Position Description –NZAGS Treasurer/Secretary

  1. Purpose

The purpose of this document is to provide an outline of the responsibilities and duties of the Treasurer/ Secretary of NZAGS based on the following:-

  • Expectations of the NZAGS Executive
  • NZAGS Constitution

Related documents:

Executive Charter & TOR

NZAGS Constitution

NZAGS Executive Committee Charter 2009

Delegations Manual

  1. Appointment of Treasurer/Secretary

The tenure of the Treasurer/Secretary is two years, renewable upon election by the Executive. The appointment is managed through election by the Executive 12 months prior to taking office.

To be eligible for the position of Treasurer/Secretary, the following criteria must be met:

  • Full member of NZAGS
  • Current Fellow of the College
  1. Attributes of the Treasurer/Secretary
  • Sufficient time to dedicate to the role - the workload associated with the role of Treasurer/Secretary can be demanding at certain times of the year, especially prior to the ASM/AGM. The incumbent will need the flexibility to meet fluctuating demands on their time to deal withissues directly as they arise. It is expected that this commitment will be 1 hour per week, rising to 20+ hours during the ASM/AGM.
  • Demonstrable knowledge and interest in finance - the role requires an in depth understanding of financial practices and the practicalities of setting and meeting budgets.
  • Capability and willingness -to use (with appropriate training) the Association’s financial software and online banking systems.
  1. Key responsibilities

The following activities are an indicative, but not exhaustive list of the responsibilities of the Treasurer/Secretary.

  • Ensure annual accounts are prepared for AGM
  • Present Annual Accounts at AGM and provide report for Annual Report
  • Present and talk to Financial Reports at Executive meetings
  • Approve creditor payments and expenditure as per section 5.2 of the Delegations Manual
  • Regularly review NZAGS balance sheet with Executive Director
  • Approve budget variations as per section 5.1 of theDelegations Manual
  • Ensure annual budget is prepared in a timely fashion in consultation with the Executive Director
  • Approve depreciation, credit refund and bad debt management as per sections 5.4 and 5.5 of the Delegations Manual
  • Approve engagement of financial advisors (with the exception of auditors) as per section 7 of the Delegations Manual.
  • Take AGM and Executive meeting minutes and ensure appropriate distribution
  • Act as Secretariat for Executive subcommittees as required
  1. Tenure

The role of Secretary is for the maximum of three years. To mitigate the impact of fraud to the Association, in keeping with good financial practice counter-signatories (of which one is the Treasurer) should be limited to three years continuous service with this responsibility.

Glossary of terms
NZAGS / New Zealand Association of General Surgeons
“The Association” / New Zealand Association of General Surgeons
AGM / Annual General Meeting
ASM / Annual Scientific Meeting
FRACS / Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
Fellow / Holder of FRACS
“The Executive” / NZAGS Executive Committee
Version control
Version Number / Date / Author / Amendments
1.0 first draft / 26/9/2012 / Claire Nicoll / Added in additional responsibilities from 2009 charter
1.1 / 3/4/2013 / Claire Nicoll / Updated hyperlinks
1.2 / 19/2/2014 / Claire Nicoll / Limits to counter signature included
Document Approval/Review
Approval Date / Status
22/3/2013 / Final
Next Review Date / Mar 2015