Issue 33 - 20 May 2010

The Kia tutahi Standing Together Steering Group has met four times since its membership was announced in early April. The group is posting a brief summary online shortly after each meeting to share key discussion points.

The Kia tutahi Standing Together Steering Group was set-up by the Hon Tariana Turia to lead the development of a Relationship Agreement to replace the 2001 Statement of Government Intentions for an Improved Community-Government Relationship. The Steering Group has been tasked to assist the Minister to complete the Agreement by October 2010.

The Steering Group has developed an initial framework and thoughts on the Agreement and envisages a short, aspirational document with associated documents to guide implementation.

A brief online survey is helping the Steering Group to gather wider thoughts at this initial stage, and the Steering Group invites you to share your ideas about what should be in a Relationship Agreement and how you would want the Steering Group to consult with you.

The survey link is: www.surveymonkey.com/s/RelationshipAgreement

From July through to September 2010, the Steering Group will consult across New Zealand to give people from all sectors the opportunity to feed back on a proposed draft Agreement. More details on this process will be available at a later date.

» Do the quick online survey to provide your input to the Steering Group's discussions

» Read the summaries from the first three Steering Group meetings

» View answers to a range of questions about the agreement and the Steering Group

The seminars organised by the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector continue to grow in popularity - which unfortunately meant we had to turn away almost as many people as we accepted for our most recent seminar on engaging with Pacific communities.

We apologise to all those people who we had to turn away, but remind you that we do put the presentations online after each event. 

Check out the following presentations from past seminars on topics such as:

• Engaging effectively with Pacific communities
• Managing risk and accountability in contracting
• Advocacy - an essential part of healthy democracy
• Contracts and partnering
• Participatory leadership
• Stakeholder engagement tools
• Brokering cross-sector partnerships
• Collaboration and complex adaptive systems
• Establishing realistic community engagement expectations
• Equitable public participation
• Public participation for better decisions
• Innovation through relationship building and motivation
• Public policy framework and the community-government relationship
• Strengthening the government-volunteering interface
• Why engage with NGOs?
• Building strong relationships

We're currently finalising details for June seminars in Christchurch, Wellington and Napier - so keep a watch on our website for details soon. 

Later in the year, our Good Engagement seminars will focus on ethnic communities and disability issues - together with a range of other subjects.  We try to include dialogue and discussion after presentations so this limits our choice of venues and attendance capacity - so if you see a seminar that interests you, be sure to book early!

» See presentations from previous seminars

» Visit the Good Practice Participate website to learn more about community engagement

» Visit the Good Practice Funding website to learn more about managing funding agreements

A series of regional funders forums co-ordinated by Philanthropy New Zealand in partnership with the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector will run in six regions from 14-25 June.  They will build on past forums and help funders develop strategies, to use individually and collectively, in order to play a most effective role in and with our communities.

These free networking events are for those who PROVIDE FUNDING to communities. If you make or influence grant-making decisions, have responsibility for assessing and evaluating requests for funding, or negotiate and/or manage contracts with community and voluntary sector organisations, the funders forums are for you!

This year's funders forums will focus on Effective Investment in our Communities and feature international presenters Fiona Ellis and Laura Benedict.  Fiona Ellis is a former Northern Rock Foundation CEO, who will discuss the cycle of learning, growing and reflecting in order to inform what we do. Laura Benedict, Ian Axford fellow and senior manager at the USA's largest social lender Self Help, will talk to funders about social lending.

The six regions hosting forums FOR FUNDERS are: Waikato, Auckland, Queenstown, Christchurch, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki. 

» See funders forum dates and registration details for your area at www.giving.org.nz

» Read more about Laura's exploration of social lending opportunities here in New Zealand

» Listen to Laura discuss social lending here in New Zealand

» Read a report on social lending in New Zealand

» See the basics about social enterprise, social lending and community economic development

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.

