Issue 31 - 3 March 2010

A total of 121 community sector nominations were received for a new Steering Group to lead development of a community-government Relationship Agreement by the 10 February closing date. These nominations, which cover a range of sub-sectors and interest groups, are currently being considered based on the criteria specified in the Terms of Reference for the Steering Group.

To be part of the Kia tutahi Steering Group, the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, the Hon. Tariana Turia needs people who are:

• leaders within their part of the sector
• well networked within the community and voluntary sector
• well respected amongst their peers
• able to present and communicate effectively
• able to provide a collaborative and participatory approach.

Members will be selected on the basis of their skills, experience and networks, and to achieve a mix that as far as possible reflects the diversity of the sector.

The Kia tutahi Steering Group will consist of seven community and voluntary sector members and seven state sector members selected through a separate process. In addition, Minister Turia will appoint two co-chairs, one from the community and voluntary sector and one from the state sector. The Minister will also seek approval from Cabinet for these appointments through the Cabinet Appointments and Honours Committee in late March, with the aim of announcing the confirmed membership by April 2010. 

The proposed Relationship Agreement will replace the 2001 Statement of Government Intentions for an Improved Community-Government Relationship.

A broad range of opportunities for a wide variety of community sector people to contribute to development of the Relationship Agreement will be explored as the project progresses. The exact details will be determined once the Kia tutahi Steering Group is established, but if you are planning significant community sector events or meetings for the period of June to August 2010, and think your agenda might be able to accommodate an opportunity for discussion about the Relationship Agreement, please contact the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector so we can add your event to the mix of possible options.

The Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector will act as secretariat for the Kia tutahi Steering Group. If you have any questions about this nomination process or the development of the Relationship Agreement, please email ocvs@msd.govt.nz or phone Judith Le Harivel (Senior Policy Analyst) on 04 918 9579.

» Terms of Reference for the Steering Group and nomination form

» Participate in the online discussions about what should be in the Relationship Agreement

Ian Axford Fellow, Laura Benedict, recently commenced a seven-month co-placement with the OCVS and Philanthropy New Zealand.  Laura is here, as part of the Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellowships in Public Policy programme administerd by Fulbright New Zealand, to conduct a research project exploring ways that lending can support social goals in New Zealand.

The different forms of non-profit lending can include loan programmes designed specifically for non-profit and social mission organisations, social venture capital, Program Related Investments (PRIs) and government-sponsored loan guarantee programmes to incentivise traditional banks to lend to non-profits.

While in New Zealand, Laura will:

• meet with government officials who work with non-profits and in the field of community development, and with non-profits already active in the social lending field
• work closely with the philanthropic community; especially the staff of Philanthropy New Zealand and with Glen Saunders, author of A new funding paradigm commissioned by ASB Community Trust and Tindall Foundation in late 2009
• learn from current Māori and Pacific people's activities in this area and assess new opportunities in these communities for social lending
• write a report on her findings that will be presented in August at the Institute of Public Administration of New Zealand (IPANZ) in Wellington.

Laura comes from North Carolina, where she is one of the leaders of Self-Help, the largest non-profit lender in the United States and one of the most effective non-profits in the country, according to Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits.  Self-Help has invested billions of dollars into low-income and minority communities in the States, including over 800 loans to non-profits and human services providers for $213 million, creating or maintaining 9,017 jobs, and 50,054 child care, school and housing spaces.

Laura recognises that the culture and history that have shaped New Zealand are quite different from that of the States. She is keen to learn about Māori and Pacific people's histories and cultures, and to investigate social lending opportunities for Māori and Pacific-led initiatives.  She expects to bring invaluable lessons to her work at Self-Help and find opportunities for cross-fertilisation between the States' more established community development finance sector and New Zealand's emerging one.   

» Contact Laura if you have ideas or initiatives that you think may be of interest to her research project

» Read A new funding paradigm: Prospects for social lending and investments by foundations in NZ

» For more on Laura's organisation in the States, visit the Self-Help website

» For the latest on community economic development in New Zealand, see the proceedings from a recent conference in Waitakere

» See more about social enterprise and community economic development in the stories below

» Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellowships in Public Policy are for mid-career American professionals to research and gain first-hand experience of public policy at a relevant New Zealand government organisation for seven months. Learn more about the Ian Axford Fellowship programme on the Fulbright New Zealand website

The OCVS has selected Standards NZ to start development work on a Code of Funding Practice to guide the contracting and grant-making behaviours of public servants.  Initial work is focused on one-on-one consultation with members of the OCVS Funding and Accountability Interest Group to develop the initial Code structure. An online consultation process will commence on 16 April through links on this website. 

