Message from the Hui E! team
Tēnā koutou e tau mai nei ki tēnei pānui
As we get closer to Christmas, we are reminded about the season of giving, care and being together to share the thoughts and reflections of the year with close kin.
We are acutely aware that it has been a difficult time for whānau across Aotearoa, so for the Hui E! Team, we hope that the content in this pānui provides some light, and we wish you all a happy and restful break.
Read on for information about what proposed tax changes mean for our sector. We also welcome new members to the Constellation, and are convening a Tangata Whenua Forum to help inform the direction of our work programme.
Enjoy the content in this pānui whānau and from your team here – we do hope this reaches you well.
Ngā manaakitanga ki a koutou katoa
Nā Jess, Katie, me Patrick mai i te tira o Hui E!
Introducing the Tangata Whenua Forum
Hui E! embarked upon a series of engagements to look to convene a Tangata Whenua Forum of Iwi and Hapū leaders.
Hui E! wants to ensure that a treaty partner perspective and voice is accounted for in our work programme and with government departments to meet their obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
An objective here is amplifing the treaty partner voice in conneciton with the sector wide voice whilst pursuing equitable change so that, hapū, iwi and whānau can continue to champion and tautoko their manaakitanga in their takiwā.
We have engaged face to face with the forum members, and we look forward to convening their first hui this month and discussing priorities that will support tangata whenua.
The co-leadership journey
Hui E!’s co-leadership journey began over 10 years ago as multiple organisations came together to form Hui E!. Growth, change and re-envisioning the priorities of the organisation laid to foundation to realise that dream. Starting in 2026 we will be sharing Katie and Patrick’s reflections on being in a co-leadership model through video, personal reflections and sector voices. See below for a preview of the first reflections from Katie.
Welcome to the new Community Constellation Members
We are delighted to welcome the YMCA, Repair Network Aotearoa and the Rainbow Support Collective to the Community Constellation. Click here for more information about the Constellation and please do get in touch if you do not see your part of the sector represented or would like to discuss membership.
Taxation and the Not-for-Profit Sector – Targeted Government Consultation
The New Zealand Government is undertaking a targeted consultation with 50 community sector organisations (Hui E! is one of them) on proposed changes to tax rules affecting charities and not-for-profits, with submissions closing 24 December 2025. This follows a major advocacy win: the Government has removed charity business tax from the table after strong sector pushback, meaning charities can continue operating social enterprises and generating business income without additional taxation. The consultation now focuses on three key areas: donor-controlled charities (proposing a 5% minimum annual distribution requirement), raising the tax-free threshold from $1,000 to $10,000 for small community organisations, and donation tax credit simplifications (allowing real-time tax credits and enabling donors to allocate credits directly back to charities).
What’s Being Proposed on Memberships:
The Government is proposing to introduce taxation on membership subscriptions. Anything beyond what the Government narrowly defines as “core membership benefits”: the right to vote at meetings, participate in elections, and receive notices and financial reports – would be considered taxable.
Critically, when Inland Revenue released its draft position on this issue in April 2025, submitters strongly opposed imposing tax on membership subscriptions. The sector has already said “no” to this proposal.
Critical Gap: Iwi and Māori Impacts Unclear. The Government acknowledges the proposals will impact Māori entities and trustees but admits “the extent of that impact remains unclear”. More concerning, the consultation document itself contains almost no analysis of these impacts.
Your Voice Matters: We already heard from many of you in our survey on this issue that capacity and compliance costs are an issue. We will use feedback from this sector survey to inform our formal submission. If you’re a marae, iwi entity, kaupapa Māori organisation, or operate in a regional/local community – please send impact examples and feedback to kiaora@huie.org.nz by 17 December and do email us if you would like a copy of the consultation document.
Resources and reading
The Good Registry: You want zero-waste gifts that show you care. We do too. Our charity gift cards and registries make it easy to celebrate with donations to 65 NZ charities. No waste. Full joy.
Well-being: As the year comes to a close and the bustle of the holidays ramps up, taking the time to rest, reflect and re-centre sets you and your organisation up for 2026. We at Hui E! wish you a summer break full of connection, kindness and gentle reflection.
Amplifying Māori Approaches: WEALL is proud to launch this landmark report amplifying this leadership, and showcasing how Māori economic approaches provide a positive, values-led alternative to the current, broken business-as-usual model.
The 5 Wai’s (not Why’s) of Māori Engagement: Atawhai Tibble provides practical insight in what is means to engage with Māori organisations using his 5 Wai model. Click the button to the right to read the full article.
Adopting AI Safely Checklist: AI is now fully embedded in almost everything we use. As sector leaders, thinkers and doers it is crucial you have the tools to benefit from what AI can offer and minimise the risks it poses. Based out of Australia, the Guidance for AI Adoption sets out 6 essential practices for responsible AI governance and adoption.
Google Ad Grants for Not-for-Profits: See if your not-for-profit is eligible to receive $10,000 USD of in-kind advertising every month for text ads with Ad Grants.
