The Administrative Council (AC) of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) held its annual meeting on October 17-18, 2009 in Christchurch, New Zealand and took the following 16 actions.

• After a detailed review, preliminary IARU positions on relevant agenda items for the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12) were adopted.
• The strategic plan for the development of support for Amateur Radio frequency allocations was reviewed for the period through 2012. The principal focus is on preparations for WRC-12, especially the attainment of an amateur allocation in the vicinity of 500 kHz.
• The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) meetings at which IARU representation will be required for the coming year were identified, and plans for representation were reviewed.
• The working document that sets out the spectrum requirements of the Amateur and Amateur Satellite Services was reviewed and updated.
• The IARU 2025 Committee was restructured with a new mandate to determine what features of the proposed new structure can be implemented in the short term and to determine whether, in the long term, the structure proposed by the committee is financially feasible.
• A policy statement was adopted explaining the status of the Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications (GAREC) Conference with respect to the IARU. GAREC is an informal meeting of IARU Member-Societies and of Amateur Radio emergency groups within or outside of the respective national IARU Member-Society, serving as a forum for the exchange of experience and as an advisory body for the emergency communications work of the IARU.
• The AC noted that the three IARU regions have reached consensus on three global Center of Activity frequencies for use in the event of emergencies: 14.300, 18.160 and 21.360 MHz.
• In response to a study initiated by the AC last year, input was received from regional Monitoring System coordinators and the Region 3 Conference. Certain proposals to make the system more effective are being discussed, and the AC has resolved to take further action after the regional executive committees have had sufficient time to consult with their experts.
• A study of the international QSL bureau system was received. Based on the study, Member-Societies are encouraged to explore appropriate ways to make cards available to non-members.
• Volunteer Expert Consultants and Technical Representatives were reappointed. There is a need for additional qualified volunteers.
• The budget for 2010-2012 as presented by the International Secretariat (ARRL) was reviewed. The budget includes provision for financial contributions from the three regional organizations to defray a portion of the expenses, in accordance with previously adopted policy.
• "Amateur Radio: Combining Communication Experience with Modern Digital Techniques" was selected as the theme for the next World Amateur Radio Day, April 18, 2010.
• A protocol was adopted to deal with Member-Societies that no longer exist.
• As a result of failure to fulfill their obligations under the IARU Constitution, the rights of the following IARU Member-Societies were placed temporarily in abeyance: Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Suriname.
• Reports of the IARU International Coordinators and Advisers were received. They are International Beacon Project Coordinator Peter Jennings, AB6WM/VE3SUN; Satellite Adviser Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV; EMC Adviser Christian Verholt, OZ8CY; International Coordinator for Emergency Communications Hans Zimmermann, F5VKP/HB9AQS, and Interim Monitoring System International Coordinator Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG.
• A report was received on IARU participation in Telecom World 2009 in Geneva the previous week. The IARU stand was a popular destination and an effective platform for explaining the mission of the amateur services to attendees.

Attending the Christchurch meeting were IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA; Vice President Ole Garpestad, LA2RR; Secretary Rod Stafford, W6ROD; regional representatives Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T; Dennis Green, ZS4BS; Ramon Santoyo, XE1KK; Daniel Lamoureux, VE2KA; Michael Owen, VK3KI; Shizuo Endo, JE1MUI' Peter Lake, ZL2AZ, and recording secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ.

The next scheduled in-person meeting of the AC will be held in the vicinity of San Salvador, El Salvador in conjunction with the Region 2 Conference in October 2010. The officers will investigate holding a Web-based "virtual meeting" early in 2010.