This Act may be cited as the University Grants Committee Act 1960.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

There shall be a body, which shall be called the University Grants Committee, and which shall consist of the members who are appointed thereto in accordance with this Act and are for the time being in office.

The University Grants Committee shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal, with power to purchase, take on lease, or otherwise acquire, hold, transfer, and lease or otherwise dispose of real and personal property, to sue and be sued, and to do and suffer all such acts and things as bodies corporate may do and suffer.

The University Grants Committee shall be a leasing authority within the meaning of the Public Bodies’ Leases Act 1908.

The University Grants Committee shall consist of—

The powers of the University Grants Committee shall not be affected by any vacancy in the membership thereof.

The Chairman of the University Grants Committee shall be appointed by the Governor-General after consultation between the Minister and the Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors of the Universities (other than the agricultural colleges) and the Principals of the agricultural colleges.

Unless he sooner dies or resigns or is removed from office or vacates his office, the Chairman of the University Grants Committee shall continue in office until—

The first Chairman of the University Grants Committee shall be appointed as soon as practicable after the commencement of this Act.

Except as provided in subsection (4) of section 7 of this Act, the members of the University Grants Committee other than the Chairman shall be appointed by the Governor-General from a panel containing no fewer names than the Minister may from time to time determine, which panel shall be submitted to the Minister by a conference which shall be presided over by the Chairman of the University Grants Committee and to which shall be invited:

The first members of the University Grants Committee appointed under this Act shall come into office on the first day of January, nineteen hundred and sixty-one.

Except as otherwise provided in this Act, the members of the University Grants Committee other than the Chairman shall hold office for a term of five years, but may from time to time be reappointed:

Provided that, upon any member of the Committee completing two consecutive terms each of five years as a member of the Committee, he shall cease to be eligible for reappointment until after the lapse of a period of one year during which he has not been a member of the Committee.

With respect to the first members of the University Grants Committee appointed under paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 4 of this Act, one shall be appointed for a term of two years from the date of their appointment, another shall be appointed for a term of three years from that date, another shall be appointed for a term of four years from that date, and the remaining one shall be appointed for a term of five years from that date.

With respect to the first members of the University Grants Committee appointed under paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section 4 of this Act, one shall be appointed for a term of one year from the date of their appointment, another shall be appointed for a term of three years from that date, and the remaining one shall be appointed for a term of five years from that date.

The first members of the University Grants Committee, other than the Chairman, shall be appointed by the Governor-General from a panel containing no fewer names than the Minister may from time to time determine, which panel shall be submitted to the Minister by a conference to which shall be invited:

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Act, every member of the University Grants Committee, unless he sooner vacates his office under section 9 of this Act, shall continue to hold office until his successor comes into office.

The University Grants Committee may from time to time appoint one of its members to be the Deputy Chairman of the Committee.

A Deputy Chairman so appointed shall hold that office for one year or until he sooner ceases to be such a member, and may from time to time while he continues to be a member of the Committee be reappointed as Deputy Chairman thereof.

On the occurrence from any cause of a vacancy in the office of Chairman, or during the absence from New Zealand or incapacity of the Chairman, or at any meeting of the University Grants Committee while for any such reason or any other reason there is no Chairman or the Chairman is not present, the Deputy Chairman shall have and may exercise all the powers and duties of the Chairman.

The Chairman or any other member of the University Grants Committee may at any time be removed from office by the Governor-General for disability, insolvency, neglect of duty, or misconduct proved to the satisfaction of the Governor-General, or may at any time resign his office by written notice given to the Minister.

If the Chairman or any other member of the University Grants Committee dies, or resigns, or is removed from office, his office shall become vacant and the vacancy shall be deemed to be an extraordinary vacancy.

In the case of an extraordinary vacancy in the office of Chairman or of any other member of the University Grants Committee, the vacancy shall be filled by the appointment of a new Chairman or member in the manner in which the Chairman or member whose office is vacant was appointed.

Any member appointed to fill an extraordinary vacancy in any such office other than that of Chairman shall hold office only for the unexpired portion of the term of office of his predecessor.

The Chairman shall preside at every meeting of the University Grants Committee at which he is present. If at any meeting of that Committee the Chairman for the time being is not present or there is no Chairman, the Deputy Chairman shall preside at the meeting; and if the Deputy Chairman also is not present at the meeting or there is no Deputy Chairman, the Committee may appoint some member present to act as Chairman in respect of that meeting. The Deputy Chairman or person so appointed shall have and may exercise in any such case all the powers and functions of the Chairman for the purposes of the meeting.

At any meeting of the University Grants Committee the Chairman shall have a deliberative vote, and in the case of an equality of votes shall also have a casting vote.

At any meeting of the University Grants Committee a quorum shall consist of any four members of the Committee.