Upcoming events
International Year of the Volunteer: 2026 will be International Volunteer Year (IVY26) – as declared by the UN General Assembly. Volunteering New Zealand and the Volunteer Centres throughout the motu have begun planning for this significant event.
IVY 2026 is an opportunity to emphasise the power of volunteering, encourage greater investment in volunteering, and secure commitments from governments and others to support volunteering. Volunteering New Zealand will be asking the community and voluntary sector to co-design our IVY26 Call to Action.
Together Tomorrow Conference: As part of the global Reclaim the Economy Week, join WEALL for an interactive online workshop to dive into the nine key questions at the heart of the Tomorrow Together discussion document; a conversation on how we can create an Aotearoa New Zealand that truly works for both people and planet, now and for generations to come.
Community Constellation Spotlight: Platform Trust
The day I interviewed Simon Katz, Policy Analyst for Platform Trust, news of fragmentation in the sector dominated the headlines. As we started to talk Simon acknowledged these challenges but also said something that I found surprising.
He is optimistic. And what makes Simon optimistic isn’t just hope, it’s the evidence of progress and positive direction that he sees every day. Platform’s members, and the NGO and community sector at large, are actively working together, sharing knowledge, resources, and practical solutions to strengthen their services to deliver better outcomes for tāngata whai ora.
The sector is constantly innovating to find new ways to meet growing demand and the increasing complexity of mental health and addiction needs. This is evident in the positive outcomes that are seen in tāngata whai ora who go through the system, particularly with alcohol and other addictions services. Constructive optimism lives within the bonds of this cooperation.
Platform Trust began in the 1990s as mental health and addiction NGO and community providers, facing similar issues in funding, contracting, auditing and service delivery, wanted to explore ways to reduce that barriers and challenges together. They found that working collaboratively eased burdens on each individual organisation, allowing more capacity to serve the community. Platform Trust was formally established in 2000 as a peak body and membership organisation for the Mental Health and Addictions (MH&A) sector. It provided and avenue for shared and collaboratively leadership on area of mutual interest.
There are now 94 members of the Trust representing a diverse range of organisations all different in size and structure with some faith based and other lived experience led. Some are national providers who deliver services and supports across most communities in Aotearoa. Others have a regional or local community reach.
As well as providing services to its members, Platform supports and advocates for the wider MH&A NGO and community sector, which comprises of approximately 214 NGO and community organisations. This sector is large and diverse and serves around 73,000 people, roughly 42% of all individuals seeking specialist MH&A support. The significance and breadth of NGOs within the MH&A sector is too often overlooked and undervalued, said Simon. Despite supporting just under half of all individuals seeking specialist MH&A support, the sector is supported by only 37% of the workforce and receives 27.5% of the total expenditure of MH&A services.1
The services and supports that NGOs provide ranges from peer support to specialist services for individuals with complex needs. These organisations are often catching people who are facing significant wait times to access support in public health service, making them a pivotal part of the MH&A response in Aotearoa and preventing admissions to acute in-patient services helping reduce the pressure on Heath NZ’s specialist services.
In March 2025, Platform released “A Sound Investment: A Spotlight on the Impact and Value of Mental Health and Addiction NGO Services in New Zealand”. The report highlights what is working well, the positive impact and outcomes, the value add to the whole system and serves to elevate the voices and profile of the sector. It supports the view that investment in the MH&A NGO community sector is incredibly cost-effective, delivering more with less.
While there is great work happening in the sector, there are also opportunities that would further strengthen the sector’s ability to meet the growing demand and increasing complexity of needs in the community. Fragmentation embedded in the system makes it difficult for tāngata whai ora to access services and for services to connect in a cohesive way to ensure good care. However, the member organisations of Platform have drive and motivation to reduce the silos in the system through collaboration and resource sharing. To further support the sector to their work, Platform is supporting investigation into better ways to collect and measure data to inform planning and service design and demonstrate the value of the sector. It is also advocating for a sustainable and stable funding and contracting environment that enables services to do what they do best without disruptions or limited resources. This includes advocating for efforts to strengthen our workforce such as pay parity for roles which are undercompensated compared to their counterparts in Te Whatu Ora.
With the 2026 national election in sight, Platform will be holding an Election Debate sometime next year. It is usually the only national level pre-election event on MH&A , with party representatives debating and discussing their plans and manifesto priorities for the MH&A sector. Platform will continue to advocate and lobby for effective system policies and strategies, including funding and regulation. It will also continue provide valuable insights and resources for its members, and facilitate cooperation, sharing, and capability building to improve outcomes for tāngata whai ora.
If you are an MH&A NGO or community organisation, we encourage you consider becoming a member if you are not already. Benefits include:
- Regular connection and support with others working in the mental health and addiction community network
- Direct access to information and sector intelligence and national and regional levels
- The ability to join our voices together to advocate for collective change and action
To find out more and learn how to become a member, please visit Platform’s website member page.
