Participation Opportunity
Nominations Open for New Volunteer Board Members
We encourage Autistic members of ASAN-AUNZ who are living in Australia or New Zealand to nominate for board positions with ASAN AUNZ.
We will be electing 4 Board Members at our AGM.
On this page, we provide details on:
- Board vacancies
- The Role of Board Members and criteria
- How to Nominate
- The Nomination process
Nominations for new volunteer board members will be accepted until midnight Sunday 19th October, 2025 (your local time).
Information about nominees will be made available on our website after nominations close, from 26th October 2025.
Board vacancies
Of the current nine (9) board positions:
- 3 are filled with Board Members who have not completed their current term and will be continuing.
- 3 are filled with Board Members who have reached the end of their term.
- 3 are currently vacant, with Board Members having resigned during the year.
Of the 3 Board Members who have reached the end of their term, 2 are not continuing with Cheryl Koch, the current Chair, Secretary and Public Officer standing for re-election.
To fill the six vacancies, and in accordance with Our Rules:
- up to 4 board members will be elected at our AGM
- up to 2 ASAN AUNZ Autistic Members will be co-opted to fill gaps in skills or representation
This results in a board of 3 continuing board members, 4 elected board members and 2 co-opted board members.
About the Role
ASAN AUNZ is governed by a hands-on operational Board. All Board members are expected to contribute to the day-to-day operations of the organisation and commit 10-15 hours per month including attending monthly Board meetings.
Our mission is to help people on the autism spectrum participate fully, independently and equally in all aspects of their everyday lives; by providing information and support, increasing community awareness, delivering autism training and advocating for systemic change.
Our guiding principles are:
- We align to the social model of disability, and aim to remove barriers which disable and exclude.
- We aim to increase inclusion of Autistic persons
- We challenge perceived limitations of Autistic individuals
- We use ‘Autistic’ to denote anyone with an autism spectrum disorder. The word Autistic is both a cultural and political signifier.
- We do not tolerate restrictive practices or members who promote restrictive education or management practices.
We are a registered charity and are non-sectarian and non-party political.
Essential Criteria
Before nominating please note that Board members must be:
- Autistic Adults who are members of ASAN-AUNZ
- Agree to accept the objectives of the Association
- Reside within Australian and New Zealand countries or associated Territories.
Nominations from people who do not meet these criteria cannot be accepted.
Other Considerations
We are looking for the following skill sets and strongly encourage people with one (or more) of these skills to apply:
- Financial management and/or accounting
- Familiarity with minute-taking and policy review
- Government and stakeholder engagement
- Experience working with vulnerable people
- Social media planning, copywriting and posting
- Information technology administration
- Co-design facilitation and participation
- Accessibility including online and easy read
Diversity and Inclusion
ASAN AUNZ is committed to expanding diversity on our Board, so that we authentically represent our members and the broader Autistic community. We encourage nominees to tell us how they would bring diverse perspectives and lived experience to the Board.
Privacy
Information contained within your application (excluding contact details) may be posted on our website and circulated to members of ASAN AUNZ.
How to Nominate
Before nominating
Please think about the information we have provided on nominations and the role. We may not be able to accept nominations that do not provide responses to all of the above. We are unable to accept nominations that do not meet the essential criteria set out in how to nominate.
Please note that any information provided in your application (excluding contact information) will be distributed to members, so that they can make an informed voting decision.
We have also provided an explanation of the nomination process, including flow charts.
Submitting your nomination
To nominate for a volunteer Board Member position, you can use the nomination form or download the form and send it to secretary@asan-aunz.org. We’ll ask for the following information:
- Full legal name, preferred name, pronouns, and contact details.
- Your agreement with the guiding principles of ASAN-AUNZ
- Reasons why you are nominating.
- What involvement you have had in Autistic advocacy.
- Your experience on and contributions to other boards and committees you have had.
- Your areas of expertise. Such as law, policy, finance, advocacy, governance etc.
- The skills would you use on the ASAN-AUNZ Board.
- Anything you would like members to know about you
- Confirmation that you meet all of the essential criteria
Accessibility
The Nomination Process
These flowcharts may help in explaining the nomination process.
After nominations are received, they are reviewed by ASAN AUNZ’s Nominations Committee to confirm they meet the essential criteria and are accepted. Any nominees that are not eligible or not accepted are advised of the outcome and the reasons for the decision. Profile for accepted nominees may be published on our website.
After nominations are reviewed, the process is to determine if there are more nominees than vacancies. If not, the nominees are taken to be elected and are endorsed at the AGM. Otherwise, members vote at the AGM.
