Issue 32 - 20 April 2010

The Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, the Hon. Tariana Turia, announced the 14 people and two co-chairs appointed to the Kia Tutahi Standing Together Steering Group, after the Cabinet Appointments and Honours Committee (APH) confirmed the membership in late March.

The Kia Tutahi Standing Together Steering Group includes seven community and voluntary sector members selected from a total of 121 sector nominations, and seven state sector members selected through a separate process.

The co-chairs are Hori Awa (community) and Don Gray (government).

The community members are Alison Broad, Lani Evans, Tania Kingi, Owen Lloyd, Kevin Moran, Pancha Narayanan and Wayne Poutoa.

The government agencies represented on the steering group are the Department of Internal Affairs, Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC), Te Puni Kōkiri, Office of Ethnic Affairs, Ministry of Women's Affairs, Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs. The Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector will act as secretariat for the Kia Tutahi Standing Together Steering Group.

The Kia Tutahi Standing Together Steering Group met for the first time on 9 April to begin leading the development of a community-government Relationship Agreement.

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

A 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. Exact details will be determined by the Kia Tutahi Standing Together Steering Group, but if you are planning significant community sector events or meetings for the period of June to September 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.

If you have any questions about the 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.

» See the full list of Kia Tutahi Standing Together Steering Group members, including short bios of the community members

» Terms of Reference for the steering group

» View answers to a range of questions about the agreement and the steering group

» Listen to radio interview with co-chair Hori Awa on Radio Waatea (Part 4 of 4)

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

From 16 April to 14 May 2010, the OCVS and Standards NZ are seeking wider public and government agency input on a draft Code of Funding Practice (the Code). When finalised, the Code will support agencies and non-profits in government funding arrangements.

For years, government funding arrangements have been a source of tension for non-profit organisations. Many claim that government contracting arrangements carry excessive compliance costs, appear to be one-sided, and fail to share risk. To address this issue, the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, the Hon. Tariana Turia, asked the OCVS to develop a good-practice funding code. Standards NZ was chosen to partner with OCVS on this project through a competitive tender process.

The Code of Funding Practice is proposed to cover a number of issues, including:

• high compliance costs
• disproportionate reporting
• relational contracting
• shared outcomes
• negotiation
• managing risk
• accountability
• monitoring and evaluation.

The draft Code became available for public comment on the Standards NZ's website on 16 April. Comments may be made online or a comment form may be downloaded and mailed in to Standards NZ.  Comments are due to Standards NZ by 14 May 2010.

This public consultation phase follows the first phase of input in February and March, when Standards NZ sought the views of an expert network of over 30 community and government people with wide skills, knowledge and expertise in government funding of community providers.

Public comments received on the draft Code will be reviewed and used to inform development of a penultimate draft. The expert network will comment on this before a final version is provided to the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector by 30 June 2010.

The final Code will be made publicly available online and possibly in hard copy. The Code will be written in plain language so community and voluntary sector organisations can easily understand the Code's core principles when entering into funding arrangements.

» Read the draft Code online - and make a comment

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

» See current guidance on funding on the Good Practice Funding website

The next full-day Good Practice in Action seminar for government agencies and the community organisations they work with will be held in Wellington on 23 April.

The programme will explore four perspectives on risk.

• Nicola White (Assistant Auditor-General, Legal) will discuss the Office of the Auditor-General's insights to risk-based management of third party funding arrangements
• The Ministry of Social Development will present on supporting and facilitating development of a Ministry-wide risk-smart culture
• The Ministry of Social Development's Family and Community Services will cover implementing the Ministry's approach to risk management and high trust contracting
• Carolyn Cordery (Senior Lecturer from Victoria University's Wellington School of Management) will share recent research on how public servants evaluate and manage risk when they contract with non-profit organisations.

