Nominations of Associates, Fellows, Honorary Fellows and Life Members of the Institute
Nominations are invited for the awards of:
Associate (Professional)
Associate (Union Activism)
Fellow (Professional)
Fellow (Union Activism)
Honorary Fellow
Life Member
These will be considered by the Honours Committee, which has the constitutional responsibility of making recommendations on such nominations to the National Executive of NZEI Te Riu Roa.
The philosophy behind the provisions for the awards of grades of membership is that of both recognising and promoting excellence in the field of education in the widest sense.
These provisions are an important aspect of NZEI Te Riu Roa’s overall commitment to enhancing the professional status of its members, through the recognition of excellence by one's colleagues.
The National Executive has noted with concern not only the limited number of nominations received, but also the limited number of female and Maori nominees being referred to the Honours Committee for consideration and asks Branches, Aronui Tomua, Komiti Pasifika, Area Councils and National Executive Advisory Groups to give particular consideration to redressing this imbalance.
Nominating bodies should ensure that nominees are held in high regard professionally by their colleagues and it is suggested that nominating bodies form small sub-committees to consider the selection of nominees as this process allows a more careful consideration of the matter to be made than is possible if nominations are simply called for at a meeting.
The processing of nominations, including obtaining referees statements, is time-consuming and nominating bodies are asked to help limit this by ensuring that the details provided on the forms are both easily read and accurate.
Procedure
Nominations are required to be received by the National Secretary on or before 6 June 2014 if they are to be considered for awards in 2014. This notice sets out the procedures for making nominations.
Please take particular note of the following
1. Closing Date
The closing date for the receipt of nominations for consideration by the Honours Committee is 6 June 2014. Completed forms may be sent in at any time before the closing date.
2. Nomination Forms
A Nomination form for the awards of Associate and Fellow is available on http://www.nzei.org.nz/NZEI/MyNZEI/Resources/Annual_Meeting.aspx
3. Life Membership and Honorary Fellow
Nominating bodies wishing to have a member or former member considered for Life Membership, or a person considered for Honorary Fellow, should write accordingly to the National Secretary.
4. Criteria for Awards (Part A of nomination form)
The information supplied should be relevant to the criteria for the award (refer to the Guidelines, (page 5)) and should assist the Honours Committee in making a recommendation to the National Executive. Full details of criteria for all awards are contained in this document, pages 7 to 10.
Associate
For the award of Associate, there is a prerequisite of 10 years provisional or full membership of NZEI Te Riu Roa or a kindred organisation although this can be a lesser period in exceptional circumstances. The nominee should have demonstrated a commitment to education, upheld the ideals of the Institute and met the criteria of the particular award applied for over that period.
The award can be made within one year of the date a member resigned or retired from the institute.
Fellow
For the award of Fellow, there is a prerequisite of 15 years full membership of NZEI Te Riu Roa or a kindred organisation. The award can be made within one year of the date a member resigned or retired from the institute.
The nominee must have already received an award of Associate or hold an ESPA or NZEI Te Riu Roa Special Service Award.
Honorary Fellow
The award of Honorary Fellow is made to those who are generally acknowledged as being worthy of a high honour but who do not otherwise qualify for the award of Fellow.
They must have demonstrated eminence in their field of education, a kindred discipline or the union movement nationally or internationally and have significant service to education and the well-being of learners and have supported the Institute’s objects, goals and activities.
Life Membership
A nominee for Life Membership must have demonstrated distinguished service of a nationwide and outstanding nature. A nominee must have already received the award of Fellow or Honorary Fellow.
5. Closing Date
Nominations for all awards received by the closing date (6 June 2014) will be considered by the Honours Committee, and subsequently by the National Executive, for the purpose of conferring awards in September 2014.
6. Signatures on Nomination Form
Two members of the nominating body (other than the Nominee) must sign the nomination form on behalf of that body.
The signatories must not be referees for the Nominee.
7. Nomination of Referees
Please note the statement on the nomination form:
"We nominate, with their approval, two referees" one of whom may be cited by the nominee. Between them, the referees must be able to comment on the nominee in the workplace and in education more widely; in the Institute; and in the community. In some instances a third referee may be necessary to cover all three aspects.
Please check that the Referees agree to act in this capacity before their names are put on the form.
Where possible referees should be people of some significance in education, the Institute or the community.
· Independence of Referees: The nominating body needs to ensure that at least one of the referees is an independent referee whose identify as a referee is not known by the nominee.
· Cross Refereeing: In selecting referees, the nominating body should ensure that cross refereeing does not occur (i.e. if A is the referee for B, then B cannot be the referee for A). Nominating officers are asked to check this matter before signing the forms and sending them to the National Office.
· Confidentiality: Prospective referees may be assured that the information given is held in the strictest confidence and is destroyed once consideration of the nomination is completed.
· Contact: On receipt of the nomination forms, National Office will contact the referees direct. Nomination forms will be sent to the nominated referees at that time.
· Nomination forms should be sent directly to the National Secretary.
· Please read the procedures for handling nominations contained in the Guidelines attached.
8. A full list of current award recipients can be found on pages 11 to 21 of this document
GUIDELINES
Please read this document carefully prior to taking action
Service to Education & the Institute
All members are aware that the Institute expects them, in undertaking their duties and responsibilities, to conduct themselves so that they promote and maintain the dignity and welfare of the Institute and advance the cause of education.
In their application for membership, members acknowledge their responsibility to the child and the community, and promise to uphold the ideals of the Institute.
