1        The rules

 

The Biggest Benefit Group is a group operating as an unincorporated group. These Group Rules cover the following:

 

1. The Group name.

2. The date of adoption of these rules.

3. The Group purpose.

4. How a person becomes and stops being a member of the Group, and any obligations that member has.

5. Committees and the governance structure of the Group.

6. What officers will be appointed to committees, and how they will be appointed.

7. How the Group resolves disputes.

8. The control of finances and financial accounts.

9. How the Group Rules can be changed.

10. How the Group will be dissolved.

     

2        Group name

 

The Biggest Benefit Group (in these Group Rules referred to as the Group) is the name of the Group subject to these Group Rules.

 

3        The date of adoption of these rules

 

The date of adoption of these rules is 7 July 2025.

 

4        Group purpose

 

The purpose of the Group is to implement the Group policy.

 

The Group has one policy only and that is to peacefully restructure the governing roles in New Zealand to achieve the biggest benefit for all people everywhere as per the Proposal for Peaceful Restructuring of the governing roles in New Zealand.

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The Group does not, and will not, have any position on any other policy at all.

 

It is the intention of the Group to register with the Electoral Commission pursuant to Part 4 of the Electoral Act 1993 with legal status as an unincorporated group, and to stand electoral candidates and list candidates at the New Zealand general election to achieve the Group purpose.

 

The Group will be disestablished and cease to operate immediately once the Group purpose has been achieved.

 

5        Becoming a member

 

A member means a person who has consented to become a member of the Group and has been properly admitted to the Group who has not ceased to be a member of the Group.

 

Any person may become a member of the Group by sending a completed membership form to the secretary and paying the membership fee to the nominated bank account and having that membership confirmed in writing by the secretary.

 

The Group will keep a register of members to satisfy the requirement to be a registered group with the Electoral Commission as described in the Handbook for Parties that is made available by the Electoral Commission.

 

To sign up as a member of the Group you pledge to:

 

• A peaceful (peaceful under any and all circumstances) restructuring as per the Group purpose

• Deliver the message relating to the Group policy

• Not deliver any message in relation to any other policy at all in the name of the Group

• Vote in an Assembly Committee when called upon to do so

• Fulfil the role assigned to you by the Group only

• Pay the membership fee no less frequent than every three years

• Promote the interests and purpose of the Group and do nothing to bring the Group into disrepute.

• Members and Officers of the Group are bound by the Group Rules including amendments to the Group Rules and the members are bound by the decisions made by Committee Officers.

 

6        Ceasing to be a member

 

A member who has ceased to be a member under these Group Rules:

 

• Shall return to the Group all material provided to members by the Group

• Shall cease to be entitled to any of the rights of a Group member.

 

 

6.1     Cease by resignation

 

A member ceases to be a member if a member resigns from the Group by written notice to the secretary.

 

6.2     Cease by decision of Judiciary Committee

 

A member ceases to be a member if decided by the Judiciary Committee as the outcome of a dispute after the third instance of the same breach of the Group Rules.

 

6.3     Cease by unlawful physical force against another person

 

A member ceases to be a member at once without possibility of reapplying for membership if the member unlawfully exerts physical force against another person.

 

7        Group governance structure

 

The Group has a governance structure taking the form of:

 

• An Assembly Committee

• An Executive Assembly Committee

• An Executive Committee

• A Judiciary Committee

 

The Group shall be managed by, or under the direct supervision of the Committees, in accordance with these Group Rules.

 

An Officer can serve on only one Committee out of the Executive Assembly Committee, the Executive Committee, and the Judiciary Committee.

 

7.1     The Assembly Committee

 

7.1.1    Purpose

 

The purpose of the Assembly Committee is twofold:

 

1. Firstly, the Assembly Committee will vote on a prepared proposal for an amendment to these Group Rules that the Executive Assembly Committee has submitted to the Assembly Committee. Assembly Committee decisions that are accepted will form a change to these Group Rules.

2. Secondly, the Assembly Committee will vote to select the next draft proposal (out of the current set of draft proposals that have been submitted to the Executive Committee) to submit to the Executive Assembly Committee to prepare.

 

The Assembly Committee Officers will perform their duties subject to these Group Rules.

 

 

7.1.2    Selection of Officers

 

Each Assembly Committee will be formed from all members of the Group and be of short tenure and will vote on one prepared proposal and vote to select one draft proposal at a time. Assemblies will be administered by the Executive Committee.

 

7.2     The Executive Assembly Committee

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7.2.1    Purpose

 

The purpose of the Executive Assembly Committee is twofold:

 

1. Firstly, the Executive Assembly Committee represents the Group in the general election as electoral candidates and list candidates, and

2. Secondly, the Executive Assembly Committee prepares proposals for amendments to these Group Rules.

 

The Executive Assembly Committee will prepare each proposal for an amendment to these Group Rules consistent with no more nor no less than the intention of an original draft proposal for an amendment to these Group Rules that the Assembly Committee has submitted to the Executive Assembly Committee. The Executive Assembly Committee will then submit the prepared proposal for an amendment to these Group Rules to the Assembly Committee for voting.​

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The Executive Assembly Committee represents the Group in the general election as electoral candidates and list candidates and are responsible for implementing and achieving the Group purpose set in Section 4.

