Changes afoot for Taupo SPCA
Concerns have been raised that the Taupo SPCA will be forced into a new national organisational structure without proper consultation with local members or the community.
The Taupo SPCA is under financial administration at present and is being managed by the national body - the Royal New Zealand SPCA [RNZSPCA].
On Saturday, the RNZSPCA’s annual meeting will be held and delegates from 46 centres around the country will vote on whether or not their centre accepts its Working Together as OneSPCA proposal.
Taupo member, Sara Bell said there has been a lack of communication between head office and Taupo members and the community.
‘‘There has been an inherent lack of communication to members. There has been no meetings at all,’’ she said.
‘‘I really think the community should have a say since [the SPCA] is run on public donations.’’
Bell said the delegate who is going to Auckland on Saturday for the crucial AGM vote - the person who will decide Taupo’s future - has not even been chosen by Taupo SPCA members but is a head office appointed administrator.
RNZSPCA chief executive, Andrea Midgen, said the delegate chosen has been involved with the Taupo SPCA for the past three years and consultation had been on-going for the past two years.
‘‘We are a member society, not a public organisation,’’ she said.
Bell said she tried to call a special meeting for members but was not given full access to the member’s list and Midgen said that was due to privacy for other members.
Other locals are concerned that Taupo SPCA assets, funds and donations may go into a ‘National SPCA Pot’ as part of the One SPCA Proposal. They were not prepared to go on the record for this article.
A meeting is being held on Thursday [Rotary House, 6pm] organised by those two other members of the community - to let the Taupo community and other SPCA members know of the proposed changes.
They have a Facebook page called Taupo Community Voice.
If Taupo votes ‘no’, they will get to keep their assets but will lose the SPCA name and inspector function.