From NZCSICOP to NZ Skeptics and beyond

Vicki Hyde - 1 February 2008

Following on from online discussion and debate in the NZ Skeptic, a set of proposed motions to alter the society’s constitution were mailed to all financial members four weeks before the conference, and voted on at the conference’s AGM. Proxies were received from 24 members, all voting in favour of all four motions, and from two members giving their votes to the Chair.

The name of the Society was changed from ‘New Zealand Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal Incorporated’ to the more commonly used ‘NZ Skeptics Incorporated’.

A proposed amendment to change the spelling of Skeptic to Sceptic was discussed and voted against. It was felt that use of the alternate spelling reinforced the difference between someone who is a member of the Skeptics and someone who says things like “I used to be a sceptic but then I saw a ghost…”.

A specific place for the registered office is no longer enshrined in the constitution but will be at such a place as the Committee shall from time to time appoint. That has seen it shift from the Dunedin law firm who handled our establishment 20-odd years ago to being held by the current Chair. This will ensure that official correspondence does not go astray.

We’ve approved the addition of a set of general definitions to define our areas of interest:

• ‘Paranormal’ means any phenomenon that in one or more respects exceeds the limits of what is deemed physically possible according to current scientific assumptions.
• ‘Pseudoscience’ means any body of knowledge, methodology, belief, or practice that claims to be scientific or is made to appear scientific, but does not adhere to the basic requirements of the scientific method.

And, after some discussion from the floor, the Objects have been lightly modified to read:

1. To investigate scientifically and objectively claims and events that are of an apparently paranormal nature and/or which are apparently based on pseudoscience.

2. To report the results of these investigations and where possible to provide rational scientific analysis and/or scientific explanations.

3. To provide reliable information about paranormal and pseudoscientific claims.

4. To encourage a more critical attitude to pseudoscience and to paranormal claims, and to alert people to the dangers of uncritical acceptance.

5. To increase public awareness of the difference between legitimate science and pseudoscience.

6. To investigate the psychological, social, and ideological factors behind belief in the paranormal and pseudoscience.

Our thanks to all who participated in the discussions and who provided proxy votes.