peter_glensor
July 2016 Panui

In this Panui:

  1. Comments from Hui E!
  2. Quote for the Month
  3. Hui E! Events
  4. Other Sector Events
  5. Sector Developments
  6. United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
  7. Research and Resources
  8. Our People
  9. Sector People

Comments from Peter Glensor, Hui E! General Manager

Peter’s comment for July Panui from Erin Brown on Vimeo.

This week we received an email from a respected social service community provider – about what was happening with some of their contracts. They reported:

So what has actually happened … for me I have no idea! We do not have any trail of communication or contract. In fact, I have no information about what my budget will be or who with going past 1 July, who I am relating to, or what I am expected to do. … So what’s the problem? Transparency, due process, partnership, accountability … to start. However, there are bigger issue looming – the loss of years of experience and relationships between community and providers, and staff; an increasing gap between trained resources government workers and para-professional under resourced community workers; there will be no one available for statutory workers – CYFS, Police, etc to refer to … 

As a sector, we go into a new financial year with huge uncertainty. There are so many changes – many of them positive – but with so little lead time for many groups to respond.

The recent Community Leadership Fund was oversubscribed by 10 times – a sign of both financial pressure, and the huge interest in effective sector leadership.

More than ever we need to talk together, work together, and stay together. A partnership between government and community sector is an essential part of building a strong resilient society – in Hui E! we are committed to building that partnership – let’s do it together.

For any enquiries, to be added to the Hui E! mail list or to unsubscribe, please contact info@huie.org.nz

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Quote for July

On enabling people to live better lives, the central government says it wants local initiative but treats councils as subordinates and says it wants the innovation and close-to-the-people skills, insights and values that not-for-profits can bring – but then it ties the not-for-profits in heavy, short-term contracts which stamps out initiative and adds costs and it favours large or national not-for-profits over smaller and local ones.“

Colin James sum-up comments to Inspiring Communities conference, Wellington, 22 June

Hui E! Events

Auckland

6 July 2016

Hui E! Sector Hui This is a sector-based Hui where issues, news, and ideas can be shared. Often, we convene discussions on specific issues as a result of issues raised in these Hui. This Hui is open to everyone in the sector – a chance to share news, test ideas, and seek support. Agenda:

  1. A brief presentation by one community group – English Language Partners
  2. Report on progress (or lack of it!) in building links with Auckland Council and the Empowering Communities Approach
  3. Auckland Language Strategy – Given Auckland’s super-diversity, languages are relevant to everyone in the community sector
  4. Follow up to the Ethnic Communities Engagement Summit.
  5. National issues: a. Law changes – Charities Act/ Incorporated Societies Act b. UN Sustainable Development Goals c. Open Government Partnership
  6. Mary Dawson is leaving – another chance to celebrate her service with our sector.

If you have an issue you want to raise, please let Peter know. Hui runs from 1:30pm-3:30pm at the Lynfield Room, Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mount Albert Rd, Three Kings, Auckland.

Wellington

14 July 2016

Workshopping proposals for the Open Government Partnership  In a follow-up to the Parliamentary Breakfast on the OPG Hui E! is working with a range of sector people to develop a set of commitments to go in the OGP National Action Plan. Dave Henderson will present the draft and seek your feedback, you are welcome to suggest changes or to propose more. Hui E! will consult more widely after the hui, and then an expert panel will help us narrow down the list to 5 or 6 priorities. If you want to be part of that process please contact Dave. Hui runs from 10am-12pm, Community Hub, Level 4, 120 Featherston Street.

27 July 2016 Comms2Comms Network A network of people working in Communications and Marketing in any NGO. The group meets on the 4th Wednesday of the month at the Community Hub, Level 4, 120 Featherston St from 10-12pm. It’s a great chance to meet your peers, and share ideas. July’s meeting will look at database and document management.

Sector Events

Auckland

14 July 2016

UN Sustainable Development Goals and you! The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will set the direction for much of what we do for the next 15 years. Governments, private sector and civil society will all have the opportunity to collaborate on the most ambitious UN programme ever. Globetrotting social entrepreneur John Stansfield has been studying with other community development specialists in India and will present a lively half day workshop hosted by Volunteering Auckland on the Goals and what they might mean for your organisation.

John is former head of Unitec’s department of Social Practice and chairs the International Association of Community Development’s Education committee, he is a founder of the Graduate Diploma in Not for Profit Management and has had a life sentence in the voluntary sector with no time off for good behaviour and precious little evidence of it. Registration open until 3:30pm, Friday 8 July 2016. Register here.

13-16 September 2016

Partnership Brokers Training As partnerships and collaborations multiple, we need to get better at brokering the relationships, agreeing common goals and achieving added value from working across organisations. Partnering is easier said than done! The Partnership Brokers Association, a global not-for-profit, is dedicated to enhancing the professionalism and integrity of those who do the work to make partnerships between organisations effective. This new programme provides those working in partnerships with in-depth development on how to partner effectively. For more information check out the brochure and application form or go to their website. There is a subsidy available for NGO and community organisations, from the Working Together More Fund.

Wellington

16 July 2016

Wellington Multicultural Community and Mayoral Forum

This Multicultural Council of Wellington Forum will address the question, ‘Can the increasingly diverse population of Wellington add real value to the city’s social and economic success?’ Featuring Mayoral candidates, government and diplomatic speakers, community sector people, and creative performances.

Session runs from 9:00am–3:00pm at the Johnsonville Community Centre Hall, 3 Frankmoore Ave, Johnsonville, Wellington. Lunch and morning and afternoon tea will be provided. Entry is free, but only by registering online with Eventfinder.

