Terms

The following is an extract from the Rules of the Association regarding Membership.

Part 2 Membership

3. Membership qualifications

A person is qualified to be a member of the Web Industry Professionals Association if, but only if:

  1. the person is a person referred to in section 15(1) (a), (b) or (c) of the Act and has not ceased to be a member of the association at any time after incorporation of the association under the Act,

    or
  2. the person is a natural person:
    1. who has been nominated for membership of the association as provided by rule 3, and
    2. who has been approved for membership of the association by the committee of the association.

4. Application for membership

  1. Any person involved in the development, publishing or maintenance of Internet or intranet World Wide Web sites (websites) may apply to become a member of the Web Industry Professionals Association. This includes persons concerned with researching and writing web content, design, development and testing of websites and site components, design and development of web applications and the publishing and maintenance of websites.
    1. Applications must be in writing in the form set out in Appendix 1 and lodged with the secretary or executive officer of the association.
    2. Application may be submitted either in writing or by completing an Application form on the Web Industry Professional Association website.
    3. Applications must by accompanied by payment of the joining fee and annual membership fee as outlined in Rule 9.
  2. As soon as practicable after receiving an application for membership, the secretary or executive officer must refer the application to the management committee which is to determine whether to ratify or to reject the application.
  3. As soon as practicable after the management committee makes that determination, the secretary must:
    1. notify ratified applications that the management committee has approved the application,
    2. notify rejected applicants that the management committee has rejected the application.
  4. When an application is rejected, the secretary or executive office must within 28 days refund the joining and annual membership fees paid by the applicant when making the application.
  5. The executive officer must, on ratification of an application, enter the applicant’s name in the register of members and, on the name being so entered, the applicant becomes a member of the association.

5. Cessation of membership

A person ceases to be a member of the association if the person:

  1. dies, or
  2. resigns membership, or
  3. is expelled from the association.

6. Membership entitlements not transferable

A right, privilege or obligation which a person has by reason of being a member of the association:

  1. is not capable of being transferred or transmitted to another person, and
  2. terminates on cessation of the person’s membership.

7. Resignation of membership

  1. A member of the association is not entitled to resign that membership except in accordance with this rule.
  2. A member of the association who has paid all amounts payable by the member to the association in respect of the member’s membership may resign from membership of the association by first giving to the secretary or executive officer written notice of at least one month (or such other period as the committee may determine) of the member’s intention to resign and, on the expiration of the period of notice, the member ceases to be a member.
  3. If a member of the association ceases to be a member under clause (2), and in every other case where a member ceases to hold membership, the executive officer must make an appropriate entry in the register of members recording the date on which the member ceased to be a member.

8. Register of members

  1. The public officer of the association must establish and maintain a register of members of the association specifying the name and address of each person who is a member of the association together with the date on which the person became a member.
  2. The register of members must be kept at the principal place of administration of the association and must be open for inspection, by any member of the association at any reasonable hour.

9. Fees and subscriptions

  1. A member of the association must, on application for membership, pay to the association a joining fee of $15 or, if some other amount is determined by the management committee, that other amount.
  2. In addition to any amount payable by the member under clause (1), a member of the association must pay to the association an annual membership fee of $45 or, if some other amount is determined by the management committee, that other amount.
  3. The duration of annual membership is one calendar year from the date of application. The payment of subsequent annual membership fee is due on or before the expiry of one calendar year.
  4. If a member fails to pay the annual membership fee within 30 days of the expiry date of their membership, or some other duration as maybe determined by the management committee, the member will cease to be a member of the association.

10. Members' liabilities

The liability of a member of the association to contribute towards the payment of the debts and liabilities of the association or the costs, charges and expenses of the winding up of the association is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid by the member in respect of membership of the association as required by rule 9.

11. Resolution of internal disputes

  1. Where disputes between members of the association in their capacity as members arise:
    1. The members will initially endeavour to resolve the disputes themselves, and
    2. If all members in the dispute agree, the members can ask the management committee to help find a resolution.
  2. Where internal resolution of disputes between members (in their capacity as members) of the association is not possible, and disputes between members and the association, are to be referred to a community justice centre for mediation in accordance with the Community Justice Centres Act 1983.
  3. At least 7 days before a mediation session is to commence, the parties are to exchange statements of the issues that are in dispute between them and supply copies to the mediator.

12. Disciplining of members

  1. A complaint may be made to the management committee by any person that a member of the association:
    1. has persistently refused or neglected to comply with a provision or provisions of these rules, or
    2. has acted or made utterances that could bring the association into ill repute, or
    3. has persistently and wilfully acted in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the association.
  2. On receiving such a complaint, the management committee:
    1. must cause notice of the complaint to be served on the member concerned; and
    2. must give the member at least 14 days from the time the notice is served within which to make submissions to the management committee in connection with the complaint, and
    3. must take into consideration any submissions made by the member in connection with the complaint.
  3. The management committee may, by resolution, expel the member from the association or suspend the member from membership of the association if, after considering the complaint and any submissions made in connection with the complaint, it is satisfied that the facts alleged in the complaint have been proved.
  4. If the management committee expels or suspends a member, the secretary or executive officer must, within 7 days after the action is taken, cause written notice to be given to the member of the action taken, of the reasons given by the management committee for having taken that action and of the member's right of appeal under rule 13.
  5. The expulsion or suspension does not take effect:
    1. until the expiration of the period within which the member is entitled to appeal against the resolution concerned, or
    2. if within that period the member exercises the right of appeal, unless and until the association confirms the resolution under rule 13(5),
    whichever is the later.

13. Right of appeal of disciplined member

  1. A member may appeal to the association in general meeting against a resolution of the management committee under rule 12, within 7 days after notice of the resolution is served on the member, by lodging with the secretary a notice to that effect.
  2. The notice may, but need not, be accompanied by a statement of the grounds on which the member intends to rely for the purposes of the appeal.
  3. On receipt of a notice from a member under clause (1), the secretary must notify the management committee which is to convene a general meeting of the association to be held within 28 days after the date on which the secretary received the notice.
  4. At a general meeting of the association convened under clause (3):
    1. no business other than the question of the appeal is to be transacted, and
    2. the management committee and the member must be given the opportunity to state their respective cases orally or in writing, or both, and
    3. the members present are to vote by secret ballot on the question of whether the resolution should be confirmed or revoked.
  5. If at the general meeting the association passes a special resolution in favour of the confirmation of the resolution, the resolution is confirmed.

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