The Code of Funding Practice aims to assist:

• government funders to implement official guidance from Treasury and Office of the Auditor-General, and to overcome identified issues
• community and voluntary sector organisations to manage their funding relationships with government agencies.

The Code will be written in plain language and published on the Good Practice Funding website, which currently includes a vast amount of funding guidance from a wide range of sources, together with New Zealand case studies and reporting and monitoring advice. For more information on funding practice, including current guidance from the Auditor-General, check out the Good Practice Funding website at www.goodpracticefunding.govt.nz.

» Explore resources about funding relationships

» See resources on funding and capacity-building options

» View resources related to managing risk

» Read resources on monitoring and evaluation

» Contact Hugh Lawrence in the OCVS for more information about development of the Funding Code

Public servants and NGO staff explored this question at recent Good Practice in Action (GPIA) seminars in Wellington and Hamilton. Case studies featured a multi-year contract between Work and Income and Interactionz (a Hamilton-based disability services provider), and a District Health Board contract with He Oranga Pounamu from Christchurch.

For the first time, government agencies attended with representatives from their community organisation partner or key community sector stakeholder. The interaction and discussion allowed people to share insights about their ongoing relationships between agencies - to get even better results for communities. 

The next Good Practice in Action seminars will be held in Wellington (23 April) and Christchurch (26 April), and will focus on risk management and accountability.  If you are in a community organisation and wish to attend the April seminars, please contact a government agency that you have a relationship with and ask if you can attend with them.

The seminars will run from 9:30am-3:30pm and lunch will be provided. There is no registration fee, but we ask that government agencies cover any travel and accommodation costs related to their community partners' attendance. Places are limited - so book soon.

» Book today for the April seminars via ocvs@msd.govt.nz: Government agencies - please enrol yourselves and your community partners

» See presentations from February's contracting and partnering seminars

A capacity crowd experienced participatory leadership in action at the OCVS February Good Engagement seminar on Hosting and Harvesting Conversations that Matter. Presenter Mary-Alice Arthur used the techniques of ‘appreciative inquiry' and ‘world café' to enable participants to share ideas on key questions.

The seminar offered a framework to enable people to strategically take and evoke leadership. Using methods that foster conversations that matter, the seminar demonstrated a hands-on approach so people got engaged and worked together in a participatory, experiential way. Participants were encouraged to keep an eye on the processes they were using to see how they might be applied back at work.

Interest in the OCVS Good Engagement seminars continues to grow, with each event seemingly more popular than the last.  This is a pleasing indicator of what appears to be a growing commitment to improving community involvement across a broad range of areas. 

The next Good Engagement seminar on 31 March (and the first one to be held in Christchurch) will explore partnerships and advocacy and feature presentations by Trish Hall and Mary Richardson.  Places are filling fast, so book soon if you wish to attend.

» Read more about the forthcoming Good Engagement seminar in Christchurch

» See a report on February's Participatory Leadership seminar proceedings

» View a selection of photos from the Participatory Leadership seminar

» See more about Art of Hosting practices

» Discover how you can use the World Café process to cross-fertilise ideas

» Learn more about conducting an appreciative inquiry interview

» See guidance on a range of specialised participatory methods

The OCVS convened a meeting of around 50 community and government participants last week to discuss how to progress a Cabinet-agreed action resulting from the Building Better Government Engagement project. The diverse group came together to consider development of a set of Principles for Effective Engagement with citizens and communities.

The Engagement Principles are intended to outline the essential elements of good process that government agencies should follow when involving citizens and communities in government decision-making. A guide will also be developed on ways that government agencies can embed the principles in their workplaces.

This work complements other OCVS work programme actions that help promote good practice, including Good Engagement seminars, continued updating of the Good Practice Participate website, and development of induction material for public servants around community engagement.

Following the 24 February meeting, further work will be undertaken by a smaller group to consolidate the ideas expressed at the meeting and ensure others have an opportunity to comment. The intention is to seek Ministerial endorsement of a set of principles by November 2010.

» Read the 2009 Cabinet paper and minute: Government Commitment to Building Strong Community Relationships

» See the OECD Guiding Principles for Open and Inclusive Policy-making

» Visit the Good Practice Participate website

» See background to the Building Better Government Engagement project, and view associated reports

OCVS Senior Analyst, Iris Webster has been selected as a liaison officer for the Emerging Pacific Leaders Dialogue (EPLD) 2010 to be held in Samoa and Tonga over 15 days in March. 

The EPLD is a regional development initiative bringing together 120 mid-career participants from business, government, trade unions and the community service sector from more than 20 Pacific region territories. 

The theme of EPLD 2010 is ‘Navigating our Future Together'.

During the middle week of EPLD 2010, Iris will participate in one of ten challenging study tour programmes that focus on leadership and community development initiatives.  Each group of 12/13 representatives will visit separate locations in the Pacific region, including Australia and New Zealand. The last EPLD was held in Australia in 2006.

» See more about the Emerging Pacific Leaders Dialogue

» Learn about engaging with communities of Pacific peoples

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

The Minister for Social Development and Employment, the Hon. Paula Bennett is encouraging people to have their say on the new Auckland Social Policy Forum.

The Minister released a discussion document on 29 January that discusses the main features of the Auckland Social Policy Forum - including what it will do, how it could work, and how it might relate to the NGO and community sector. All these areas are interrelated and decisions about one aspect of the Forum will affect decisions about other areas of its work and design.

Decisions about the Forum's design and how it operates are closely linked to decisions about how the Forum can most effectively engage with Auckland communities and the NGOs and community agencies that support them. Getting this right is a critical challenge.

The Minister said "we want to see a range of organisations and communities involved with the Forum, so those making decisions about Auckland, understand the diverse needs of those groups.

"We want feedback on the form and function of the Forum, the types of issues it should be considering, and how it can best engage with Auckland's diverse communities and social organisations," Ms Bennett said.

Feedback on the discussion document closes on Friday, 21 May 2010. 

» Download the Auckland Social Policy Forum discussion document

» See also, the Auckland Council Local Boards discussion document below 

OCVS Policy Analyst James King was amongst more than 300 attendees at February's Community Economic Development Conference in Waitakere City. Around 70 per cent of attendees were from the community and voluntary sector, but there was also a significant business and local government presence. The key streams of the conference were social enterprise development, alternative finance and investment, and community economic development.

International speakers from England, Scotland and Australia inspired with their stories of how community economic development is becoming mainstream in their countries and attracting significant investment.

In the wake of the global financial crisis, there is a significant desire to develop and finance community initiatives in new, more sustainable ways, and many attendees thought the time was right for a significant lift in the growth and development of social enterprises in New Zealand. Collaboration between community, government and business was seen as key to achieving this.

Significant enthusiasm was generated at the conference and "a fire was lit" that is likely to generate actitivity to respond to these themes and ideas.

» View presentations from the Community Economic Development Conference

» Listen to interviews with conference speakers on Access Radio's Collaborative Voices

» See information about Waikato's Social Enterprise Studies online programme

Thinking about this key funding question is what inspired Di Jennings to start exploring the opportunities presented by social enterprises.  Di, who was a key organiser of February's Community Economic Development Conference, shared this insight with Wellingtonians who attended the associated forum organised by the NZ Federation of Voluntary Welfare Organisations, in conjunction with ANGOA and the NZ Council of Social Services. 

A major attraction of social enterprise is that it enables communities to create their own wealth and become independent, so they are not beholden to changing policies or local/central government, and can therefore control their own destinies.

The forum brought two international speakers from the Auckland conference to Wellington to share their community economic development experiences.

Aidan Pia, Executive Director of Senscot, spoke about Scotland's experiences with social enterprises, providing a number of case studies for people to explore via the web. These included:

• www.thebreadmaker.org.uk - staffed by 80% of people with learning disabilities
• www.recyclefife.org.uk - employing ex-prisoners
• www.re-union.org.uk - a canal boat provider
• www.withpeople.co.uk - a creator of websites suitable for visually-impaired people
• www.sprucecarpets.org.uk - a carpet recycler
• www.crisiscounselling.co.uk - a counselling service

Although each example was very different, the common factor was that they had all developed a trading activity that helped fund their broader aims. The way each was set up varied hugely, but they had filled a gap and found a way to generate their own funds through trading - the essence of social enterprise. 

Factors in their success had been peer support, start-up funding, and support services for emerging and mature enterprises.  "Some will fail, some will not make it, but many do," Aidan explained, stressing the need for resilience - especially when public funds are involved. 

Aidan said the support and development needs for social enterprises are different from the wider third sector (ie: community and voluntary sector), and sometimes initiatives were viewed as "privatisation by the back door", but this was not his view.

Scotland had a long history of collective action and had built up extensive expertise and experience.  This had created a sense of optimism to try new and different things.  From there had come the concept of trying to generate income via social enterprises.

Aidan said that since being in NZ, he'd seen initiatives that he'd categorise as social enterprises, but that we may not have recognised them as such and we didn't have the same infrastructure to support them.   

He explained that social enterprise provides viability and asset development (a topic covered by the 2^nd speaker) enabled sustainability for communities.

» View Aidan's presentation from the Community Economic Development Conference

» Find out more about Aidan's organisation and see a range of social enterprise resources at www.senscot.net

» Listen to Aidan being interviewed on Access Radio's Collaborative Voices

These words came form England's Annemarie Naylor as she shared her experiences of community asset transfers with the Wellington forum audience last month. 

Asset development is about transforming communities through community-controlled assets.  These could be abandoned schools, derelict heritage buildings, dormant bank accounts, redundant buildings, unused or underutilised public spaces, or empty commercial buildings, etc.

Annemarie's comment about deprived communities stemmed from England's experience where they'd initially thought that middle class communities with many skilled people would be successful at managing community controlled assets.  In fact, they'd found the middle classes were good at protesting and saying "no, I don't want you to sell/demolish x", but they weren't actually very enterprising because they didn't have a big enough need.  It was the deprived communities that actually took positive action because they wanted and NEEDED the public facilities, local swimming pools, community spaces, etc more.

A UK government report (Making assets work: The Quirk review of community management and ownership of public assets) had proved "a most helpful document" in guiding how England went about the process of asset transfer - with every recommendation from the report implemented over time.  A guide to managing risks, a government-funded community assets programme, an asset transfer unit and a community land trust had also made a difference. 

Real success though, had come through the demand from communities, but people needed confidence and options to get started and see projects through.

Examples Annemarie shared included heritage buildings with upmarket apartments in one portion generating income to sustain the community spaces in the rest of the building.  Swimming pools, parks, community centres, etc were other examples of wasted spaces converted into facilities now owned by communities. 

Annemarie's organisation (the Development Trusts Association) is a UK-wide movement bringing together over 450 community-led organisations that use self-help, social enterprise and community asset ownership/management to bring about long-term, social, economic and environmental renewal to transform their communities for the good.  Community asset development is a challenge - often requiring lots of time and money, so Annemarie warned against accepting white elephants or money pits, explaining that it was important for communities to have a viable asset and negotiate for this.

In the UK, the recession had seen the concept broaden out to commercial buildings, with many town main street shops vacant. Since there were no immediate potential paying tenants, commercial spaces were made available short term for community activities. 

Annemarie cited Auckland's Victoria Market and an Auckland theatre as NZ examples of the community asset development approach, and audience members suggested the local government changes in Auckland or other regions may present new opportunities for communities to seek ownership of assets.  Assets returned through Treaty settlements also illustrate concepts of collective/community ownership.

» See Annemarie's presentation from the Community Economic Development Conference

» Visit the Development Trusts Association website for a range of guidance on this topic

» Visit www.communityshares.org.uk

» Visit the UK's Asset Transfer Unit website for examples of community asset transfers

» Listen to Annemarie being interviewed on Access Radio's Collaborative Voices

Anyone who makes a donation of $5 or more to an approved ‘donee' organisation can claim a tax credit from Inland Revenue - provided the claim is supported by a valid receipt.

If you're a donee organisation, now is a good time to consider how your receipts measure up. Will your contributors be able to quickly make a successful claim at the end of the financial year?

You can help them by issuing valid receipts. These must have:

• the date the receipt is issued
• the donor's full name
• the amount donated
• confirmation that the payment was a donation
• the signature of an authorised person
• the official stamp of the donee organisation
  (Not needed if the receipt is printed on the organisation's official letterhead).

It's a good idea to make sure the name of your organisation appearing on your receipts matches the name recorded in Inland Revenue's list of donee organisations. Consistent use of your name will help Inland Revenue's checking process, and may result in your contributor getting their tax credit sooner.

Including your organisation's IRD number and/or Charities Commission registration number on the receipt will also help speed the process up. (An example receipt is pictured in the document below.)

» See more guidance from IRD, including tips for schools

» See a list of approved donee organisations

» Download an IR527 tax credit form to claim for your donations

» See how people can donate using the new payroll giving option

The Strategic Pay Not-for-Profit Sector Remuneration Survey will be undertaken in March-April with a deadline for submissions of organisation data by 10 April 2010. 

The survey has the continued active support of the: 

• Association of Non-Governmental Organisations of Aotearoa (ANGOA)
• Council for International Development (CID)
• National Network of Stopping Violence Services
• New Zealand Council of Social Services
• New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services
• New Zealand Federation of Vocational and Support Services (VASS)
• New Zealand Federation of Voluntary Welfare Organisations
• New Zealand Federation of Family Budgeting Services
• PLATFORM
• Social Service Providers of Aotearoa
• Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC)
• Volunteering New Zealand.

This annual benchmark survey offers detailed remuneration and benefits information for approximately 85 roles, and is open to all not-for-profit organisations. The survey report provides valuable information to organisations in all parts of the not-for-profit sector as they negotiate funding contracts and consider the pay of their staff. 

The survey is relevant to:

• managers in the not-for-profit sector searching for better information on how to pay their staff and respond to developments in the remuneration market
• boards of trustees and directors seeking expert advice on appropriate levels of remuneration for their executive roles - in many cases the only paid position in the organisation
• boards and managers developing submissions to funding bodies.

You can obtain a survey data-pack or more information about the survey from David Shannon, Senior Consultant and survey sponsor at Strategic Pay.

» Contact David Shannon on 027-600-8793 or  David@strategicpay.co.nz  

» Visit the Strategic Pay website

• Government's priorities for 2010
  Prime Minister John Key outlined the Government's priorities for 2010 at the opening of Parliament on 9 February. They include lifting the performance of our economy and social sector reform. You can read the PM's speech or view his video at the above link.
• Auckland Council Local Boards discussion document
  This Auckland Transition Agency discussion document sets out the proposed decision-making powers, roles and responsibilities of the local boards in the new Auckland council structure and seeks public feedback. Upon releasing the document on 26 February, the Minister for Local Government, the Hon. Rodney Hide said:
  "For the citizens of Auckland, local boards will be an important gateway into the work of local government in the region. They are also a new entity in local government. They are not community boards. They are more significant and will operate independently of the Mayor and Auckland councillors."
  People can have their say by providing feedback online at www.discussiondocuments.co.nzor by writing to Local Board Feedback, Auckland Transition Agency, PO Box 99394, Newmarket 1149, Auckland by 5pm 26 March 2010.
  » Read Minister Hide's media statement
• A Road to Recovery: A State of the Nation report
  This 3^rd State of the Nation report from the Salvation Army tracks social progress across five areas: New Zealand's children, work and incomes, crime and punishment, social hazards, and housing.
• New Zealand Living Standards 2008 working paper
  Published in December 2009, this working paper is the first report from the 2008 New Zealand Living Standards Survey - a nationwide face-to-face survey of 5,000 households carried out by Colmar Brunton for the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) from June to October 2008. This initial report has undergone limited review, with some distance still to go for the analysis to cover the survey's full set of objectives, however it has been published now to disseminate selected key findings as early as possible. A full report is expected in the second half of 2010.
• Kete Kupe newsletter
  Issue 9 of this regular publication from the NZ Council of Christian Social Services includes comment on the Prime Minister's statement and the Living Standards report (shown above), the possible tax changes, and more.
• Front line - The community mental health and addiction sector at work in New Zealand
  This latest Platform publication describes the role, function, current and potential capability of community organisations that deliver mental health and addictions services in New Zealand today. It shows that many non-government organisations (NGOs) are innovators, run successful community enterprises that employ significant numbers of New Zealanders, are flexible, and well-placed to deliver the Government's objectives - while meeting the needs of individuals, families and communities.
• Valuing community group contributions to conservation
  This new report shows the results of a 2007 research project that surveyed 201 community groups working with the Department of Conservation (DoC). The research identifies the total value of the annual contribution these community groups make to conservation is close to $16 million. The findings from the survey will help DoC give greater recognition to community groups and their contribution - with recommendations in the report to be adopted over time. Hard copies of the report are available free of charge while stocks last. To obtain a hard copy, please email science.publications@doc.govt.nz
• Statistics NZ Business Toolbox
  This free suite of online tools provides quick and easy access to 2006 Census data via the Market Mapper and Industry Profiler. With Market Mapper, organisations can create a population density map to visually pinpoint their potential target market by selecting characteristics such as age, income, household composition, and family type. The Industry Profiler provides details on industry performance over time, staff turnover, and survival of similar-sized businesses. This toolbox is the latest in a series of projects to improve access to, and use of, official information. It will be useful to a range of organisations including business advisors, industry organisations, universities, libraries, media, central, regional and local government, and community organisations. Statistics NZ's Outreach team can demonstrate the toolbox and its uses at your place of work.
  » For further information, contact Graeme Simpson on 04 931 4066 or graeme.simpson@stats.govt.nz.
• NZLive.com merged with Eventfinder.co.nz to create a single, national events website.
  The NZLive.com website closed down at the end of last week to create a one-stop shop connecting cultural providers and consumers. The two websites, privately-operated Eventfinder and government-operated NZLive.com, negotiated a private-public partnership that will combine the power of Eventfinder's smart technology with the extensive cultural content of the events calendar on NZLive.com.
  » See the press release for more information on the merger
  » Visit Eventfinder.co.nz

