Issue 20 - 7 October 2008

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Alasdair Finnie to the position of Director of the OCVS.  Alasdair is currently Manager Strategic Development at the Legal Services Agency and is a former chief executive of Arthritis NZ – a role he filled from 1986-2005.  Prior to this, he was a senior investigating officer and head of the Official Information Section at the Office of the Ombudsman.

In his spare time, Alasdair is a home tutor for the Wellington ESOL Home Tutor Service and a member of the ESOL Home Tutor Service Branch Committee.   He has been a member of the Rotary Club of Wellington since 1996, and was a member of the Disability Sector CEOs group (2001-2005), a member of the Fundraising Institute of NZ (1991-2005), and a member of Associations of NZ (1996-2005). We look forward to Alasdair joining us later in the year.

Until Alasdair starts, Senior Analyst Hugh Lawrence will continue as Acting Director - leading the OCVS as we continue our work programme which includes a number of key projects.

The Association of Non-Governmental Organisations of Aotearoa (ANGOA) has been funded to assess government responsiveness to the Statement of Government Intentions for an Improved Community-Government Relationship (the SOGI).

The ANGOA research project is exploring whether there are aspects of the SOGI that have been particularly important, what changes have been seen, how stronger relationships and mutual trust can be built between government staff and community and voluntary organisations, and how the effectiveness of such engagement can be measured.

A literature review has been completed and community sector focus groups are underway – the first of these have already taken place via the ANGOA Roundtable in Wellington and Research Forum in Christchurch. The research project also involves a community sector survey, a survey of up to 26 government chief executives and interviews with up to 12 chief executives, discussions with previous Ministers for the Community and Voluntary Sector and case studies.

Former Government Statistician, Len Cook is leading the project with assistance from Pat Hanley as project co-ordinator, and Chris Holland (University of Auckland) as researcher. Suzanne Snively (PricewaterhouseCoopers) and Sandi Morrison (University of Waikato) are assisting with the project steering and oversight. The research team expects to complete its work by the end of December 2008.

In collaboration with the Australia New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG), the OCVS hosted a one-off seminar by Professor Steven Rathgeb-Smith in September.

Steven is Professor of Public Affairs in the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington.  His seminal 1993 work with Michael Lipsky, Non-profits for Hire: the Welfare State in the Age of Contracting, provides strong arguments for reform of government contracting procedures when funding non-profits. As Director of the Nancy Bell Evans Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, Stephen argues strongly for government to invest in the equity capital and operational needs of non-profits. 

The opportunity to host the seminar came at short notice, but OCVS was pleased that a variety of social service and health NGOs were able to attend, along with officials from several government agencies.

Steven’s presentation focused on the interface between the state and the non-profit sector, and was followed by facilitated workshops.  He outlined the impact of rapid growth in non-profit organisations in the US since the 1960s across all sub-sectors, and the particular growth in different organisational forms or “hybrids”. Steven emphasised the importance of improving the effectiveness and representative role of sector organisations - focusing on the need for a problem-solving approach that involves all stakeholders, involving the public and philanthropic sectors.

As part of the Building Better Government Engagement project, a stocktake of current resources and activities that support or illustrate effective engagement practices in New Zealand has been compiled.

Activities are categorised as follows:

• staff development
• awards
• resources
• legislative requirements
• planning and accountability
• policy and research
• activities across the ‘inform-consult-partner-empower’ spectrum
• protocols and agreements.

The summary is a living document and OCVS is interested in hearing of other significant resources and activities that could be included.

The Building Better Government Engagement project reference group is developing a discussion document looking at issues in community engagement and options for building engagement skills, knowledge and values in the public service.

The Ministry of Social Development’s highly regarded SKIP team and Derek Gill from the Better Connected Services for Kiwis project at Victoria University’s Institute of Policy Studies will present at the next Good Practice in Action seminar on 28 November.

This second seminar in the 2008/2009 series continues a focus on solving tough and complex problems in the community-government relationship. The September seminar featured presentations on the Ministry of Health’s innovative Drinking-Water Assistance programme and SPARC’s research on finding and keeping volunteers.

GPIA seminars are free Wellington events organised by the OCVS for public servants so they can share experiences and learn from each other. Places are limited, so enrol today.

Senior Communications Advisor Glenda McCallum is leaving the OCVS to take up a new communications role with Changemakers Refugee Forum (CRF). Glenda seconded to CRF in late 2007/early 2008 and is looking forward to the challenge of this new role.

CRF is a Wellington-based NGO run by people from refugee backgrounds to represent the views of refugees and build the capacity of refugee-background communities in the greater Wellington region. It produced the resource Standards for Engagement: Guidelines for Central and Local Government, and NGOs Working with Refugee Background Communities, which is available on the Good Practice Participate website.

Glenda has been with the OCVS since its establishment so will be greatly missed by our team, however we know her expertise and enthusiasm will be appreciated as she returns to the community sector from which she came (having previously worked at Citizens Advice Bureaux). Glenda’s last day with OCVS was 6 October.

The free legal resource, Keeping it Legal E Ai Ki Te Ture has proved so popular that printed stocks are now depleted.  The last available printed copies were distributed at the NZCOSS Our voices in social change conference this month.  A total of 12,000 copies have been distributed since the resource was launched in December 2005 and many people have praised the usefulness of the resource.

Produced by the OCVS and NZ Federation of Voluntary Welfare Organisations, Keeping it Legal E Ai Ki Te Ture is available online where users can also build action plans and download the Fact Sheets.

We will continue to update the online resource if and when legal changes occur. You can sign up to receive e-mail alerts of updates to the Keeping it Legal online resource via the website.

We would like to thank the NZFVWO for their continued commitment to work with us on this project.

OCVS Policy Analyst James King attended the Volunteering Australia Biennial Conference and research forum last month.  Together with Tim Burns of Volunteering NZ, James presented a paper on the research aspects of the Promoting Generosity project at the conference, which focused on the current trends in volunteering and upskilling those involved in managing volunteers.

The characteristics of volunteering in New Zealand and Australia are similar in many ways, especially in terms of the approach to volunteer management. James noted however, some striking differences. For example, relatively little is known about how Australian indigenous communities volunteer compared to what NZ has learnt about Maori volunteering; and the multiple levels of government in Australia make engagement between voluntary organisations and the federal government and its agencies more complicated than in NZ.

Requests for copies of the recently launched NZ Non-Profit Sector in Comparative Perspective and the History of the Non-profit Sector in NZ have come from a wide range of government agencies and large and small community organisations throughout New Zealand, and from as far a field as Germany.

Free copies of the NZ Non-Profit Sector in Comparative Perspective are still available – order your copy by e-mailling ocvs@msd.govt.nz.

Limited printed copies of the History are available, so download yours from the OCVS website, or if you want to read even more detail about NZ’s voluntary welfare sector history, grab a copy of The Fabric of Welfare: Voluntary Organisations, Government and Welfare in New Zealand, 1840–2005, by Prof Margaret Tennant. Prof Tennant is a member of the research team for the Study of the NZ Non-profit Sector and spoke at the volunteering conference research forum in Australia last month.  Published in February 2008, The Fabric of Welfare is a 274-page volume, which is the first to foreground the voluntary sector in New Zealand's welfare history.

If you have an event, conference or meeting related to community or voluntary issues, you are welcome to send a brief description of the event to us at ocvs@msd.govt.nz for inclusion in our email updates.

The work of local and central government people to achieve community outcomes has had a boost with the launch of www.communityoutcomes.govt.nz. Community outcomes describe what New Zealanders think is important for their local community now and in the future.

The website www.communityoutcomes.govt.nz brings together for the first time, a range of information, tools and resources for understanding and implementing community outcomes processes in New Zealand.

The site helps central and local government work collectively and collaboratively to improve the well-being ofNew Zealand’s communities by proving:

• information about all aspects of community outcomes
• a toolkit for implementing community outcomes processes
• the current community outcomes identified in each council area in New Zealand
• news and events about community outcomes and collaboration
• a directory of central and local government contacts throughout New Zealand.

The website is maintained by the Interface Facilitation Team of the Local Government and Community Branch of the Department of Internal Affairs, and complements existing guidance and resources such as the Good Practice Participate website, the Public Sector Intranet and www.newzealand.govt.nz.

As part of its social inclusion agenda, the Australian Government is exploring ways to develop a new and stronger relationship with the not-for-profit sector, based on partnership and respect.

It has recently sought comment on the how to do this through a national compact - an agreement between the Australian Government and the not-for-profit sector that outlines how the two will work together to improve and strengthen their relationship. Exactly what a national compact will look like will depend on what Australia wants it to achieve and what will best suit Australia's unique government and non-profit landscape.

In the course of this process, a discussion paper entitled Agreeing to Disagree: Maintaining dissent in the NGO sector was produced by The Australia Institute Ltd. Its content explores the pros and cons of a formal compact.

Britain established a Compact in 1998 to recognise shared values, principles and commitments and set out guidelines for how the government and the voluntary and community sector should work together.  Since then, five Codes of Practice have been produced to underpin the Compact.

An updated Code of Practice on Consultation will apply from November 2008 to all central Government departments' formal, written consultation exercises. This third version of the Code, which has existed since 2000, sets out how consultation exercises are best run and what people can expect from the Government when it decides to run a formal consultation exercise. Other UK public sector organisations are invited to sign up to the Code, and a list of organisations adopting the Code will be published in November.

In wider discussion on the Compact last month, the Commissioner for the Compact raised concerns about giving the Compact statutory powers, saying it could impose legal obligations on Third Sector organisations.

The family of the late Hollywood movie star Paul Newman encouraged people who wanted to pay tribute to simply show kindness to a friend, donate money to charity or vote in upcoming elections.

Newman’s motto was, "If you do not exploit your success in order to improve things in the world, then you are really wasting it”.  Eighty-three-year-old Paul Newman’s good works even reached New Zealand – this year, Paul Newman’s Foundation donated NZD$150,000 to nine New Zealand charities from the profits and royalties of his Paul Newman’s Own dressing range. To date, the star’s foundation has donated in excess of USD$250 million worldwide, which includes over $12 million donated to more than 700 charities in Australia and NZ.

Good magazine and Intrepid Travel have joined forces to create a social networking website to help volunteers and non-profit community organisations connect and create online communities. Using similar technology to Facebook and MySpace, the free service will help charities raise their profiles and recruit new volunteers.  Community groups can upload information now, with the networking part going live on 29 November.

Charity campaigns and volunteers on the site will be promoted in each issue of Good magazine. An Intrepid Volunteers Challenge will culminate in an awards ceremony to coincide with Volunteer Awareness Week 2009.

Good magazine’s social marketing manager, Gavin Healy is part of the Promoting Generosity project – which is looking at new ways to inspire the giving of time, money or in-kind donations and acts of kindness.

If you need some additional skilled people power in your community organisation, then apply to the Department of Internal Affairs’ Community Internship Programme. The Community Internship Programme offers a community organisation an opportunity to improve its capabilities by utilising the skills and experience of someone from another sector or organisation.

The Community Internship Programme provides each successful host organisation with funding for the salary of the intern. The host organisation is responsible for the provision of administration and resources to support the internship. The first step is to identify a person with the skills and knowledge to assist your organisation to achieve its development objectives, then visit the website to find out more.  Applications close 15 December 2008.

The Bioethics Council’s pre-birth testing project has been given special recognition for Project of the Year at the International Association for Public Participation Core Values Awards in Scotland. As an international leader in public participation, the Association recognises work being undertaken by various organisations, which reflect the interests and concerns of potentially affected people and entities.

