Membership Rules and Terms and Conditions
Membership of the Directors and Editors Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand (the Guild) is open to all those people who identify themselves as directors, editors and assistant editors working within New Zealand or holding New Zealand residency and/or citizenship, who aspire to work or continue working as such in film, television and screen content creation.
Types of Membership
The types of membership and the rights and obligations of members are set out below:
Tier 1 Full Member – Income < $40k
Tier 2 Full Member – Income $40k to $75k
Tier 3 Full Member – Income $75k plus
Associate Member
All individuals that support the Guild’s aims and objectives but are FULL members of another NZ screen industry guild/association. You will receive all the rights of a Full member excluding voting and speaking rights, legal advice, professional development travel allowances, attachments and development programmes.
Student Member
If you are a FULLTIME student at a NZ tertiary institution. You will receive all the rights of a Full member, excluding voting and speaking rights, legal advice, professional development, travel allowances, attachments and development programmes.
Life Member
Life Membership is bestowed upon individuals who have shown a special commitment to the Guild. It is determined by a simple majority vote of the board following the process outlined in the Guild’s Constitution. Life members are exempt from annual subscriptions and do not have voting rights.
Membership
a. All members are bound by the Constitution and shall, to the best of his/her/their ability, further the aims and objectives, interest and influence of the Guild and conduct themselves accordingly.
b. Application for membership shall be made through the National Office via the Guild website.
c. The Guild reserves the right to decline any application for membership after due consideration.
d. The National Executive may by a resolution bestow Life Membership on any individual provided that:
i. The National Executive serves written notice of such proposed resolution to all members of the Guild seeking comments as to the suitability or unsuitability of such honour being bestowed, such comments to be delivered to the National Executive within 14 days of the said notice.
ii. The National Executive shall consider any comments received at a National Executive Meeting and may at that meeting pass a resolution by a simple majority bestowing the said Life Membership.
iii. The National Executive may by the same process stated above, seek to revoke any such Life Membership if the National Executive deems that it is in the best interests of the Guild not to be further associated with the said life member.
e. Members stopping work to take parental leave can contact the National Office to receive six months of free Parental Leave Membership. Members on parental leave shall continue to receive Guild communications but their access to other membership benefits will be paused until they are financial again.
i. For members on Annual Billing who have already paid their annual subscription, their remaining membership period will be pro-rated and credited as an extension when they return.
ii. Members on Monthly Billing who are part-way through their annual commitment may contact the National Office to switch to Parental Leave Membership and terminate their current term.
f. Unless otherwise specified, members of the Guild shall have full voting and speaking rights at all general meetings of the Guild. For the benefit of doubt, members of the Guild shall have voting and speaking rights with the following exceptions: Life Members, Associate Members, Student Members, members on parental leave and those members who have been deemed Unfinancial.
g. Membership of the Guild binds all members who are able to be covered by its terms as a matter of law to collective agreements negotiated by it.
h. Membership Fees
i. ALL members (except life members) are required to pay ANNUAL subscriptions, including members paying monthly, subject to the current policy of the National Executive.
ii. Any member who does not renew at the end of their Annual Subscription is considered in arrears and their membership “Expired”. The member shall continue to receive Guild communications as part of a six-month grace period but their access to other membership benefits will be paused until they are financial again. If the member continues to be in arrears six months after written notification by the Guild of such arrears, they shall be deemed to be “Unfinancial”.
iii. For Annual billing, the Guild collects up to three months pro-rated of a member’s prior annual subscription when a member renews after their anniversary.
iv. For monthly billing, the Guild collects up to six months pro-rated of a member’s prior 12-month subscription when a member renews after their anniversary.
Termination
Termination of membership occurs in the following ways:
a. Unfinancial members may have their membership terminated at the discretion of the National Executive.
b. Membership of the Guild may be terminated by one month’s notice in writing to the Treasurer. All subscriptions owing to the date of termination will still be owing and can be collected by the Guild.
c. Any member ceasing to be a director, editor, or assistant editor may by the National Executive passing a resolution by a simple majority, have his or her membership terminated at the end of the current subscription if it is in its considered opinion that the member’s new or principal occupation is likely to prejudice that member’s attitude towards the Guild’s aims and objectives or that the member’s access to Guild information could frustrate the Guild in present or future negotiations with an employer.
d. The National Executive may by a two third majority vote, terminate the membership of any member of the National Executive, if by a considered opinion determines that the member has or will act contrary to the aims and objectives of the Guild.
e. For the benefit of doubt the National Executive can also decline a renewal of membership upon the same grounds.
DEGANZ Aims & Objectives
1. It is not for profit.
2. To be the national and international representative and spokesperson for all members including screen and new media directors, editors and assistant editors, empowering them through campaigns, collective bargaining and community building.
3. To promote the role of the members as storytellers and to inspire excellence and promote professionalism in the craft of screen direction, editing and assistant editing.
4. To promote the well-being of members and foster their interests including training and the establishment, promotion and protection of members’ conditions of work, rates of pay and their intellectual property, artistic, legal, economic and moral rights and ethical standards.
5. To provide a range of services which will benefit the members including communication, negotiation, conciliation, arbitration and advisory services in their relationship with employers, contractors and producers.
6. To secure greater influence, visibility and support for the members with the screen and new media industries and other related bodies, including broadcaster and commissioner bodies, other funders, public and private sectors and the general public.
7. To function and work in a manner that acknowledges Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of New Zealand and adheres to the spirit and principles arising from it.
8. To attain equity of opportunity in all spheres of the Guild’s activity and to oppose all discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, gender, colour, religion, political beliefs, sexual preference or disability.
9. To recognise New Zealand cultural diversity and expression.
10. To identify and support institutions, facilities and other organisations and individuals that promote members’ work and matters of common interest.
11. To affiliate with local, national or international bodies that are likely to benefit, protect or further the interests of directors, editors and assistant editors.
12. To provide effective representation to member(s) of any section or group of members in connection with any matter where such representation is considered desirable by the National Executive.
13. To ensure that the Guild’s financial policies and practices accord with all relevant standards and laws and that key financial and operating decisions are disclosed to members in a timely and transparent manner.
14. To assist members to obtain a fair remuneration for their labour and to assist other trade unions, whether in New Zealand or overseas to maintain, preserve and advance the interests of labour.
15. To uphold the right of all workers to combine for the preservation and advancement of their interests.
16. To promote and attain the use of standard contracts of engagement of the members throughout the industries with which the Guild is associated.
17. To protect the welfare and rights, including the intellectual property rights, of members including by:
i. seeking appropriate legislation and/or industrial regulation to protect the welfare and rights, including the intellectual property rights, and moral rights, of members and similar rights such as residual, secondary usage, or re-use fees and/or royalties; and
ii. promoting the objectives, policies and activities of the Guild by means of publications and the media generally.
18. To enter into contractual and business arrangements that promote the aims of the Guild including holding, purchasing, leasing or mortgaging and otherwise with and in all forms of property, and to raise money by borrowing on security of the property of the Guild or otherwise but at all times, ensuring that the Guild remains a not-for-profit organization.
19. To do all other things deemed necessary and desirable to achieve fulfillment of the preceding aims and objective in a manner consistent with the interests and welfare of the Guild.