New College name proposed

Have your say and tell us what you think

RACS is considering a proposal to change the name of the College following a request from our Fellowship. RACS Council appointed a working party to progress the matter and it was agreed that an electronic vote of members on the proposed name change will be conducted in 2023, allowing ample time for member and stakeholder education and engagement. The working group identified two viable alternative names:

• Royal College of Surgeons of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand (RCSAANZ)

• Royal Australian and Aotearoa New

Zealand College of Surgeons (RAANZCS). Most working group members favoured the second name as it was closest to the current name. Options featuring ‘ANZAC’ were avoided given the military connotation.

RACS had previously considered a name change due to several related concerns, such as uncertainty about the meaning of the word ‘Australasia’ and whether it reflects our bi-national status. Should we be Australia and New Zealand or Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand: how do we best reflect the Māori and Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander cultures; how

This is what the proposed names would look like does the prefix ‘royal’ fit, and what does all this mean for Fellows who use the postnominal FRACS. The first request for a name change came in 2004 after a survey conducted by our New Zealand National Board found that most of our Aotearoa New Zealand Fellows and Trainees favoured a name change. In 2006, a Fellowship survey included an exploratory question about a name change. Less than half of those respondents preferred the College name remain as ‘Australasian’ and a similar number preferred either the title ‘Australian and New Zealand’ or expressed no preference. In the same year, Council resolved that a postal ballot of the Fellowship be conducted to determine whether the College should change its name to ‘Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Surgeons’. In 2007, a referendum on the name change was held. Fifty-seven per cent of respondents voted for a name change, which is less than the 75 per cent requirement defined by our Constitution and thus the name remained unchanged. In December 2019, the New Zealand National Board asked that Council again consider a name change. This proposal was referred to the Governance Committee then to Council. A working group was established to scope a College name change and make recommendations. In January 2021, the New Zealand National Board requested inclusion of both Aotearoa and New Zealand in the College name, and this was accepted and implemented.

Have your say

We are calling on all Fellows, Trainees and Specialist International Medical Graduates to tell us what you think of the idea of changing the name of the College.

Do you support the change or not? Why?

What are your thoughts on the proposed names below? • Royal College of Surgeons of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand (RCSAANZ) • Royal Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand College of Surgeons (RAANZCS). Please send your response of up to 500 words to Surgical.News@surgeons.org by 15 March 2022. We will publish four responses in Surgical News – two each on either side of the argument. More responses will be placed on our website.