Changes are afoot – but we stay the same.

Posted on May 31, 2019 Updated on May 30, 2019

A few years ago the Christchurch Writers’ Guild became an incorporated society, subject to all the rules (and paperwork) required by the Societies Registrar. It wasn’t a move supported by everyone but the reasons for incorporation were valid at the time.

However, times change and it has become apparent over the past two years that incorporation did not, in fact, fit with the goals and requirements of the majority of the Guild members. The committee has discussed this at length and the matter came to a head at the recent AGM when not enough people made themselves available to fill the necessary committee roles.

So we have officially requested the removal of the Guild from the Incorporated Societies register.

What does that mean for the Guild moving forwards?

Basically, it means we revert to what we were originally – a collective of writers supporting each other. We will still meet monthly to drink coffee and talk about writing. We will still have fluid groups meeting weekly in various coffee shops and libraries to write together. We will still get together every now and then in writers’ retreat weekends. We will still help and support each other, whatever we are writing and whatever stage we are at. The only difference is that we will be a collective rather than a committee. If someone has an idea for an event or a workshop, we will pull together to make it work, but we will be driven from the grassroots, not from the top.

For most of you, dropping the incorporation will make no difference – it just allows us to do what we do without all the paperwork, You can still find us on Facebook and there is now a Discord chat group https://discord.gg/n6PQx34

We will also be having a Guild table at the Wham Bam Author Jam in October – anyone who has books to sell is welcome, so get writing and get those books published!

In accordance with the rules, the remaining Guild funds have been donated to Books in Homes (Duffy Books). They are a literacy-focused charity inspiring a love of books in children from lower-decile regions.

Jenner, Angela and Rochelle