Dogs New Zealand is the latest fictional organisation to take on life of its own. It is nothing more than a trade mark . Few people realise that a trade mark is like a car, it is vehicle for business. It can be assigned it can be used but it is a thing and has as much capability of sending out letters in its own name and invoicing and fining people as your car does .
All over New Zealand Dog breeders are being duped with the latest list of fines and penalties and being rejected on any appeal , few realise that the name Dogs New Zealand has no physical ability to set up the so called breeders code, and least of all, enforce it .
I decided to look into the back ground and first port of call was the register for incorporated societies .Put in the New Zealand kennel club ( as dogs New Zealand wont bring anything up ) and you will find the list of filed documents
The only constitution which has any legal binding is the latest constitution filed in the registry . You will note that this document dated 2018 makes no reference to Dogs New Zealand or any code of conduct , process for making rules and regulations, process for enforcing them .
By going back through the documents you will find that the original documents were robust and contained all the rules and regulations in the constitution and were passed by the executive council with due process.
In 2014 the rules still contained a large section entitled Discipline and settlement of Disputes at section 35 . The following year it was simply struck from the rules see here and again when the constitution was filed again a week later here
There has been nothing in the constitutions since which provide for any process of making dispute and settlement regulations and it is of note that there appear to be no members of the executive who have authorised the correctness of the filed constitutions ,this has all been done by staff members ie employees.
In my experience I have seen many instances where incorporated societies have been taken over by its staff . It is the executive that makes the rules and they appoint the ceo who then employs the staff to carry out those directions , not the other way round .
So often the executive have no idea which way is up , they are elected by the membership , or in this case the delegates and too often are then pretty much told what to do by staff.
It is unclear as to how DOGS New Zealand came about and its even more puzzling as to how ti took on life of its own .It is a registered trade mark but we do not know by whose authority and when it was resolved by the executive to adopt it , the possibility is that the exectutive have no idea how it evolved either .
What can you do .. each of you belongs to a kennel club which has a delegate on the NZ Kennel club , I believe that you should raise it with your club as a concern that the kennel club is acting unconstitutionally
Ask for a copy of the minutes of AGM’s going back to 2014 to verify that the constitutions were changed with proper authority and consensus , to check when and how the rules which are being enforced on you were passed and what legal authority those rules have
Seek evidence that the clubs were consulted on the changes which relate discipline and penalties and the consultation process which had been undertaken with executives, delegates and members.
Those on the executive council https://www.dogsnz.org.nz/dogsnz/executive-council need to be held to account for the unconstitutional actions of the Trade mark and those using the trade mark as though it is a legal person .
A copy of this post will be sent to all members of the executive council and I ask that you all spread the word to the breeders to seek fairness , transparency and accountability
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