Government officials are attending with representatives of their non-profit stakeholders.  There is no registration fee and lunch will be provided

» To enrol, e-mail ocvs@msd.govt.nz with your details and the name of your non-profit partner(s) by 3pm Wednesday, 21 April

» See presentations from previous seminars

Between late April and June this year, the Charities Commission will be hosting 12 regional forums for charities. 

The forums will include payroll giving presentations by the OCVS, as well as Charities Commission updates on national and regional statistics for the charitable sector, using data now available from the Annual Returns filed by charities. Attendees will also be able to find out more about the Commission's education and monitoring programmes, and provide feedback.

The first of the forums will be held in the South Island, with Christchurch getting the ball rolling on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 April, followed by Dunedin on Wednesday 28 April, Invercargill on Thursday 29 April and Queenstown on Friday 30 April.

Invitations to the regional forums will be sent to registered charities, using the contact information held for each organisation in the Charities Register. To be sure of receiving your invitation, you may wish to check that the contact information on the Register for your charity - particularly your email address - is up-to-date.

Further information about the venues and dates for the remaining forums is on the Charities Commission website, but if you have any questions, please contact: education@charities.govt.nz.

The OCVS will also be presenting payroll giving workshops for employers in coming months. (We'll confirm those dates and locations shortly.)

Several government agencies are among the employers who've recently introduced payroll giving schemes - they include the Ministry of Social Development, Inland Revenue, the Department of Internal Affairs and the Charities Commission.

» Check your details on the Charities Register

» View the dates and programme for the Charities Commission regional forums

» Read more about payroll giving

» See recent media releases and news coverage about the introduction of payroll giving

In an effort to consolidate guidance and information for the community sector, the OCVS is working more closely with CommunityNet Aotearoa to contribute content to the site. The first step in this closer working relationship is the amalgamation of Events calendar content. 

Around the end of April (once all event listings have been relocated), the OCVS website will no longer have its own Events calendar, but will contribute more material to CommunityNet Aotearoa.  Instead of maintaining a separate calendar on the OCVS website, we will now add all our events to CommunityNet Aotearoa and also list additional events we hear about that organisers have not found time to load themselves. 

Over coming weeks, we will also start to relocate OCVS guidance information on volunteering, funding, productivity and evaluation to relevant How-to-Guide sections of CommunityNet Aotearoa, and work together to identify opportunities to further enhance the content on CommunityNet Aotearoa.  We hope this collaboration will provide more comprehensive assistance to the community sector and reduce the number of different places non-profit organisations need to look for helpful information.

The OCVS and CommunityNet Aotearoa will also explore further ways to raise awareness of the many useful tools and resources available to the community sector, such as the Community Resource Kit, Keeping it Legal, and others.  If you have ideas about how to raise awareness of, or improve CommunityNet Aotearoa as the ‘go-to' place on guidance for the community sector, please contact us at ocvs@msd.govt.nz or information@community.net.nz

» Explore CommunityNet Aotearoa

» Check the Events calendar on CommunityNet Aotearoa

» Nominate a community sector representative for the CommunityNet Aotearoa Advisory Group

OCVS senior analyst, Iris Webster has returned from her role as the NZ study tour liaison officer for the Emerging Pacific Leaders Dialogue (EPLD) 2010 in Samoa and Tonga, where she mixed with royalty and saw the best that the Pacific has to offer in leadership. Notable attendees at the opening and closing plenary sessions included HRH Princess Anne the Princess Royal, HRH Princess Pilolevu, HH Tui Atua, Head of State Samoa and Mr Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum.

EPLD 2010 Navigating Our Future Together was the theme for the prestigious event, which brought together 120 mid-career participants from business, government, trade unions and the community service sector from more than 20 Pacific region territories. Ten study tour groups were sent to various countries within the Pacific region including New Zealand, which Iris took part in.

