Sector Developments
National Coordination of SDG work
On June 15, Hui E! convened a meeting of community groups working to promote the SDGs. Groups included international agencies and those working on a New Zealand response: VSA, Volunteering New Zealand, Council for International Development, 350.org, National Council of Women, Community Housing Aotearoa, Pay Equity Coalition, Equality Network, UN Association and family violence groups.
Hui E! will begin the process of mapping which community sector groups are working on which SDG Goals and Targets, and linking groups together who are working on common issues. We will also be pressing the New Zealand Government to prepare a coordinated and more ambitious programme so we can achieve more. Contact us if your group wants to get involved.
Open Government Partnership – Make input into New Zealand’s Plan
Following the breakfast at Parliament with guest speaker Shreya Basu, Hui E! is working on a plan to get feedback on a proposed set of goals, or ‘commitments’, that will contribute to NZ’s National Action Plan, to be submitted to the global Open Government Partnership (OGP) body in October. We will circulate a paper widely across the sector, after an initial consultation at the monthly hui in Wellington, and we will welcome your input.
Everyone will be able to make comments on the paper and the draft set of commitments, but also to propose new commitments, so long as they relate to either Open Government or to the relationship between government and the sector – the partnership part of OGP. If you want to be part of the prioritising of the draft commitments, contact Dave.
To find out more about the OGP look at the presentation from the Parliamentary Breakfast on “New Zealand and the Open Government Partnership – what should you know, and why should you care?” New Zealand joined OGP in 2014 with the State Services Commission assigned as the lead agency. Each OGP government partners with civil society to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to improve governance.
Recommendations of the Joint Working Group on Pay Equity Principles
In October 2015 the Government established a Joint Working Group to develop and recommend pay equity principles for female-dominated workforces where the work may have been systemically undervalued. The Joint Working Group included employer, union and government representatives and has made a series of recommendations which are currently being considered by Ministers. Read the recommendations.
Inland Revenue consultation on donee organisations
Inland Revenue is currently consulting on an issues paper on donee organisations. When a person makes a donation to a donee organisation, they can generally claim a tax credit for that donation.
The issues paper examines the donee organisation requirements of the Income Tax Act 2007, and is particularly relevant to registered charities that apply some of their funds to charitable purposes outside of New Zealand. This is because donee organisations must “wholly or mainly” apply funds to certain specified purposes (including charitable purposes) within New Zealand. Inland Revenue currently accepts that this requirement is met where 51% or more of the funds are applied within New Zealand. The issues paper suggests a higher threshold should apply which, although no exact figure has been set, could be as much as 90% or more. If the current practice was to change it would apply prospectively.
The deadline for comment is 29 July 2016. More information is available on the IRD website under draft items.
Whistling While They Work 2: Improving managerial responses to whistleblowing in public and private sector organisations
Victoria University of Wellington is working with State Services Commission and the NZ Ombudsman on the New Zealand leg of Whistling While They Work 2. It is the biggest piece of research into whistleblowing in the world, and being is led by Griffith University and is independently funded by the Australian Research Council, altogether it involves four universities and 21 supporting organisations across Australia and New Zealand. You can get involved by participating in their initial Survey of Organisational Processes & Procedures. The survey also allows you to indicate your organisation’s interest in participating in greater depth, through the next phase of the research: Integrity@WERQ. This research project is open to any organisation based or with significant operations in both New Zealand and Australia, with more than 10 employees, until 31 July 2016. Find out more.
$3.56m programme to support communities
Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Jo Goodhew has just announced the new Community-Led Development Programme (CLDP), supporting community-led initiatives into the future. The programme will allow selected communities to identify community aspirations, then partner with the Department of Internal Affairs, other government agencies, local government, private funders, businesses and local iwi to achieve their goals. The CLDP will be open to communities, hapū, and iwi across New Zealand, and a contestable Expression of Interest process will open in September 2016.
Sector calls on the Government to raise the age of youth justice.
HuiE! was proud to be one of 26 organisations and five independent experts from across the youth, justice and disability sectors have joined together to call on the Government to raise the age of youth justice in Aotearoa. Read the full media release.
Seminars on the new Incorporated Societies legislation
Geoff Connor of MBIE presented in Palmerston North on proposals for the new Incorporated Societies legislation. Hui E! received very positive feedback on the seminars, and we want to thank everyone who attended and made input. Submissions closed on 30 June and Hui E! put in a submission expressing the concerns that were raised as well as the positive aspects.
New fundraising campaign launched for the I’m Local Project
RainbowYOUTH’s I’m Local Project aims to help queer & gender diverse youth all over Aotearoa to feel valued, recognised and supported in their local communities. They’ve delivered 60,000 booklets & posters to communities in Northland, wider Auckland, Waikato, Hawkes Bay, Bay of Plenty & Southland and are asking Aotearoa to help raise $10,000 help print another 40,000 of these booklets and posters to keep up with the demand. Contribute
Winding up of Injury Prevention Aotearoa Inc
Injury Prevention Aotearoa will no longer be delivering its current services as their funding contract with the Ministry of Health has ceased. However the Society will remain on the register of Incorporated Societies in anticipation that there may be new business opportunities in the future. From 1 July the Board will have responsibility for the conduct of the affairs of Injury Prevention Aotearoa Incorporated, as there will no longer be a National Office. |
