Comments from Peter Glensor, Hui E! General Manager

Peter Glensor September Panui on Vimeo.
After three years of work in talking about, then setting up Hui E! Community Aotearoa, I’ve decided it’s time to move on. In early November I’m finishing my time as General Manager – and am glad we have a national entity that can link together the whole community sector. I’m very grateful to our Trustees who put their confidence in me, in my staff colleagues, and in the hundreds of groups and thousands of people that we’ve worked with.

The Sector certainly needs a voice, and identity, and a face, which Hui E! is well positioned to provide. The recent support we received from the Community Leadership Fund is a great affirmation of us and our work. In this Panui we report on changes within our own organisation, and a host of work throughout the Sector, that gives real hope for the future. I know that someone with mana, skills and wisdom will come forward to take up the torch – it’s certainly a job worth doing. He mihi aroha ki a koutou katoa.

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

Whakaarohia a Papatūānuku i mua i te tānga mai i tēnei īmera.
Please consider the environment before printing this email.

Peter Glensor Ending His Time as General Manager

Hui E! Community Aotearoa will begin searching for a new General Manager, to take over from Peter Glensor. Hui E! Board Co-Chair, Simon Cayley, announced that the Board on August 9th accepted Peter Glensor’s resignation which will take effect in early November.

In his letter of resignation, Peter Glensor said “I have done the task I set out to do – to get the organisation up and running, to create a culture and a philosophy for Hui E!, to position us as a sector-wide leadership and service entity, and to secure something approaching financial sustainability. I spent a year consulting with the sector, then the last 18 months getting Hui E! set up. Now it is time to hand over to someone else.”

Simon Cayley, Co-Chair said “Peter has developed Hui E! from a promising concept to a credible, relevant and future focused organisation offering leadership across our sector. We are enormously grateful for the energy and wisdom he has brought to the role and while we will miss him we appreciate his decision to hand over the reins to someone else.”

The Board has set up a sub-committee to begin the process of appointing a new General Manager. “We want to make sure there is no loss of momentum as we make this change in leadership, and that we build on the progress of the past two years. The community sector is a key part of NZ society, and Hui E!’s work is vital to connect, strengthen, support and promote the sector”, concluded Pania Coote, Hui E! Co-Chair.

Applications for the position are open until 5pm, Friday 16 September. Find out more

Treaty-Based Governance For Hui E!

The Board of Hui E! has begun the process of moving towards a Treaty-based governance structure for the organisation – to give effect to the Trust Deed.

One of the three overriding principles that guide Hui E! says “Te Tiriti o Waitangi must be visible and real in our community and our nation and embedded within our organisation, using a Treaty relationships framework.”

As first steps in this process, the Board unanimously agreed that it would work with two Co-Chairs. Pania Coote (Invercargill) and Simon Cayley (New Plymouth) have been appointed to these roles. These positions will be reviewed by the Board following the next AGM.

The Board also decided that it would replace the four retiring Trustees by appointment rather than election because the Board already has the minimum number of elected trustees and there are clear skills that Hui E! needs around its Board table moving forward (based on the organisation’s skills matrix). Appointments will be sought to meet these skills and to continue to ensure cross-sector coverage and the commitment to a Treaty-based model of governance.

The Annual Meeting of Hui E! will take place in Wellington on Wednesday November 2nd – from 11am. There will be a lunch, and a time to farewell the retiring people – General Manager Peter Glensor, and the Trustees – Julie Haggie, Sonya Rimene, Bronwyn Yates and Pat Watson.

Quote for September

“Use of the term civil society reinforces the UN-backed legal independence and rights, including freedoms of assembly and association, freedom to form associations in the ways participants decide, and freedom to express their perspective on issues without fear. The term ‘community and voluntary sector’ is common in New Zealand but it lacks definition and the context of internationally recognised rights.”

Hui E! Events

Auckland

13 September 2016
Hui E! Sector Hui
An open invitation to anyone in the community sector. This meeting will have two main topics:

1. What is happening in Central Government, and what is the potential impact on our Sector? This will include:

• Reorganisation within MSD
• Creation of the new Oranga Tamariki Ministry
• Attempts at closer departmental collaboration – eg Childrens Teams
• Moves to have standardised contracts and streamlined contracting processes
• Stronger focus on competitive tendering as the predominant procurement modality.

We want this to be a conversation for the sector – so we are keen to hear from sector groups. For example, we’ll catch up on what’s happened with the legal dispute over the Problem Gambling Foundation tender round, from groups in Waikato concerned about shorter contract times, from people learning they are losing contracts to Whanau Ora – with no appeal processes, from the CEO of the Council of Christian Social Services about MSD changes, and others.

2. We will have a session about Auckland Council – the Empowering Communities Approach, and the impact on our sector. This is part of a longrunning conversation we have been having and follows up our invitation to work in partnership with Auckland Council as they implement the EPA.