In pursuit of these ideals, the Institute has established procedures whereby it can recognise officially those members who have given outstanding service in their work for education and / or the Institute.
This recognition takes the form of the award of grades of membership, which are made by the National Executive on the recommendation of the Honours Committee of NZEI.
It is expected that nominees for the awards of Fellow or Life member will have given service of a very special and outstanding nature.
Nominations - General Considerations
1. The basic criteria for all awards are that of meritorious and outstanding service to education and / or the Institute.
2. When considering nominations, due regard should be given to:
(a) members who have rendered valuable service, in a variety of ways, at branch, aronui tomua, komiti pasifika, area council and national level.
(b) members who have made an important contribution to the educational or industrial affairs of the Institute, even though they may not necessarily have been prominently identified with the work of their local branch, aronui tomua, komiti pasifika, area council or national executive advisory group.
(c) women members, Maori, early childhood workers, support staff and those in their earlier years of service. In each of these categories, there are many outstanding persons who deserve to be recognised for their contribution.
It must be emphasised that the attainment of high office, at any level, does not automatically entitle a person to an award. The foremost qualification for an award is that the nominee has met the basic criterion. Other factors may be of equal, or greater, importance in individual cases.
Procedures to be followed by nominating bodies
Nominating bodies are asked to acquaint members with the following procedures:
i Persons who were nominated unsuccessfully last year will not be considered again by the Honours Committee unless they are renominated.
ii All nominations must be made on the official current form. These are obtainable from National Office on request and on the NZEI website, www.nzei.org.nz. Nomination forms must be received by the National Secretary by 6 June 2014.
iii There is one form for nominating Associates and Fellows and the form should be marked accordingly.
iv The names of individuals nominated should not be published in any form (e.g. in a newspaper report of a meeting, or in a newsletter). Any discussion of nominations must always take place in-committee.
v Members who have been nominated for a grade of membership should not take part in considering the selection of those whose names are to be forwarded to the National Secretary.
vi It is not necessary for nominees to be informed of their nomination or to complete any portion of the nomination form. If the nominee has not been informed of the nomination, the nominating body should nominate two referees. Neither of the referees should be one of the nominating members (i.e. the President or Secretary of the nominating body , the individual members who move the nomination, or members of a committee set up to deal with nominations).
vii If the nominee is aware of the nomination, the nominee should be given the opportunity of recommending the name of one of the two referees. If the nominee does cite a referee, indicate by the referee’s name in Part E of the nomination form.
viii It is essential that before nominating referees, the nominating body, or the nominees concerned, should ascertain that the referees nominated are prepared to act in this capacity if called upon.
A member of the Honours Committee of the Institute should not be asked to be a referee. Care should also be exercised so that cross refereeing does not occur.
Relevant Sections of NZEI Te Riu Roa Rules
2.12 Grades of Membership
2.12.1 Honours Committee – Membership
2.12.1.1 Members of the Honours Committee shall not be members of the National Executive.
The National Executive shall appoint an Honours Committee consisting of:
(a) A Fellow of the Institute appointed by the National President to chair the Committee;
(b) Four Fellows of the Institute, appointed for a four year term;
(c) Two members nominated by Te Reo Areare, for a four year term, provided that if the nominees are members of the Institute they shall be Fellows of the Institute and if not members of the Institute they shall be Kaumatua or Pakeke;
(d) Up to four others determined by the National President in conjunction with the Chair to balance the skills and knowledge required. These are appointments for up to four years.
2.12.1.2 A quorum shall consist of seven members of the committee.
2.12.2 Honours Committee – Functions
2.12.2.1 Subject to the provisions of these Rules the functions of the Honours Committee are:
· To consider nominations for the grade of membership specified in these Rules and to make recommendations to the National Executive accordingly;
· To consider and report to the National Executive on any matter relating to the Rules provisions for Grades of Membership.
2.12.3 Grades of Membership - Criteria
2.12.3.1 Associate
The award of associate acknowledges the work of nominees at worksite, local or area level. There are two categories for the award - professional contribution and union activism.
In order to be considered as an Associate the nominee must have demonstrated:
Associate (Professional)
· Support for the Institute's ethics, objects and goals;
· A high level of effectiveness and credibility as a practitioner;
· That he/she is held in high regard by and has excellent relationships with learners, colleagues, caregivers and other members of the education community.
Associate (Union Activism)
· Support for the Institute's ethics, objects, goals and activities;
· A high level of effectiveness, activism and credibility as a union member;
· That he/she is held in high regard by and has excellent relationships with colleagues, NZEI members and other members of the education community.
An added advantage is involvement in community activities outside education.
A pre-requisite for the award of Associate is:
· Provisional or full membership of the Institute or a kindred organisation for 10 years (earlier in exceptional circumstances).
The award of Associate can be made within one year of the date a member resigned or retired from the Institute.
2.12.3.2 Fellow
The award of Fellow is made for regional and national level work. There are two categories for the award – professional expertise and contribution and union activism.
In order to become a Fellow (Professional) a nominee must have demonstrated:
· All of the requirements for Associate to a higher level;
· Support for the Institute's ethics, objects and goals;
· A high level of effectiveness and credibility as a practitioner;
· That he/she is held in high regard by and has excellent relationships with learners, colleagues, caregivers and other members of the education community;
· Outstanding leadership and active promotion of excellence in education in his/her field;
· Ongoing quality contributions to a range of Institute activities;
· Special contribution to the wider educational community;
· Service to the wider community.
In order to become a Fellow (Union Activism) a nominee must have demonstrated: