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Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 29, No. 1. 1966.

Resignations shake exec

Resignations shake exec

Keven Tate, executive treasurer, and Roger Lawrence, association secretary, resigned last December.

Their move followed some weeks of political dissension, centred on an account from the New Zealand Universities Sports Union for a grant of £45 for secretarial services.

This followed NZUSU's move to independence some months earlier.

However, the resignations represent a greater dissension on matters of general policy, at least as far as Messrs. Lawrence and Tate are concerned.

At the end of November, 1965, an officers' meeting of the executive considered the failure of an earlier meeting to pass the requested payment.

Keven Tate opposed the payment of the amount requested. He stated that it had been agreed by the treasurers at Winter Tournament that no decision would be made on NZUSU finances until a report on secretarial services was made on October 26.

Back-stage lobby

However, following back-stage lobbying by interested persons, a later meeting of treasurers, chaired by NZUSA treasurer Mike Reynolds, passed a motion allocating financial quotas for NZUSU secretarial services among the universities.

At this meeting Tate dissented strongly on the ground that it was not a properly constituted meeting, that no prior notice had been given, and no prior motion circulated.

In addition. Auckland delegates were not at the meeting.

Tate, at the executive meeting, called the Tournament meeting a "Boyd-Hewitt jack-up."

NZUSU vice-president Gordon Hewitt was present at the executive meeting to explain his case.

He argued that the meeting was properly constituted in that there was a chairman, a quorum, and minutes recorded. He said that if Tate considered the meeting was unconstitutional, he should have walked out, not stayed for the vote.

He pointed out that the other constituent universities had agreed to their quotas or were in the process of doing so.

Holding a gun

Hewitt also said that if Victoria did not pay, it could not remain associated with NZUSU and would not be eligible to compete in Tournaments.

Tate said that this was an attempt to "hold a gun" at Victoria's head.

A voting deadlock resulted and two weeks later a meeting of executive again discussed the issue.

Executive took the view that the point in issue was whether NZUSU needed secretarial facilities, not whether the payment was constitutionally authorised by Winter Council.

The payment was then passed with Tate and Lawrence dissenting.

Lawrence then threatened not to sign the cheque, and an argument developed between him and Murray Boldt about the democratic implication of this action.

Tate then attempted to secure the resignation of Mike Reynolds as Tournament treasurer. The majority of executive were not prepared to pass the motion in the absence of Reynolds, and the motion failed.

Tony Hassed, Sports Officer then moved that the Sports Committee finance regulations be approved.

New dissension

Tate again dissented. The regulations were, he said, embodied in the main financial regulations.

When executive voted in favour of adoption, Tate dissented.

On the 20th December the resignations printed on this page were handed to Murray Boldt as acting president.

Keven Tate at this stage commented that executive's passing of a number of financial motions which he opposed cut across sound financial planning.

On the 21st, a press statement was issued to the NZBC by Messrs, Tate and Lawrence. A reply was made by Murray Boldt on behalf of the executive. Both statements are printed in full on this page.

The following day executive met informally to discuss the situation and decided to accept the resignations.

Executive then moved to fill the vacancies. After an initial uncertainty over qualifications, former executive member Dave Shand became treasurer. Alan Jamieson, president of the reformed Commerce Faculty Club, won initial approval for the post but was finally rejected in favour of Mr. Shand.

New secretary

The secretarial post proved more difficult to fill but is now held by Michael King, an Arts student and Salient staffer.

In a press statement made to Salient, Murray Boldt, as acting president, has commented on the letters of resignation and the text of the press release. He writes:

"The charge of 'financial irresponsibility' levelled at the executive lacks any factual justification. Mr. M. Mason, the association financial adviser, has expressed no sympathy for these views, but has, however, deplored the fact that yet another year begins with the treasurer's position having to be filled by co-option.

"The feeble charge of 'gutlessness' does nothing to raise Mr. Tate's statement from the low depths of its origin to anywhere near an objective criticism.

"Mr. Lawrence's final suggestion that the treasurer must be given veto power in financial matters contradicts entirely the democratic basis on which many more committees than our executive operate.

Press release

"Mr. Lawrence's assertion in his press release that all students possess 'inherent financial irresponsibility' will surely be received by students with the derision it deserves.

"I believe that two points merit consideration when the timing and manner of these resignations are considered. While denying no one the right to so resign, I cannot believe that anyone with even the slightest interest in the welfare of the association should find it necessary to 'wash his dirty linen in public.'

"The public relations aspect of this action can hardly have been unintentionally overlooked.

"In my turn. I feel justified in accusing Messrs. Lawrence and Tate of financial obstruction when smooth and efficient financial processing was imperative.

"Both knew the state of certain association activities— namely Extrav and Winter Tournament—was such that any further delay in payment of many accounts would result in legal proceedings being taken against us.

Account control

"Furthermore, as a result of the executive meeting of Saturday, 18th December (both were present) every single account the association controls was in some way dependent on the signatures of Messrs. Tate and or Lawrence.

"They also knew that no executive meeting was being called before January 20th, and to gather the executive at such a time of the year is obviously impossible.

"Thus, by the VUWSA constitution, all pressing creditors had to be delayed at least one month. Had this not been done, the association would have no doubt been in a grave financial position.

"I can draw no conclusion other than that the timing and circumstances surrounding these two resignations were such as to cause maximum inconvenience and embarrassment to the executive personally and the association as a body."