From 1:30pm-3:30pm at the Fickling Centre, 546 Mt Albert Road, Three Kings, Auckland.

Wellington

9 September 2016
Sustainable Development Goals and the New Zealand Government Response
A meeting to hear about progress among NZ government agencies in response to the Sustainable Development Goals:

• what the public sector agencies/departments are working on and
• cross-agency discussions and their joint work programme.

The briefing will be provided by Girol Karacaoglu, Deputy Secretary and Chief Economist with Treasury.

We’re also inviting people from MFaT who are coordinating NZ’s international response to the SDGs at the UN and through NZ Aid.

This is a chance for us in civil society to learn how far the government agencies have got, and to explore whether and how we can work together – as the UN clearly intends we should.

We can see to what extent the specific issues we in civil society are working on are also the issues the government agencies see as important.

Feel free to let others know about this meeting. All are welcome. Runs from 3.30pm to 5.00pm at Community Hub, Level 4, 120 Featherston Street, Wellington.

28 September 2016
Hui E! Comms2Comms Network
A self managing group for people in the community sector involved with communications, PR, fundraising.

Comms2Comms report and next meeting:
This month we had an excellent conversation about advocacy with Deborah Morris-Travers, who has had a long experience within the community sector, now working within Parliament. She stressed the importance of cross-agency work, of engaging “head, heart, and hands”, of the importance of building relationships, and making the best use of every opportunity for advocacy. She ended with a message of hope – that New Zealanders DO work from strong community values, and DO want what is best for our families, our communities and our nation – and our task is to tap into that goodwill.

Next month we will have two main issues, along with time to share ideas and experiences:

1. Workshopping the findings of the recent ComVoices survey of 300 community groups – about their financial wellbeing, and engagement in contracting – how to make the best use of these findings with the public, and with decision makers and public officials.
2. A brief presentation of the findings of PhD research on policy advocacy in government-funded charities by Phyllis Anscombe.

From 10 am to 12 noon, Community Hub, Level 4, 120 Featherston St, Wellington.

13 October 2016
Hui E! Sector Hui
Last month we looked at the regular Sector Hui that Hui E! hosts in Wellington. These Hui continue the tradition of “Round Table Forums” hosted by ANGOA over many years. Recently, turnout to the Sector Hui has been declining, so we talked about possible changes. At the meeting we agreed:

1. We will move to a meeting every two months – for 1 ½ hours.
2. We will have a specific topic, mostly with someone to present, alongside an open opportunity for anyone to report in on issues or concerns they have.
3. The Hui will continue to be open to anyone involved in the sector, and will be advertised both through our Panui and other means.

The next Hui will be from 10.30 to 12 noon at the Community Hub, Level 4, 120 Featherston St, Wellington.

Sector Events

Auckland

19 September 2016

Suffrage Commemoration 2016 
In commemoration of 123 years of women’s suffrage in Aotearoa, sexual violence survivor advocate Louise Nicholas will be speaking about her journey from victim to survivor at Women’s Health Action’s annual Suffrage Commemoration. Louise is a survivor of child and adult rape, and of a justice system that saw her battle her way through seven court cases. She now works as a National Survivor Advocate, and represents survivor perspectives in service development and the sexual violence and abuse services sector. Louise will be presented with the Women’s Health Rights Award for her contribution to women’s health through supporting and advocating for survivors, and challenging the way services in New Zealand respond to sexual violence cases. From 6-7:30pm at Gus Fisher Gallery, 74 Shortland St, Central Auckland. Tickets cost $20. Find out more

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. Venue: Vaughan Park Retreat Centre, Long Bay.

Wellington

27 September 2016
Wellington Community and Voluntary Sector Research Forum
Hosted by Victoria University. The Programme for the next Community and Voluntary Sector Research Forum is being finalised and will be posted here next week. From 3.00-5.00pm (refreshments from 2.45pm) at Victoria University Pipitea Campus – Railway Building, Level 1, RWW 129 (Victoria University’s door is on the left hand side of the railway station; take the lift to the 1st floor, or walk up the flight of stairs to the right of the lifts). Contact: Lynn.Barlow@vuw.ac.nz by Friday 23 September.

31 October 2016
Pivot – Linking Vision to Action – Volunteering New Zealand’s 2016 Conference 
Volunteering New Zealand invites you to their annual conference to hear from inspiring and thoughtful speakers from New Zealand, UK, and Australia. Re(connect) with old and new colleagues, develop your professional skills by attending one of three specialist workshops, become more productive with Graham Allcott and Moya Sayer-Jones and gain insights into innovative organisational design. Find out more

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

Open Government Partnership

Hui E! has been coordinating work among the community sector to draw up a list of commitments that we want to see included in the NZ Government’s Plan of Action.