The purpose of the NZ study tour was to broaden horizons, explore individual and collective identity and to uncover aspects of leadership within New Zealand. The group did this by visiting various businesses, government and non-government organsisations to assess leadership at its best. Included in the tour were visits to Awataha Marae, NIWA, AgResearch, Ballance Nutrients, Port of Tauranga, SpringHill Corrections Facility, Waihi Goldmine, Southern Cross campus in Mangere, a Tongan health provider in Onehunga, Zespri International Ltd and a meeting with the Committee for Auckland Inc.

The experience was invaluable in giving a group of future Pacific leaders a look at what could be done to further improve the Pacific and how best to assess navigating the way forward.

For the NZ study tour group - four key areas defined a true leader as being someone who recognises the importance of values and of collective leadership, who knows oneself and has the vision and the passion to inspire people.

Many networks were created and Iris will be working with others who also attended from New Zealand to ensure that the momentum created at EPLD 2010 will not be lost. 

» See more about the Emerging Pacific Leaders Dialogue

» Learn about engaging with communities of Pacific peoples

If you have news or major activities related to community and voluntary sector issues, you are welcome to send a brief description to us at ocvs@msd.govt.nz for inclusion in our email updates.

The Family Centre has launched the report: A Qualitative Study into Pacific Perspectives on Cultural Obligations and Volunteering.  This was presented to the Hon. Georgina te Heuheu, Minister of Pacific Island Affairs at a launch last week, which was also attended by the Hon. Tariana Turia, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector.

The report is from a research project carried out by the Pacific Section of the Family Centre's Social Policy Research Unit, (by Taimalieutu Kiwi Tamasese, Tafaoimalo Loudeen Parsons, Ginny Sullivan and the Rev. Charles Waldegrave, QSO). The research was commissioned by the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector and was funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.

The report highlights that while unpaid work may be described as ‘voluntary' in the European context, these activities are not always seen in this way by Pacific people. It suggests that Pacific people consider they have a moral and ethical responsibility to care for, support and assist aiga (family) and therefore their actions (deemed as voluntary) are also borne out of a sense of cultural obligation or duty. The choice not to care, support, or assist aiga can be perceived as unethical and amoral.

The report aims to provide the reader with an insight into the Pacific conceptions of cultural obligation, unpaid work and volunteering amongst Pacific people living in New Zealand.  This includes six Projects of Pride based on the six main population island nations within New Zealand - Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga, Niue, Fiji and Tokelau. The projects focus on case studies where each Pacific nation carried out a specific project relevant to its own individual nation. Another section describes the Faafaletui Focus groups - where a culturally-anchored process was used to gather data using collective groups of relevant participants in fono (meeting-type) gatherings. The Drawing the Threads Together section brings together the research findings - summarising their implications for concepts of cultural obligations and volunteering.

» The report can be downloaded from the Family Centre website

» Watch for Minister te Heuheu's speech from the launch, including descriptions of the six Projects of Pride

» Read Minister Turia's speech from the launch

The Department of Internal Affairs is conducting a review of the Charities Act 2005, which is focused on technical issues to address issues arising from the implementation of the Act and to improve the future operation of the Charities Register. The review will consider issues such as the regulation of forms used by the Commission, the workability of group registration provisions and some aspects of interpretation. 

Among other issues, the review of the Act includes:

• considering the development of a clause in the Act that provides for the Commission to have regard to the aspirations, values and views of Māori as tangata whenua; Pacific peoples of New Zealand; and ethnic and cultural groups in New Zealand
• clarifying when sports purposes are considered charitable.

Submissions on changes will be encouraged once the Charities Bill goes to Select Committee.

A first principles legislative review is scheduled for 2015. By this stage, the Charities Commission will have established its full range of functions, and this is 10 years after the Charities Act was passed.

» For further information, please contact Shawn Hollister in the Department of Internal Affairs at Shawn.Hollister@dia.govt.nz or phone 04 495 7298

The Waikato Management School has published a report on its 2008 Survey of Community and Voluntary Organisations' Use of Information & Communication Technologies (ICT).  The survey covered the practices of 757 community and voluntary organisations in New Zealand. The survey was previously conducted in 2005, and this new report identifies changes since that time.

