Community-Government Forum, 20-21 June 2007

On 20-21 June 2007, a forum involving the community and voluntary sector (the sector) and government was held in Wellington.
The planning and organising of this Forum was a collaborative effort by a steering group of community and voluntary sector leaders supported by the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector (OCVS) and the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA).

Read Minister's speech and media release on the Forum.

View photographs from both days of the forum online.

The Forum had two main goals:

• to enable sector organisations to discuss ways to address cross-cutting issues affecting the sector (eg funding mechanisms and participation in government policy processes) and share their proposals with government agencies and Ministers
• to establish an enduring process for engagement between the sector and government to improve relationships.

Day one provided a chance for sector representatives from across a wide range of interests and sub-sectors (for instance, arts and culture, education, emergency services, environment, health, housing, social services, and sport and recreation) to meet and discuss topics of common interest. These discussions focused on issues concerning the community-government relationship and helped prepare for the next day.

Read the unedited notes that report exactly what working tables and plenary sessions said:

This was an opportunity for Ministers and government agency representatives to engage with sector representatives.

Read the unedited notes that report exactly what working tables and plenary sessions said:

The Community Sector Taskforce (Taskforce) was funded by the OCVS to organise a programme of regional and national meetings for sector organisations during April and May 2007, as a lead up to the Community-Government Forum. These meetings discussed issues in the relationship between the sector and government, and how sector perspectives from across New Zealand and across the sub-sectors would be represented at the Forum.

A steering group of sector leaders, which included representatives of the Taskforce, worked with the OCVS to organise the Forum. The steering group ensured a wide mix of sector organisations were identified and invited to attend the Forum. This included invitations to a range of national organisations that have mandates to speak and act on behalf of their member bodies.

The Forum was a continuation of work started in the late 1990s, and formalised by Government in 2001 with the signing of the Statement of Government Intentions for an Improved Community-Government Relationship. The Government signed up to a vision of strong and respectful relationships, recognising the unique and vital role that the sector plays. Whilst many government agencies have been seeking to improve their sector relations, this Forum is the first time that such a diverse mix of people from the community and voluntary sector have come together with Ministers and officials to talk about issues of common concern.

Further information is available from: Hugh Lawrence and Diana Suggate of the OCVS.