We’ve posted our list onto our website and will be talking with the State Services Commission about it – they are charged with coordinating the Action Plan for Government. The core elements of our input is to strengthen and make more visible a partnership relationship between the Government and the Sector – with regular formal meetings, an action plan for building the relationship, and a number of practical actions that demonstrate our mutual commitment to work together.

Charities Amendment Act

Hui E! has been part of growing activity to oppose the proposed changes to the Charities Act. Our main concern is that the Amendment takes away current rights that charities have to appeal decisions of the Chief Executive of Charities Services. Along with a number of others, we believe there is no justification for taking away these rights, even though we know that an appeal to the High Court is an expensive and difficult process. At a time when many charities are under great pressure we argue that this is a very bad time for the government to be taking even small steps to make life more difficult. We’ll let you know what happens – but we aren’t holding our breath!

Sector Leadership Project

Hui E! has initiated dialogue among a number of sector groups about better coordination of our work to offer leadership of the sector, and to strengthen the sector. If there are sector groups who want to be part of that conversation, let us know – peter.glensor@huie.org.nz, because we want this project to be transparent and open.

ComVoices and Blogs

Hui E! is a strong partner in ComVoices – a voluntary network of Wellington-based groups, aiming to provide a strong positive voice in support of the community sector. One contribution is that ComVoices people contribute regular blogs on the Community Scoop website – one of the most-read pages of Scoop. The latest blog is by Josie Pagani – CEO of the Council for International Development – and well worth reading!

Health Promotion Forum of New Zealand will host the next World Conference on Health Promotion

Congratulations to Runanga Whakapiki Ake i te Hauora o Aotearoa in its successful bid to host the next World Conference on Health Promotion. This will be the first time New Zealand hosts the conference and will showcase the country’s leadership in health promotion: particularly indigenous wellbeing. The Rt Hon Helen Clark, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) administrator and Dr Colin Tukuitonga, Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) have both dedicated their organisations’ support of the conference. Sir Mason Durie, Prof John Raeburn and Dame Tariana Turia have all agreed to be part of the conference’s Advisory Group.

Funding available for collaboration in 2016

If you are developing or considering a collaborative project or merger, see how the Working Together More Fund (WTMF) might assist. Download the brochure or check out the website for criteria and case studies. The WTMF has supported collaborative initiatives and mergers since 2009. In August 2016, 45 applications were received with 13 grants distributed totalling over $156,000.00. Details about the Fund including recent grants can be found here. The close off date for submitting applications for the final round in 2016 is 5pm, Friday, 21 October 2016. For further information contact Bede Martin – bedemartin@xtra.co.nz or 021 230 2908.

Former Prime Minister calls for new constitution

Former Prime Minister and Victoria University of Wellington Distinguished Fellow Sir Geoffrey Palmer is calling for a modern written constitution in New Zealand to boost public confidence in government. Sir Geoffrey and constitutional expert Dr Andrew Butler have been working on a proposed new constitution and will soon publish a book, A Constitution for Aotearoa New Zealand, setting out their ideas and seeking public comment on them. They say New Zealand’s Constitution should be modernised to make it more easily accessible. A Constitution for Aotearoa New Zealand, published by Victoria University Press, will be launched at Parliament on 21 September. Read the full press statement on Scoop.

Expressions of Interest: Komiti Whakahaere for New Zealand Coalition to End Homelessness

The NZCEH is inviting expressions of interest from people to become a member of their Komiti Whakahaere. NZCEH is working to end homelessness in Aotearoa by 2020. Applications close 5pm, 30 September. Download the info pack or contact Iris Pahau for more information.

ACNC Moves on Single Charity Definition

The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission has proposed a new model to deliver a single definition of charity across all states and jurisdictions in Australia. The ACNC has prepared a discussion paper on the implications of moving to a new model of a single charity definition in which it would take on the role of determining an organisation’s charitable status. ACNC assistant commissioner David Locke said the new model of regulation would have significant benefits to the charity sector. “At present there is no single definition of charity across Australia. In addition to the common law definitions, the terms ‘charity’, ‘charitable purpose’ and ‘charitable status’ occur in 172 pieces of Commonwealth, state and territory legislation, of these acts, 45 of them define these terms,” Locke said.

NGOs are taking over commercial contracts. Are you ready to take the plunge?