Some key differences from the 2005 survey and changes since then are highlighted below.

• More organisations with annual budgets greater than $100,000 participated in the survey in 2008 (39.5%) compared with 2005 (27.3%), and fewer organisations with annual budgets less than $99,000 participated in 2008. This is a significant difference in the demographics of the two surveys and should be kept in mind when interpreting results.
• More organisations had access to broadband in 2008 (59.5% overall) compared with 2005 (37.7% overall)
• More organisations had a website in 2008 (52.8% overall) compared with 2005 (36.3% overall)
• Fewer organisations report having no computer. However, fewer had recently purchased new computers than was the case in 2005. Organisations appear to be buying new computers less frequently, and keeping them for longer periods.
• Fewer respondents cite inability to afford computers financially as a reason for not using the Internet to the extent they would like (37.1% overall in 2008 compared with 47.6% overall in 2005)
• More organisations provided remote access to online resources in 2008 (28.1% in 2008 compared with 20.4% in 2005)
• More respondents consider that the organisation's decision-makers have a high or very high level of knowledge about ICTs than was the case in 2005 (36.3% in 2008 compared with 33.4% in 2005).

The report was prepared by Professor Ted Zorn and Dr Margaret Richardson. Comments or queries about the report can be directed to Professor Zorn in Hamilton. Phone (07) 838 4776 or e-mail: tzorn@mngt.waikato.ac.nz

» Access the full research report on the Waikato Management School website

» Read a recent speech from the Governor-General exploring the impact of the Internet on the community and voluntary sector: Connecting the pixels

The non-profit section of the Inland Revenue website has recently been updated in response to customer concerns in recent research.

Inland Revenue's customers said the website did not contain information directly targeted towards non-profits, so Inland Revenue changed this, adding articles written specifically for non-profit organisations. 

The non-profit section of the website now has six new headings:

• Staff and volunteers
• Paying and claiming GST
• Charitable organisations
• Donations, grants and funding
• Keeping records and filing returns
• Donee organisations

There is also a non-profit-specific glossary and a ‘News and updates' section. Inland Revenue's team hopes the new content will make things easier for non-profits.

If you have any feedback or suggestions for the website, please email: webmaster@ird.govt.nz.

» Explore the new-look site at www.ird.govt.nz/non-profit

The Community Sector Taskforce is hosting 17 regional forums around New Zealand between 7 April and 28 May. 

The Community Sector Taskforce is an independent body established to continue work initiated by the joint community sector and government working parties (2000-02) to develop the relationship between government and the sector.  As part of Budget 2009, Minister Turia announced funding over three years to support the work of the Taskforce in working with and building local community networks. The Taskforce's Weaving Communities Together programme is supporting opportunities to build new networks or enhance existing ones to find solutions to important issues within specific communities.

The regional forums will explore the following themes as part of the community korero.

• Whakaaturangi/Informed
  What has the Taskforce been doing since 2007?
• Whakapumautanga/Sustainability
  Does the draft infrastructure connect us up locally, regionally and nationally?
  Does it meet our needs?
• Hononga/Connected
  What current initiatives is the Taskforce engaged in?
  Next steps in their Te Tiriti/Treaty Relationship work.
• Rangatiratanga/Leadership
  What should the Relationship Agreement between the Sector and Government look like?

Community Collectives is one of the major topics being discussed at the Community Korero hui.  The term Community Collective is one that has been used by the Community Sector Taskforce over the past 6 years.

If you wish to attend any one of the Taskforce regional forums, please complete the registration form and email to Iris Pahau at communitysectortaskforce@paradise.net.nz or Georgina at info.cst@paradise.net.nz

» See dates and locations of the Taskforce regional forums

Anyone who believes they have been unfairly treated by a government agency can complain to the Ombudsmen.

Under the Ombudsmen Act, the Ombudsmen can investigate complaints about the actions and decisions of state sector agencies and crown entities. This includes central government departments such as the Department of Labour, the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Justice, etc. It also includes local government agencies such as councils, district health boards, school boards and other education institutions.

The Ombudsmen's services are free. The Ombudsmen are independent and they do not take the side of either the complainant or the government agency. The Ombudsmen aim to find out the truth and try to resolve complaints during the investigation process, if possible. If following an investigation a complaint is upheld, an Ombudsman may make a recommendation to remedy the complaint.

The Ombudsmen Act establishes certain limits on the otherwise sweeping jurisdiction of an Ombudsman. Ombudsmen cannot investigate:

• if there is a statutory right of appeal to a Court or Tribunal
• complaints about the actions of Ministers or politicians
• private individuals or businesses
• decisions of courts and tribunals.

If you have a complaint, start by contacting the relevant agency's complaint handling area to try and resolve the problem. If you have not tried the agency first, the Ombudsman will not usually commence an investigation until a complainant has raised concerns with the agency.

To make a complaint or to discuss your problem, contact the Ombudsmen's office.

• Freephone 0800 802 602
• E-mail complaint@ombudsmen.parliament.nz
• In person or in writing to PO Box 10-152, Wellington 6143
• Via the online complaint form on the website.

» More information about what the Ombudsmen do is at www.ombudsmen.parliament.nz

• New-look CommunityCentral
  Improvements to the online workspace CommunityCentral were introduced in March. They include a new homepage, with much more value for you when you visit. There's now all the latest news from CommunityNet Aotearoa, and an experimental new ‘promotion' space for good sector things. There's also a blog about new and interesting sector collaborations and what people are using CommunityCentral for. More improvements are planned and feedback is welcome.
• OCVS presentation to the ANGOA Community Sector Roundtable
  On 14 April, OCVS Director Alasdair Finnie provided an update on the work of the OCVS to the monthly ANGOA Community Sector Roundtable meeting. The presentation highlighted progress since the August 2009 Cabinet paper and provided an overview of OCVS work programme.
  » View the Powerpoint slides
• Collaborative Voices interview with OCVS Director, Alasdair Finnie
  Listen to OCVS Director, Alasdair Finnie talk on Access Radio about how the work of the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector influences the work of all government departments. Recorded on 16 March 2010, this 30-minute Collaborative Voices radio interview explores current work to develop principles for community engagement, a code of funding practice and a joint relationship agreement to improve community-government relationships.
• Alasdair also recorded an interview with Noel Cheer for Triangle Television's In Conversation programme. This is scheduled to air on Triangle Television (on 28 April at 7:30pm) and the Stratos TV channel (on 29 April at 9pm).