As part of the project, the Bioethics Council hosted 18 deliberative events around the country, including four hui and one fono, and an interactive website designed to encourage deliberation. An independent evaluation found that the deliberative process was very well received by participants.

New Zealand

• Trying hard is not good enough - Results Based Accountability Framework.
  "Is anyone better off?" is the question at the core of a simple but effective way of measuring results – one increasingly being used by government and non-government agencies.
  » Read more in MSD’s Family & Community Services Community Connect e-news.
• The new Digital Strategy 2.0 sets out a vision for making New Zealanders leaders in using digital technologies, skills and opportunities to contribute to our future prosperity and sustainability.  The Strategy includes new projects such as Connected New Zealand and the Digital Content Innovation Cluster, and the expansion of initiatives such as videoconferencing by government agencies, the Aotearoa People's Network and the Community Partnership Fund.
  » The Digital Strategy 2.0 is available online at www.digitalstrategy.govt.nz.
• Policy Watch e-mail update from NZ Council of Christian Social Services now available to wider audience.
  » If you would like to receive Policy Watch on a trial basis, send an e-mail with “Policy Watch Subscribe” in the subject line to admin@nzccss.org.nz.
• Diverse Communities – Exploring the Refugee and Migrant Experience in NZ – Ministry of Social Development’s Strategic Social Policy Group.
  This report brings together, for the first time, existing data and research findings on migrant and refugee outcomes in New Zealand, and highlights areas where those outcomes have potential impact on social cohesion. The report contains the most up-to-date data available, including data not previously published from the 2006 Census.
  » Download the Diverse Communities research report.
• Third Sector Review invites nominations for new Editor.
  The Third Sector Review is a peer-reviewed social science journal, published bi-annually, that focuses on organisations that are not-for-profit and non-government together with the activities of volunteering and giving that sustain them. Self-nominations for the Editor’s role are encouraged and all are due by 31 October 2008.
  » View past issues of the Third Sector Review on the ANZTSR website
  » Send nominations to Dr Kevin Brown – kevin.brown@deakin.edu.au  
• Guardian Trust’s Centre for Philanthropy Knowledge Base.
  This new tool provides a free, profile-raising opportunity for all charities operating in New Zealand to connect with Guardian Trust’s client base. The Knowledge Base is designed to link donors with those NGO organisations most aligned to their charitable objectives.  All operating charities are invited to register their organisational details in the Knowledge Base, providing potential donors (currently 450 charitable trusts and estates disbursing at least $26 million annually) with the information required to make informed decisions about where to provide funding support.
  » Learn more or download a registration form.
• New-look website for incorporated societies and trusts.
  This is the place to search for incorporated societies and trusts, upload financial statements and maintain details.
  »  Visit the site at www.societies.govt.nz.

