Different roles. Shared governance.
An office is a responsibility, not a higher level of authority. Responsible trustees govern collectively. Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary roles allocate particular functions. They do not, by title alone, give one trustee greater decision-making power than another.
Chair ≠ CEO · Treasurer ≠ sole financial decision-maker · Secretary ≠ decision-maker · Admin access ≠ governance authority.
Responsible Trustee
Participates in collective governance, protects Trust assets, considers information, attends and prepares for hui, manages conflicts and shares responsibility for proper administration.
Chairperson
Facilitates effective trustee hui and orderly governance. The Chair is not the Trust's CEO and does not independently direct the other trustees or gain an extra governance vote merely by being Chair.
Treasurer
Performs the financial administration assigned by the Trust Order and properly adopted procedures. This does not transfer collective expenditure decisions to the Treasurer.
Secretary
Supports notices, records, correspondence, minutes and administrative continuity. The Secretary records and supports governance rather than deciding for trustees.
Digital Admin
Maintains the digital whare, permissions and digital records. Admin access is technical access only. It creates no additional governance authority.
Legal & technical detail
Responsible trustees · legal foundation
Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 s223 sets out the general functions of responsible trustees. Sections 226–227 address general trustee powers and majority action, subject to the Trust Order.
Source: Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993, Part 12, ss223, 226–227.
ITTMS officers, quorum & decision-making
The ITTMS Trust Order provides for trustees to appoint the Chairperson and Treasurer from among the trustees and provides for the Secretary role, trustee meeting quorum and decision-making. These Trust-specific provisions govern ITTMS alongside applicable legislation.
Source: ITTMS Whānau Trust Order, p.6 (trustee meeting and officer provisions). Always refer to the signed Order for authoritative wording.
What the Chairperson does not become
The Trust Order creates an officer role, not a corporate chief executive hierarchy. Trust powers remain powers of the trustees exercised in accordance with the Order and law. Any additional delegated function should be expressly authorised and recorded rather than assumed from the title “Chairperson”.
Sources: ITTMS Trust Order p.6; Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 ss223, 226–227.