• Brokering successful cross-sector partnerships
  - Trish Hall's presentation at the recent Good Engagement seminar in Christchurch.
  Partnerships are easier to aspire to, than to achieve. A decisive factor in the success of partnering is the skill of partnership brokers or practitioners (who can be internal or external to the partner organisations). The role of this partnership broker is frequently overlooked and seldom developed.
• Advocacy - an essential component of a healthy and vibrant democracy
  - Mary Richardson's presentation at the recent Good Engagement seminar in Christchurch.
  Debate is fundamental to the development of good public policy and a well-functioning democracy. Governments that are open to policy debate enhance their own legitimacy and strengthen the quality of decision-making.Dissenting views are an essential aspect of public debate. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) serve several important functions in the policy debate, includingproviding information and opinions that would otherwise not be heard; representing marginalised groups that otherwise have no public voice; and providing a cost-effective channel for consultation.
• When charity begins at the office
  This NZ Herald article (4 April 2010) explores the experiences of ‘corporate refugees' - people who've left the business world to work in the not-for-profit sector. Included in those interviewed is Kate Frykberg, who is part of the Generosity Hub.
• Connecting the pixels
  The Governor-General's closing address to the Combined Community Trusts Conference at Napier on 12 March 2010 explored the impact of the internet on the community and voluntary sector.
• Whānau Ora: Report of the Taskforce on Whānau-Centred Initiatives
  Released on 8 April, the Whānau Ora Taskforce report sets out options for improving social, education and other support services for families across New Zealand. The Government will formally respond to the Taskforce report in the next month or so. In announcing the report's release, Acting Prime Minister, the Hon. Bill English, and the newly-appointed Minister Responsible for Whānau Ora, the Hon. Tariana Turia, confirmed a governance group had been appointed to manage the programme. It will report to Mrs Turia as Minister Responsible for Whānau Ora. Ministers have agreed that Whānau Ora will be financially neutral - funded by reprioritising existing funding in votes Health, Social Development and Māori Affairs. Those details will be set out in the Budget.
  » Read the Ministerial media release
  » Read more or download the report
  » Watch the TVNZ Q&A episode featuring Whānau Ora
• 4^th Vulnerability report published by NZ Council of Christian Social Services
  This fourth Vulnerability Report covers the last quarter of 2009 and explores the experiences and pressure points for families and social service agencies. Data from NZCCSS member agencies is supplemented with data from other community-based organisations and placed in the wider economic context.
• The impact of the recession on young people
  This Household Labour Force Survey Investigation Report from the Department of Labour takes a closer look at how young people are being affected by the recession. Youth (those aged 15-24 years) are typically one of the most affected groups during labour market downturns, and their long-term labour market outcomes may suffer from not being able to enter the labour market easily due to limited job opportunities during a recession.
• How should we care for the carers, now and into the future? Manaaki tangata
  This report from the National Health Committee makes recommendations to the Minister of Health about how to better support and provide services for informal carers. The Committee defined an informal carer as someone who cares for a friend, family member or neighbour who, because of sickness, frailty or disability, can't manage everyday living without help or support. The report says informal carers need to be well supported in their role, to protect their health and wellbeing so they can provide care in a sustainable and positive way. Two pieces of supporting research have also been made available on the website.
• No special treatment ethnic group
  Political journalist and analyst Colin James presented this paper at the Official Statistics Forum 2010 in March. The theme of the forum was realising the value of official statistics, both in the sense of the awareness of that value, and fulfilment of the potential of that value.
• Leadership in NGOs - a resource
  The Council for International Development's Resource Kit includes a new and updated resource on Leadership - emphasising that effective non-government organisations (NGOs) are led by a powerful partnership of the board and chief executive.
• Big6 employment guides produced by Department of Labour
  Since about 97% of New Zealand employers employ fewer than 20 staff, and usually do not have the specialist in-house human resource or legal services that their larger counterparts do, the Department of Labour has produced easily accessible information on six key issues. They are health and safety, hiring new employees, pay, holidays and leave, performance management and ending employment relationships. The Big 6 contains checklists of the main things employers need to know and links to further information.