Meetings of the University Grants Committee shall be held at such times and places as the Chairman or the Committee determines.

Except as expressly provided in this Act, the University Grants Committee may regulate the procedure of its meetings.

The University Grants Committee may from time to time appoint standing or special subcommittees consisting of two or more persons, and may refer to any such subcommittee any matters for consideration, or inquiry, or management, or regulation, and may delegate to any such subcommittee or to any person any of the functions, powers, and duties conferred on the Committee by this Act or any other Act:

Provided that no such delegation shall prevent the exercise of any function or power or the performance of any duty by the University Grants Committee.

The Chairman of the University Grants Committee shall, by virtue of his office, be a member of every subcommittee appointed under this section and, if present at any meeting of any such subcommittee, shall be Chairman at that meeting.

It shall not be necessary that any person appointed to be a member of any such subcommittee shall be a member of the University Grants Committee.

The functions of the University Grants Committee shall be—

Subject to the provisions of this Act, the University Grants Committee shall have power to do whatever it considers desirable in order that it may best accomplish the purposes for which it exists.

Every application by any University for any grant by the Government of money or property shall be made to the University Grants Committee.

Part II of the First Schedule to the Public Bodies Contracts Act 1959 is hereby amended by inserting in its appropriate alphabetical order the following item:

All money belonging to the University Grants Committee amounting to five pounds and upwards shall, within seven days after it has come into the hands of the proper officer of the Committee, be paid into the account of the Committee at the Bank of New Zealand.

No money shall be withdrawn from the said bank except by authority of the Committee and by cheque signed by an officer of the Committee approved by it and countersigned by a member of the Committee or by another officer of the Committee approved by it.

The University Grants Committee shall keep full and correct accounts of all money received and expended by it.

The accounts shall be audited by the Audit Office, which for that purpose shall have all powers that it has under the Public Revenues Act 1953 in respect of public money and the audit of local authorities’ accounts.

The University Grants Committee shall, as soon as possible after the end of any financial year ending with such date as the Committee may determine, cause its accounts for that year to be balanced, and full and true statements and accounts of all the money received and expended by it in that year and of its assets and liabilities at the end of that year to be prepared and submitted to the Audit Office.

There may be paid to the members of the University Grants Committee and of any subcommittee appointed by that Committee remuneration by way of fees, salary, or allowances and travelling allowances and expenses in accordance with the Fees and Travelling Allowances Act 1951, and the provisions of that Act shall apply accordingly as if any members of any subcommittee (as well as members of the Committee) were members of a Statutory Board within the meaning of that Act.

The University Grants Committee is hereby declared to be a Statutory Board within the meaning of the Fees and Travelling Allowances Act 1951.

Nothing in this section shall apply to the remuneration of the Chairman of the University Grants Committee.

The University Grants Committee may in any year expend for purposes not authorised by any law for the time being in force any sum or sums not exceeding in the aggregate five hundred pounds.

The University Grants Committee appointed by the Senate of the University of New Zealand shall cease to exist on the first day of January, nineteen hundred and sixty-one, and on and after that date every reference in any enactment or document to the University Grants Committee shall be read as a reference to the University Grants Committee constituted by this Act.

The University Grants Committee constituted by this Act shall take over all records and commitments of the University Grants Committee appointed by the said Senate when that Committee ceases to exist, and shall be entitled to receive those records.

Every decision of the University Grants Committee appointed by the said Senate, so far as it. is subsisting or in force at the time when that Committee ceases to exist, shall continue and have effect as if it were a decision of the University Grants Committee constituted by this Act and may be amended or revoked by that Committee accordingly.

The University Grants Committee shall have authority to call upon every University to supply it with all the information it considers necessary for the effective discharge of its duties.

The University Grants Committee shall have power to appoint and remove such officers and servants as may be necessary for the purposes of this Act.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in section 17 of this Act the University Grants Committee may pay to its Chairman and to its officers and servants such salaries and allowances as it thinks fit (including allowances and travelling expenses in respect of their attendance at any conference or meeting or to make any investigation that in the opinion of the Committee will render them better fitted to carry out their duties for the Committee):

Provided that the Chairman shall not be entitled to vote on any question before the Committee or any subcommittee which directly affects his salary or in which he has a direct pecuniary interest.

Service as Chairman or as an officer or servant of the University Grants Committee shall be deemed to be Education service within the meaning of the Superannuation Act 1956.

The University Grants Committee shall, during the month of May in every year, furnish to the Minister a report with respect to the operation of the Committee.

A copy of every such report shall be laid before Parliament within twenty-eight days after the date on which it is furnished to the Minister if Parliament is then in session, and, if not, shall be laid before Parliament within twenty-eight days after the date of the commencement of the next ensuing session.