NZCF CNI Councillor Election
- Published
NZCF CNI Councillor Election
NZCF CNI (Central North Island) Councillor election has been triggered at the New Zealand Chess Federation (NZCF) Annual General Meeting (AGM) by chess clubs based outside the region imposing a candidate against the unanimous choice by all Central North Island (CNI) chess clubs.
New Zealand chess politics took a disappointing turn when clubs based outside the Central North Island region triggered a NZCF Central North Island Councillor election. Chess clubs outside the region nominated a candidate who has not been active in any chess club in the Central North Island region for years. Triggering an election at the upcoming NZCF AGM against the unanimous choice of Central North Island chess clubs.
6th February 2025
To the affiliated Chess Clubs of NZCF.
There will be an election for the Central North Island region representative on Council at the NZCF AGM in March.
All five affiliated clubs of the Central North Island region (Gisborne Eastern Knights, Hamilton, Hawke’s Bay, Mount Maunganui RSA,and New Plymouth) are united in believing we should be the only ones to have a say on who represents our region on Council, and we can’t imagine any other region being happy to have a representative imposed on them from outside either.
We are united in choosing Caleb Wright to represent us, and we ask you to cast your votes only for Caleb Wright at the election.
Caleb is a long standing member of the Mount Maunganui RSA Chess Club, and has represented our region on Council creditably for the last two years.
No other candidate standing at this election has any relationship with any of our clubs and none, other than Caleb Wright, has support from any of us.
Sincerely,
Normally the chess clubs based in a region would nominate the person who would be their region’s councilor on NZCF’s council. When there are insufficient nominations, like for Wellington and Otago regions this year, the vacancy may be filled during the NZCF AGM itself or co-opted at the next NZCF Council meeting.
By convention any region’s councilor would at least be nominated by a chess club based in that region. A NZCF regional councilor represents the members of the clubs in their region after all. Clubs outside the region would usually vote in solidarity with the clubs representing the majority of club members in that region.
Which brings into question what hostile motives the Canterbury, Howick-Pakuranga, and Waitakere chess clubs, have to nominate and impose their candidate for NZCF CNI Councilor who is unwanted by all CNI chess clubs. This is tantamount to prohibiting all CNI chess clubs (Gisborne, Hamilton, Hawke’s Bay, Mount Maunganui, New Plymouth) from having their choice to represent them in NZCF Council.
The NZCF is alienating the whole CNI region unless chess clubs vote together with the CNI clubs to elect Caleb Wright as CNI Councillor.
