The National Executive is the committee charged with managing UN Youth at a national level, as directed by the National Council. The National Executive is accountable to the National Council, and is elected at the organisation's Annual General Meeting, held every December.
Whereas the National Council meets quarterly to hold the National Executive, Regional Councils and various UN Youth programmes to account and to set the organisation's broader policies and direction, the National Executive is charged with implementing that policy and direction on a day-to-day basis.
In between National Council meetings, the National Executive oversees the organisation and execution of UN Youth's various national programmes, ensuring that coordinators and organising committees have the support they need and are making progress in accordance with the direction of National Council. The National Executive is also responsible for the considerable day-to-day administration of the organisation, such as its financial affairs, which range in scale and complexity from regional dinners to conferences as large as NZ Model UN and delegations abroad to THIMUN in The Netherlands and NatCon in Australia. In addition, the National Executive must ensure that UN Youth meets the many legal and taxation requirements required of the organisation as a registered charity and an incorporated society.
The National Executive is led and chaired by the National President, who also chairs the National Council and leads the organisation as a whole. Four Vice-Presidents hold portfolios that may change from year to year according the organisation's focus, while the portfolios of Finance and Administration remain constant. In addition to Finance and Administration, currently there are Vice Presidents for Communications, Education, Governance and Relations. The Vice-President for Finance manages the financial affairs of UN Youth. As the name suggests, the Vice-President for Administration manages the administrative workings of the organisation, including the membership register, the convening of National Council and National Executive meetings, the collation and distribution of reports in advance of and following meetings, and the taking of minutes, among other tasks.
If you have any questions about UN Youth's governance and management, email Suzy McKinney, the Vice-President for Governance at suzy.mckinney@unyouth.org.nz.
Anton is 21 and a fourth-year student at the University of Auckland majoring in Law and Management studies. He grew up in Christchurch and has been involved in UN Youth since 2006 as a high school student. Since then Anton has coordinated numerous UN Youth conferences including the national event Youth Declaration, he has led the Canterbury Regional Council of UN Youth and he was a staff member for the NZ Schools' Delegation to The Hague International Model UN (THIMUN) 2012. Anton and the incoming National Executive are thrilled to have the chance to be bold and to find new opportunities to inspire young Kiwis to be global citizens. Anton loves travel, rugby, basketball and, most of all, heading home to Christchurch to catch up with his family and friends.
Fresh from a year-long exchange in New York City, Matt returns to Auckland for the fourth year of his clinically-driven Psychology, Philosophy, and Business Management triple-major. Matt's involvement in UN Youth tracks back to his last year in high-school - a young gun delegate at Youth Declaration '09, Head of the THIMUN '10 Delegation, and the Assistant Coordinator for Youth Declaration '11. Tenaciously efficient, Matt is also an unashamed fan of fanciful language, montages of Manhattan and supporting UN Youth volunteers to unparalled capacity. All the same, Matt keeps an honestly open-door (open-inbox) policy for if ever you may need a sounding board to bounce off ideas or are simply down for a chat about what's going on.
Jerome hails from Wellington and is immensely proud of the windy city where he now studies Geography and International Relations at Victoria University. Now 22, he has been involved with UN Youth since 2007 where he represented Egypt at NZ Model UN. After countless UN Youth events as a delegate, conference assistant and committee member he found himself coordinating NZ Model UN 2012. Now Vice-President for Communications, he endeavours to develop the portfolio into new areas by utilising different technology and strengthening the marketing of UN Youth events to enable even more young New Zealanders to become global citizens.
Scott is a 22 year old fourth year student at Victoria University in his hometown of Wellington. He studies both an LLB and a BA majoring in International Relations, Political Science and Religious Studies. Scott first got involved in UN Youth at NZMUN 2008 as a delegate. He then went on to THIMUN as a delegate in 2009 and has attended innumerable UN Youth events over the past 5 years. He has also been the Logistics Officer for NZ Model UN 2010, Pacific Project 2012 Assistant Director and the 2012 Wellington Regional President. Scott places a particular focus on education workshops, the diversity of UN Youth members - in particular, Maori and Pasifika development - and the introduction of an Online Model UN Programme.
scott.bickerton@unyouth.org.nz
Oliver is a 21 year old fourth year student, studying Law and Commerce at the University of Canterbury. Earthquake jokes aside, he is keen to make the most of his accounting experience and studies to really benefit the running of our organisation to enable us to make better financial decisions. This is his second term on the National Executive as Vice-President for Finance. Oliver has been involved in UN Youth for a long time now, having recently attended his sixth New Zealand Model UN. Outside of UN Youth Oliver is interested in many sporting, cultural and other pursuits, including flying, skiing and travel.
oliver.clifford@unyouth.org.nz
Suzy is a fourth year medical student at the University of Auckland. She is 21 and is originally from Auckland. Suzy has served on the Auckland Regional Council of UN Youth and was a member of the Youth Declaration 2012 Committee. She has also previously served as Vice-President of the Auckland University Medical Students’ Association. This is her first year on the National Executive, and she hopes to improve officeholder support so that every volunteer is equipped with the knowledge, skills and personal backing to perform their roles to the best of their ability!
Sarah has recently graduated with an Honours degree in English and a Diploma in French from the University of Otago. She currently splits her time between working for the Otago Museum, nannying and writing poetry. Her first book, Follow the Butterflies, was released in April 2012. Sarah has spent many years working in the Otago Region of UN Youth, attending regional, national and international events since her first Model UN at the 'birth' of the Otago Region in 2006. She is very excited to be working for UN Youth on a national level and embracing the new role of Vice-President for Relations. She is keen to develop relationships between UN Youth and the organisation's various friends and partners in as many different ways as possible!
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