The following are the rules of Waikato Linux Users Group Incorporated ("WLUG"):
The name of this society is the Waikato Linux Users Group Incorporated.
The society is being established with following purpose and aims in mind:
In order to join the society one must complete a membership form, and payment for the yearly fees must be received within 90 days of the submission of the form. Failure to pay the fees within this time will result in the membership, and all membership benefits, being revoked. The fee is determined by the committee of the society and can be changed as the needs of the society change.
Membership is for the current financial year of the WLUG. This is presently defined as being the year from the 1st of September to the 31st of August.
Membership is encouraged but not required: regular meetings are open to all and casual requests for assistance or information are allowed. Only members will have access to the areas outlined in Rule 2b above.
Membership of the WLUG mailing list and membership of the Waikato Linux Users Group Incorporated are independent.
A member can choose to leave the society at any time, without refund of their fees. The member wishing to leave must submit written notice to the committee to this effect. Non-payment of subscription fees will result in termination of membership and all associated benefits.
A member can be expelled from the society at the decision of the committee, for reasons including but not limited to:
"Serious misconduct" is held at the discretion of the committee of the society, and any grievances should be brought before the committee.
The rules of the society may be altered, added to or rescinded at an AGM or, in special circumstances, at a special meeting held for the purpose. Such meetings must be announced ahead of time and are open to all members of the society. Only members of the society can vote.
In either case, a vote by show of hands is taken on each modification to the rules, with a two-thirds majority indicating the successful modification to the rules.
The president of the club (or acting president if the president is unable to be present) has a casting vote.
No addition to or alteration of the non-profit aims, personal benefit clause or the winding-up clause shall be approved without the approval of Inland Revenue.
The provisions and effect of this clause shall not be removed from this document and shall be included and implied into any document replacing this document.
Annual General Meetings shall be announced on the society's electronic mailing list a month before they occur, and at the previous months meeting. A reminder shall be posted to the mailing list at suitable intervals prior to the event, such as two weeks, one week, two days, one day, etc.
Annual General Meetings will cover topics including but not limited to:
Any decisions to be made will be made by vote by show of hands, with a simple majority indicating a success.
The president of the club (or acting president if the president is unable to be present) has a casting vote.
At an AGM, a quorum shall be 50% of the society membership, or 15 people, whichever number is smaller. Only those people who were paid members in the previous financial year and who have signed a membership form for the next financial year will be considered eligible to vote.
Note that this clause does not preclude the guidelines in Rule 5 for changing the rules or charter of the society: decisions which change the rules or charter of the society still require a two-thirds majority.
Regular meetings are to be held initially at a monthly interval, upon the 4th Monday of the month. Announcement of meetings and the topic of the meeting will be made on the society mailing list at suitable intervals prior to the event, such as one week, two days, one day etc.
Regular meetings shall conduct of such content as is discussed by the society, including but not limited to:
Members and non-members alike can give or organise presentations or discussions.
Additional regular meetings may be announced, if such a need arises.
The WLUG Committee shall meet once per month, either at the Regular Meeting for the month, or a separate date, time and location, at the discretion of the committee. Committee meeting details and a tentative agenda will be published to the society mailing list seven days prior to a committee meeting.
The purpose of the Committee Meeting is to discuss matters pertaining to the ongoing running of the society. If a society member wishes to raise an issue at a committee meeting, they can give at least two day's notice to the Secretary, who will then put the item on the agenda and invite the member to the meeting if appropriate. Otherwise, committee meeting attendance is restricted to committee members.
Only Committee members are allowed to vote at a Committee Meeting. The quorum will be five members of the committee.
Minutes of committee meetings shall be made available via the society's electronic mailing list as soon as practical after the committee meeting.
Special meetings are given notice to the society mailing list as is suitable to the nature of the meeting. The meeting may not require the general attendance of the society, in the case of most disciplinary meetings, or may require full attendance in the case of a change to the charter or rules of the society.
The purposes of a special meeting is to conduct any urgent society business, including but not limited to:
The committee can call a special general meeting by a pass vote at a committee meeting. A member may call a SGM if backed by a majority of the society's membership.
At a SGM, a quorum shall be 50% of the society membership, or 15 people, whichever is smaller.
The society will continue in its activities outside of organised meetings, in that its primary form of communication is via an electronic mailing list. This electronic mailing list (referred to as 'electronic mailing list' or 'mailing list' elsewhere in this document) is intended to be used for discussion including but not limited to:
An "acceptable use" policy is maintained by the committee of the society, and decisions on what are acceptable topics for the mailing list are made by the committee. The List Administrator of the society is responsible for enforcing these decisions.
The officers of the society shall consist of a president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. The committee of the society shall include the above named officers, as well as 5 (five) extra members. The electronic mailing list is the primary means of communication and activity within the society. As the mailing list requires some administration, an ex-officio position of 'list administrator' will be appointed by the committee.
The officers and committee members shall be elected at an AGM or at a special meeting called for this purpose.
Temporary replacements can be appointed at the discretion of the committee.
The standard term of appointment is one year, or until the next AGM, whichever is shorter. If a temporary position is appointed it will arise for reappointment with the other positions at the next AGM.
The common seal of the society shall be held with the secretary.
The seal can be used to verify documents on behalf of the society, either by the committee or officers of the committee at an AGM or special meeting, or by the president of the society if s/he deems it appropriate.
The funds of the society shall be held under the control of the officers of the committee. The treasurer and secretary shall have joint required signing rights, and operate the bank accounts, handle investments, and make payments as needed.
Surplus funds, which are defined as being funds well in excess of the typical operating expenses of the society at the appropriate point in time can be invested, however no provision is made within the charter for this at the time of inception and should such a change be required it must be motioned at an AGM or at a special meeting called for this purpose.
No member of the organisation or any person associated with a member shall participate in or materially influence any decision made by the organisation in respect of the payment to or on behalf of that member or associated person of any income, benefit, or advantage whatsoever.
Any such income paid shall be reasonable and relative to that which would be paid in an arms length transaction (being the open market value). The provisions and effect of this clause shall not be removed from this document, and shall be included and implied into any document replacing this document.
If the society ever needs to borrow money, the matter should be raised at an AGM for resolution. The purpose of the loan should be checked to ensure it lies within the objectives of the society.
If upon the winding up or dissolution of the Waikato Linux Users Group (Incorporated) there remains after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities any property whatsoever the same shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the society but shall be given or transferred to some other organisation or body having objects similar to the objects of the Waikato Linux Users Group (Incorporated), or to some other charitable organisation or purpose, within New Zealand.
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Open Source Software is defined by the Open Source Initiative at 
http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php.
Free Software is defined by the Free Software Foundation at http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/free-sw.html.
Software covered by either of these concepts are generally distributed with licenses such as as the GNU General Public License (GPL) (http://www.fsf.org/licenses/gpl.html), the BSD License (http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.php) or the Mozilla Public License (http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mozilla1.1.php). This list is not exhaustive nor is it intended to define bounds on the definition of Free or Open Source software; this footnote is merely here as a reference for the reader.
