All committees, except for the Executive Council, are sub-committees of the FOA and FFA. The committees all report to the governing bodies of the FOA/FFA and the LTAC, and are responsible to the LTAC for managing FGLT funds. The committee chairs report to the joint board of the LTAC.
When serving on a committee (as with being on the Executive Council) a member is not there as a “representative” of their company or any other group, but to act in the interests of FOA/FFA members and levy payers as a whole. Obviously, however, members will bring their own point of view to the discussion.
In order to function effectively and efficiently, in some areas it is desirable to have input from other quarters to the committees’ deliberations. For this reason, a number of the committees have “invited members” on them to participate in the discussion and assist in its conclusions. Invited members are “non-voting”. The actual “voting membership” of a committee must be actual members of the Associations, discharging their stewardship to both Associations' members as a whole in terms of their delegation from the Executive Council and the NZFFA Executive.
Confidentiality
In their role on the committee all member and non member committee members will accept that all confidential information, whether or not in writing and whether or not labelled or identified as confidential, shall remain the exclusive property of FOA/FFA or the third party providing such information to FOA/FFA. Committee members must ensure that confidential matters are not disclosed until disclosure is authorised by the committee chair. Committee members owe to the association a duty of confidence not to disclose or discuss with another person or entity, or to use for their own purpose, confidential information concerning the business and affairs of the association received in their capacity as committee member unless otherwise authorised by the association. Every committee member shall ensure that no statement pertaining to committee affairs that has not been authorised by the association is made by him or her to the press or public. This policy applies to all FOA/FFA and non-FOA committee members. All matters that are before a committee or task force of the committee are confidential unless they have been determined not to be confidential by the chair of the relevant committee or task force.