NGOs are taking over commercial contracts. Are you ready to take the plunge? Commercial contracting in international development has previously been the preserve of the private sector. But NGOs are quickly learning the rules of the game and how best to play it but on their terms. The private sector should be very worried, says Haniya Dar-Tobin, the facilitator of Bond’s course on Commercial contracting with DFID. Read more

Call for Public Consultation as Europe Establishes Guidelines to Ensure Meaningful Civic Participation in Political Decision-Making

The European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG) in cooperation with the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organizations is preparing new guidelines to ensure meaningful civil participation in political decision-making. The guidelines will be addressed to the authorities in Council of Europe member states and will seek to promote sustainable mechanisms for dialogue, consultation and cooperation between them and civil society. In accordance with the CDDG’s decision, a wide public consultation on the draft guidelines is being organized during the summer period before finalizing the guidelines. Civil society and public authorities at all levels are invited to send their comments (in English or in French) on the draft to the CDDG Secretariat by September 4th, 2016. Find out more. From the newsletter of Tusev, Hui E!’s sister organisation in Turkey.

Civil Society has questions for UN Secretary General Candidates

As part of the UN General Assembly commitment to increase transparency in the process to select and appoint the next UN Secretary-General, civil society has been able to contribute questions to the candidates via a process facilitated by UN Non-Government Liaison Service (NLGS).

More than 1,500 questions were submitted from nearly 100 countries. From among these, each candidate was asked 2-3 unique questions during their UN General Assembly dialogue, two were used during the 12 July debate with 10 candidates in UN General Assembly Hall, and the President of the General Assembly posted 10 of the questions on his web site, requesting all candidates to respond to them.

The civil society questions asked during the UN General Assembly dialogues with individual candidates, along with the candidates’ responses, may be viewed here. The two civil society questions used during the 12 July debate in UN General Assembly Hall (broadcast live by Al Jazeera and UN Web TV) along with candidate responses, may be viewed here and here. The 10 questions for all candidates posted on the President of the General Assembly’s website may be viewed here along with responses from 4 of the candidates so far. To view all questions received, and learn more about the process, including how the questions were selected, click here. You may also be interested to read this blog post by Human Condition, who provided technical and design support to UN-NGLS for the process. To keep updated check out UN-NGLS’s Facebook, Twitter or YouTube feeds.

United Nations SDGs

Getting Involved with the Sustainable Development Goals

Many more community sector groups are becoming aware of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and how those goals tie in with our work. Hui E! will present this work at the National Council of Women conference in September. We are also bringing together interested community sector groups to meet with the Treasury officials who are coordinating the NZ domestic response to the SDGs. See Hui E! Events above for more info.

Latest Pay Statistics for Women Are a Call to Action

The latest quarterly employment figures are no comfort for women and are a call for action from the National Government, says the Pay Equity Coalition. The latest Quarterly Employment Survey shows that the average hourly pay imbalance between men and women has widened from 12.9% to 13.2%.

“The survey results make the recommendations of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Pay Equity Principles even more critical. The recommendations would go some way to reducing the unfair gender pay imbalance” says spokesperson Angela McLeod. “Women must be paid fairly. Paying women less than their male counterparts for work of the same value is discrimination and it has to stop.”

The Government are considering the recommendations now. The Coalition have written to the Minister of Women encouraging her to work with her cabinet colleagues and endorse the recommendations of the JWG. “It’s time for action from this Government.

New Zealand has an opportunity to do the right thing and pay women what they are worth and pay women equally,” said McLeod. Media release from Pay Equlity Coalition for comment please contact spokesperson, Angela McLeod – 027 497 2761.

Opinion: Don’t overlook financial cooperatives as means of reducing poverty

The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals will require efforts on many fronts, writes World Bank executive Mahmoud Mohieldin. Financial cooperatives and mobile money accounts can be pivotal in reducing poverty and narrowing the financial inclusion gap between women and men, he contends. The Huffington Post (8/15)

Research and Resources

Australia’s First Social Benefit Bond Going Strong

Australia’s first social benefit bond Newpin has reported positive results for the third year in a row, restoring 130 children in care to their families and preventing 47 children from entering the system. Read more

Shrinking Civic Spaces

Across the globe, governments are shutting down spaces for civic engagement. In this video, George Soros, Binaifer Nowrojee, Mburu Gitu, and other experts discuss why this is happening—and how civil society can unite to prevent it. Watch the video

Preparing cash flow statements

An interesting feature of New Zealand’s new financial reporting requirements is the requirement to prepare a statement of cash flows. Hence any general purpose financial statements required by law now need to include one of these statements. This requirement relates to both the “For-Profit” sector as well as for Public Benefit Entities.

The construction of a cash flow statement is a new concept for many New Zealand accountants because it has previously not been a ‘main’ statement requirement for most entities. The required cash flow statement is also relatively young (compared to double-entry accounting which is 500 years old) and it perhaps hasn’t previously received the emphasis it deserves as one of the three primary financial statements. However, this is perhaps surprising when you consider that the generation of cash is the lifeblood of most organisations.

This article clearly defines what a cash flow statement is, how it can help you, and analyses the three categories that classify a cash flow statement. Click here to continue to read this article co-authored by Brendon Foy (Audit Manager) and Alexa Bayes (Audit Senior) at RSM Hayes.