• Australian Productivity Commission research report: The contribution of the not-for-profit sector
  This research report based on 2006-07 data was released on 11 February 2010. Australia had 600,000 not-for-profit organisations that contributed $43 billion to Australia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or 4.1 per cent of GDP in 2006-07. When the contribution of Australia's 4.6 million volunteers are included (with an imputed value of $14.6 billion), this makes a contribution similar to the Australian retail industry. To assist readers in identifying the key aspects of the report, the Commission has prepared a set of key points, a short fact sheet and a summary of recommendations.
• Engaging hard-to-reach families and children
  Published by the Australian Government's Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, this report evaluates the effectiveness of three programmes' strategies to engage hard-to-reach populations. It explores the challenges they faced and what would help improve reach and engagement.
• Social Inclusion in Australia: How Australia is faring
  This first annual report by the Australian Social Inclusion Board lays out a framework for how Australia is faring, and offers analysis of what drives exclusion and how the country might tackle it. The report includes inclusion indicators such as work, social participation, and having a voice through political, civic, and community participation. Associated publications include a new social inclusion strategy called A Stronger, Fairer Australia, which sets out the Australian Government's vision and strategy for social inclusion, now and into the future; and the Australian Public Service Social Inclusion Policy Design and Delivery Toolkit, which is a practical guide to the design and delivery of government policy to ensure the needs of the disadvantaged are being met. The Toolkit covers the six steps in the social inclusion method of policy design that all Commonwealth agencies are now required to apply.
• Community Engagement in Policy Development conference papers
  Held in Melbourne, Australia, on 24-25 February, presenters explored how to put citizens at the centre of programmes and policies. Watch for conference papers to be added to the website soon.
• 2009 Reith Lectures on A New Citizenship
  Delivered by Michael Sandel, Professor of Government at Harvard University, these four BBC podcasts cover democratic politics and the common good, genetics and bioethics, the moral limits of markets and morality in politics.
• Real communities are self-organising
  This blog article argues that ‘community' regenerates spontaneously, given time, space, and a commonality of interest - provided it is not too oppressed.
• Why Don't More Members of Gens X and Y Join Boards?
  This US blog article identifies some key reasons why boards are hesitant to recruit younger members and why some in these demographics don't pursue board opportunities. It also includes a link to BoardSource's Next Generation and Governance Report on Findings and a Vital Voices report exploring ways to bring greater diversity to board membership.

Check the Events page on the OCVS website for items of interest to the community and voluntary sector and the government agencies that work with them.

Forthcoming highlights include:

• The National Not-for-Profit Sector Conference in Auckland (11-12 March)
• The deadline for public submissions on Fair Trading (Soliciting on Behalf of Charities) Amendment Bill (19 March)
• Partnerships and Advocacy Good Engagement seminar in Christchurch (31 March)
• E-engage your community conference - Christchurch (16 April)
• Good Practice in Action risk management seminars in Wellington and Christchurch (23 & 26 April)

....and much more.

» View the full events calendar online

Reproduction: You are welcome to reprint, forward or publish stories from this e-newsletter to raise awareness of the topics covered. Acknowledgement of OCVS as the source would be appreciated. (Any queries to ocvs@msd.govt.nz)
[Issue 31 ends].

If you wish to be added to the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector distribution list for this e-newsletter and other regular communications, send an email to ocvs@msd.govt.nz with your name and postal address.

The Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector raises the profile of the community and voluntary sector within government to encourage co-operation and effective working relationships. You can find out more about the OCVS here on our website www.ocvs.govt.nz, by email at ocvs@msd.govt.nz, phone: 04 918 9555, or by fax 04 913 3080.

» Now that you’ve read this e-news, you may want to read some of the back issues.