• Australia's National Compact with the Third Sector: Working Together
  This document recognises the diverse and very substantial contribution of the Third Sector to Australia today, and its even greater potential for the future. In launching the Compact last month, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he hoped the framework for future co-operation and partnership set out in the document would "help foster creative and lasting collaborations that make a difference for our people, our environment and our nation's future".
• Deterring fake public participation
  This article in the International Journal of Public Participation says that fake participation occurs when governments seek the democratic legitimacy, but not the accountability that comes with public participation. Fake participation allows decision-makers to say, "I gave you an opportunity to speak on this legislation--and you didn't take it.".....
• From political won't to political will: Building support for participatory governance
  This new publication from CIVICUS (the World Alliance for Citizen Participation) examines why political will for participatory governance is lacking and what can be done about it. It identifies strategies and actions that have proved effective in nurturing political will and outlines what citizens, civil society actors, elected representatives, and government officials can do to build broad-based support for citizen empowerment and participatory governance.
• Understanding participation: A literature review
  The UK Pathways through Participation project is exploring how and why people get involved and stay involved in different forms of participation over the course of their lives. Participation means many things to many different people, so the project looks at participation in a very broad sense and considers the act of taking part in a wide range of social or civic activities. The literature review covers community development, volunteering, public participation, social movements, everyday politics and ethical consumption. The review looks at the historical and current drivers of participation, the activities and actors of participation and different theoretical approaches that contribute to a better understanding of participation. The project is one year into a two and a half year timeframe.
  » Two summaries of the literature review are available
  » Subscribe to the project's newsletter to stay informed of progress
• Shaping our future - The joint ministerial and third sector task force on climate change, the environment and sustainable development
  This UK report outlines the conclusions of the Joint Ministerial and Third Sector Task Force, established in April 2009 to examine how action on climate change, the environment and sustainability can be mainstreamed in the sector. The report explores collaboration between the third sector and four government departments, and the actions they can take together to achieve shared goals.
• A social enterprise approach to reinvigorating the provision of community social work services in the UK
  Watch this presentation by Professor Peter Marsh - a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, Victoria University of Wellington.
  » You can also download a related prospectus on the model
• Capable communities: Public service reform - the next chapter
  This Institute for Public Policy Research paper explores the shifting relationship between the citizen and the state as the next chapter of public service reform evolves in the United Kingdom. It explores the role citizens and communities can play in directly producing services through a philosophy of ‘co-production'. Co-production means delivering public services in an equal and reciprocal relationship between professionals, people using services, their families and their neighbourhoods. The paper sets out the challenges that lie ahead and identifies questions for further research - making the case for community empowerment, before examining how this important agenda can move from the margins to the mainstream of the policy agenda. The work is informed by a specially commissioned poll that assessed public attitudes towards greater citizen involvement in and responsibility for delivering services.
• Volunteering for civic roles - information for  employers and employees
  This publication from the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government and Business in the Community gives a helpfuloverview of ‘non-typical' civic volunteering roles,from young offenderpanel members tohousing association board members.These roles,the report argues,help to ensure integrity in public life. Statutory appointments and charity trustees are also included in the overview. Calling on employers (from across all sectors) toallow andsupport staff to undertake volunteeringin work time, the report includes a‘myth buster'about employee-supported volunteering to helpemphasise its message: that volunteering benefits the employer, the employee andwider civil society.
• Social security in an ageing world: Adapting to demographic challenges
  This four-page Social Policy Highlight report from the International Social Security Association explores the impacts of demographic change. As societies attempt to successfully adjust to population ageing, a key public policy question is how national collective goals will influence these necessary societal adjustments, and how such required adjustments will be facilitated or restricted by existing social goals.
  The report:
  - summarises the evolving nature of global population ageing
  - reports on the challenges of rising elderly dependency ratios for social security systems in ageing societies
  - details the labour market and savings opportunities for societies with falling youth dependency ratios
  - considers how national collective goals may influence adaptation to population ageing
  - presents policy lessons for national social security systems.

All the content from the OCVS events calendar is being integrated into the Events calendar on CommunityNet Aotearoa - so now you have one less place to check when you want to know about community sector related events. Instead of maintaining a separate calendar on the OCVS website, we will now add all our events to CommunityNet Aotearoa and also list additional events we hear about that organisers have not found time to load themselves.

Forthcoming events include:

• Good Practice in Action risk management seminar in Wellington (23 April)
• Charities Commission regional forums including payroll giving (April, May & June)
• Fundraising Institute of NZ Conference: FINZ 2010 in Nelson (2-4 May)
• Not-for-profit 2010 Open Space Un-Conference in Auckland (21-23 May)
• Volunteer Awareness Week (20-26 June)

....and much more.

» View the full CommunityNet Aotearoa 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 32 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.