Co-opting board members
Te tono kia uru mai he mema poariopen_in_newopen_in_new
Your board can choose to co-opt extra members to your board.
It’s a good way to deal with gaps around the board table, such as skill, gender, or ethnic diversity.
You cannot co-opt someone to permanently fill casual vacancies caused by elected members leaving your board.
There is a process for filling casual vacancies that must be followed.
Read more about filling casual vacancies in the Elections, Vacancies & Succession Planningopen_in_new section of our Resource Centre.
Note: A state-integrated school board cannot have co-opted members unless the proprietor is prepared to relinquish one of their positions.
A state-integrated board could also increase the number of parent representatives to allow for a co-opted position.
What is a co-opted board member?
A co-opted member is a full member of your school board.
They have the same standing, voice, vote, and accountability as any other member.
They must sign the eligibility declaration form before your board resolves to co-opt them.
Your board should keep this form on file.
They can be co-opted for a maximum term of three years or a shorter term if required.
When making the decision to co-opt, your board should set a date for when the co-option will end (within the 3-year period).
If your board does not set an end date, then the co-opted board member will leave office 3 years after they took office.
This timeframe may differ from that of elected board members and may mean that they stay in office while the elected members leave (at the election).
Like all board members, they should vote in a way that best suits the interests of the school, its students, and its staff.
Co-opted board members can also be appointed to the role of the presiding member.
How many co-opted board members can you have?
The number of board members you can co-opt depends on your board’s structure and constitution.
You must always have more parent representatives than the total combined number of co-opted and appointed board members.
The only time you might have more co-opted/appointed members on your board is when you have a casual vacancy for a parent representative. This would only be temporary.
For more information, refer to our guide to board structureopen_in_new and contact us for advice before making any changes.
Can a state-integrated school board co-opt board members?
Typically, the board of a state-integrated school will have five parent representatives and four proprietor’s appointees.
Because there must always be more parent representatives than the total number of co-opted and appointed board members combined, there are usually no positions available for co-option.
The constitution of a state-integrated board might have been previously changed by agreement with the proprietor or by adopting an alternate constitution.
If in doubt, contact us.
If co-option is not available, your board could:
- Ask the proprietor to appoint someone next time there is a vacancy for a proprietor appointee.
- Ask the proprietor to reduce the number of proprietor appointees.
- In consultation with your school’s community, increase the number of parent representative positions on your board.
How can your board co-opt a board member?
Once you’ve confirmed you can co-opt a board member, your board needs to pass a resolution.
Remember to record why your board decided to co-opt in your meeting minutes and how long the co-option term is.
It’s also good practice to record the term length in the board member register.
There is no right or wrong way to run your co-option process.
Some boards ask for expressions of interest and interview candidates before deciding.
Others take a more informal “tap on the shoulder” approach.
The person you choose needs to complete the eligibility declarationopen_in_new before being appointed.
Your board will then pass a resolution to co-opt the person.
They take office straight after the board decides to co-opt.
You’ll need to update your board member registeropen_in_new and complete the School Board Updatesopen_in_new form.
Make sure you arrange an induction for your new board member and introduce them to your school community.
Questions your board could ask
- Have we confirmed that we can co-opt a board member?
- Why do we want to co-opt?
- How long do we want the term of our co-opted member to be?
- Have we passed a resolution and recorded our decision to do this?
- How will we choose who to co-opt?
- Has our chosen person completed the eligibility declaration formopen_in_new?
- Have we updated our board member registeropen_in_new and completed the School Board Updatesopen_in_new form?
- Have we arranged an induction for our new board member?
- Have we advised our school community?
Templates, resources, and references
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Depending on your device, these may download or open in a separate browser.
Links from us
- Board member registeropen_in_new
- Elections, Vacancies & Succession Planning
- A guide to board structure
School board elections website
Ministry of Education
Education and Training Act 2020