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Constitution

The New Zealand Society of Anaesthetists’ (NZSA) constitution outlines the fundamental principles and established precedents by which it has been agreed that the Society be governed.

NZSA Constitution changes are coming, and we want members’ input.

All incorporated societies, like the NZSA, are required to re-register under the new Incorporated Societies Act by April 2026, or wind up. To re-register, changes must first be made to the NZSA’s constitution. All NZSA members are an important part of this process. Changes can only be made to the constitution with your support. We urge all members to keep in touch and attend all meetings where we will be discussing and voting on the constitution.

Find out more about why we need to re-register as an incorporated society and how this impacts the NZSA in the Members Area of the website here.

Background

The New Zealand Society of Anaesthetists was founded in 1948 for anaesthetists in New Zealand to share information and experiences, with the intention of improving the anaesthetic care of patients in a field of rapidly increasing technical complexity.

There were 39 members when the NZSA began. Dr Eric Anson of Wellington, the Society’s first President, along with Drs Alf Slater (Wellington), Tim Taylor (Christchurch) and John Ritchie (Dunedin) were key figures in establishing the new group. The Constitution and By-Laws, adopted at that first meeting, were similar to those already adopted by the Australian Society of Anaesthetists and formed the basis of the Constitution adhered to by the Society today.

The objectives of the Society have essentially remained the same since its inception: to promote the provision of safe anaesthesia and medical care throughout the duration of the patient’s surgical procedure. In 2008, the New Zealand Society of Anaesthetists became registered as a charitable entity under the Charities Act 2005.

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