Appointing a presiding member (board chair)
Me kopou i tētahi mema arataki (heamana o te poari)open_in_new
Your school board needs someone to preside over every meeting.
To keep things fair and unbiased, the presiding member can never be the principal, staff representative, or student representative. open_in_new
Section 11 of the Education (School Boards) Regulations 2020 open_in_newcovers the appointment of presiding members, but we’re unpacking it in more detail here.
When do you have to appoint a presiding member?
Your board must appoint a presiding member:
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At the first board meeting of the year (except in a triennial election year)
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At the first meeting after the triennial election
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If there has been a vote of no confidence in the presiding member
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If the presiding member resigns in writing to the board (they can resign from the position and still be a board member)
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If the presiding member ceases to be a board member.
If your current presiding member is absent from a board meeting, you must appoint a temporary presiding member (not the principal, staff representative, or student representative).
What does a presiding member do?
Usually, a presiding member will:
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Work with the principal to set meeting agendas
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Preside over board meetings
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Lead the board to work as a team and ensure that the work of the board gets done
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Develop an effective and professional working relationship with the principal
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Promote effective communication between the board and the wider community
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Speak for the board when delegated to do so
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Uphold the school board’s responsibility to give practical effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Choosing the right person for the role is crucial.
They play a key role in supporting the success of your board.
How do you appoint a presiding member?
When it’s time to appoint your presiding member, someone needs to run the process. They can be the board secretary or any board member not standing for the role.
The person running the process should call for nominations. Board members can nominate each other or themselves.
Any person nominated by someone else should indicate whether they accept or decline the nomination.
If only one person is nominated, that person is the new presiding member.
If more than one person is standing, they should each speak about what they would offer in terms of skills and experience.
Each board member then votes for their preferred candidate, and the person with the most votes is declared the winner.
How you conduct the vote is up to your board, but we recommend running a secret ballot.
The simplest way to do this is for every board member to write their vote on a piece of paper and then for one person to tally up all the votes.
If all or some of your board is attending the meeting electronically, get the most tech-savvy member to set up a secret electronic ballot.
Some video conferencing software has voting options included.
If there are equal votes for two candidates, there is usually a second vote.
If there is still a tie, this can be broken by “lot”.
The most common way to do this is by tossing a coin, but any method will do.
Once the presiding member has been appointed, record the process undertaken and the outcome in the board meeting minutes.
Questions your board could ask
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Do we know when we need to appoint our presiding member?
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Do we understand the role of the presiding member?
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Do we know how to run the appointment process?
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Did we minute the process we undertook and the outcome?
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Have we updated our board member register and completed the School Board Updates form?
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If the presiding member is new to the role, have we updated any delegations and committees affected by the change?
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Have we advised our community of the new appointment?
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Has our new presiding member contacted NZSBA for support and guidance?
What needs to be done if the presiding member is new?
If your presiding member is new to the role, you’ll need to:
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Update your Board member registeropen_in_new and complete the School Board Updatesopen_in_new form
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Update any delegations and committees affected by the change
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Advise your community of the new appointment.
If your presiding member hasn’t changed, none of the above is required.
Templates, resources, and references
Click on the link(s) below to access this topic’s templates, resources, and references.
Depending on your device, these may download or open in a separate browser.
Links from us
Ministry of Education
Education (School Boards) Regulations 2020