Annual reports and AGM

Results of AGM Vote 2024

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Union Medical Benefits Society Limited (UniMed) was held on Friday 22 November 2024 at UniMed’s offices, 165 Gloucester Street, Christchurch and virtually at 12pm.

Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting and to all our Members who took the time to vote or nominate a proxy to vote on their behalf.

The results of the vote for the two resolutions below are as follows:

Total count: 1,076

That EY is appointed as the auditors of the Society and that Directors are authorised to set the auditor’s remuneration.

• For: 785
• Against: 162
• Abstain: 129

That there is an 11.5% increase in Director remuneration for the 2025 financial period. This takes into account that there was no increase for the last financial period and is in line with average Director fee increases surveyed by the Institute of Directors New Zealand.

• For: 331
• Against: 675
• Abstain: 70

As such the first resolution was passed while the second was voted against.

Notice of Annual General Meeting 2024

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Union Medical Benefits Society Limited (UniMed) will be held on Friday 22 November 2024 at UniMed’s offices, 165 Gloucester Street, Christchurch and virtually at 12pm. Members will also be able to attend online via Microsoft Teams.

Business

1. Apologies
2. To confirm the minutes of the 2023 Annual General Meeting
3. To receive and consider the financial statements and Auditor’s Report for the year ended 30 June 2024
4. To appoint an auditor for the ensuing year
5. To fix the remuneration for the Board

Background, resolutions and voting

Any Member is entitled to attend and vote at the meeting and may vote by being present in person, by proxy, or prior to the AGM via post or email. To be effective, all votes sent prior to the AGM via email or post must be received no later than 6pm on Friday 15th November 2024. A proxy must be appointed by a signed and written notice. A proxy form is available from the Society or here.

To be effective, the proxy form must be received by 6pm on Friday 15 November 2024.

Emma Hay
Governance Administrator
Emma.Hay@unimed.co.nz

31 October 2024

Resolutions that Members will be voting on at the AGM 2024

Members are invited to attend the meeting and to vote on the following two resolutions.

• That EY is appointed as the auditors of the Society and that Directors are authorised to set the auditor’s remuneration.
• That there is an 11.5% increase in Director remuneration for the 2025 financial period. This takes into account that there was no increase for the last financial period and is in line with average Director fee increases surveyed by the Institute of Directors New Zealand.

To RSVP, please let us know if you are attending in-person or online by confirming your attendance preference and Membership number via email to AGM@unimed.co.nz. A Microsoft Teams link for the online meeting will be sent in advance.

Results of AGM Vote 2023

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Union Medical Benefits Society Limited (UniMed) was held on Monday 30 October 2023 at the Distinction Hotel, 14 Cathedral Square, Christchurch at 6pm.

Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting and to all our Members who took the time to vote or nominate a proxy to vote on their behalf.

The results of the vote for the two resolutions below are as follows:

Total count: 1,286

That BDO is re-appointed as the auditors of the Society and that Directors are authorized to set the auditor’s remuneration.

• For: 1,141
• Against: 55
• Abstain: 88
• Invalid: 2

That there is no increase in Director remuneration for the 2024 financial period. This reflects the Board’s awareness of cost-of-living increases and recent premium increases.

• For: 1,239
• Against: 30
• Abstain: 17
• Invalid: 0

As such both resolutions were passed.

Our new board members

Justine Gilliland, Director

Justine Gilliland is an independent director and strategy consultant, currently serving on the boards of ESR, Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, the Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust, Economic Development NZ, UniMed, and Taranaki health provider Tui Ora.

Justine is the former Chief Executive of regional development agency Venture Taranaki. Prior to which she was Deputy Director-General Sector Partnerships and Programmes at the Ministry for Primary Industries, leading multi-million-dollar investment in research and development programmes, Māori partnerships, and regional development.

Justine also chairs or is a member of advisory/governance groups for energy sector and food & fibre sector companies. Justine's consulting work is currently mainly focussed on developing offshore wind energy for Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as the development of the 2023 Manawatu Food Strategy.

Having been has been admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand, Justine holds law and arts degrees, and resides in Taranaki with her young family.

Erin Polaczuk, Director (she/her)

Erin is the managing director of Lewa Consulting, focused on providing pay equity, organisation-building and industrial-relations advice.

Erin has held elected roles in international bodies such as Public Service International and has held numerous board roles including with HealthcarePlus and the Worker Education Trust. She has held advisory positions such as the National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women.

Her current roles include Kāpiti Birthright, the Greenpeace voting assembly and the Grants for Good scholarship committee.

Erin is passionate about good governance, equity and social justice matters.

She became a leader of the largest union in Aotearoa (PSA) at age 33 where she worked for 8 years following leadership and organising roles in other unions. She is experienced in working with and growing membership organisations and completed her leadership training through the ACTU and Harvard University. She is a member of the Institute of Directors.

Polaczuk is a Polish name. The Polish side of Erin’s family came to New Zealand as refugees during the Second World War. Erin grew up in Naenae, the fifth of ten children, and has two children of her own. She resides in Kāpiti.