Home Birth Aotearoa Trust

Trustee nominations 2014

by | May 25, 2022 | Conference-Hui

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Our News

By Home Birth Aotearoa
Sep 2014

Trustee nominations 2014

Nominations were opened for trustees to Home Birth Aotearoa Trust in June. We welcomed nominations from all members of our home birth community. From this we had some warm responses and are excited to see the interest in contributing to the Home Birth Aotearoa trust board. Even though nominations have now closed we will continue to invite interested parties to contact us about joining the trust board, along with some robust discussion at Hui (see the save the date below) around this.

Do you value the work Home Birth Aotearoa do for you? Do you feel you would like to contribute to the future direction of Home Birth Aotearoa?

If you are passionate about Home Birth Aotearoa, and think you can fill a role, please email us at admin@homebirth.org.nz. The future of our organisation is dependent on the support we receive from our community.

For various reasons, most of the women who are part of the current Trust Board have resigned, and we therefore need to urgently fill a number of formal voluntary roles in order to continue operating effectively. These volunteer roles are well supported by our paid staff and require a commitment of approximately 10 hours a month. These roles include:

  • Chairperson
  • Treasurer
  • Board member

We are all aware of the voice and passion that Home Birth Aotearoa has provided to our Home Birth community, including securing funding from the Ministry of Health and the provision of resources. For this to successfully continue, we need a committed and passionate Trust Board which can safeguard and direct the organisation going forward.

We would love to hear from you and are very happy to answer any questions you may have about what the roles involve.

Trusteeship is a voluntary position, strategically managing the activities of the trust in collaboration with our existing trustees and employees. Becoming a trustee is a valuable and honouring opportunity, where you can utilise your passion, knowledge and skills, whilst meeting new people and gaining new skills. There are opportunities for growth on the board.

Home Birth Aotearoa is the national organisation representing the regional home birth groups throughout Aotearoa. Home Birth Aotearoa would not exist without the regional associations whom it represents and who help deliver our key activities on a regional level.

Currently there are around 25 regional groups, ranging from legal entities to informal groups. All are actively involved in supporting home birth in their regions.

Home Birth Aotearoa Trust is a charitable trust which was formed on 26 July 2007. The Trust was formed to enable collective accountability and sustainability of a national home birth organisation via a legally recognised entity. National Hui is convened annually with members of all regional groups invited. The AGM is held at the same time. Regional groups are invited and supported to arrange local pod hui on an annual basis also. A conference is hosted biennially (every two years) by a regional association.

We welcome your application to the board.

Our Goals:

  1. That home birth is recognised and promoted as an option for the place of birth for the majority of NZ women and their whanau
  2. To increase the number of New Zealand women and their whanau choosing to birth at home
  3. To have a strong and flourishing network of active home birth groups throughout Aotearoa
  4. To have input into maternity strategy and policy- making to enable empowering birth experiences and outcomes, and healthy, thriving families
  5. To uphold the articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi

How we work:

The structure of Home Birth Aotearoa has the trust at the core – regional home birth groups contributing to each other and the trust and vice versa. The trust holds the contract for national delivery of home birth coordination and collectively the HBA community has input into the planning and delivery. We use collaborative, consensus decision making to operate.

What does trusteeship involve?

Trustees are responsible for the governance of Home Birth Aotearoa Trust. They are accountable to the national network of home birth associations and support groups (Home Birth Aotearoa) to set and achieve goals which support the goals of the Trust. This includes accountability for financial transactions (including funding, expenditure and assets) and legislative and compliance issues relating to the provision of any services. Further details on who we are, and what we do, are on our about us page.

Trustees will need to be able to commit to:

  • timely participation in the online agenda of board business
  • regular meetings (4-6 weekly) by teleconference
  • attendance at national Hui
  • some trustees have specific accountability e.g.: Treasurer, Facilitator, and/or contributing to initiatives
  • thinking at a national level, providing guidance, clarity and direction for long and short-term goals
  • nurturing of one pod area (group of regional associations). This involves regular seasonal contact and supporting connectedness.
    Trustees will have:
  • a passion for home birth, accompanied by 5-10 hrs of investable time per month
  • a commitment to supporting and empowering women, their whanau and their communities in their choice to birth at home
  • a commitment to Home Birth Aotearoa
  • an ability and commitment to expressing their own opinions and perspectives
  • an ability and commitment to working constructively with others, sometimes from diverse backgrounds and points of view
  • the support of their families in undertaking a trusteeship
  • the support and endorsement of their regional home birth association or support group

Anyone who is a member (or the equivalent) of and is endorsed by a Home Birth Association or Home Birth Support Group in Aotearoa.

Previous governance or committee experience is helpful but not essential.

An annual honorarium is not currently paid to trustees, however reimbursement for Hui travel is.

The Existing Trust Board:

The trust board is governed by up to 8 trustees, with a quorum of 5, under a trustee deed established in 2007.

Copies of the trust deed are available on request.

Current trustees:

  1. Sian Hannagan – Dunedin Home Birth Association, Interim Magazine Editor: Remaining in seat
  2. Mayana Sipes – Auckland Home Birth Support, Group Project Coordinator& PR/Media: Remaining in seat
  3. Sharon Knightbridge –Westcoast Home Birth Association, Resources: Term expired, standing for new term
  4. Rachel Correa – Home Birth Hawkes Bay, Facilitator Term expired: Vacating seat
  5. Cecile Tamang – Dunedin Home Birth Association, Regional Liaison: Vacating seat
  6. Nadia Kersel – Home Birth Hawkes Bay, Board Secretary & PR/Media: Remaining in seat
  7. Vicki Rogers – Dunedin Home Birth Association: Vacating seat
  8. Vacant seat Previous treasurer: Seat available/li>

Home Birth Aotearoa Trust is seeking the appointment of 5 Trustees. (One for a 2 year term)

Currently there is no limit on the number of terms a Trustee can be nominated and elected for.

How to Apply:

Please complete and return this nomination form

TRUSTEE NOMINATION FORM 2014

via email to: admin@homebirth.org.nz or by post to:

HBAT PO Box 8053 Dunedin 9041

If you require further information, please contact Tess Trotter at admin@homebirth.org.nz

Trustees will be ratified at the National Home Birth hui in October.