Communications Committee – Terms of Reference

Constitution
The Communications Committee shall be a committee of the Board of Diving New Zealand.

Purpose
The purpose of the Communications Committee is to provide support and guidance to Diving New Zealand in the development and implementation of effective communications with key stakeholders. 
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Responsibilities
  • The members of the Committee will provide knowledge and expertise on the communications needs of their individual clubs and the information they would like to receive from Diving New Zealand.
  • Help solicit / funnel potential club and club members’ news and stories for internal and external communications.
  • Identify and maintain a list of stakeholders for DNZ’s newsletter; give technical advice if required.
  • Create and implement a website and social media strategy, and oversee its implementation.  
  • Assist Board members and anyone else authorised by the Board in managing interactions with the news media.
  • Prepare and recommend a calendar of all communications activities.
  • Recommend and coordinate policy development where necessary.
  • Review and make recommendations for Board approval on strategies for achieving communications objectives, and advise the Board on any communications matter.
  • Review and input into DNZ’s communications strategy.
  • Implement, monitor and evaluate the communications strategy once it is adopted.
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Authority
The Communications Committee does not take actions or make decisions on behalf of Diving New Zealand unless specifically mandated by the Board. The Committee will make recommendations to the Board on all matters requiring a decision.

Reporting
  • The Communications Committee will report to the Diving New Zealand Board on the progress in relation to its communications initiatives. 
  • The Committee shall:
    • Report directly to the Board via the Chair.
    • Provides written reports on the progress and activities of the Committee.
    • Contribute to an annual evaluation to confirm that objectives are being met and are achieving the desired results.

Membership
  • The Board shall, at its discretion and from time to time, determine the composition of the Communications Committee (the Committee), and appoint a convenor.
  • Note: The Chair of the Board shall be an ex officio member of the Communications Committee [ref: DNZ Constitution C18.1.3] but is not counted as a member for the purposes of establishing a quorum unless officially appointed to the Committee by the DNZ Board.
  • In establishing the membership of the Committee, the Board shall have regard to: experience and expertise; demonstrated willingness to work in a constructive and collegial manner with other Committee members and with the wider DNZ membership geographical spread; gender; and where practicable, avoidance of conflict(s) of interest.
  • A quorum for any Committee meeting shall be two thirds (or nearest) of the Committee membership, as constituted at any time.

Desired Skills
  • Knowledge and experience of either Diving New Zealand’s clubs or communications/public relations.
  • External and internal stakeholder relationships and connections.
  • Demonstrated experience and capability of constructively working with others and as a team.
  • Ability to communicate and form good relationships with both external and internal stakeholders. 
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Term
  • All members of the Committee shall continue in office until otherwise determined by the Board, or until the member resigns, whichever comes first.
  • The Board shall call for expressions of interest at no greater than three year intervals (commencing from June 2019) to allow for "refreshment" of the Committee, as appropriate.
  • All changes to the membership of the Committee shall be recorded in the minutes of the appropriate Board meeting.
  • Any resignation shall be notified to the Board.