The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) started its scheme by providing staff with approximately 1,500 charities to choose from. The list will grow over time, particularly where there is demand from the 9,500 staff.  If your organisation would like to be involved in the MSD payroll giving scheme, you need to be registered as a donee organisation with Inland Revenue, and will need to provide the Ministry with a set of information that will allow MSD to set up systems to transfer donations.

The advantage of providing your organisation's details to MSD is that this will potentially be passed on across the wider State sector and to private sector employers - effectively increasing the pool of employees who could donate to your charity via their pay.

If you're registered as a donee organisation through Inland Revenue and would like to register for inclusion in the Ministry of Social Development's payroll giving scheme, please email payroll_giving@msd.govt.nz

Payroll giving can help non-profits smooth funding throughout the year and reduce the costs of fundraising. Employees benefit too because they get an immediate tax credit, and don't have to save receipts to make a claim at the end of the year. Every little bit helps, so donating a small amount regularly is a great way to contribute to a cause that's important to you. There is no minimum payroll giving donation set in legislation, however an employer may set their own rules around this for administration purposes.

You can find out more about payroll giving online or at presentations by the OCVS at the Charities Commission's regional forums in late May and June.  Further information about the venues and dates for the forums is on the Charities Commission website.

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

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

» Read more about payroll giving and download resources

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

» Find out more about MSD's payroll giving scheme and how your non-profit group can be part of it

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.

Young people were among the first to get involved in social media such as Bebo, MySpace, YouTube and Facebook - using them to connect and share ideas online.  

Websites for information sharing purposes (such as Facebook and YouTube) can potentially offer opportunities for government departments to better engage with the public (particularly younger people) and therefore deliver services and information in new and innovative ways. But here in New Zealand the use of these web 2.0 tools and applications was problematic for government agencies under the Public Finance Act.  That was until a regulation change earlier this year.

Now a range of government agencies are starting to use these online tools to connect with the public. These agencies include the Ministry of Youth Development (MYD), which now has a Facebook page. Joining MYD on Facebook allows young people to find out about opportunities to have their say.

MYD also encourages young people to join its Aotearoa Youth Voices network. Membership of the network offers young people the opportunity to get their views to government decision-makers; network with other young people and find out about youth opportunities and workshops.

» Follow the Ministry of Youth Development on Facebook

» Find out more about the Aotearoa Youth Voices network

» Learn about youth mentoring training opportunities in NZ

» Get involved in Youth Week (22-30 May)

» Read about the legislation change that made social media an option for government agencies

» See how different groups are going online to connect with key audiences

» Read about government's use of online engagement

Applications are open for keen young folk to get involved in a korero on volunteering during Volunteer Awareness Week. 

The aim is to help some awesome organisations become more sustainable, more youth-focused and more regenerative! The event in Wellington will be a one-day jam between the CEOs of some of the country's biggest non-profits and some motivated young people who aren't afraid to voice their opinions. The organisers are looking for a mix of ideas, inspirations and backgrounds.

Applications to participate in the discussion are due by 26 May 2010.

» See more details about how to apply on the attached form (PDF, 579kb)

» Get involved in Youth Week (22-30 May)

» Learn about youth mentoring training opportunities in NZ

» See more about Volunteer Awareness Week

The National Pasifika Disability Leadership Group is looking for 12 members from the Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch areas (three from each region). This is a new group and the organisers are especially interested in encouraging Pacific people with a disability, their family and carers to apply.

The Group will meet twice annually, and there will be opportunities for members to develop professionally as disability champions. Group members may also be required to communicate with decision makers, community leaders and other relevant audiences.

Applications are due by 7 June 2010 and are particularly encouraged from:

• Pacific people with disabilities, their family members and carers
• representatives from the Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch areas.
• organisations that advocate on behalf of Pacific people with disabilities, their family members and carers.

In related news, Lu'i Ola (an interagency Auckland Pacific regional project), is arranging the launch of the Pasifika Church Disability Toolkit Pacific Provider Package on 28 May 2010. For more information about the launch, please contact Gaylene Harvey gaylene.H@vakatautua.co.nz or phone 09 526 2544.