 

The Executive Assembly Committee Officers will perform their duties subject to these Group Rules.

 

7.2.2    Selection of officers

 

The Executive Assembly Committee Chairperson and additional Executive Assembly Committee Officers will be elected from all members of the Group based on proven relevant expertise and experience to the role subject to these Group Rules and following democratic process as required to be registered as a Group with the Electoral Commission.

 

7.3     The Executive Committee

 

7.3.1    Purpose

 

The purpose of the Executive Committee is to administer the Group Rules.

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The Executive Committee will keep a public record of draft and prepared proposals and how they are prepared by the Executive Assembly Committee and voted on by the Assembly Committee. The set of draft proposals currently submitted to the Executive Committee will be made freely available to the public.

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The Executive Committee Officers will perform their duties subject to these Group rules.

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7.3.2    Selection of Officers

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The Executive Committee Chairperson will be elected from all members of the Group based on proven relevant expertise and experience to the role subject to these Group Rules and following democratic process. The Executive Committee Chairperson will select additional Executive Committee Officers from all members of the Group based on their proven relevant experience and expertise to the role and subject to these Group Rules.

 

 

7.4     The Judiciary Committee

 

7.4.1    Purpose

 

The purpose of the Judiciary Committee is to hear and decide on disputes between members, or between members and the Group, subject to these Group Rules.

 

Three Judiciary Committee Officers will receive submissions directly from the disputants. If the Group is a disputant, then an Executive Committee Officer will make a submission on behalf of the Group.

 

If the Judiciary Committee decides a member breached the Group Rules, then the Judiciary Committee will decide for the same breach of the Group Rules either to:

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1. Remind the member of the Group Rules in the first instance, or

2. Remove the member from any position of Officer position in the second instance, or

3. Cease the membership of the member in the third instance without possibility of reapplying for membership.

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A record will be taken of all disputes and decisions for the Judiciary Committee to follow, subject and condition to these Group Rules, in future disputes to ensure the biggest benefit is achieved for all people.

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The Judiciary Committee Officers will perform their duties subject to these Group rules.

 

7.4.2    Selection of Officers

 

The Judiciary Committee Chairperson will be elected from all members of the Group based on proven relevant expertise and experience to the role subject to these Group Rules and following democratic process. The Judiciary Committee Chairperson will select additional Judiciary Committee Officers from all members of the Group subject to the relevant experience and expertise to the role and subject to these Group Rules. For each conflict three Judiciary Committee Officers will be chosen at random from the Judiciary Committee.

 

8        Election of Committee Chairpersons and Officers Process

 

The Executive Committee Chairperson will propose an election date. The Secretary will notify to the members by sending notice to the member contact details and posting notice on the Group website. The Executive Committee Chairperson will be the returning officer.

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Nominations will be sent to the Executive Committee Chairperson.

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9        Voting

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The method of voting will be by an electronic anonymous ballot website. For any vote to be successful there must be a simple majority.

 

10 Committee meetings

 

All Committee Officers shall be present at Committee meetings.

 

A meeting of each Committee will be held by means of audio, or audio and visual, communication by which all members of the Committee participating and constituting a quorum can simultaneously hear each other throughout the meeting.

 

Except as otherwise provided in these Group Rules, the Committee may regulate its own procedure.

 

11 Committee meeting frequency

 

Committees shall meet at least once per fortnight and conduct due business and be scheduled by the Committee Chairperson, except for the Assembly Committee that is administered by the Executive Committee.

 

12 General meetings

 

The purpose of a general meeting is for any number of members and interested persons to meet either in person or via audio, or audio and visual, communication and have a general discussion or conduct any other business as the members see fit to achieve the Group purpose, subject to these Group Rules.

 

13 General meeting frequency

 

Dates for a general meeting will be proposed by the Executive Committee Chairperson. The Secretary will notify to the members by sending notice to the member contact details and posting notice on the Group website.

 

14 Finances

 

All actions relating to financial decisions must be agreed to by the Executive Committee Chairperson.

 

15 News and progress

 

Officers will update members with news and progress about implementing the Group purpose periodically.

 

16 Amending these Group Rules

 

All amendments to these Group Rules, including the Proposal for Peaceful Restructuring, must be made in accordance with the process as set out in these Group Rules.

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Process for changes to the Group Rules:

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1. Any person anywhere can submit a draft proposal for changes to the Group Rules to the Executive Committee.

2. The Executive Committee collates all draft proposals.

3. The Assembly Committee selects one draft proposal at a time from the collection of draft proposals held by the Executive Committee.

4. The Assembly Committee submits the selected draft proposal to the Executive Assembly Committee.

5. The Executive Assembly Committee produces a prepared proposal consistent with no more nor no less than the intention of the original draft proposal.

6. The Executive Assembly Committee submits the prepared proposal to the Assembly Committee for voting to be accepted or rejected as changes to the Group Rules.​

7. If accepted the prepared proposal will form an amendment to the Group Rules.

 

17 Disestablishment of the Group

 

The Group will dissolve immediately once the Group purpose has been achieved. The Group will dissolve by taking the following steps:

 

1. All members return to the Executive Committee Chairperson all documentation and records relating to the Group

2. All said documentation to be held and stored as a matter of record with the national museum and to be held in perpetuity.