3-5 November 2016 Dementia Today: Diverse Communities, Collective Action Conference Speakers from New Zealand and overseas will share the latest research, evidence, learnings and insights, and discuss how we can address this challenge. With real life case studies, and an emphasis on what works, this conference has practical relevance to the real world of people affected by dementia, policy makers, service providers, health and care professionals, researchers and NGOs. People living with dementia and their care partners can attend the conference free of charge after registering. This is a dementia-friendly conference with facilities for people with dementia at the venue. Find out more.

Sydney

24-25 November 2016 Australia New Zealand Third Sector Research Conference Social Justice, social enterprise and the market: Challenge or Opportunity? In dynamic and uncertain environments a group of interdisciplinary researcher academics and practitioners seek to know more about how communities can overcome resource pressures and think creatively about addressing social and environmental problems. A call for papers, presentations, workshops and panels is now open. Find out more about the conference and how to submit a proposal.

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.

United Nations SDGs

Equal pay for work of equal value

Hui E! is supporting civil society groups working to get New Zealand to act on the SDGs. One issue is pay equity – supported by a number of community groups. An Action Station’s petition has been launched: Tell the Prime Minister you want equal pay for work of equal value.

Leaving no one behind – putting marginalised people at the forefront of the Sustainable Development Goals

The commitment to “leave no one behind” is firmly embedded in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This paper explores how member organisations of the Bond Sustainable Development Goals Group are building this commitment into their work; what the possible implications for programming, policy, funding and resourcing are; and the similarities and differences between the various approaches. The case studies included illustrate the challenges and opportunities in translating the commitment into tangible actions. The paper also outlines the 10 principles of “leave no one behind” and makes a series of recommendations to the UK government to guide its implementation of these principles across all its work to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Download the whole resource.

Research and Resources

Lives are local

Read Colin James sum-up comments to Inspiring Communities conference, Wellington, 22 June 2016.

How much should we have in cash reserves?

One of the vexed questions for boards of not-for-profit entities is what level of reserves the entity should hold as operational insurance. For many entities this issue is one that has been getting a fair bit of airtime in audit committees and governing body meetings. So what should a prudent organisation do? Should we use our funds now or ensure we have some funds set aside for a rainy day? This issue highlights the natural tension between a board being prudent to protect their operational capability against unexpected future funding cuts, and not wishing to be perceived as “storing” funds. The issue, or perception, of “storing” funds can have some strong impacts. Generally, these are in two main areas: dissatisfaction at use of funds and perception of wealth. Read the full article by Craig Fisher and Colin Henderson from RSM.

Special deals for charities

What’s in a name? Well, possibly quite a lot if that name means your organisation is classified as a charity. Recent times have seen what appears to be a growing number of commercial organisations kindly recognising the value that charities provide by offering their commercial goods or services at discounted prices to charitable organisations. However, one of the challenges is that the most popular “de facto qualification filter” for these organisations to qualify for the special deals or discounts appears to be registered charity status. This article raises the question of the equity or “fairness” of using registered charity status as a de facto filter – in that Charities represent only a subset of the wider not-for-profit sector. Read the full article by Craig Fisher from RSM.

Key management personnel disclosure for charities

One of the financial reporting changes that now impacts a large proportion of charities is a mandatory requirement to disclose information regarding remuneration of key management personnel. We are aware that this new disclosure requirement may initially engender sensitivities in some organisations. Charities are now required to comply with the relevant financial reporting standards issued by the External Reporting Board (XRB). For those with annual operating expenditure in excess of $2m per annum, these requirements are found in the Tier 1 or Tier 2 Public Benefit Entity (PBE) Standards. Read the full article in which Craig Fisher, Audit Partner and Mithun Lal, Audit Manager, RSM look at what disclosure is required and why.

New resources on dementia

The Alzheimers New Zealand has just published five more booklets that cover the many questions that people with dementia, their families/whānau and friends may have. These books are a comprehensive resource specifically tailored for a New Zealand audience and include information about dementia, how to live well, supporting a person with dementia, understanding changed behaviour, transitioning into residential care and the later stages of dementia and end of life care. Download the booklets from the Alzheimers NZ website.

Our People 

We are posting profiles of some of the many community sector groups we work with. Let us know if you would like your profile shared.

South Alive

South Alive is an urban rejuvenation project, led by the community, with the goal of identifying the best possible future for South Invercargill and ways to make it happen. It was established in 2012 with a small steering group, which then held a public meeting in April 2012 to generate ideas and decide priorities. Action teams of volunteers formed around each of the priority areas, and have been working since then to develop and implement projects. We have volunteer teams focusing on the arts, housing, beautification of the area, planting fruit and nut trees, and a dog park which has now been established. In 2015, 82.5% of local residents said they feel a sense of pride in how South Invercargill looks and feels – up from 35% three years ago; and 92% of local residents think South Alive is making a positive difference. In 2016 South Alive was a finalist for Mitre 10 New Zealand Community of the Year.   

Sector People 

Congratulations to New Zealander Robert Martin who was the first person with a learning disability to be elected to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Mary Dawson is leaving her role as CEO of ARMS – Auckland Regional Migrant Services Trust. She will take up a new role as co-Manager of the Strategic Community Brokers team, inside the Empowering Communities Unit of Auckland Council.
Disclaimer This newsletter is produced by Hui E! Community Aotearoa. All the information is intended to assist readers to pursue in a non-partisan way an interest in matters relating to civil society in Aotearoa New Zealand. An effort is made within available resources to ensure accuracy but no guarantee is given or implied. If you have contributions, comments or suggestions, please forward them to info@huie.org.nz. We thank you warmly for your support, and hope to see you at our sector hui!
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