» For additional background about the organisers of the leadership group, please visit www.disabilityworkforce.co.nz

» For more details about joining the leadership group, see the application form and information available in a variety of languages:

• Cook Island (PDF, 109kb)
• English (PDF, 105kb)
• Fijian (PDF, 141kb)
• Niuean (PDF, 169kb)
• Samoan (PDF, 219kb)
• Tokelauan (PDF, 146kb)
• Tongan (PDF, 218kb)

Under the Official Information Act and the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act, you can request official information from Ministers and central and local government agencies.

• You do not need to use a particular form when requesting official information. 
• You do not have to state that your request has been made "under the Official Information Act".
• Your request does not have to be in writing.
  • If you do make it in writing it would be useful to keep a copy and note the date it was sent.
  • If you make your request orally, it would be useful to make a note of what you have requested, when you requested it and who you made the request to.

The holder of the information is obliged to inform you of their decision on your request as soon as reasonably practicable and no later than 20 working days after receiving it (unless that time is extended). 

If you are unhappy with the response that you receive to an official information request (or if you do not receive a response to your request within the statutory or extended time frame), you can complain to the Ombudsmen.

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

The Minister of Finance, the Hon Bill English will deliver Budget 2010 on Thursday afternoon, 20 May 2010.

» You can see Budget 2010 announcements online at www.beehive.govt.nz/feature/budget2010

» You can watch the Budget 2010 delivery online at www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/AboutParl/SeeHear/PTV/

» See a selection of Budget 2010 Factsheets on the Ministry of Social Development website

» Read the Minister for Social Development and Employment's post-Budget 2010 speech announcing the Community Response Model, which brings community and Government together to transform the delivery of family and community services.

» See the Community Response Model factsheet

» Read reaction from ComVoices – a network of Tangata Whenua, community and voluntary sector organisations.

» View other reaction from community groups in the ComVoices Media Alert for 21 May 2010

» Read the special Budget edition of Policy Watch from the NZ Council of Christian Social Services

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 recently-published literature review covers many types of participation - including 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.

Reasons why participation remains high on the international political and policy agenda are also explored in the review - associating participation with greater social justice, more effective public services and a society of self-confident citizens, as well as an expression of active citizenship. 

The review identifies four primary reasons why advocates of participation in national and local governance see it as a good thing.

• By involving individuals more directly in decisions that affect their lives, participation is seen as a way of strengthening the legitimacy and accountability of democratic institutions.
• Involving people in local decision-making processes and bringing them together around a common cause or interest can empower communities and help build social cohesion.
• Participation is considered a tool for reforming public services and providing services that are more efficient and better suited to people's needs.
• Personal benefits for individual participants range from increased political efficacy and satisfaction gained from influencing change, to personal development and growth in self-esteem from learning new skills such as public speaking.

The Pathways through Participation project is one year into a two and a half year timeframe.

» Download Understanding participation: A literature review

» Four briefings summarising different aspects of the literature review are also available:

Paper 1: What is participation?

Paper 2: What are the drivers of participation?

Paper 3: Who participates?

Paper 4: Why participate?: Understanding what motivates people to get involved

» Subscribe to the project's newsletter to stay informed of progress

» Read the UK's 18 May 2010 Big Society announcement about public sector reform empowering local people and communities

» See a New Zealand perspective on the benefits of community participation

• Collaborative Voices interview with Laura Benedict
  Listen to Ian Axford Fellow, Laura Benedict talk about social lending on Access Radio. Recorded in April, this 30-minute Collaborative Voices radio interview explores the different aspects of lending to non-profits here in NZ and in the USA.

• Social lending in NZ - an article from New Dialogue
  Social lending covers a broad range - loans to non-profits, affordable housing, anti-loan shark programmes, and small business development for minorities and women. Find out more in this article by Ian Axford Fellow Laura Benedict in a recent issue of the NZ Federation of Voluntary Welfare Organisations' newsletter.

