be able to encourage them to compete with us and perhaps go to OMA or WMA events where there are also non-stadia events as well.

During November 2015, I attended both the South Island and North Island Track & Field Championships where I presented information about the MoU in the form of a tri-folding flyer.  At these meetings, members had an opportunity to ask questions and express any concerns.  Please click on the link below to view this flyer or read it in the January issue of Vetline.

CLICK HERE to view this flyer.

Within this flyer, you will see the membership options that will be available to our members.  Please use this to work out how this MoU will affect you.

As ANZ have indicated that it is part of their 2016 strategic plan to include NZMA within their ‘members’, they are keen to see it happen.  During the past eight months, Linda Hamersley (CEO ANZ) and the NZMA Board have drafted an agreement called a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’.   This outlines the responsibilities and role of both groups and how we would work together.  In reality, it will make very little difference to the rank and file member.

I am currently requesting information from each centre as to how they operate to find out what impact this sharing of members would have at a local level.  I am keen to ensure that no centre is adversely disadvantaged and will be looking at ways NZMA can assist centres.

Why join together?  The current membership of NZMA as at 8 January 2016 is only 464.  This is the lowest it has probably ever been.  Over the past five years, there are a further 709 former members who have chosen NOT to rejoin NZMA.  Why is that?  Some on these ex-members may well still be members of clubs.  If you are such a former member, I would be interested in your reasons for not rejoining NZMA.

The MoU does not mean that we lose control over what we currently organise.  We are talking about a ‘sharing’ of membership, so that ALL masters athletes have the opportunity to compete in ALL masters events throughout the year, based on their membership option selected.  It does mean that NZMA will collect less income from its members, so we the Board will have to look at different ways of doing things accordingly.  There may well also be some changes at a local level, but with the help of NZMA I am sure any issues can be overcome.

What happens next & who gets to vote?

At the NZMA SGM (Special General Meeting) to be held in Auckland on Saturday 6th August, your Centre representatives will vote for or against the agreement with ANZ.  It is important that you let members of your local masters committee know how you feel about this proposal, so they know how to vote.  This needs to be done ASAP.