International

• Transparency International's Corruptions Perceptions Index rates New Zealand's public service first equal in the world for the third year in a row.
  The Index scores 180 countries on a scale from zero to ten, with zero indicating high levels of corruption and ten indicating low levels. New Zealand gained a score of 9.3 out of ten, first equal with Denmark and Sweden, and compared to 8.7 for Australia, 7.7 for the United Kingdom and 7.3 for the United States.
  » Read the full report by Transparency International.
• Papers from Australia’s 12th National Conference on Volunteering now available
  » Visit www.volunteeringaustralia.org.
• Agreeing to Disagree: Maintaining dissent in the NGO sector - The Australia Institute Ltd.
  This discussion paper explores the pros and cons of a formal Compact.
  » Download this paper.
• Not-For-Profit News Monthly Email Bulletin.
  This free email bulletin will alert you to the latest opportunities, events and news in Australia and New Zealand that affects nonprofit organisations.
  » Subscribe via the Not-for-profit Network website.
• The Report of the United Nations Secretary General on Follow-up to the Implementation of the International Year of Volunteers in 2001 is now available.
  The report outlines international progress in support for, and promotion of, volunteering since 2001. It includes five proposals on how the International Year of the Volunteer+10 (2011) might be marked internationally.
  » Download the report from the UN Volunteers website.
• Deliberative Public Engagement: Nine Principles – Involve, the National Consumer Council and Diane Warburton at Shared Practice as the lead author, UK.
  Deliberative public engagement is about giving participants time to consider and discuss an issue in depth before they come to a considered view.
  » Read the guiding principles online.
• Assessing Engagement with the Voluntary and Community Sector: A Mini Self-Evaluation Tool - Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), United Kingdom.
  This self-evaluation tool is designed to support those planning and delivering services through children’s services providers, to review their levels of engagement with the voluntary and community sector (VCS). It includes a number of questions for statutory and community partners to discuss, so they can consider their progress and establish agreed actions for further development.
  » Access the Self-Evalution Toolkit.
  » Read theEngaging Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations: Best practice case studies working with children’s trusts.
  » Read the report on VCS engagement in the development of Children and Young People’s Plans 2006/07: current status and good practice
• A More United Kingdom – Demos, UK.
  How does a nation create a sense of community or national identity? This paper argues that "shared standards are the secret to preserving harmony in a more diverse society." It offers three concrete ideas for strengthening shared standards, including a national day of celebration. While readers may not agree with some or even all of the suggestions, the paper provides an interesting point of view into the politics of immigration, struggling economies, and changing social attitudes.
  » Download A More United Kingdom.
• Changing Values among Western Publics from 1970 to 2006 - Ronald F. Inglehart.
  » See this and other publications based on the World Values Surveys.
• Non-Profit Organizations in a Bureaucratic Environment - Institute for the Study of Labor. Bonn.
  This report explores how the environment of an organization influences whether workers voluntarily provide effort.
  » Download the report.
• Sustaining Grassroots Community-Based Programs: A Toolkit for Community & Faith-based Service Providers – Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, US Department of Health & Human Services USA.
  Time-limited grant funding and categorical funding streams leave grassroots organisations in a constant scramble to find funds and pay rent, utilities, salaries, and programme expenses. Relying on grant awards and contracts alone will not ensure a future for such organisations: Once those funds are gone, critical services for clients may cease to exist. Again and again, organisations that rely on funds from grants and contracts come back to the same question: “How do I find the resources to sustain and support my programme services over time?”
  » Download this Toolkit.