• 2010 ANZOA conference presentations: It's the putting right that counts
  With 17 topical presentations and 25-plus speakers, the Australian and NZ Ombudsmen's Association's biennial conference (6-7 May) in Wellington provided a space for Ombudsmen, their staff and those in government, regulation, industry, academia and the consumer sector, interested in the institution of Ombudsman, to discuss and reflect on current issues and challenges. Presentations included different perspectives on the role of Ombudsmen - including one from the NZ Federation of Family Budget Services.

• Whānau Ora regional hui presentation (PDF, 876kb)
  Twelve regional hui are in progress around the country between 10-31 May to provide information about Whānau Ora.

• Discussion document: Skills for Wellbeing, 2020
  You are invited to contribute to the development of a 10-year strategy for the social services and community sector workforce. Leaders from the social services and community sector have partnered with the Social Services Industry Training Organisation to propose a workforce development framework for social services and community building. Feedback is needed from people, organisations and networks interested in the wellbeing of people and communities - from iwi, government, community or the private sector. Training and education providers should also participate in this discussion. All feedback is needed by 30 June 2010.

• Youth Violence Symposium outcomes report (PDF, 937kb)
  This two-day event in March 2010 was aimed at people who work with youth and youth violence, and attracted 382 delegates from throughout the country. The key sectors, including NGO programme providers, social workers, Child, Youth & Family, NZ Police, Community Probation Service, education, justice, and researchers, were well represented, both as speakers and delegates. The Outcomes report includes workshop summaries conclusions, and recommendations. An action committee is now taking steps to engage the wider community in implementing a range of ideas put forward at the symposium.

• Report on giving, receiving and seeking help: The Campaign for Action on Family Violence
  This just-published research report explores people's willingness, confidence and capacity to give and receive help to prevent family violence. It also aims to identify the conditions that encourage help-giving and receiving; especially what motivates someone to take action to prevent or stop family violence, and the barriers that prevent giving or receiving of help.

• A qualitative study into Pacific perspectives on cultural obligations and volunteering
  Launched in April, this report is from a research project carried out by the Pacific Section of the Family Centre's Social Policy Research Unit. The research was commissioned by the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector and funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.

• Watch Volunteer Power online
  This new television series screening on TVNZ6 salutes the people who make this country run - New Zealand's volunteers! Building on the success of the TrustPower National Community Awards, the show takes viewers to 25 districts around the country, looking at marvellous ways in which communities get things done. As well as celebrating some amazing people, Volunteer Power shows the outstanding projects they've undertaken, and the enormous role they play in the communities of Aotearoa.

• Kiwis Count 2009 survey report
  Published by the State Services Commission, this survey shows that New Zealanders' satisfaction with the delivery of frontline public services has increased.

• Announcement of finalists for the IPANZ Gen-i Public Sector Excellence Awards
  Finalists were announced by the State Services Minister on 3 May, with the awards to be presented on 18 June.

• Guidance on the preparation of Regulatory Impact Statements
  This section of the CabGuide explains the role and purpose of regulatory impact analysis and includes a link to Treasury's Regulatory Impact Analysis Handbook.

• Draft guide for managing risk in not-for-profit organisations
  The Standards NZ consultation on this draft handbook will close on 21 May 2010.

• smARTtalk e-mail digest
  In 2009, Creative New Zealand developed a partnership with The Big Idea to deliver smART talk: interactive online forums with local and international audience and market development experts. The e-mail digests summarise the Arts-related online forum topics. Recent highlights include Arts Fundraising, Attracting Philanthropy, Working with Fundraisers and the Cultural Philanthropy Taskforce

All the content from the OCVS events calendar is being integrated into the Events calendar on CommunityNet Aotearoa - so soon you will 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:

• Charities Commission forums in New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Napier, Lower Hutt and Porirua (24-27 May)
• the Lu'i Ola launch of the Pasifika Church Disability Toolkit Pacific Provider Package (28 May)
• Welfare Working Group Forum to debate the issues - Wellington (9-10 June)
• Volunteer Awareness Week (20-26 June)
• Charities Commission forums in Rotorua, Hamilton, Auckland, and Northland (28 June - 2 July)

....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 33 ends].

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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.