Would you like to join the PHANZA committee?

The PHANZA AGM will be taking place in early November – more details to follow.
For now, the PHANZA committee would like to hear from members who would be interested in
being elected to the committee at this year’s AGM.

Under PHANZA’s constitution, the committee consists of a President, Secretary, Treasurer and up to
six other members elected at the AGM. The committee can also co-opt up to three additional
members at any time.

Some current committee members intend to stand for election again at the AGM, and we already
have a nomination for the position of Treasurer. However, the position of Secretary will be vacant
and there will be some committee positions to fill. The current co-Presidents would also like to know
if any members are interested in taking on the role of co-President (or sole President, but the co-
President arrangement has been working well).

The committee is particularly keen for younger historians to join the committee, and to have
representation of people from different backgrounds and regions, and who do different types of
historical work. Don’t be put off if you haven’t been on a committee before, or if you think you don’t
have enough experience – it’s more important that you bring enthusiasm and willingness to
contribute to the committee’s work.

The committee generally meets online via Zoom once a month for an hour or so, and some matters
may be dealt with by email in between meetings. Apart from attending committee meetings,
committee members can contribute in a range of ways, including drafting letters or submissions,
organising events, or representing PHANZA in discussions with other organisations. Committee
members can also help to edit our newsletter Phanzine, or the electronic journal the New Zealand
Journal of Public History.

The Secretary role does not involve much additional work, since most of the administration is now
done by PHANZA’s Executive Assistant. The current co-Presidents can provide more information
about the co-President role for anyone who is interested.

The committee invites expressions of interest in joining the committee (including in the roles of co-
President and Secretary) by Saturday 31 August. Please send expressions of interest or any
questions about what’s involved in being on the committee to secretary@phanza.org.nz.

Once expressions of interest have been received, the committee will consider any gaps that need to
be filled and may approach individuals to fill those gaps. A formal call for nominations for the
committee will go out to all members ahead of the AGM, and nominations can be received up to 14
days before the AGM.