In New Zealand

• 13-31 Oct:  Not-for-profit performance generates more than just figures course - NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants – 6 locations round NZ.
  This four-hour course will help organisations to identify, describe, measure and report non-financial performance indicators based on the objectives and outcomes they aim to achieve for users, stakeholders, clients and founders.
  » Find out more at www.nzica.com
• 23 Oct: Making National Partnerships Work NGO-MoH Forum – Alexandra Park, Auckland.
  Confirmed speakers include: Stephen McKernan (Director-General of Health; Ministry of Health); Nicola White (Assistant Auditor-General, Legal; Office of the Auditor General) speaking on Good Practice Guidelines; and Hingatu Thompson (Group Manager, Maori Population Health; Ministry of Health) speaking on Te Puāwaiwhero and Whanau Oro.
  » Visit www.moh.govt.nz/ngo for more info on NGO-MoH forums.
  » Find out how to participate in NGO-MoH Working Group elections.
• 28 Oct to 3 Nov: Blind Week.
  The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB) needs collectors to help raise over $1.1 million, so it can continue to provide essential services to blind, deafblind and vision-impaired people.
  » To volunteer, call 0508 254 6395 or visit www.blindweek.org.nz
• 29 Oct: Volunteering NZ AGM – St John’s Centre, Dixon Street, Wellington.
  This Annual General Meeting will include a demonstration of Community Central, the exciting new web-based interactive IT platform for NGOs.
  » Contact Volunteering NZ.
  » Learn more about Community Central.
• 30 Oct: Deadline for applications to join the Legal Services Agency Public Advisory Committee (PAC).
  PAC provides advice on the services funded or provided by LSA.  LSA is currently looking for PAC members to represent the interests of people with disabilities (across the full range of disabilities), consumers or Māori at a national level.  As a member of PAC you will consider policy and discussion papers and submit responses, while maintaining contact with relevant individuals and organisations representing your community of interest. Members are paid to attend five full-day PAC meetings annually in Wellington.
  » E-mail recruiter@lsa.govt.nz for a role description or visit www.lsa.govt.nz for LSA info.
• 30 Oct to 1 Nov: Trusting Partnerships: Parent to Parent NZ Annual Conference – Rotorua.
  The conference aims to advance understanding of the impact of establishing "right relationships" between families, disabled people, organisations, service providers and community.  
  » For more information, email StandardsPlus@imaginebetter.co.nz,  ph 09 262 5374, Fax 09 262 5371 or visit www.imaginebetter.co.nz
• 1 November: International Volunteer Manager Appreciation Day.
  Volunteer Centres and other community organisations will be organising special celebratory events to acknowledge the efforts of volunteer managers in their agencies.
  » Read more about International Volunteer Manager Appreciation Day.
• 7 Nov: Nominations due for Volunteering Canterbury Youth Volunteer Awards 2008.
  Volunteering Canterbury seeks the best of the Under 20s to celebrate its 20^th year.   If you know of a great young volunteer who deserves recognition for their outstanding contribution to the Canterbury community, complete a nomination form. 
  » Nomination forms can be downloaded from www.volcan.org.nz.
• 24-26 Nov: The Australia New Zealand Third Sector Research (ANZTSR) Conference – Auckland. 
  This event will DEMONSTRATE and CELEBRATE the contribution community researchers and their research in/for/by/with the community/NGO/Third Sector make to the well-being of people and planet.
  » Read more at www.anztsr.org.au.
• 28 Nov: OCVS Good Practice in Action seminar for public servants in Wellington.
  » View more details at www.ocvs.govt.nz.
• 28 Nov: e-Engage Your Community: Expanding your communications toolkit – Rotorua.
  A day packed with speakers and practical hands-on workshops to help you and your organisation get up to speed with the latest and emerging communication tools.
  Early-bird registrations for Not-For-Profit organisations are $75 per person, and for non-NFPs it's $150 per person. Maximum of 120 people due to venue limitations.
  » Contact the Rotorua Social Services Council for more details.
• 3-5 Dec: DevNet Conference – Victoria University, Wellington.
  Development agencies will explore civil society issues.
  » Watch for more information at www.devnet.org.nz.
• 5 Dec: International Volunteer Day – nationwide.
  » Read more on the OCVS website.
• 22-26 Feb 2009: 1^st ever Down Under Institute – Hamilton.
  The Lifestyle Trust and Disability Resource Centre (Hawke’s Bay) Trust are co-hosting this event to explore international best practice in the areas of inclusion, diversity and community building.
  » To register an expression of interest: Email:  lyn@lifestyletrust.org.nz.
• 18-19 March 2009: Philanthropy NZ & Community Trusts combined conference – Wellington.
  » Watch for more details at www.giving.org.nz.
• 19-20 March 2009: Skills to Make a Difference – The National Non-Profit Sector Conference – Napier.
  » Find out more at www.nfpconference.co.nz

 

Overseas

• 9-10 Oct: Evaluate 08 - IAP2 Symposium:  Measuring the Effectiveness of Community Engagement - Adelaide, Australia.
  » Read more about the conference programme online.
• 12-14 Nov: International Not-for-Profit Convention and Exhibition – Brisbane, Australia.
  » See the Not-for-Profit Network website.
• 19-22 Nov: 8th Global Conference on National Youth Service – Paris, France.
  » See the conference website: www.icicp.org 

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The Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector exists to inspire co-operation and superb relationships between the government and the community and voluntary sector. You can find out more about the OCVS on our website: www.ocvs.govt.nz, by email at: ocvs@msd.govt.nz, phone: 04 918 9555, or by fax: 04 913 3080.